Do you honestly believe it was about toy sales?

[Shanks 10,816]

Hasbro is not thinking long term...How in the world could Twilight do anything more with the series (merchandise wise) if she's now a princess, a dream of everything princess loving little girl come true.  Their tastes are satisfied, so what next, can't get any higher than a god, which is obviously what she has become since it's fairly hinted at that she's Celestia's successor...

Yes and that is the problem, as supporters have pointed out it can if done right present some great storytelling opportunities but now that she has reached this point twilicorn even if it is handled right will likely shorten the series which from a marketing standpoint is stupid and short sighted. Don't get me wrong I still think if this is done right that we can still have at least 2 or 3 more seasons but it does close a few doors as well as opening a few.

[Bhending the Rules 697]

I thought the team was eventually going to make her princess anyways...but I personally believe Hasbro pushed it to be what we are seeing now....Still think it would have been one of those "grand finales" of this entire series, then it would have really went out with a BANG! In a good way!

Seriously, if toys was the biggest thing, Hasbro is not thinking long term...How in the world could Twilight do anything more with the series (merchandise wise) if she's now a princess, a dream of everything princess loving little girl come true.  Their tastes are satisfied, so what next, can't get any higher than a god, which is obviously what she has become since it's fairly hinted at that she's Celestia's successor...

 

First off, I very much agree that a "end of series" vibe was very much what I got from watching the episode. It felt like the end of the story, and if I didn't know season 4 was on the way, I might have guessed that this was supposed to be the end. On the other hand, I see plenty of potential places they could go with this. After all, while Twilight is the protagonist to this point, she's hardly the only important piece. Even if her development is over (and I don't believe that, she hasn't taken Celestia's role yet), the other characters have a lot of room to grow.

 

In most situations like this, big companies aren't thinking long term, because they've started to take the audience for granted. I just hope the creative team doesn't do the same thing. But I doubt they will.

[NavelColt 22,881]

I work at Toys R Us, and the MLP section literally has its' fair share of Twilicorn toys. I suppose one could argue about how much the decision was driven by Hasbro's need for making toys, but there is no 'it wasn't a factor'. Hasbro is a toy company. They're in it to sell toys.

 

Ugh, why am I in this forum.

[None42069 520]

 

t's complete rubbish in my opinion and is the result of Anti-Twilicorn enthusiasts trying to bash poor old Twilicron and Hasbro into the ground with anything they can get their hands on.

 

 

Twilicron. I doubt anyone would bash her. That would be the most AWESOME TOY EVER!

But yeah, Hasbro, from what I hear, is mostly about toys.
I DON'T CARE GIVE ME MY PONIES!!!

 

I think it was partly the toys and partly to end the show.

 

Yes, I think Magical Mystery Cure was intended to wind up G4 with a bang by finishing up Twilight's story arc. And why not make her a princess besides? It's not like there will be future episodes where her suddenly being in a different strata from her friends in every possible way would become an issue. Just close out with a song about how everything will always be fine and watch Twilight soar off into Happily Ever After. So I think this whole discussion about whether Twilicorn is good/bad for the show was originally intended to be moot as there would be no show for her ascension to be good/bad for.

 

But then there's a Season 4 now, so I guess the writers have to try and figure out how the show can go on after it's over-the-top finale.

 

On what grounds?

[Azura 1,107]

To be honest, I think it's a very stupid idea to turn Twilight into an Alicorn just for the toys. Why couldn't they just make Twilicorn a toy instead of making it a reality?

[Fridge 382]

Hasbro are a toy company in the end everything they do is motivated by the want to make money, MLP FIM is no different in that regard. But the writers and animators etc will have done their best to incorporate the wishes of their financiers, the target audience (not us) and the Brony community.

 

So in short, yes it was done for toy sales, and even though there aren't any out yet there will be soon enough. The act of her becoming an princess was something that was planned from the beginning as well so this is a completion of a story arc. That being said I do think they would have done a better job of the episode if they hadn't had only 13 episodes to work with over the season.

 

I also want to put out very quickly that I'm not a pro or anti Twicorn proponent, but I do want to see the end of these threads, I've lost count of how many I've seen now.

[Thunderbolt 35]

In my opinion, yes, it would not surprise me if Hasbro did it to have more toys to sell. Hasbro is a big company that is always trying to make more money, that's how a business grows. 

 

My initial reaction to make Twilight an Alicorn was completely shocking, I remember hearing a rumor about it, but it was from either 4Chan or Reddit, and we know about the Trolls on there so I just dismissed it as a fake letter. 

 

Nope.avi, It was real.

 

I'm not mad Hasbro changed it, but I'm just curious how the Writers are going to work with it. I mean the story was about a Unicorn learning the Magic of Friendship. ERROR 404: UNICORN NOT FOUND. This changes the whole point of the show.

 

Can't wait to see how this plays out for Season 4.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Thunderbolt

[Veylon 255]

 

On what grounds?

One the grounds that, well, everything about the season finale felt like a series finale.

 

Twilight started the series by leaving Canterlot to learn friendship amongst other ponies; now she returns after mastering history's most enduring friendship unsolved mystery and ascending into demi-god-hood. There is a brief montage of all of Twilight's life events (in Pony Heaven, no less!) followed up by an over-the-top Coronation. The whole thing is a musical and the closing music is different.

 

Then there's all the red flag stuff the anti-alicornists keep throwing around. The Mane Six are now unbalanced in various ways. Twilight will have to go back to Canterlot and leave her friends. Etc. etc. In the case that this was the final episode, none of that would matter as the show would be over. This kind of stuff can only be an issue if there are future episodes.

 

Of course, we know now that the show will go on, but I strongly suspect that no such assurance was forthcoming back when Season 3 was planned. And so graduating Twilight in a grandiose manner seemed perfectly reasonable.

[U_Flame 6]

The wings part, I don't know, maybe. Maybe not. Faust herself mentioned she wanted Twilight to surpass Celestia. Does this mean she was destined to become an alicorn from the start? Possibly. I don't know if Faust envisioned Twilight as an alicorn, or if what what ended up happening was what she really wanted or not. Point is, Princess Twilight isn't some sudden change Hasbro threw at us just for toys. It still is possible that adding wings was mainly for toy purposes, but since Twilight was already destined to ascend, they made it work.

 

We don't know how much of this was planned, and how much of it was about toys, but I at least believe it was largely planned, and the toy plans had little influence. At most, that's how she got her wings, but not how she achieved princesshood. Is that really a bad thing?

I like how it turned out. I think Twilicorn is adorable and if she was already destined for greatness, what harm is there at giving her wings while they're at it?

[poniesforfun 716]

To be honest, I think it's a very stupid idea to turn Twilight into an Alicorn just for the toys. Why couldn't they just make Twilicorn a toy instead of making it a reality?

 

Since the early days there's been cartoon shows made just to sell toys. To give the customers an impulse to buy they would introduce characters in the cartoon then sell the toys.

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

It was definitely about toy-sales.  They could've saved it for the series finale, but had to introduce it as early as Season Three.

 

Don't worry, I'm sure the writers learned how much of a stupid move it was to turn Twilight into an alicorn, and that they're probably scrambling around finding a way to get Twilight to give up her wings and royal-status for the sake of her friends.  Perhaps make her decide between royalty and friends?

 

And if any time someone brings up that book, The Crystal Heart Spell, and how it was proof that Twilicorn is here to stay: NO!!  It's not proof that it's permanent.  Eventually, the writers will set up another save-the-world storyline for the S4 premiere, like they always do with their season premieres.  And, it's at that point, that for Twilight to save the world and her friends, she would have to sacrifice all the magic she developed from becoming an alicorn princess, right down to her wings.

 

Besides, the Princess Twilicorn hype will eventually die down, Hasbro will move on to a new toy-set, and the writers will have to change Twilight back into a unicorn to reflect this. I mean, they've maneuvered around Hasbro's stupid business decisions before, like winged Rarity in Sonic Rainboom. I'm sure they'll find a way to return Twilight back into a unicorn.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Commander_PonyShep

[Clover Heart 978]

I'm neither against nor for Twilight being an alicorn. I don't think we've seen enough of her an her interaction within the show to be able to make a serious judgement about that.

However, I kind of do think that this was done to push toys. I could be wrong, but I could be right. If the finale were in two parts and better done, I might be convinced otherwise. However, the way in which it was done just seems a lot like a long commercial, to me. All the songs and the half-hearted execution of such an important plot twist... I can't imagine this was for the advancement of the store. If it were, it would've been done much better, I think.

[Azura 1,107]

Since the early days there's been cartoon shows made just to sell toys. To give the customers an impulse to buy they would introduce characters in the cartoon then sell the toys.

Oh.. Maybe I should appreciate they're trying to do both instead of only trying to sell toys, that would suck. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic wouldn't be the same if they didn't care.

[Fender 1,283]

In fairness, I think it was half and half. I think hasbro thought of the idea as a money-maker, just a little side product...but I also think that the writers and producers thought of the idea as a genuinely good idea, that (as I saw in another thread) has inspired a new plot twist. Season 4 should be including 2 more episodes in direct relation to the Twilicorn event. I have absolutely no problem with Twilicorn happening, and I see no reason why anyone should. You guys can spend all year speculating about what will become of the mane 6, or about whether or not Twilicorn happened for what reasons, but when will you realize? It's the same conversations and debates time and time again. Don't worry so much about it, none of us will determine how next season plays out. Enjoy the show you came to love since the first episode you saw, and stick around and enjoy the fandom. Hush about all of this mess. Now, pony up and let's be bronies and contribute to the culture we have all helped build.

[Toastypk 923]

Has it been explained why? Is there a mention of yes Hasbro wants this so they can make toys of it?

Because that makes sense. But I'm curious if that's really the reason they did it.

Or if it's something else with the show.

[Charcolt 3]

Pffft, Of course it was! Why else would you think the alicornic population has already doubled since season 1. On the bright side, at least no one's referring to alicorn twilight as the "Twilight Princess."(Thank you Nintendo)

[Benna 21]

I would have to say it wasn’t about toy sale but more about the writing staff trying to create an identity for themselves. Seems to me the decision to change Twilight to an Alicorn came after Faust left the team and she has stated that the Alicorn development was not her original path for the story when she started the series up. (I’m paraphrasing) So this lead me to believe that the decision to go down this particular path story wise is based on the writing staff trying to create an identity for the show of their own making particularly in controlling the overall arc of the show. But that’s just my humble opinion.

 

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I believe it was partially about toy sales to make her an alicorn princess. And the other part was that I think she was always intended to succeed Celestia or at least rule alongside her. Just look at it this way: There's the sun, the moon, and then... twilight. There's definitely a running theme there.

 

As for my response to your whole thing about why haven't the toys been released yet, it takes some time to manufacture them. Perhaps they just haven't done so yet, and are waiting for the publicity of Alicorn Twilight to sink in so that then they can release them and people will buy them in bulk. 

 

The entire reason people say that it was for toy sales is because the entire show itself kind of exists for toys. Hasbro would not have greenlit it otherwise. But simultaneously, they also give the writers their own freedoms as they don't really care what happens on the show, as long as something from a toyset appears. The writers determine the how and why of it when being given their criteria by Hasbro. It's likely when people get pissed off about something that happens on the show that they dislike, they will blame Hasbro's merchandise-driven nature. And sometimes, this can be illogical. In this case, however, it's not something that's completely out of nowhere. Alicorns and Princesses are something that would likely, in their eyes, interest little girls. It's a prime cash-in opportunity, and a lot of toys can be made out of this concept. I think both were present in the conceptualization of this.

 

People who hate Alicorn Twilight likely have a large variety of issues with it. Either the flawed and too quick execution of the final episode, or the concept itself of Twilight becoming an Alicorn which they might see as Mary Sueish and cheap. Some of these people may choose to address the specific issues they have when criticizing Alicorn Twilight, whilst others don't quite know how to voice their dislike, and just automatically jump to bashing Hasbro's toy-driveness because it's easy to criticize a Big Evulz Corporation  So this too can happen.

[Sweet Cherry 6]

Although the anti-Twilicorn entusiasts are overreacting about what's happened to Twilight Sparkle, we cannot allow ourselves to jump to conclusions about whether they are the source of what has been said about Hasbro and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. They are entitled to their own opinion; bashing isn't going to change that fact nor will pointing fingers at each other.

 

"Movies and Series boost sales of their respective toys." This is nothing new and has been their business strategy for quite some time. So by saying that it isn't about toys would be wrong.

 

I'd have to agree with what was said by Neikifly. This show has been used as a marketing strategy for the longest time; it's definitely not a secret. It has been this way since the show first premiered in the 1980's. We must not forget that Hasbro is a toy company, and these companies often have one goal, which is to make as much profit as possible. I do not believe that Twilicorn was a decision solely based on money, however.

 

Twilicorn could be a way for the story writers to wrap up the show after Twilight Sparkle's long story arc, as mentioned by Veylon, or she could've been transformed into an alicorn for some other reason (the story writers had an idea that they thought would be cool, etc). We'll just have to wait and find out for ourselves. For now, the complaining should cease; it's not like it'll reverse what's been done.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Sweet Cherry

[Stormwind 53]

i dont know what they were thinking. The whole twilicorn puts an expiration date on the show and Hasbro would be very foolish to kill of their biggest money maker so eagerly. There might be marketing involved but i dont understand what they want to accomplish so i cant make any educated guesses.

[RiverHaze 27]

So I was in a shop and I found this: 

 

Actually it is a notebook featuring alicorn Twilight Sparkle. So I saw many topics here about whether Twilight's transformation would be permanent or not. And knowing that Hasbro has launched alicorn related merchandise makes it seem like they really want Twilight to stay this way.  

I haven't seen other alicorn Twilight merchandise so far in my local shops (since I live in France it's highly probable that I don't have access to most merch in stores atleast).

 

This said, do you think Twilight's transformation was merely a strategy for Hasbro to relaunch new toys? Or do you think it was a necessary turn to the story and Hasbro's new merch is only following the events occurring in the cartoon?

 

[Shanks 10,816]

The purpose of the show in general is to sell toys which I don't mind so long as the show maintains its quality which whether or not it will after twilicorn nobody really knows for sure. It was clearly an example of executive micro managing, no doubt about it and has been botched horribly in the season finale but can still be salvaged if the writers bring their A games.

[hawkflame 3,310]

I've said this before and I'll say it again.

 

The show follows the toyline, the toyline doesn't follow the show.

 

For Hasbro, when it comes to MLP, the merch and toys come first. This is why they're generally so permissive of fan content, and even of uploading episodes and episode clips on youtube. For hasbro, the show itself is not where the money is. They make their millions off of the assorted merchandise that the show advertises.

 

Do you think that Twilight Sparkle's hot air balloon or Rarity's Carousel Boutique were purely Lauren Faust's idea? No, these were elements that Hasbro specifically asked to be included in some form.

 

Hasbro is a toy company first, entertainment company second.

Edited September 1, 2013 by hawkflame

[Armchair Adventurer 211]

Although I have no doubt that selling more merchandise has played a big part in making Twilight an Alicorn I like to think that this was always the intention of the writers. I am not fully satisfied with how it was done in the show, but it still opens up interesting possibilities for future stories and character development. 

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

Hasbro is a toy selling company.

 

Of course they would upgrade their merchandise by changing and transforming her into a princess for others to buy.