So, how’re you enjoying the season 10 comics so far? It’s not the show, I know that, but it’s something, at least. Now, I’ve been thinking for a very long time about the popularity of G4, and ways that Hasbro could go back to it.
I’ll be telling you some of the pros and cons of Hasbro doing a MLP Reunion Special. Will it be possible? Let’s talk about it!
Vintage like Fine Wine
What gave me this idea is thinking about shows like Hey Arnold, Invader Zim, and Rocco’s Modern Life. They’ve been cancelled for a very very very long time. Then amongst the previous 3 or so years, we just got a reunion movie for each of them! It’s not a remaster, it’s not a full season, they are feature-length specials that helped give the closure to the serieses they so desperately needed. Not that FIM needs the closure, that finale closed the book pretty good.
However, my point is, these three movies were some of the highest viewed specials on Netflix and even Nickeloden. When I first saw the Hey Arnold: Jungle Movie, I just couldn’t miss that first airing, and it felt so good being reunited with this show one last time! It brought some much nostalgia!
The longer a show stays off the air, the more vintage it becomes. Even if it wasn’t the most popular show ever, the long gap between the cancellation and the reunion makes the series more and more vintage - that means it’s the best when letting it sit out for a long time.
Since FIM was MLP’s most successful show so far, and even if G5 becomes just as successful if not more, G4 still paved the way for G5’s potential success - and the brony fandom would be in shock and awe if they saw new content with their pony friends, at least one more time!
Fans both Old and New!
With going back to Friendship is Magic, the old fans would LOVE to see their show again! But not just them, maybe the newer fans that joined the fandom at around G5 or G6 would want to take a look at G4, just to see what the fuss is about. What this special could do is make this special their first step into the world of Equestria, and maybe they’d want to watch the entire series from the beginning just to see how the characters ended up where they are now.
At this time, many of the brony fandom would have families! What would be sweeter than seeing the G4 parents and the G6 kids watching ponies TOGETHER? Fans from completely different eras uniting for something they have in common!
What does Hasbro gain from this?
Isn’t it obvious? TOY MARKETING! Hasbro already made some G1 reunion toylines, and I think even G3, so there’s no doubt that Hasbro would want to make a G4 reunion toyline. They could take full advantage of G4’s popularity to gain a hefty profit in a future milestone year!
There are cons to this though. By the time this special roles around, it might be 2035, which means G6 (like a G6, lol), and Hasbro, as well as the world, has already moved on. Would G4 get as much toy sales as G6 currently would be? Maybe, maybe not. But then we gotta think about this: would Hasbro be as successful with their toylines if it weren’t for FIM? If they make a Anniversary toyline, then what better way to advertise it than an Anniversary special?
Like I said before, keep FIM away for a long time, and the series will vintage. There could potentially be more toy sales for G4 after this one special than any one season of the show ever did!
What will the special be about?
Here’s my favorite part of the editorial: the potential story! Could be anything really. Right now what’s popping up in my head is Hasbro wanting to have a crossover between G4 and G6, but I don’t personally believe that would work, cause A: it would seem like Hasbro is jus gonna advertise G6 in G4 to get the G4 bronies to watch the new show, and it would seem forceful. B: it’s a G4 reunion special, people expect G4, their favorite characters, their favorite locations, remembering their favorite stories. If Hasbro wants to do a crossover, I would make that a separate special.
Now what will it be? Will it be a simple slice of life story or an adventure? Will it take place in the middle of the show, or take place between the flashback and flashforward of The Last Problem, or actually take place after The Last Problem in the future? How many songs will there be? Will there be new characters, or just keep the old; and how many old characters will appear, and how many will have dialogue?
Let’s not forget how much we can fit in the special, the time lapse. Will it be the length of a normal episode, a 2-parter, or will it be movie length? Or will it not just be one special, but three? Where will be the best place to air this? If Discovery Family still exists at the time, then there? Maybe it’ll just go on a streaming service like Netflix, or maybe it’ll be in theaters. I would say a movie-length for a straight-to- streaming service would be the best plan. But that’s just me.
I’m honestly hoping that if this becomes a thing, the story will rival even the series finale of the show. What do I want the story to be about though? I’d rather not say at this time. If you’re thinking “he just wants a cool Spike story”, then no, that’s completely false. If we’re returning to this show, then the Mane Six has to have as much story and screentime as Spike, duh! Plus enough screentime and special moments for every other supporting character like Starlight and the princesses, and as many others as the writer(s) see fit without making the special feel rushed or forced, cause FIM had many of those problems. The finale certainly didn’t, so gotta think like the finale while writing this.
When will be the best time to do a reunion special?
One important thing to think about is when would be the perfect time to air a special like this. We just missed the 10th anniversary mark (which I think woulda been the best time for the Friendship is Forever clipshows). 15th anniversary? Too soon. 20th anniversary? Maybe. 25th anniversary? That’s the spot I pick! 50th anniversary? Probably too long - we want as much of the VAs to be alive and active as possible.
The G4 VAs that are required for the special are Tara Strong, Tabitha St. Germain, Cathy Weseluck, Andrea Libman, and Ashleigh Ball, and of course we’ll need some of the singing VAs: Shannon Chan-Kent, Kazumi Evans, and Rebecca Shoichet. Those are the requirement VAs, but it’s still important that the special also involves Nicole Oliver, Kelly Sheridan, Michelle Creber, Claire Corlett, Madeleine Peters, Peter New, and other recurring VAs of the show. John de Lancie is currently 71 years old, so don’t be surprised if he is unable to return, regardless of how much we want him as well - nobody is more worthy of being Discord. But archived recordings would work too! This isn’t Pony Life, so the original VAs would be more needed now than ever.
So yeah, I would say the 25th Birthday of MLP would be best: Wednesday, October 10, 2035! That’s around 16 years after the show ended, and currently around 15 years from now. So we got a looooooong wait till then. But when the time comes, it will be worth it! Development would have to start 12 or 13 years from now though - cause who knows how long it will take? Gotta think about all the angles: what will be best for Hasbro, what will be best for the crew that makes the special, and what will be best for the fandom.
What do YOU think?
Now for the best part: Time to hear what you think! Do you believe an FIM reunion special would work? Do you want it to happen? WHEN do you want it to happen? What are the odds of it happening? What do you want the special to contain?
Thanks for reading, brahs! Hugs all around!
