Why is the offical MLP merch so mediocre?

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

From the plastic toys that look like they came out of a happy meal, to my build a bear Rarity, whose voice has already gone, and the lack of hair they give her, it just seems that compared to toys like Transformers, Hasbro don't seem to put the love into their girl products!

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Because for the most part they don't. Those are for the most part, throwaway toys meant for hungry little consumer kids. Although funko makes some damn decent stuff, and they are officially listened.

[Unikitty 1,212]

My assumption is that, due to it being a toy geared towards children, there is less need for perfection, and they are able to save a copious amount of money by manufacturing products that simply meet the base quality requirements.
As for comparison to their boy-oriented toys, perhaps they assume that boys will treat their toys tougher, and thus they need to be made a little sturdier, so it doesn't seem like the product is cheaper than the more delicate girl toys.

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

My assumption is that, due to it being a toy geared towards children, there is less need for perfection, and they are able to save a copious amount of money by manufacturing products that simply meet the base quality requirements.

As for comparison to their boy-oriented toys, perhaps they assume that boys will treat their toys tougher, and thus they need to be made a little sturdier, so it doesn't seem like the product is cheaper than the more delicate girl toys.

But surely it would be the other way round! I treated my toys awfully, but my sisters took very good care of theirs!

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Becasue they're aimed at little girls, and little girls aren't exactly sticklers for quality.

[tripfly 264]

I dunno what you mean

thise "mrs cup cake" is amazing!

[Obsidian Sky 14,004]

Hasbro could make so much money with high quality plushs and figures... I don't know why they don't ride the brony waves. Do they hate my money?

[Unikitty 1,212]

But surely it would be the other way round! I treated my toys awfully, but my sisters took very good care of theirs!

I think you misunderstand me. It's because of the fact that little girls are less likely to mistreat their toys, that companies can afford to make them out of less sturdy materials. Also factoring in the possibility that toys were all-round tougher in the past - as well as the possibility that Hasbro just isn't a stickler for quality.

 

Personally, my Pinkie Pie build-a-bear is perfectly fine, and I snuggle her every night(shutupitsnotcreepy).

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think it's because, with all of the other toys and merchandise that make for their other franchises, they find it as a challenge to focus on all of them at once. They could benefit so much if they make their plushies and other merchandise show accurate.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

@@Rarity Paige Belle, Hey there, just so you know, we do have a subsection tailored specifically for all things Pony merchandise, so I moved your thread over there.

 

I'm no toy company expert, but I imagine that Hasbro is interested in products that will earn them the best profit. That is, products that don't cost a lot to make, but will still yield high returns. Higher quality merchandise will cost more money to make, and since they sell a lot of the cheap mass-produced items anyway, why would they really need to up the ante on the quality when the toys' target demographic of young girls will eat up the merchandise anyway?

 

That being said, some of the more brony-aimed, Hasbro-licensed merchandise is of higher quality. 4th Dimension's plush line looks very promising, Enterplay's CCG/TCG products are quite nice, and Funko has some solid MLP figures as well, so it's not all bad.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

They're just slackers who just want money. Fire them all and replace them with the brony artists who know how to make the toys. 

[tripfly 264]

They're just slackers who just want money. Fire them all and replace them with the brony artists who know how to make the toys. 

as sugarcube said

i'm no toy company expert, but I imagine that Hasbro is interested in products that will earn them the best profit. That is, products that don't cost a lot to make, but will still yield high returns. Higher quality merchandise will cost more money to make, and since they sell a lot of the cheap mass-produced items anyway, why would they really need to up the ante on the quality when the toys' target demographic of young girls will eat up the merchandise anyway?

 

That being said, some of the more brony-aimed, Hasbro-licensed merchandise is of higher quality. 4th Dimension's plush line looks very promising, Enterplay's CCG/TCG products are quite nice, and Funko has some solid MLP figures as well, so it's not all bad.

[Thrashy 2,800]

I don't have the keenest eye when it comes to discerning toys produced directly by Hasbro, and those produced by third parties under Hasbro's license, but there's still a lot of awesome stuff out there if you're willing to look. I feel the "blind bag" figures are satisfactorily show-accurate (those that aren't shameless recolors, anyway *cough*Lyra*cough*Cheerilee*cough*), and as others have pointed out, Funko, Pop! and 4DE are making some pretty solid merch.

 

The third party stuff may be more expensive, but speaking as someone who's parted with nearly a grand on pony merch, it's worth it IMO.

[Obsidian Sky 14,004]

 

That being said, some of the more brony-aimed, Hasbro-licensed merchandise is of higher quality. 4th Dimension's plush line looks very promising, Enterplay's CCG/TCG products are quite nice, and Funko has some solid MLP figures as well, so it's not all bad.

The 4th Dimension and Funko stuff looks really cool... but they are so aggravatingly slow. I just want my Rarity and Applejack plushs and figurines.

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

I don't have the keenest eye when it comes to discerning toys produced directly by Hasbro, and those produced by third parties under Hasbro's license, but there's still a lot of awesome stuff out there if you're willing to look. I feel the "blind bag" figures are satisfactorily show-accurate (those that aren't shameless recolors, anyway *cough*Lyra*cough*Cheerilee*cough*), and as others have pointed out, Funko, Pop! and 4DE are making some pretty solid merch.

 

The third party stuff may be more expensive, but speaking as someone who's parted with nearly a grand on pony merch, it's worth it IMO.

Could you count Build-a-bear as third party merch?

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

The 4th Dimension and Funko stuff looks really cool... but they are so aggravatingly slow. I just want my Rarity and Applejack plushs and figurines.

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/02/funko-sneaks-release-of-next-set-of.html Rarity should be in stores around june, according to Funko's facebook.

[Thrashy 2,800]

Could you count Build-a-bear as third party merch?

 

I'm pretty sure it's third party, yeah. I believe they started out with teddy bears and then slowly started buying the licenses to sell plushies of franchised characters.

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

I'm pretty sure it's third party, yeah. I believe they started out with teddy bears and then slowly started buying the licenses to sell plushies of franchised characters.

I ask because as a owner of Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight, their bears are pretty slapdash, for example they scrimp on the hair;

[Thrashy 2,800]

I ask because as a owner of Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight, their bears are pretty slapdash, for example they scrimp on the hair;IMAG0028.jpg

 

Yeah, I've got a Build-a-Bear Pinkie myself. I don't know why they chose to do "real" hair instead of cushioned manes (like 4DE's plushies), but I imagine if it's nothing to do with cost, then it's something to do with "giving little girls something to brush". To be fair, though, the Spike plush looks 100% show accurate, so that's something, anyway.

[tripfly 264]

The 4th Dimension and Funko stuff looks really cool... but they are so aggravatingly slow. I just want my Rarity and Applejack plushs and figurines.

>wanting applejack and rarity

[Obsidian Sky 14,004]

>wanting applejack and rarity

And they better do not forget Apples hat. :okiedokielokie:

[tripfly 264]

And they better do not forget Apples hat. :okiedokielokie:

They should add rarity's glasses too

[Retired 83]

I will just leave this here...

 

 

PIC 1

 

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o.o............

Yoda, is that you?

[Vermillion 613]

because its made for children and children dont really care about quality so why would they bother

[Nine 707]

I will just leave this here...

 

 

PIC 1

 

PIC 2

 

o.o............

Yoda, is that you?

Of the numerous things wrong with that plush, the eye is the least explicable.