EternallyBored said:
Huh, so this is a thing that exists now, well, can't say I saw that coming.
I can't tell if Hasbro is just blatantly pandering to bronies or if they actually want to try and wrap up both the intended and periphery audiences with this move, still, the concept figures look pretty high quality, I honestly thought those pictures were fan creations from a 3d printer until I noticed the points of articulation. I guess it makes sense, Hasbro creates plenty of action figures for its other properties, still, turning MLP into warlike action figures seems like something that would be the subject of a Robot Chicken sketch, not something that will actually exist as a real product.
If someone had told me in the 80's that MLP would go from chubby cheeked brushable pastel fashion toys to transformers/G.I. Joe style action figures that carry weapons and ride dragons, I probably would have asked them where they were buying their weed from.
I do kind of want that Shining Armor riding Spike figure though, I kind of want to put it between my alduin statue and the Dark Souls 2 armored knight statue in my office.
I think that this is a sign of something deeper going on in society, than just some marketing team getting it's hands on some good pot.
In the 70's, 80's and 90's it became more and more acceptable for girls to start having and playing with action figures. It's only become more acceptable in recent years, as we see the most recent batch of
Star Wars action figures being marked to girls as much as boys. More importantly, in recent years, since around 2000, it's become more and more acceptable for boys to play with "girl's" or feminine geared toys, to have feminine interests, and to express them selves in more feminine ways. Along with that LGBTIQ+ acceptance is rising, not falling, so there is more acceptance of gender non-conformity in kids, even growing acknowledgement and acceptance of trans kids.
The other part is that this is kind of a nod not only to bronies, but also to the younger boys who also like
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That's part of a growing culture where gender is less important, gender policing is less important, and freedom of expressing one's self across the gender spectrum is becoming the norm. This kind of is the purest ideals of feminism and men's rights at work, removing gender as a barrier and create gender equality for everyone.
Note: This applies mostly to the western/first world. Though some places are lagging woefully behind.
