Do you honestly believe it was about toy sales?

[Scootalove 10,689]

It was always about the merchandise. Without the merchandise there would not be good advertisements for the episode where Twilight ascends to becoming an alicorn. Hasbro is and always will be a toy company who sells toys to promote.

[Unipeg 17]

MLP is a toy franchise, I love the show don't get me wrong it's all kind of one big toy ad to Hasbro. 

(Please take this with a grain of salt and don't ridicule me) 

Edited September 2, 2013 by Unipeg

[\/ 651]

The show's purpose is to sell the toys, and I think we all knew twilight was going to become an alicorn at some point, though it was a bit early in the show, and yes, it is always to make more toys. Never ever think that the show is for anything other than to sell toys. The developers don't want it to be that way, but hasbro makes toys, and this is how they sell them.

[GrimCW 658]

 Like others have said.

Toys.

Look at hasbros other shows and take note.
Transformers Beast Wars for example.

 

You had one character changed MULTIPLE times throughout the show.. same character, same show, just new toys.

Optimus Primal alone had his regular gorrilla, Transmetal, and transmetal 2 (Optimal Optimus). Then even a Beast Machines variant.

 

these changed EACH season... Something we should be glad Hasbro hasn't done to MLP yet.

[immortalpegasus 6]

I think that, with the way the show was going, it was nessecary to make her an alicorn. There was just no other way to end that episode that worked, or made sense at all. With that said, I think that Hasbro probably asked for them to do something that can spawn a new toy and get money from. So I believe that they staff was going to do it anyway, before they were told Hasbro wanted a new toy.

[techno915 408]

why wouldn't her transformation be permanent? i mean, it would be like charmeleon evolving into charizard and then ash decides "nah, i liked him better the old way." i mean, you can't really do that...at least, not easily. it's a part of who she is now. we just have to somehow either get over it or get used to it. personally, i am perfectly fine with her transformation, so for me it's a "getting used to it" thing.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

It's all about the toys, the writers may create it, but only the way Hasbro wants. They are out to make money, which is understandable, but they are doing it ineffectively. I wouldn't put it past them to try something idiotic like turn Twilight back into a unicorn because of fan reaction. I have a lot of rage on this topic, but that s for another thread, Twilight became an Alicorn for the sales, and we should be grateful the writers were able to piece the story together as well as they did, conditions considered.

[Tan 91]

Very interesting, does anypony think that saying it's for merch is a fair assumption? I personally don't think it's giving the show's creators too much credit to say this was planned and not just merch. Maybe it's to add a new perspective to the show, it might be fair to say that they were running out of ideas and needed to make a dramatic change. Twily's new princess status is fuel for fresh new story ideas. I think they could have done this alot differently but i don't care as long as the show's quality isn't affected negatively by this change.

[GrimCW 658]

Very interesting, does anypony think that saying it's for merch is a fair assumption? I personally don't think it's giving the show's creators too much credit to say this was planned and not just merch.

 

First, I'd like to say I am NOT against change, I'm all for it as it means things are likely to go onward longer.

HOWEVER...

The shows creators have most what abandoned ship, and Hasbro has already enforced multiple demands on the writers/animators that do not coincide with what was originally intended (Cadences design for one AIRC)

And as said before, Hasbro is known for doing these sorts of things for toy making, in order to add more to their lines and make it so the kids want it more.

Things that aren't in the show tend to get somewhat overlooked by the kids, so the more thats in, the more that sells.

 

So while the change can be good, its also likely to be the onset of MORE changes in order to get more merchandise created directly.

Equestria Girls is a fine example in its own way of how far Hasbro is willing to push things just to get more merchandise out under a single IP name. It could've easily been its own movie given a FEW changes. Yet instead they tied it into MLP and used a TERRIBLE excuse about people wanting to see the characters as humans.

TMK there weren't many that stylized them in the monsters high/Bratz design until Hasbro did... So ummm obvious ploy can't get more obvious.....

(dun get me wrong here either, tbh i found the movie rather surprisingly good... But it didn't have to have MLP in it at all, and they could've created an all new IP for it instead..)

 

The only question now is, How are they going to handle the changes?

Are they going to go all out G3 on us? Transformers (make a butt load of changes in a short period of time, then throw in a bunch of new characters on top of it.), or give the writers room enough to work it all in casually, and with purpose?lly, and with purpose?

Edited September 12, 2013 by GrimCW

[An Old Head 4,816]

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?

 

Hi there. As it so happens, there is already an existing thread about whether Alicorn Twilight was about toy sales. Seeing as we don't need two of the same thread, I've merged yours with this one.

 

In the future, please use the search function to see if your thread idea already exists

[Planty 1,053]

In short, the entire show is made to sell toys. most of the money they make not from the show,

 

However, Twilicorn was always going to become a princess, and Lauren said this not so long ago.

 

Despite this, I still feel the episode was a good episode (despite packing a lot in) and as it's supposed to be part of a "3 parter" I'm sure that it will end up fine and we will all love it. I do not doubt for a second that it will be good and it won't runin the show, Meghan has do a great job since Lauren left and I don't see it getting much worse (I do feel liek s3 played to bronies more though in the first 1/2 and as a result I prefer s1 and s2 over it, it was still awesome but not quite as good for me Maybe my expectations where to high as well which has an effect!). 

[Radiance64 7,053]

Yeah, implementing Twilicorn was certainly most likely for the reason of toy sales, I don't think the show suffered/will suffer for it though, the FiM team knows what they're doing since not everything on the show is based around toy sales(though admittedly, a lot of things are).

[ChapelGlass 79]

Can't say I'm anti-Twilicorn but considering My Little Pony has always been primarily about selling toys, it wouldn't come as a surprise, I suppose? But the argument falls flat when you think of how few brushables have been released over the past few years...unless Hasbro's decided to focus more on the blindbag ponies or something, which in that case, the argument still stands.

[MLP Moth 224]

Twilicorn was made for toys but, even if it wasn't it wouldve happened eventually and Hasbro equals illuminati so, yeah the sad truth.

[Emperor Posh 360]

I think only part of it was driven by toy sales. If you watch the Brony Doc Lauren Faust says that she wanted Twilight to replace Celestia as Ruler of Equestria. So I think a lot of the idea really came from Lauren Faust and not just toy sales for Hasbro.

[IceBeerG 55]

I think only part of it was driven by toy sales. If you watch the Brony Doc Lauren Faust says that she wanted Twilight to replace Celestia as Ruler of Equestria. So I think a lot of the idea really came from Lauren Faust and not just toy sales for Hasbro.

 

Replacing Celestia as ruler of Equestria doesn't mean becoming an alicorn. She could keep being unicorn with just more responsobities. Prince Shining Armor doesn't has wings (yet), why Twilight have to has them? Cadence - alicorn without past - we never heard of her being neither unicorn, neither pegasus, neither earth pony. Still - Twilight have to be rebirth into alicorn. What is it also for, if not toy sales?

Edited September 25, 2013 by IceBeerG

[FNGRpony 658]

I agree with glen quagmire.  it's a complete turn off when people say rubbish.

 

Wait what we're we talking about?  Ah yes toy sales?  Um.. I don't care?  See again I can't preach this enough,

*Pops up soap box*
Anything.. can be done properly,

practically anything,

if you really try.

if the right amount of effort is put into it.

 

Case in point. shilling a show about ponies.  If i would have told you MLP would have been at least in the top 5 cartoons by 2013 you'd call those bleak times for animation,

and indeed they are.......  Wait... i'm getting of topic again aren't i?

Until i see twilight being an alicron makes her less

twilight-tee it won't bug me.

is she still gonna have brake downs?
Is she still gonna be ocd?

 

If anything i think it'll have her surrender the spot light some.  I'm  cool with that.  ^^

[Emperor Posh 360]

Replacing Celestia as ruler of Equestria doesn't mean becoming an alicorn. She could keep being unicorn with just more responsobities. Prince Shining Armor doesn't has wings (yet), why Twilight have to has them? Cadence - alicorn without past - we never heard of her being neither unicorn, neither pegasus, neither earth pony. Still - Twilight have to be rebirth into alicorn. What is it also for, if not toy sales?

Ok let me rephrase that Lauren Faust basically said that her intention was to eventually make Twilight an alicorn and replace Celestia as Ruler of Equestria. Lauren Faust was upset to see her become an alicorn so soon, but at the end of the day Lauren Faust's idea was to make Twilight an alicorn eventually. Now let's not get to offtopic here, if you haven't you should watch the Brony Doc it is really good, and explains a lot of what I am saying a lot better. The idea I am getting and it seems that a lot of people agree with this wide spread idea is that her becoming an alicorn opened more doors for the show, not only for sales, but for stories.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Xelphos

[DokiLoki 519]

Well as far as I'm concerned, yes it is. They had to make her an alicorn a bit too soon because Hasbro was selling merchandise. I really agree with the fact there are many haters of her being an alicorn. Its really no big deal for me.