Will Hasbro Ever Give Their Toys Show-Accurate Faces?

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

Even little girls probably go, 'WTF?!' when they compare:

 

 

[ghostfacekiller39 23,857]

I don't think so, not that they need to be, anyway. As the proud owner of several Rarity toys myself, I've got to say, the mane and tail is what needs to be made more show accurate, not the faces. 

 

While the faces have some kinks that need to be worked out, you have to spend a lot of time styling the manes and tails just so they're not a jumbled mess. That needs to be the focus, I don't think the faces are too problematic

[Sir Fluffernutter 433]

Probably not. Their end goal is to sell toys and make money, and as long as they reach it, they don't care what the toys look like. If the people who worked on the show were designing the toys, they probably would be show accurate. But we're not talking about them, we're talking about business men and women who just want to make some cash. Seriously, the whole idea of Equestria Girls was more than likely made for a new toy line, and they didn't even make those accurate to the movie

[silvadel 1,393]

Those 3-d printed toys were quite show accurate.  Of course hasbro put a stop to that.  It shows it can be done though.

[Sir Xarthas VI 470]

The only one even remotely close to accurate is the Rarity one (The EQG Rarity). And as NebulousBrony said, They just want to make money. I'm sure if they actually made them show accurate they'd make A SHIT TON more money. But since they're all too stupid to realize that, they just throw random base colors together and make the dolls.
Also, have you noticed a couple of the manes/tails from Hasbro aren't even close to hasbro? I've noticed not only Rarity's mane/tail looking off, but also Applejacks, Fluttershy's, and Twilight's. Rainbow nad Pinkie they usually get right, except for the EQG versions. Oh, and have you noticed how you barely ever see the S3 Luna? It's always S1 and even then the colors are wrong, same with Celestia. Twi's colors are a bit off too.

[Commander Fresh 36]

I doubt it'll be likely. The girls seem to be quite content with the way the toys currently look, so there is no reason to spend a buttload of money to slightly modify their faces or hair. If Hasbro did do that, investors would feel that Hasbro was unnecessarily spending the investors' money, and so investors will pull out of Hasbro's stock. That, and the fact that Hasbro would be modifying their toys to more or less appease a non-target audience (for the toys, at least) would only throw salt on the wound for their PR with stockbrokers everywhere.

 

In the end, it's the investors that Hasbro wants to keep, not the consumers directly (consumers are usually what brings in the investors though, but there is also much more than that). As a result, Hasbro needs to build an image of them being in control and efficient with investors' money in order to earn more money themselves. Spending a fortune to modify an already successful toy line without substantial changes (eg. G4.5 or G5) would be a decision that definitely won't impress any investor. It makes them think that Hasbro has got their priorities all wrong, and if they did change the toys for us, their priorities would indeed be wrong.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Commander Fresh

[silvadel 1,393]

I doubt it'll be likely. The girls seem to be quite content with the way the toys currently look, so there is no reason to spend a buttload of money to slightly modify their faces or hair. If Hasbro did do that, investors would feel that Hasbro was unnecessarily spending the investors' money, and so investors will pull out of Hasbro's stock. That, and the fact that Hasbro would be modifying their toys to more or less appease a non-target audience (for the toys, at least) would only throw salt on the wound.

 

In the end, it's the investors that Hasbro wants to keep, not the consumers directly (consumers are usually what brings in the investors though, but there is also much more than that). As a result, Hasbro needs to build an image of them being in control and efficient with investors' money in order to earn more money themselves. Spending a fortune to modify an already successful toy line without substantial changes (eg. G4.5 or G5) would be a decision that definitely won't impress any investor. It makes them think that Hasbro has got their priorities all wrong, and if they did change the toys for us, their priorities would indeed be wrong.

 

Actually what they could and probably should do is release a very high end line that was realistic and pricy.  That would allow them to have the two tiers side by side.

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Actually what they could and probably should do is release a very high end line that was realistic and pricy.  That would allow them to have the two tiers side by side.

Could be worse they could go the way barbies did..have yo useen the outfits they put on barbie dolls these days.

 

but yeah twilight sparkle..with fairy wings what am i looking at.

[Scootalove 10,684]

If you compare the toys from the show to the toys from the movie, you would prefer the toys from the show instead. It's not hard to make them show accurate, you can do it Hasbro.

[applejackson007 58]

I own several plush toys, and they are... ok.... in accuracy.... but I think the vinyl toys and other dolls look  creepy, wierd, and inaccurate, however I love the plushies 

[Commander Fresh 36]

Actually what they could and probably should do is release a very high end line that was realistic and pricy.  That would allow them to have the two tiers side by side.

A problem with that would stem from the fact that since My Little Pony is a children's toy that's already pretty pricey, it would not make sense to bring in a more expensive line of toys. Since kids to not have any financial power themselves, it is the parents who would buy these toys for their kids, which means that if there's a cheaper My Little Pony toy, that's what they will go for.

 

As we've already seen, the girls have little interest for a more show accurate version. I'd imagine the care much much more about the toys than the show anyways, and they're not at the critical thinking capacity to truly start questioning the different aesthetics between the toys and the show. Given the cost it takes to produce a new line of toys on the scale that is expected from Hasbro, a high-end My Little Pony toy would be too big a risk for Hasbro, and if Hasbro screws up, not only would they lose money from the manufacturing process (which is only around 10% - 20% of their total losses anyways), but they would lose investment as well, which is every major corporation's nightmare.

 

Still, I would definitely agree that I would still want a show accurate toy. The current ones look hideous!

 

Also, let's not forget that Hasbro would also have to convince investors in the first place that a high-end My Little Pony is a good move. To fund the creation of a new product, Hasbro (and basically any other major company) expects the budget to come out of the pockets of investors, not their own. In that sense, it is the investors that ultimately decide the moves a corporation will make.

 

At the end of the day, Hasbro has still figured out ways to make money off of us. Their licensing strategies to produce dog tags, comics and vinyl collectibles are clearly more or less targeted towards us; however, notice that Hasbro is not actually producing these products themselves. It's too big a risk, so instead, they've decided to invest in other companies and have them churn out these brony things. Unless the merchandise becomes a flop, this move would cost Hasbro next to no money, and they'd end up with a more impressive earnings figure for girls' products in their next end-of-quarter report to impress stockbrokers. This way, they're not directly using the money from their investors, and as a result, would avert the PR crisis. If the products fail, they lose some money from their own investments, but if it succeeds, a buttload of other people would invest in Hasbro and earn them tons of profits. 

 

Smart people.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Commander Fresh

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

Actually what they could and probably should do is release a very high end line that was realistic and pricy.  That would allow them to have the two tiers side by side.

That's basically what they do now. Except instead of making these products themselves, they license it out to other companies like Funko.

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

@Andaasonsan,

 

I <3 teh Funko.

[KarentheUnicorn 218]

I'd just rather they make more brushable hair ponies, not plastic hair. I'm not all that concerned with having something that is 'show accurate'. It's not really the reason I got into MLP, well there was no show/cartoon when I got into MLP. So the idea of show accurate in reference to MLP always seems very weird to me.

[takai 1,060]

No, because they love to see us suffer. 

[Zhortac 1,473]

You want Hasbro to put effort into it, and actually make them worth a damn, and ruin their crappy track record by improving on it?

 

Sure...that's like telling Bandai to stop adding accessories to their crap.

[Golden Muse 15]

 

 

I don't think so, not that they need to be, anyway. As the proud owner of several Rarity toys myself, I've got to say, the mane and tail is what needs to be made more show accurate, not the faces. 

Absolutely. I always see floppy manes like this: Granted, the mane becomes a bit more poofy after unpackaging, but not nearly enough to emulate the poofiness in the show. This could probably be fixed with stiffer material, but it would make it less pleasant to handle and style.

[GrimCW 658]

Said it before and I'll say it again..

It seems that quality and accuracy are NOT a thing for girl toys. Boys toys have a far higher detail and quality level when compared for some reason...

A girl toy.. some barely resembling doll with hair and an outfit..

 

A boy toy.. a detailed figure with a load of accessories.

 

Never understood this, other than maybe they figure as long as it has hair and fashion girls won't complain..This was excusable IMO some 30+ years ago when it wasn't entirely possible to get very accurately made toys, but these days... they just aren't trying.

[Zhortac 1,473]

Said it before and I'll say it again..

It seems that quality and accuracy are NOT a thing for girl toys. Boys toys have a far higher detail and quality level when compared for some reason...

A girl toy.. some barely resembling doll with hair and an outfit..

 

A boy toy.. a detailed figure with a load of accessories.

 

Never understood this, other than maybe they figure as long as it has hair and fashion girls won't complain..This was excusable IMO some 30+ years ago when it wasn't entirely possible to get very accurately made toys, but these days... they just aren't trying.

 

Detail is actually as absent from most toys for boys as well. They just have an assload of extra parts and accessories that no one notices.

[Radiance64 7,051]

One thing that seems the most inaccurate about the faces to me is the eyes- they just don't usually get the lashes and model right for most characters sometimes. If they just fix that then I don't think they would be as bad.

[Zhortac 1,473]

I dunno about everyone else, but reading some of these, made me picture some dude at Hasbro, with a bucket of paint, dumping it on a plastic figure, drawing eyes, and going "Its a toy! SELL IT!"

[MLP Moth 224]

I get weirded out a bit when I picture Rarity being cute as ever in my head, then I look at my Rarity toy and it's just......there. I don't know how to explain it.

I don't think Hasbro cares enough to make them accurate.

[Diva Pony 345]

Being a collector of all sorts of things, when I got hooked on MLP I looked for merchandise to support my new how shall we say obsession?  I have never been so disappointed in the merchandise being offered from toys to clothing to jewelry to accessories.  The only decent merchandise I have found are private folks like EquestriaPlush who make some incredible pieces.

 

Disney has the stuff they sell in the parks and online but then they also release limited edition higher end collectibles to appeal to the collectors.  The limited edition items sell out very quickly if they are done well.  So it's the same Mickey Mouse- inexpensive stuff for the kids to play with vs. good stuff for the collectors.  It all sells but it creates desire for the limited items.

 

Hasbro needs to hire someone who knows about collecting.  It's not a matter of bothering or not.  They are missing their biggest target MLP audience right now.

[The Mane-iac 1,632]

Well, they did change the faces recently. They don't look anymore show accurate though, actually I like them less, but show accurate is not what they are going for here. These are straight up toys, not collectors items. The Funko stuff is the collectors stuff right now, whether we'll ever see something more like the limited edition Transformers stuff, Star Wars stuff, Play Arts Kai figures, or whatever else is unlikely IMO. They sure have not tried to make the plushies any nicer, even though custom ones can go for $400 or more.

 

As for boys toys being more detailed than girls toys, I call false. I have prime examples of this sitting right in front of me. My older transformers toys are much better looking than the current ones, and they didn't have big holes in the sides of their legs and stuff to cut back on material use. No, my G2 Megatron and Beast Wars dragon Megatron have nice solid looking legs and arms instead of the hollowed out, big gaping holes in the legs of my current gen Shockwave. And don't get me started on my G1 Hound or Optimus, they have metal body parts!

 

It's all about making money from the target audiences. That means cheaply made toys to be played with, and that requires the brushable hair and stuff as well. They tried solid manes, and they failed. I have the solid mane AJ and Twi sitting right here, very cool IMO, but not what the target audience wanted. And now that there is a fan base that wants them, Hasbro instead has decided to let Funko handle it.

 

I don't find the heads that bad. I mean when you think about it, if they made them exactly like in the show you'd have these weird teardrop shaped heads with giant anime style eyes on the very front because of them being bowling ball round with a muzzle. They could put more effort into making the wings better and fill out the hair some more, especially on the more older fan oriented stuff like NMM or Chrysalis.

 

I'm just glad to see Fluttershy finally got her own mold in the blind bags. Now if only they would start shipping AJ with an accurate western hat since it's an integral part of her character...

[RarityIsTheBest 8]

The faces on the ponies look weird but they do sell them around $10-$14 a pop, so I would say it's a good price for a ugly toy. Only if they add the cute and smooth texture they have in the show, then everyone will buy them { Mostly Bronies }.