Anyway, it looks like another large news organization has jumped on the pony trend bandwagon. This time CBS's news blog has an article up that primarily focuses on the business aspect of Friendship is Magic.
Their primary criticism is something I think all of us can agree on... better toys/merchandising.
It's an interesting read! I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but hopefully it prods Hasbro into releasing some better toys!
You can find the article here!
And thanks to Robotech_Master for the report!
57 comments:
the hay is a geekerati?
ReplyDeleteHopefully a news outlet will report on FiM in one form or another on live TV instead of a blog. That would be lulzy.
ReplyDeleteThey yet again fail to mention Equestria Daily.
ReplyDelete@Narwhals' Bend
ReplyDeleteNo one likes Seth.
Wow, the only beef I had with this article was the misspelling of Pinkie Pie. Much better than the CNN dipshit!
ReplyDeleteINB4 Debate in the comments
ReplyDelete@JeanSplice
ReplyDeleteIt's tempting to make a joke based on a misspelling of "geek-eroti"…but I think I'll pass.
@Narwhals' Bend
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure "saucy" and "shipping" were the nail in the coffin for this one!
@Sethisto
ReplyDeleteWell I think it's clear form the nine million hits that EqD is a popular brony website.
Ooh! I feel all special now, I saw this one before it hit ED. Do I win a prize?
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for MLP T-Shirts in Hot Topic.
ReplyDeleteOh boy.
ReplyDeletePony ------------------------------ Mainstream
(Just got a little closer)
Two things:
ReplyDeleteFirst, Daniel Ingram said that the Hub made Equestria Girls, not Hasbro. So Hasbro really might not be on top of these things as we'd like.
Second, my "grandfather's My Little Pony?" Did bronies exist back with G1?
@JeanSplice
ReplyDelete"Geekerati" is a parody of the term "glitterati" which is basically the glamorous people who set the trends in pop culture...which is ITSELF a parody of the term "literati" that basically means the elite of the scholarly, well-read crowd.
It's not nine million hits, YET.
ReplyDeleteWe'll celebrate at ten million though and whatever happens this blog has been a smashing success.
Too bad 'supposedly' evil monsters like me are shunned by society for the things I will eventually get around doing to it. (The power of muffin compels me not to though)
@Pegasi Ponies getting closer to mainstream? A show about pastel colored equine franchise by hasbro isn't mainstream all ready? Child Please don't be such a hipster
ReplyDeleteInteresting that they declared the "Equestria Gurls" video too careful of a move. I too agree that Hasbro is taking too long to embrace the fanbase and its merchandising opportunities, but at least "Equestria Gurls" is a step in the right direction; it may well have been an experiment. They're bound to have noticed how damn FAST the video was picked up and spread around. And the overwhelmingly positive reaction it received, too.
ReplyDeleteI think it's silly, though, that the article theorized that Hasbro is still waiting to see if FiM fans are a mere fad or if it's a trend that has legs (or "hooves," to be precise). Isn't it painfully obvious that it's not only a sustained fanbase, but an exponentially growing one?
I just wish Hasbro would open up some venue for dialogue between itself and the fans - a Facebook page would be a more than adequate start. Even if only to post polls or somesuch. SOMETHING more direct, in any case, to indicate to the fans that they ARE listening and responding. I'm getting tired of speculating!
Ah, 'tis far superior to CNN's...thing. I just don't like how he said it's a meme, when it's much more than just a meme. But that's just a detail.
ReplyDeleteim ok with this
ReplyDeleteIt always fills me with happiness when I read about FiM on non FiM related sites. It's just nice to see.
ReplyDeleteOk, either that article was written by Brony or really well researched journalist (a proper journalist).
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteSorry, I actually enjoy beeing a hipster :P
Wasn't it "Fosters Home for Imaginary FRIENDS" not CREATURES? *nitpick*
ReplyDeleteHoly shit! They actually did some research on this! :O
ReplyDeleteWe are one step closer to our complete takeover of the media. Station by station, network by network, our power GROWS.
ReplyDeleteLETS LOOK AT SOMETHING IN THIS ARTICLE SHALL WE?
ReplyDelete"Foster’s Home For Imaginary Creatures"
Psycho used Critique!
It's Super effective!
Credibility fainted!
@Wheelworld
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm surprised nobody has done a ponies flood the world crossover fiction with that show yet.
Also these shipping ideas have occured because of this post, hope your happy.
Fluttershy/Eduardo (Scaredy cat brigade)
Rarity/Duchess (Rarity will find a way to make her shine)
Pinkie Pie/ Coco (Crazy)
Applejack/ Wilt (Hard working friendly)
Twilight/ Blooregard (The bizarre opposite attracts factor)
Rainbow Dash/any male and possibly female in the house (The fact that fosters has unicorns and pegasi some with disproportionate male voices)
@Psycho Streak
ReplyDeleteHow SILLY of me, I missed another error "if this trend has hooves"... yes, trends need to have FEET...
Good to know somebody sees the business potential in bronies. Now if only Hasbro would figure this out. I hope "Equestria Girls" means they really are willing to embrace us as a fan base, as opposed to it being a one-off gimmick by in-the-know Hub execs.
ReplyDeleteI do like the article, but I blanched at the use of the words "geekerati" and "Nerdistan." Nerdistan? If that was a place, I would go there so fast. And "geekerati" reminds me of "federali," which leads me to imagine government-employed geek agents with suits and shades and gadgets.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was distracting. What was the article about again? Something about goats?
If they know bungie.net has bronies, they've done their research. Nice to know they've done some.
ReplyDelete"Hip thing"
ReplyDeleteOh dear...
A quote from the article: "Among players of the science fiction shooter game HALO, where users are giving their characters MLP names like Rainbow Dash, Pinky Pie and others."
ReplyDelete"...MLP names like Rainbow Dash, Pinky Pie and others."
"...Rainbow Dash, Pinky Pie and..."
"...PINKY Pie..."
Oh no they di'nt. Well, at least they had the decency to make up for it by mentioning Rainbow Dash.
While there only a passing line about Hasbro being too cautious about this "fad", it is exactly right.
ReplyDeleteIf you plan on running a successful business you don't just dip your toes in the water, you figure out how you can make money on the phenomenon as soon as humanly possible and you jump right into it.
They should already have limited edition/overpriced toys that look like the show for sale, even if just online. The small run will promise they sell-out and hopefully you can gauge interest by seeing how the toys perform in aftermarkets like ebay. I won't even admit to how much I would pay for a Trixie toy with a little robe and wizard hat.
Decent DVDs are also a high risk/reward ratio and have proven lucrative for other geeky media things in the past.
If I were Hasbro I would already be jumping into this market after I saw how much those Lauren Faust drawings auctioned for. I guess Hasbro isn't interested in making money.
@Anonymous yes as a bungie.net bronie this makes me :D
ReplyDeleteI if and when they release the DVD/Blu-ray's that there is some hidden menu option that has a shout out to the bronies from the cast and crew of the show. The only way to find said hidden item will be though hints dropped on the websites like this one and ponychan.
ReplyDeleteI am with the majority in hoping articles like this catch hasbro's attention for better merch.
whoever is blogging on cbs is trying to hard to be... well I guess its what the ignorant think of "geeky" or "nerdy" he really needs to stop doing that, its not that he doesn't have a bad point, he just needs to stop... this
ReplyDelete*gestures at the entire article*
Has she lost her mind?
ReplyDeleteCan she see or is she blind?
Can she trot at all,
Or if she canters will she fall?
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteHear hear. I think Hasbro is one of those companies that's grown far too ponderous and comfortable in its success for its own good.
But, on the other hand, they can afford to be. They'll always have legions of kids buying their stuff, so, you know, if they don't WANT my money, by all means...
@Anonymous
ReplyDelete> Decent DVDs
No, for the umpteenth time! The magic word is BLU-RAY.
And I will pay ALL MY MONIES.
Well, this is certainly much better than the CNN article...
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting.
ReplyDeleteThough, I don't really count myself as a geek.
A nerd at most.
...Isn't that how it goes?
Geek is someone with worth-while knowledge;
Nerds have a large sum of useless info.
@Nomad
ReplyDeleteIs that saying much?
Ponies get an article because they're kind of magical.
ReplyDeleteFinally, some manner of news report on the show actually gets it half-right.
ReplyDeleteTo the writer of that article, if they ever happen to stop by here:
ReplyDeleteI applaud you sir or madam, I couldn't have said it better myself.
>The Power Puff Girls and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Creatures
ReplyDeletemfw
mfw i have no face
Am I the only one getting annoyed at the whole: Bronies = guys who like the show?
ReplyDeleteI mean, adult women like the show too y'know.
It didn't bother me at first, but more and more articles keep writing about how the phenomenon is only spreading amongst guys, and that's the only group that matters because if hasbro DOES cater to "teh bronies", it'd make more money because in general, "male-geared stuff sells better" anyway.
Im 5 and wat is this?
ReplyDelete@Mizu_Takishima
ReplyDeleteits a simple case of using an umbrella term to represent the majority. At the same time though, I feel that brony doesnt represent gender as much as you seem to, to me it means moreso something along the lines of "brothers in arms" or commrades. Heck, it may have spawned as a synonym for /co/mmrade
They're noticing us as a faction, im certain they recognise that there is at least a minority that is female whether its said or not. Logically, wouldn't you be more concerned with a majority compared to minority when marketings involved?
@The Letter J Lols, the thank you letter got sent to the wrong address.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased by the link to the Bnet group.
ReplyDelete>Mentions 4chan
ReplyDeletetee-hee!
I never liked it when news companies talk about things that happen on the internet. It always feels like they are talking down to us. Even this story feels like he is saying "Silly Bronies, Liking a kids show. This won't last". The last paragraph is just him wondering which will give out first: Our interest or Hasbro's interest.
ReplyDelete9 MILLONSSSS
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA! I changed my name to Derpy Hoov3s on Xbox live, I hang out with them others when ever I get the chance...isnt very often :(
ReplyDeleteI thought the article was pretty good, and I agree with most of his points, but his "geekerati" nonsense bugs me a lot. I'm not sure why, probably because I've never heard anyone EVER say that.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I agree. Hasbro is being a little too careful, but hey, I suppose they have the money to be careful. Also, if anything, it seems like the fandom is growing (I myself have only been a fan for about a month or so).