Public Service Announcement: Hasbro did NOT just say Vinyl Scratch is male.

[Evilshy 5,089]

So some of you may have noticed this:

 

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/07/vinyl-on-hasbro-toy-shop.html#idc-container

 

And some of you may have flipped out, laughed at Hasbro's obvious ignorance, or some reacted in some other way.

 

But if you'll reread the bolded lines...

 

 

 

This pretty-as-a-picture pony will be the star of your collection! He's got the same silky hair as the disc jockey star - but this special edition pony figure is decked out for a VIP party. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind version of your most fabulous pony friend! Delightfully decorative pony figure looks like the DJ Pon-3 character. Prance him around with other pony friends (sold separately) or display him in your collection.

 

 

 

... you'll that there is definitely a strong implication that this is not Vinyl Scratch, but a male look alike, so no need to flip out.

Of course, this means that Hasbro just made a Rule 63 toy, and as my roommate just put it "that escalated quickly"

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,351]

First homosexual or really feminine stallion? Neat. He has that look going on and that is what I get from the description. Plus there has to be something if he tries to look exactly like PON3, or he is just a huge fan. That, or multi-verse. NEW PLOT IDEAS.

 

Now, about getting this damn thing....

 

Wait, why I am not trying to tear down Hasbro's doors and verbally abuse the staff? This is an obvious ATROCITY!! Ponies are ruined. Season 4 is gonna suck thanks to this.

[RosemaryPetal 112]

What? Wow, it must be a typo though, either that or that's the girliest guy I've ever seen. I can't believe they did that, wow. Just wow. If not, maybee they did like a gender bend? 

 

looks like the DJ Pon-3 character

I guess that's why, but still, that's odd.

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,794]

I think it was simply lazy writing and someone forgot to ask "And this is really a stallion?"

 

Maybe they had a simple communication issue there.

 

He's got the same silky hair as the disc jockey star - but this special edition pony figure is decked out for a VIP party.

 

Emphasis on "but". Because of the following description, it is not necessarily saying that it is not the same character.

 

Delightfully decorative pony figure looks like the DJ Pon-3 character.

 

Emphasis on "figure looks like".

 

Logic of language gone wrong, eventually. I don't know. It's something I am confronted with very often.

Edited July 24, 2013 by StatesTheOblivious

[XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 777]

I'm just waiting patiently for all the inevitable images and fics which shall spawn from this. I have to say though, he's carrying around more glitter than I'd usually find acceptable. I'll just tell myself that it's actually sexy/manly sparkles which I commonly see in mah animu's or that his hair is so radiant that it seems to sparkle vibrantly!

 

 

 

 

 

[Nerdy Luigi 2,064]

Just a lookalike is all.

I know Vinyl Scratch is not male, because Vinyl Scratch looks absolutely nothing like a My Little Pony stallion.

[Scootalove 10,684]

Well, I don't know what to say.

 

I guess that there are no words to describe about this, so I might as well wait until there are some pictures to be spawned.

[Wonderbolt_Spitfire 235]

Leave it to Hasbro to make and market a toy specifically to the brony community. Their price point seems high for this type of 'toy'/'collectible'. But hey there are plenty of people willing to spend more money just because it says "Limited Edition".

 

 

And to be honest I will seriously consider buying it. haha

[Argumedies 1,748]

IBN4 TWINZ!!!

 

Or an evil duplicate..... some ponies been using the mirror pool...

 

Either way let the battle of the bass cannons commence!

[--Thunder Bolt-- 534]

Hypothesis: Could the description be the result of a bad translation from Chinese, or whatever language is spoken where the toys are made?  The copy seems somewhat awkward to me, like English translations of IKEA instructions.  Unlike English, a lot of other nations have gendered nouns.  That is, the word for an ordinary object is treated as "masculine" or "feminine," so that it is then referred to with gendered pronouns.  In German, for example, the Sun is "feminine," ("die Sonne") and is referenced with the feminine pronoun "sie" (she).  The one English equivalent of this practice is in relation to ships.  A captain or crewperson will speak of their ship as a "she" even if it has a name like U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt.

 

So, if the local language where the toys are made has "toy" or "figure" as a masculine noun, it would be referred to as a "he" in that language even though it is a figure of a female character.  If a translator translated the copy "word for word" reproducing the masculine pronouns without taking into account that English doesn't use them that way, we could get this odd result.  Below, I've changed the male pronouns to cognates of "it," to show how the description would look if the male pronouns should actually be translated to genderless ones: 

 

 

 

This pretty-as-a-picture pony will be the star of your collection! It's got the same silky hair as the disc jockey star - but this special edition pony figure is decked out for a VIP party. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind version of your most fabulous pony friend! Delightfully decorative pony figure looks like the DJ Pon-3 character. Prance it around with other pony friends (sold separately) or display it in your collection.

 

Note also the sentence in blue.  This seems like it is trying to convey that the toy is actually a figurine of Vinyl Scratch.  If it was some new male character, "he" wouldn't be "our most fabulous pony friend," because we don't know him yet.  

 

Thoughts?

[Justin ZW 396]

I'M LEAVING THE FANDOM NOW! THEY RUINED EVERYTHING!

 

Why is it that no one reads anymore? I officially hate my generation... although I have been hating it for some time, now.

[GrimCW 658]

They can't say it "looks like" and such.

I have it sitting in front of me now, it IS the same character, and the box is labeled as such (DJ PON3 in big letters) 

kind of hard to "Look like" and then have the exact same "official" name.

 

 

Whoever wrote the descript is ignorant, or it was a bad translation.

 

The product itself is labeled AS the character, therefor it IS the character in question.

 

If you want more of those read a few of Netflix's descriptions too.

 

Either way, that is hilarious. Just one more bit of evidence that the company know less of its own productions than they should ever... no one should be out of touch with what makes them that much money.

 

on a side note, this same style is now in the MLP game as a canterlot version of her to go with the Ponyville regular.

Edited July 25, 2013 by GrimCW

[Galen 1,353]

It's prolly a mistake by whoever wrote it. I don't buy that this is a lookalike when the figure has the same cutie mark. But if it is true and Vynil is in fact a stallion, this is going to change everything for future OctaviaxVynil fanfics

[GrimCW 658]

It's prolly a mistake by whoever wrote it. I don't buy that this is a lookalike when the figure has the same cutie mark. But if it is true and Vynil is in fact a stallion, this is going to change everything for future OctaviaxVynil fanfics

 

TBH not really.. most had already paired the two, the only difference now would be that its a transvestite stallion and a mare in a relation ship with no need for "extra's" added....

 

but  given the down right differences in mare and stallions in MLP, VS would have to be post op... then again she is a unicorn.. so...

 

My fave trans pony, an OC by the name of Short Fuse, would suddenly have competition if my all time fave turned out to also be trans

[Hansel 1,511]

Actually... I think this is kinda neat. It'll be kinda cool to see a male character with a more feminine features. The show has characters that break female stereotypes, so to have a male character that's a little feminine is pretty sweet.

 

I like this.    

I can almost taste the obligatory DJ Pon3 X Vinyl shipfics... 

Edited July 25, 2013 by Hansel

[hawkflame 3,308]

Makes sense. If real gay drag queens dress like Lady Gaga, then pony drag queens would dress like Vinyl. Or maybe Sapphire Shores.

[Hansel 1,511]

I had a thought. What if the "lookalike" thing means that the figure is a DJ Pon3 look-alike, rather then character it's representing? So the character is DJ Pon3, because the figure itself is a DJ Pon3 lookalike? Doesn't explain the male pronouns, but like I said, I wouldn't mind if Vinyl turned out to be a guy.

 

 

Makes sense. If real gay drag queens dress like Lady Gaga, then pony drag queens would dress like Vinyl. Or maybe Sapphire Shores.

 

Because Feminine guy = homosexual drag queen? Or because all drag queens are homosexual? 

Also, I'm pretty sure that the drag queen thing has been around for longer than Lady Gaga. If anything, she's dressing up as a drag queen, not the other way around. 

Edited July 25, 2013 by Hansel

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Hypothesis: Could the description be the result of a bad translation from Chinese, or whatever language is spoken where the toys are made?  The copy seems somewhat awkward to me, like English translations of IKEA instructions.  Unlike English, a lot of other nations have gendered nouns.  That is, the word for an ordinary object is treated as "masculine" or "feminine," so that it is then referred to with gendered pronouns.  In German, for example, the Sun is "feminine," ("die Sonne") and is referenced with the feminine pronoun "sie" (she).  The one English equivalent of this practice is in relation to ships.  A captain or crewperson will speak of their ship as a "she" even if it has a name like U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt.

 

So, if the local language where the toys are made has "toy" or "figure" as a masculine noun, it would be referred to as a "he" in that language even though it is a figure of a female character.  If a translator translated the copy "word for word" reproducing the masculine pronouns without taking into account that English doesn't use them that way, we could get this odd result.  Below, I've changed the male pronouns to cognates of "it," to show how the description would look if the male pronouns should actually be translated to genderless ones: 

 

 

 

 

Note also the sentence in blue.  This seems like it is trying to convey that the toy is actually a figurine of Vinyl Scratch.  If it was some new male character, "he" wouldn't be "our most fabulous pony friend," because we don't know him yet.

 

Thoughts?

 

I agree with this one, it reads like it's been translated. Whoever wrote it seems to be emphasizing that it's a figurine of DJ Pon-3, not DJ Pon-3 herself. As if that is somehow necessary. Heck, maybe in whatever language/culture it was originally written in you *do* have to make that distinction. And it becomes a 'he' because the class of object: 'figurines' is considered male in that language.

[sunset_sprint 190]

I know Equestria Girls isn't technically a direct reflection to the story in the show but the humanized DJ Pon3 was definietly a girl, right? I used Clone 26's image from deviantart.

 

Edited July 25, 2013 by sunset_sprint

[GrimCW 658]

I know Equestria Girls isn't technically a direct reflection to the story in the show but the humanized DJ Pon3 was definietly a girl, right?

 

 

 

that or a well dressed crossdresser or Trans...

lol, That would be grand if there was an official member of the MLP crew that was out right marked as a member of the LGBT crowd. But i get the feeling hasbro is already scared of the possibility of being directly/officially associated with them

[sunset_sprint 190]

T

 

that or a well dressed crossdresser or Trans...

lol, That would be grand if there was an official member of the MLP crew that was out right marked as a member of the LGBT crowd. But i get the feeling hasbro is already scared of the possibility of being directly/officially associated with them

Thats true, but I think its a typo. I'm not sure how I would feel about all the fan fics having to change just because vinyl's gender changed. All the feels!!!

[GrimCW 658]

I cannot believe this hasn't been posted yet, so here it is.

IT'S A MAN BABY!

 

no really how has this not come up yet? am i the only one to remember it?

 

i was waiting for it, but no one took the bait.. so i'm gonna just go ahead and put it up

Edited July 25, 2013 by GrimCW

[Evilshy 5,089]

I definitely think it'd be cool if there was feminine stallion, but I don't think they'd retcon an existing character. If they add a pony that obviously breaks gender roles to the show, I think they'd most likely be a new character and be a single-episode main character about gender roles and stuff.

I'm pretty sure this is just a typo.

 

I could definitely see the show doing something like this, but I'm not sure they would. They seem to like doing simpler, more universal morals, not trying to be all cutting edge and progressive and stuff. I like that about it; when shows and movies use modern political and cultural themes, it ties them to an absolute time period.

[Misty Rose 3,215]

I calmed down when it said he LOOKS LIKE DJ Pon-3. But uh why'd they give him eyelashes? To my knowledge no stallion on the show has them. Or maybe I just don't pay attention.

[Mr Dash 1,818]

What I want to know is, if the description is right, why is "he" still called DJ Pon3 on the packaging? I think it must of been a typo or some sort of miscommunication somewhere with the description. Unless "he" is really into her so much that he changed his appearance and name to be exactly like her.