Everybody wanted a piece of the market. MGM launched Navii Stars and Bratzillaz. Hasbro had EQG, but soon they would end up getting Disney and Descendants in 2015/2016(something that may have helped kill EQG line). To be honest, I don't know why Hasbro didn't do something with Jem and the Holograms, 1980s hype was just starting back in 2013, and Jem already had a fanbase and the characters ready to go.
@MsSumoon there was a live action jem and the holograms in like 2016 or something and it was a DISASTER, most hilarious failed nostalgia bait I've ever seen
@@scatmanjohnfan22 the live action was a disaster, but the reboot comics that came out around the same time are really good. IDK why Hasbro doesn't do something with it, not even an attempt to do an animated series. The original doll line is high quality, I bought an Aja doll second hand(only missing her shoes) and it was perfect, her hair is great and her vinyl completely new. Hasbro is missing out, just saying.
It seems like the designers couldn't make a call between contemporary fashion doll and fantasy fashion doll. So it was a weird mishmash of layered bright colours, skater skirts, buckled boots and leggings.
It's not allways the desighners tho. Look at mermaid high, they weren't allowed to go more alternative due to the high ups thinking that " if it's not pink, sparkles & girly, it won't sell". Designers know what they are doing, as it's there job but unfortunately , they aren't allowed to do what they wish becouse others above them are what pull the strings. I allways looked at the outfits as " modem Avant Garde fashion " style
You cannot comprehend how insane it was to see that first Equestria Girls trailer drop out of nowhere. It felt like something a fan made but that craziest part was that it was real. I vividly remember needing to sit down after I saw that trailer.
I remember I was falling out of love with the show at the time, that movie was the last thing I really watched. It was such a weird thing for me to end on, EQG was definitely weird at the time- still is, but not that bad for what it is.
Shoutout to the amazing characterization EQ did with Sunset Shimmer. They introduced a generic mean girl villain and someone turned her into the main character of the spinoff franchise who is as beloved by MLP fans as any other character. I can't think of any other franchise that did something similar, now that's why I call impressive writing.
i know theres a couple other things that have done that before but i honestly cannot name any atp but if i remember i’ll put it here (dont hold your breath tho, i’m pretty bad at remembering names)
Not just that but having a character who has more of the punk-rocker sort of aesthetic and vibe as a lead character in media aimed towards younger girls is something I don't see much either.
@@c0mm0d0re Sunset Shimmer and Luna (Princess Luna in the original series, I feel they messed her up in EG) were my favorites growing up as a little girl. I'm not into MLP nowadays, but Sunset will always hold a special place in my memories and heart for that reason. She was just too cool, and Princess Luna was more akin to how I acted at that time, so I appreciate both of them
@@annieleonhart365 I definitely get that, to this day Sunset remains one of my favorite characters. She was just too cool for little me and I loved her for it, same now
As a black girl who grew up with the show and the toxicity of the brony fandom, learning that twilight was black in some concept art makes my heart feel a joy that I didn’t think I deserved. Thank you for this. Twilight is my favorite character, she will always be black in my heart.
She was black?🥹 that makes me happy they at least considered it I love seeing peoples fanart of twilight and they make her black. A shame they didn’t go through with it tho
That’s what makes the fantasy skins tones so disappointing. It takes away the opportunity for little girls of color to see themselves in the characters they love. But I understand why they made the decision. I can still be sad about it though lol
As a mixed girl with darker skin, anytime I saw twilight drawn with dark skin I was IMMEDIATELY filled with so much happiness. Little me would’ve loved if they’d given her pretty dark skin, as would’ve all of us tbh 😭🫶🏽
I was in the Brony community around that time and I remember the absolute gripefest that the bronies threw over this. It was bad enough to where one of the producers had to step up and be like, "We appreciate the support you guys have given us, but this series isn't meant for you. It's meant for actual children. Obviously, we're not going to cater to you exclusively." Like, I didn't collect the toys or anything, but it seemed fairly obvious that the brony community should have realized that from the beginning.
the brony community was apparently conceived as a joke by 4chan bros until it became unironic enjoyment. not surprised edgelord teenage boys and young men from the bowels of the internet who highjacked a little girl's franchise turned into such an entitled fandom
I mean, Ican get why people don't like EQG, I was a girl growing up with it that loved MLP and still does, but EQG makes me feel so weird, because it has like zero continuity with MLP in a way... For the more in love fans with the show this bothers them and I get it... Besides, Hasbro can't just say: "it's for kids get over it" whenver they do a writing mistake... Can you imagine how much more populsr this would've been had they just made EQG a parallel world were the charcters were humans but had like the same jobs, age, and eveything else including the mythology? Problem is that it feels like a cheap copy... And I get it's supoosedly for kids, I understand but like?? They could've done that considering they did multiple alternative universes in the comics, made rainbow rocks the more fantastical od the movies, etc... Is just that if you think about it as a fun series with a parallel world that mirrors but is not the same and does not work the same as the show (which again, hapens in the comics with the multiverse approach and there are like thousands of them, the mlp lore is truly amazing!) it makes sense to like it, but if you love the show and do an in dept analysis on it, it just falls so flat lol
I was extremely obsessed with Equestria Girls growing up. It perfectly combined my love for MLP: FiM and my growing interest for anime, manga, and magical girl stuff! Rainbow Rocks literally rocked my world, and I still listen to the soundtrack for most of the movies today! Despite the hate EG initially got, I think it was honestly a really adorable franchise - at least the animated media... the dolls not so much. I'm glad we have EG tho, I grew up with the Cafeteria Song cosplay covers 😭
Did you jump into my mind so make this comment 😂 I literally feel the exact same! Because of my growing interest for anime I started to drift more towards watching Equestria Girls more than the original show. And on the day Rainbow Rocks premiered I literally had my grandparents take me out to Kmart to get a Pinkie Pie Equestria Girls costume for halloween.
I loooove equestria girls sooooo much! When it came to RUclips it became a hidden treasure. I think Sunset Shimmer’s arc was way better than Starlight’s. Starlight became reformed and was awkwardly hanging around the mane 6, but sunset became the leader of her friend group and the human Twilight didn’t overshadow her leadership or hold her back.
yeah, as a kid the appeal came from sunset getting an element of friendship. it made her a part of something, it made her special. Woah ! she helps us with magic lasers ! awesome ! meanwhile starlight is just. eh. if she had an element or smth i probably wouldve loved her. new member of main cast, smth different yknow? maybe element of justice or smth. but she was just kind of. there. so powerful, but just awkward and not important. i wanted another unicorn anyways. i couldve loved her, but she just didnt bring that spark both in and out of the world
The writers were actually thinking about releasing a movie addressing the issue of human sunset and the realization that pony(?) sunset was the cause for all the strange magic happenings in the world, having her being majorly conflicted on whether to return to Equestria to stop it. Unfortunately they took the safe route and released Holidays Unwrapped, but it would have been really interesting to explore nonetheless.
they wanted too, they alr had a synopsis ready and everything. but the timing wasn’t right and the original mlp show was about to end, so eg had to go too.
I remember little lesbian outcast me getting all the normie girls in my grade obsessed with MLP, huge power move I must say. I used to get made fun of for being quiet and liking anime and crap, but there was one popular girl who was really chill and wouldn't ignore me or tease me like the others, I ended up telling her about MLP and told her to give it a shot. She loved it and got all of her friends into it too and soon enough, almost every single girl in my grade was a pegasister lmaoo. Instead of playing tag at recess or gossiping during breaks, we'd all gather and talk about the newest episodes together and draw fanart. I think it was the following year the EQG movie dropped, I just remember a ton of us girls getting together at some rich girl's mansion and having a slumber party just to watch it together, it was so exciting omg. It was the only time in my life I was able to really bond with other girls my age and didn't feel excluded. I just have really fond memories of that short slip of time where social rankings were no longer relevant because we all loved MLP, the EQG movie sleep over was one of the most fun nights of my prepubescent life lol.
Yeah my friends and I were super excited about it being a theatrical release. It wasn't playing in any theaters in my state so my friends and I got together and took a day trip to the next state over just to see it. The movie opened with it taking place in the pony world and seeing the ponies up there on the big screen for the first time was... just WOW. Pinkie pie being "Nervouscited" then transformer unfolding and Twilight having trouble getting comfortable in bed with her new wings. I'll never forget it. It was great. So worth the trip.
I was working at the studio when they started talking designs & concepts for EQ. You’re very right, they had so many cute versions of the characters, and tried different skin tones, but they went with “safe”. I’ve only watched the first movie, so thank you for all the good synopsises!
the minis are so cute, i wish they ran longer so we could've gotten more characters like the cutie mark crusaders and the rest of the dazzlings [aria and sonata], the art style for those just works so much better than the actual dolls
Bruh, as someone who was fairly active in the brony fandom back when EQG was first announced, and how much of a contentious topic it was for a fair amount of fans, this is honestly a treat to be watch. But honestly, as big of a mixed bag as the EQG dolls are (And I say this as someone who enjoys the EQG specials and movies.), I can't help but have a soft spot for them. Since they were honestly my gateway into the fashion doll scene.
There was actually an Equestria Girls special planned (the season 2 finale, setting up for the third season) that was going to revolve around what happened to human Sunset. There was a lot planned that didn't get made, and a lot of people who were sad about that when we found out.
as someone who’s a HUGE fan of mlp and eg THANK YOU for covering it!! no one ever talks about the eg dolls and they’re the main doll line i collect. they’re not perfect, but they’re so special to me :)
I was a big fan of MLP as a tween along with my little sister and honestly the bronys back then traumatized me a little, if you've been a fan around that time yk at least something about all the horror and nsfw content that was put out by adult fans wich a lot of kids like me would be exposed to on accident when looking up mlp stuff. Not to mention the grooming and racism/misogyny those men would inflict on young MLP fans. Those were dark times.
Seeing all these gen z mlp fans grow up and talk about how the older brony fandom made their experience worse and shit on them does put a smile on my face
Yeah, it was unfortunate. The problem was that the non crazy Bronies got waaaaay more attention. One of my friends, a non crazy Brony, liked “background fillies”: the little kid ponies going around like normal kids doing normal things, like Twist and Archer. We got to be friends because I wrote totally wholesome stories about Scootaloo and Babs Seed. I HATED what was called “glue fic.” It was gross, and it was so hard to avoid.
I loved equestria girls as a kid. Even this past new years my friends and I ended up watching the first two movies 😅 the dolls were honestly kinda meh but they still are so special to me
I was an avid MLP: FIM watcher when I was younger, so I remember when Equestria Girls was first announced and let’s say I was more than a little curious, since I was also into Monster High at the time, hate to compare the two, but whatever. Even though the actual media was pretty ok, I do agree that the dolls were pretty lackluster. Hasbro really isn’t known for producing great fashion dolls per say, especially now, but these really left a lot to be desired. Some of those budget dolls bring back TERRIBLE memories omg 💀
I write it every chance I get: Flash Sentry had potential to be a good character and didn't deserve any of the hate he got that affected his ability to be more than just a love interest 🤷🏼♀️ This franchise honestly had so much potential to continue. Sad it ended like it did but glad it happened. Twilight's human form is too iconic, even in doll form that couldn't capture it fully. The dolls have a soft spot in my heart 🥺
I wrote a few stories with both Pony Flash and Human Flash. I have to admit that I made fun of him a little, but I definitely did not hate him. Flash hate was weird. (Sorry about the self-promo, but if you’re remotely curious, it was Flash And Trend Steal All Your Waffles. Cheese Sandwich was in it, too. I adore Cheese).
I loved EG so much, I even bought the special edition Twilight Sparkle Bishoujo figure! She’s proudly on my desk with beautiful lights and I adore her so much!
Oh dear, I’m sorry! I just checked online though and her limited edition version is available on Amazon! It’s around 140 USD and there’s some other versions of it so try to check there if they fit your budget. Good luck!
I remember this line coming out as a teenage fans of MLP and Monster High, I remember the discord in the fandom. Some fans were mad at how bad the design for the dolls since fan artists were creating more creative outfits and was to include their cutie marks in them. Most fans I knew it was a cash grab but were hopeful at the time for more designs and world building. After rainbow rocks, it didn't do any well loved designed. Although I didn't know about the Japanese doll line and I'll definitely but looking for them and the Miku figurine
Hi guys! Yes, I've seen the leaks. If you're wondering why I don't mention them in the video- I didn't know about them until after publishing and also I couldn't have legally said anything anyways (which is why I'm being vague even now) This does negate a few things I say towards the end, but! to be fair. this new doll line is operating under a different name, so my statement of there never being anything like EQG again still rings true :)
Honestly the rainbow skin never really made me bat an eye, but that might just be because I’m used to cartoons like the Simpsons messing around with that. I’ve always just kind of assumed that the rainbow skin tones were so they could be recognizable to the kids, but the racism in the fandom honestly probably contributed more to the decision. I wish hasbro had been a bit more brave and given us a diverse mane six.
I have mixed opinions on the dolls now but I loved them when I was younger, seeing them as humans was the coolest shit 9 year old me experienced and I ate it up, I was already really into Monster High but combine that concept with my favorite franchise and you got me begging my parents for the dolls
I'd like to imagine the reason the human versions are teens is because humans age slower then ponies. So while a 17 year old horse would be an adult and about halfway through their lifespan, once they become a human they would still be 17 years old, but not adding on the horse-years.
I legitimately had NO idea there was any Equestria Girls content after Friendship Games. I'm so upset I had no idea of the minifigures until now, I *love* how they look! I'm really surprised they decided to go for a more "realistic" look with the second version of the dolls - by 2018 lines like LOL were already gaining popularity, right? There were lots of more cartoony dolls around then and it would've paired so much better with their animated counterparts.
This brought memories, i jumped on the brony train hard during its heyday and remembered hearing about the equestria girls movie and dollline. I bought the first line rarity and rainbow rocks rarity, a budget rainbow dash and the dj pon3 doll. I definitely remember the initial wave being really cheap, and rainbow rocks looking a little better, it definitely gave me the impression that dolls were not hasbro's strong suit like. I jumped off the brony train later on not because of fandom disputes but my interest was just starting to wane. You are definitely right about bronies being a little different compared to other toy collector communities but it didnt help that the show crew was starting to become very aware of the brony fandom and started to willingly cater to it. Its crazy to think how long ago this whole brony craze was but its something i still hold with fond memories because it led me to collecting mlp in general
@@blaizegottman4139 just kind of lost interest in friendship is magic. I stopped keeping track of the show and didnt feel interested in returning either. Maybe it was burnout or other fandoms taking my time i dont know but it just sort of happened. Someday ill watch what i missed but right now i dont see it happening anytime soon. I got up to at least the movie and own it on blu-ray
these were actually the first dolls i collected, before i even considered myself a collector! My first one was a Pinkie Pie i was given as a gift and i treasure her
I think a cool twist tthey could make during the second phase, was if they made the dolls more like the art on the box. People were desperate for monster high to return, and if they made something similar to them ( or if they made the prototype dolls that the designer posted on their instagram) the doll history could be different, they could make the doll market to be big again, but hasbro always make weird and cheap dolls that I don't see them doing something big like L.O.L OMG was at their release, which brought back a lot of collectors to the doll world. I particularly love the first styles of dolls, I have only two tho. The budget FG Fluttershy has a impressive screening that really pleases me, and the deluxe everfree Rarity is one of the best EG doll they ever made.
As a longtime MLP fan (from before G4), I remember the character designs leaked on Tumblr first before Equestria Daily or another source cracked the news. I think a blog criticizing the brony fandom (with a name like "FuckNoMyLittlePony" or something similar) got sent them and spread them, which naturally caused chaos. I also remember Flash Sentry being known as "Brad" for a while before his name got announced, largely because a bunch of people hated the idea of any of the main characters getting a canon love interest There was already so much fearmongering during the gap between seasons 3 and 4 due to Lauren Faust leaving the show and Twilight becoming a princess, that Equestria Girls being announced felt like Hasbro was pouring gasoline into a forest fire
As someone who was, maybe 3/4 the target audience throughout most of the runtime (teenage trans guy) I loved EQG, and I knew everyone disagreed with me on that. Honestly I think a major factor was just *they isekai'd Twilight Sparkle*, which was absolutely hilarious to me
This scares me because this comment mirrors my life experiences exactly, down to the opinions haha The first thing I said when I saw the trailer as a teenage girl was “omg, an isekai”
From my personal experience collecting this line; I'll say that rainbow rocks was the only high note for them and that's been generous... (I'm talking only about the doll line not any or the movies)
I didn't think there was that much lore behind that part of the MLP franchise, wow. Listening to this while doing math homework between my college classes making the wait a little more bearable.
Equestria Girls was the reason why I was obsessed with boots when I was a pre-teen, let's just say that not only monkeys and cats looks great with them. Honestly, I do feel bad for this spin-off because after Legend of Everfree, we just got small specials and weak toys. I'm not saying the specials were bad, it's just that they're pretty forgettable and the reboot dolls look (mosly) bad. Equestria Girls (for me) was at it's maximun audience from the first movie to Legend of Everfree, but because of the poor sales of the reboot dolls, I won't be surprised if it dosen't return for G5. Also, I really hate how they stop making Rainbow Dash's fully rainbow in later dolls. I mean, her name is RAINBOW Dash, it's not supost to be blue with some colors!
I was right around the target demographic for Equestria Girls when the first movie came out and I loved it from the start! The dolls were my first introduction to fashion dolls, and although they're no longer my favorites in my collection now that I have so many other interesting dolls, I still appreciate them for what they were for me. I also, weirdly, appreciate the movies for having such weird plotlines -- writing fanfiction to fix all of my issues with them was my introduction to writing long-form stories, and that's what led me to discover I love writing and that I wanted to major in English in college! And I'm currently using a lot of those ideas I came up with in my Equestria Girls fanfictions to help me in writing some original stories, so it's been fun to see how my appreciation for the series has persisted even though I'm not as attached to it as I once was. I do agree that almost every piece of concept art or even concept writing that I've seen for Equestria Girls is far more interesting than what we ended up getting. I would have loved to see what Equestria Girls could have looked like without (what I'm assuming is) corporate meddling. It had some real potential to be even more impactful than it was. I remember seeing the pitch for what would've been a true finale episode to the series where we would get answers to what happened to the human-born Sunset Shimmer and why magic kept following the main girls around. Nick Confalone posted it to Twitter in March 2021 and said Hasbro rejected it in favor of making Holidays Unwrapped instead. That decision still frustrates and confuses me to this day!
The first EQG line had many dolls with articulation actually! Some of them also had absolutely terrible hair, but some others had amazing hair, it was inconsistent. The original line of dolls had peg feet/shoes like Bratz, while later one did not. Personally I really liked the first line of dolls, and really all of them, it was pretty sucky constantly seeing them shat on by everyone around me. :( I was there for all of this, from inception to now and I still really like EQG as a thing and find it a super fun setting to write for. The sirens became my favorite species in their true forms and I adore them.
I have the full collection of the Rainbow Rocks-rainbow locks, they have a good quality compared to the other dolls from the line. The hair clip is for the young kids to clip in their hairs, it's actually rather common for some dolls to have these hair clips that don't fit the dolls. The first wave was bad, and thankfully they removed the shoe plugs and made normal shoes.
I won’t lie, my opinion on their human designs aren’t bad in my opinion. They resemble their pony characters very well, however the design I was most upset with was the “other Twilight Sparkle” who already was a part of the EQG universe. It’s just Twilight but with glasses. I also think they should’ve updated Rarity’s outfit and both of the Twilights as well, but these are entirely my opinions.
i actually found out about EqG in a my little pony garry's mod map that had a fanmade EqG billboard. i believe it was before EqG actually released (they had made like some sort of wedding concept poster), as i looked up "my little pony wedding" and only ever got the season 2 episode, so i didn't even think it was real, just something made up by the map maker. it was only a few month after EqG dropped that i realised it wasn't entirely fake. (i was pretty young and didn't really keep up with the fandom side of the show, i just watched it because i liked it)
Gods, this video is a blessing, love how well-researched it is, and THANK YOU for bringing up the discussion of race when talking about the characters skin tones! Such a damn shame Hasbro never had the balls to just make Sunset Shimmer or Twilight black. I've loved Friendship is Magic since I was seven, and when EQG came out it was so crazy to 10-year-old me, I loved it as a kid and I still love all the movies to this day. And yes, the dolls are GOD-AWFUL. My friends and I talked about them and were just baffled by how ugly the dolls are. Gods, just thank you. I needed a vid like this. (Edit: I own the Kotobukiya Miku figure, pre-ordered it the second I was able to, it finally arrived earlier last year and she is now my prized possession.)
So when these dolls came out I remember being so excited coming from a 6 year old who of course loved dolls and MLP. Looking back I remember losing all of the shoes and the clothes ripped easily (like about 2 weeks after play.) So since my mom noticed how "poor" the quality was she never bought me any of them again. Didn't stop me a year later being OBSESSED with the dazzlings begging my mom for their dolls.
A beautiful mess (affectionate) is a pretty apt descriptor for this franchise. I have a lot of unreasonable affection for this series, so I collected and still have a lot of the dolls. I think you summed it up pretty well, the team was given a weird premise, and ever shifting direction from Hasbro, and still made a remarkably good series. It's a shame about the dolls, because I think Hasbro has a great sculpting team and you can see that in the EG minis and other MLP stuff, but doesn't allow their doll teams to flourish equally. Oh well. Anyway, Sunset Shimmer is best girl
Tying EG to FIM is impossible too as the maine six were undoubtly adults in FIM Not to mention the town litrealy had a high school where young ponies went to so how does an entire town translate to a high school? What happened to the already existing high school?? I rlly dont think they considered this all through😭 I also dont get why they always make spike a dog-guess pet lizards jus arent real smh😒/half joking
I really love your "History of" videos for dolls. It's actually my favorite thing about this channel. When you dive deep into the history of some of these dolls, it makes me rethink how I viewed certain dolls. I've actually gotten into picking up a doll here or there that I wouldn't have thought about before because I'm learning about what went into their creation.
I am SO glad you made this video! I literally just revisited all the Equestria Girls content this past week and I'm honestly upset we didn't get more of it (or at least a satisfying conclusion). One thing I'm glad you mentioned was the "on the nose" lgbt rep we got! In the last special, Sunset's Backstage Pass, we see two male characters holding hands, and the antagonists Post Crush really gave me lesbian vibes. Not to mention Lyra and Bon Bon in Rainbow Rocks! I was way into MLP and EQG as it was coming out when I was high school age and I love it still to this day. It got me through some hard times as it was always a light-hearted escape from the mundanity of the real world. I especially loved Sunset Shimmer's arc, and she'll always be my favorite character. Thank you again for this video! I love long-form content I can have on in the background. Keep up the awesome work DD!
I remember seeing a post where it was explained the reason Equestria Girls ended so abruptly was because an ending WAS planned where pony Sunset met the human Sunset, but it got cancelled. Sucks they couldn’t conclude properly considering the impact this spinoff had :C
As yes the beautiful mess I still love. Still have them! And I’m hoping to thrift and add more to my collection!! Sunset is a queen tho, should replace starlight.
There are prototypes for the EQG that are reallly good! Have nice clothing , face up, and articulations. It would have been a great competitor to monster high. Brought in sale not just from kids, but also from collectors, and doll customizers.
I remember getting the rainbow rocks rarity (specifically the one where she had her keytar and pony counterpart figure) when they came out and her hair was nice, slick, ya know standard doll hair. After storing her away in a drawer for a while, I decided to take her out just to find out her hair got super poofy and curly??? Like it just…expanded somehow?? Idk if it was just my doll or other people had that problem too with their EQG dolls
I love your content, I’ve had a doll hyperfixation and started watching you a couple months ago! As someone who grew up with MLP but not Gen 4, I’ve been really fascinated by Equestria Girls recently and so this upload couldn’t have come at a better time for me, it was a great deep dive!!
I think using the fantasy colors was a good idea because the main series is what fans are connected with. Keeping the colors consistent with the main series keeps the mental continuity and connection with the characters strong.
15:04 the extension is meant to be an accessory for the kid to wear so they can match their doll! Not clipped to the doll itself. I remember getting a doll with one as a gift when i was a kid
I really liked the basic reboot dolls, they're not perfect but after a little restyling my collection turned out great! I wish we got an official spike doll despite all the strange design choices, im forever mad about him being a dog
As someone who had the mlp/brony fandom as my first fandom experience and had "pony enjoyer" as one of my key personality traits for 3.5 years, the original Equestria Girls and Rainbow Rocks were incredibly formative pieces of media for me. Like those are the only two movies I ever bought on iTunes because I really wanted to be able to watch them anytime anywhere that bad. And I was eqg Twilight and Sunset for halloween two years in a row. I only ever had two of the dolls as I was never into them as a kid, but I desperately want to replace my beloved Rockin Hairstyles Twilight from the line that in my heart will always be the Friendship Through the Ages line from the music video the designs are featured in.
There was an improvement betwin the Eq dolls and the Rainbow Rocks dolls, the very first line did not have any feet under the shoes, while from Rainbow Rocks onwords they did have feets. And also in the first movie the outfit had nothing to do with movie outfit while in RR they could be SOMETIMES traced back to either Music Videos or the film,
i remember watching the first movie in theatres at an amc in manhattan, such an amazing moment seeing everyone’s first reactions to it as 9 year old. so grateful mlpfim was the best part of my childhood
From what I remember reading before they cancelled the equestrian girls movie and toy line the final movie was actually going to focus on the human worlds sunset shimmer and what happened to her when Pony sunset shimmer crossed over and replaced her, it was going to tie into how magic was running rampant and was connected to the human worlds sunset shimmer but the franchise was cancelled before that story could be completed.
I honestly never saw Equestria Girls as a Monster High competitor (I LOVED MH Gen 1 as a teenager and it is still one of the main doll lines that I like to displsy on my currently very limited doll shelves. I still collect them sometimes even, but Shadow High is my main doll line currently). The Equestria Girls dolls were okay to me, but nowhere as creative or impressive as Monster High in my opinion. The earlier dolls were okay, but weirdly sized and a bit awkward looking. The reboot near the end of the franchise did improve the dolls' faces and clothes a bit in my opinion (I have Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, and Applejack from the reboot line and they are cute, but still a bit underwhelming.). I feel that the movies and the media was okay and that Rainbow Rocks definitely stands out as the best movie. The Dazzlings' songs from Rainbow Rocks are probably some of the best and catchiest MLP songs I have heard. I also liked Sunset Shimmer as a character and I thought that her character design from the movies looked cool. And there was that one music video 'Get to the Other Side', that had Rarity in almost sexualized, model poses, possibly making bedroom eyes, and one of her outfits showed a bit of her chest (I clearly remember people joking about how Rarity seemed a bit too sexualized in that music video, and that is why I remember it more clearly than the other ones.).
FiM and EQG were so important in how i used the internet when i was little. my first two instagram accounts were MLP roleplay and fan accounts, and one still exists to this day…i’ve seen a resurgence in appreciation for FiM as well as my own little sister starting her journey with it, being the same age i was when i enjoyed it. there will never be another piece of media as influential as these two. tldr mlp fim made me chronically online
Firstly, I'm not done with the video yet, but I really appreciate your take on the brony community at the beginning. Racism and just this insecurity over liking a show for little girls from these adult male fans were 100% issues in the community. Like, I do appreciate some parts of the brony community a lot, but there were so much messed up stuff that would pop up and at the time, some of the discourse in the fandom was so exhausting. I still remember when there were rumors about gen 5, that there was one about rebooting gen 4 and giving Apple Jack a black VA... hoo boy I saw some not so great takes....
I always thought this had a full length show for some reason. The dolls were immensely unappealing to me, and certainly not worth having to brush shoulders with the hateful adult men I had already been faced with just from sorta liking FiM so this video was really enlightening! I do wonder if G5 will have some manner of fashion doll moment. From what I know of it rn it doesn’t really fit, but on the other hand the fashion doll market is way healthier and more competitive than when EQ were releasing
It really is mainly a problem the parents had, because I remember being a tomboyish girl who still loved barbies and would pretend they'd go through all sorts of shenanigans There were a few knockoffs we had which also had different body types so when the clothes didn't fit/looked to boring, I made custom clothes from fabric scraps left from sewing projects either I or a few family members did
I was curious to what the video you were teasing on twitter would culminate on, and I'm not disappointed! Equestria Girls always felt like a fever dream and it lasted a good period time considering it was never a strong fashion doll line for the market and collectors of other doll brands. great video overall!
19:40 Oh actually the last Equestria Girls special planned WOULD have focused on the human Sunset Shimmer, G4 was just wrapping up by then so it never got made lol
I do love MLP but stopped collecting Ponies other than G1 and G3 20 year anniversary releases. I do love the mini vinyl ponies as well. The Bishoujo line illustrated by Shunya Yamashita is by far my favorite human take on these girls. I've been a Shunya fan for a very very long time. And they are more stunning in person although the boxes are nice as display pieces. If those were dolls I would lose my mind. =)
Equestria Girls was my life in my early middle school days. 11-12-year-old me loved the original movie and Rainbow Rocks. I desperately wanted the dolls.
It’s kinda funny how after 3 days of this film the g5 Equestria girls dolls leaked to the internet 😂 unofficial of course. Maybe they’re not only a product of their time after all.
Jeremy from the Save Hanazuki Movement here! For someone who was a former Brony 10 years ago, Equestria Girls was my introduction to the Friendship is Magic series, having seen the film back in August of 2013 and discovering the entirety of the show afterwards. (I tried to have the DVD of the film be gotten around Christmas 2013, but didn't get it, but I digress) but after 2014, I made a difficult decision to leave the fandom just before Season 5 premiered and never watched the series again due to me being so angry and sad over the loss of The Hub Network (I have since gotten over it and became happy again since 2022). Had I not been introduced to My Little Pony, then I wouldn't be introduced to Hanazuki in 2017. and I feel nostalgic for the Equestria Girls franchise despite only watching the first two films and nothing else from it. I am grateful for this spin-off franchise that introduced me to the fourth generation of the franchise that may never be marketable again (unless Hasbro takes the Transformers Generations route to market collector-oriented MLP toys of these Bronies and Pegasisters' favorite multicolored horses.)
I had a few MLP's when I was young (Gen 3 I believe...), but I was mainly into the TV show. I remember being obsessed with the first equestria girls movie, especially because in school, my friend assigned each friend a character and drew us as the characters, and equestria girls was an official version of that. However, shortly after I started watching doll RUclips and seeing unboxings of the equestria girls dolls and being very disappointed with their appearance. They just looked so cheap and "fake" with the bright skin compared to other lines. As you said, the art style worked in animation but not in the original wave of dolls. I never watched the later movies but the first one will always be nostalgic to me.
This year is 2023, I hope to have EQG's 10th anniversary to continue the production even if it is handed over to another production team, or in the manga or novel to continue to write, the screenwriter Nick originally had the human world of Sunset in the season 3 will come out of the season 3, but because of the end of the season 9 of MLP canceled
I still remember watching someone’s camera recording of the first Equestria Girls movie on RUclips . Since it was filmed in a packed theatre, the quality was awful, but I was desperate to watch it. Good time
I loved the video! As someone who grew up along with the series it's nice to hear it talked of again. One thing to note however is that honestly Hasbro was thinking of ending the series after season three for a little bit there- which was terrifying. But because the show was a success they continued on.
when eqg came out, i was a 12-year-old trans man (who didn't know that was a thing yet) who LOOOOVED mlpfim, and i remember my main issue... was that rainbow dash had a skirt on when she probably would prefer pants. and also that the dolls' hair was all too long. which, like, i stand by, but i Get it more now i had no idea about the franchise's history after 2015! kind of delighted that it was so... fun? maybe i should watch rainbow rocks. great video!
I remember being a HUGE MLP addict when i was a kid, i had tons of MLP merch, i watched clips on YT religously, i sometimes went to the MLP website and i do have an MLP bedset lmao, but i remember watching the EQ movies as well and having some of the dolls, as well as playing the game on my tablet or my phone. Speaking of which, anyone remember the EQ game?
I got into the whole Friendship is Magic in Fall of 2013 so I was pretty much there from the beginning of EQG. The first one seemed like a rehash of the first episode of FiM (with Twilight introducing herself to everyone), but one thing I really liked was that Twilight handled the situation smartly. Usually in cartoons or shows where time and/or dimensional travels occur the main character makes a bigger fool of themselves by assuming too much, like getting chummy with their "best friend" but they've never actually met in this reality. Sure, there were slip-ups but handled well in my opinion. And I do believe Hasbro did get some inspiration from the fans to turn the ponies human. Aside from all the fanarts, and that they were mostly inspired by the Monster High(school) life, there is a fimfic that was started 2011 and was given up 2012 called My Little Human: High School is Magic. The synopsis reads "Ponies are great... But what if they were humans? Just like you and me? This is an alternate universe story in which the mane six attend a highschool as humans." If that doesn't seem like a precursor to Equestria Girls I don't know what does. XD
As a kid I actually had no idea that EQG was a competitor to monster high. Now, it makes a lot of sense
Could you blame Hasbro for that? It was 2013! Every toy company wanted to compite with the ghouls
Everybody wanted a piece of the market.
MGM launched Navii Stars and Bratzillaz.
Hasbro had EQG, but soon they would end up getting Disney and Descendants in 2015/2016(something that may have helped kill EQG line).
To be honest, I don't know why Hasbro didn't do something with Jem and the Holograms, 1980s hype was just starting back in 2013, and Jem already had a fanbase and the characters ready to go.
@MsSumoon there was a live action jem and the holograms in like 2016 or something and it was a DISASTER, most hilarious failed nostalgia bait I've ever seen
@@scatmanjohnfan22 the live action was a disaster, but the reboot comics that came out around the same time are really good.
IDK why Hasbro doesn't do something with it, not even an attempt to do an animated series.
The original doll line is high quality, I bought an Aja doll second hand(only missing her shoes) and it was perfect, her hair is great and her vinyl completely new.
Hasbro is missing out, just saying.
@@MsSumoon Because MLP
It seems like the designers couldn't make a call between contemporary fashion doll and fantasy fashion doll. So it was a weird mishmash of layered bright colours, skater skirts, buckled boots and leggings.
That's a perfect way to put it actually
It's not allways the desighners tho. Look at mermaid high, they weren't allowed to go more alternative due to the high ups thinking that " if it's not pink, sparkles & girly, it won't sell". Designers know what they are doing, as it's there job but unfortunately , they aren't allowed to do what they wish becouse others above them are what pull the strings. I allways looked at the outfits as " modem Avant Garde fashion " style
BEAUTIFUL dolls, even the mini versions! I still have a mini EQG Rainbow Dash!
Unfortunately that was also just mid 10s teen girl fashion lol
A beautiful mess and we love it
You cannot comprehend how insane it was to see that first Equestria Girls trailer drop out of nowhere. It felt like something a fan made but that craziest part was that it was real. I vividly remember needing to sit down after I saw that trailer.
I had a similar reaction but I was severely disappointed because I let myself get all worked up in anticipation of it.
I remember I was falling out of love with the show at the time, that movie was the last thing I really watched. It was such a weird thing for me to end on, EQG was definitely weird at the time- still is, but not that bad for what it is.
legit, my little pony was the basis of my childhood i probably would be a lot different if the show never existed
God same
i wish i didnt just get into it, but i was a tomboy growing up and only watched boy shows lol
Shoutout to the amazing characterization EQ did with Sunset Shimmer. They introduced a generic mean girl villain and someone turned her into the main character of the spinoff franchise who is as beloved by MLP fans as any other character. I can't think of any other franchise that did something similar, now that's why I call impressive writing.
i know theres a couple other things that have done that before but i honestly cannot name any atp but if i remember i’ll put it here (dont hold your breath tho, i’m pretty bad at remembering names)
Not just that but having a character who has more of the punk-rocker sort of aesthetic and vibe as a lead character in media aimed towards younger girls is something I don't see much either.
@@c0mm0d0re Sunset Shimmer and Luna (Princess Luna in the original series, I feel they messed her up in EG) were my favorites growing up as a little girl. I'm not into MLP nowadays, but Sunset will always hold a special place in my memories and heart for that reason. She was just too cool, and Princess Luna was more akin to how I acted at that time, so I appreciate both of them
@@annieleonhart365 I definitely get that, to this day Sunset remains one of my favorite characters. She was just too cool for little me and I loved her for it, same now
As a black girl who grew up with the show and the toxicity of the brony fandom, learning that twilight was black in some concept art makes my heart feel a joy that I didn’t think I deserved. Thank you for this. Twilight is my favorite character, she will always be black in my heart.
Not to mention that Lauren Faust has intended to have Twilight be autistic as well
She was black?🥹 that makes me happy they at least considered it I love seeing peoples fanart of twilight and they make her black. A shame they didn’t go through with it tho
That’s what makes the fantasy skins tones so disappointing. It takes away the opportunity for little girls of color to see themselves in the characters they love. But I understand why they made the decision. I can still be sad about it though lol
Literally same!
As a mixed girl with darker skin, anytime I saw twilight drawn with dark skin I was IMMEDIATELY filled with so much happiness. Little me would’ve loved if they’d given her pretty dark skin, as would’ve all of us tbh 😭🫶🏽
The dazzlings literally changed the trajectory of my life... something awakened that day. I have every line of the songs they sing memorised like WOAH
same 🤣🤣🤣
Me too. You could say that we are still "Under their spell"
@@lunaguy1195 We didn't know that we fell...
Me too 😭
@@Kawaiipony_Productions oh Yeah how so it's just a cartoon
I was in the Brony community around that time and I remember the absolute gripefest that the bronies threw over this. It was bad enough to where one of the producers had to step up and be like, "We appreciate the support you guys have given us, but this series isn't meant for you. It's meant for actual children. Obviously, we're not going to cater to you exclusively."
Like, I didn't collect the toys or anything, but it seemed fairly obvious that the brony community should have realized that from the beginning.
Me too. “Gripefest” barely covers it!
you’re telling me the glittery pastel pony toys called “my little pony: friendship is magic” are made for little girls? that’s crazy!
the brony community was apparently conceived as a joke by 4chan bros until it became unironic enjoyment. not surprised edgelord teenage boys and young men from the bowels of the internet who highjacked a little girl's franchise turned into such an entitled fandom
I mean, Ican get why people don't like EQG, I was a girl growing up with it that loved MLP and still does, but EQG makes me feel so weird, because it has like zero continuity with MLP in a way... For the more in love fans with the show this bothers them and I get it... Besides, Hasbro can't just say: "it's for kids get over it" whenver they do a writing mistake... Can you imagine how much more populsr this would've been had they just made EQG a parallel world were the charcters were humans but had like the same jobs, age, and eveything else including the mythology? Problem is that it feels like a cheap copy... And I get it's supoosedly for kids, I understand but like?? They could've done that considering they did multiple alternative universes in the comics, made rainbow rocks the more fantastical od the movies, etc... Is just that if you think about it as a fun series with a parallel world that mirrors but is not the same and does not work the same as the show (which again, hapens in the comics with the multiverse approach and there are like thousands of them, the mlp lore is truly amazing!) it makes sense to like it, but if you love the show and do an in dept analysis on it, it just falls so flat lol
@@Bombonribon brony identified
I was extremely obsessed with Equestria Girls growing up. It perfectly combined my love for MLP: FiM and my growing interest for anime, manga, and magical girl stuff! Rainbow Rocks literally rocked my world, and I still listen to the soundtrack for most of the movies today! Despite the hate EG initially got, I think it was honestly a really adorable franchise - at least the animated media... the dolls not so much. I'm glad we have EG tho, I grew up with the Cafeteria Song cosplay covers 😭
omg same 😭
Did you jump into my mind so make this comment 😂 I literally feel the exact same! Because of my growing interest for anime I started to drift more towards watching Equestria Girls more than the original show. And on the day Rainbow Rocks premiered I literally had my grandparents take me out to Kmart to get a Pinkie Pie Equestria Girls costume for halloween.
I still love it today! I don’t get how someone can have that much hatred for something like this.
"growing up", jeez now I feel like a fossil.
Put perfectly lol
I’m still mad that they made Luna’s human counterpart so much lighter. Ughhh.
Vitamin D deficient Luna-
me too !! i really hated when eq would do that to their characters ,, they also did that to cheerilee and big mcintosh :(((
yeah i don’t get it at all, it doesn’t look like luna
Ain't that serious she still blue just saying.
exactly like that's not luna that's 月 😐
I loooove equestria girls sooooo much! When it came to RUclips it became a hidden treasure. I think Sunset Shimmer’s arc was way better than Starlight’s. Starlight became reformed and was awkwardly hanging around the mane 6, but sunset became the leader of her friend group and the human Twilight didn’t overshadow her leadership or hold her back.
I love starlight
Sunset is my favorite MLP character to this day
Would you say you're... under their spell?
@@mewithyouu Same! I ADORE Sunset!!❤💛🧡
yeah, as a kid the appeal came from sunset getting an element of friendship. it made her a part of something, it made her special. Woah ! she helps us with magic lasers ! awesome ! meanwhile starlight is just. eh. if she had an element or smth i probably wouldve loved her. new member of main cast, smth different yknow? maybe element of justice or smth. but she was just kind of. there. so powerful, but just awkward and not important. i wanted another unicorn anyways. i couldve loved her, but she just didnt bring that spark both in and out of the world
The writers were actually thinking about releasing a movie addressing the issue of human sunset and the realization that pony(?) sunset was the cause for all the strange magic happenings in the world, having her being majorly conflicted on whether to return to Equestria to stop it. Unfortunately they took the safe route and released Holidays Unwrapped, but it would have been really interesting to explore nonetheless.
inches from greatness. honestly wish we at least had a script or something so the fans could make it ourselves.
they wanted too, they alr had a synopsis ready and everything. but the timing wasn’t right and the original mlp show was about to end, so eg had to go too.
I remember little lesbian outcast me getting all the normie girls in my grade obsessed with MLP, huge power move I must say. I used to get made fun of for being quiet and liking anime and crap, but there was one popular girl who was really chill and wouldn't ignore me or tease me like the others, I ended up telling her about MLP and told her to give it a shot. She loved it and got all of her friends into it too and soon enough, almost every single girl in my grade was a pegasister lmaoo. Instead of playing tag at recess or gossiping during breaks, we'd all gather and talk about the newest episodes together and draw fanart. I think it was the following year the EQG movie dropped, I just remember a ton of us girls getting together at some rich girl's mansion and having a slumber party just to watch it together, it was so exciting omg. It was the only time in my life I was able to really bond with other girls my age and didn't feel excluded. I just have really fond memories of that short slip of time where social rankings were no longer relevant because we all loved MLP, the EQG movie sleep over was one of the most fun nights of my prepubescent life lol.
aww this is so wholesome :D
That would be my literal dream lol
@@augustoof13 literally the peak of my social life lmfao
this is so cute omg
Very friendship is magic wowww
I made my family see the movies in theaters and they never let me forget it
😂
I saw the 2017 mlp movie in theatres, too
@@franknfurter5336 it was pretty good
Yeah my friends and I were super excited about it being a theatrical release. It wasn't playing in any theaters in my state so my friends and I got together and took a day trip to the next state over just to see it. The movie opened with it taking place in the pony world and seeing the ponies up there on the big screen for the first time was... just WOW. Pinkie pie being "Nervouscited" then transformer unfolding and Twilight having trouble getting comfortable in bed with her new wings. I'll never forget it. It was great. So worth the trip.
Lol, I watched them on DVDs at home
I was working at the studio when they started talking designs & concepts for EQ. You’re very right, they had so many cute versions of the characters, and tried different skin tones, but they went with “safe”. I’ve only watched the first movie, so thank you for all the good synopsises!
I love the human version concept it's amazing
I love the designs we got wish we got Everfree fluttershy in her wings outfit
the minis are so cute, i wish they ran longer so we could've gotten more characters like the cutie mark crusaders and the rest of the dazzlings [aria and sonata], the art style for those just works so much better than the actual dolls
Bruh, as someone who was fairly active in the brony fandom back when EQG was first announced, and how much of a contentious topic it was for a fair amount of fans, this is honestly a treat to be watch.
But honestly, as big of a mixed bag as the EQG dolls are (And I say this as someone who enjoys the EQG specials and movies.), I can't help but have a soft spot for them. Since they were honestly my gateway into the fashion doll scene.
But he didn't mention flash sentry as Twilights love interest and that's what I'm thinking he was about to say
@@blaizegottman4139?
@@blaizegottman4139 46:14 he mentioned that flash was a love interest of Twilight
@@skylarkskies9017 Guess I just didn't hear him say his name
There was actually an Equestria Girls special planned (the season 2 finale, setting up for the third season) that was going to revolve around what happened to human Sunset. There was a lot planned that didn't get made, and a lot of people who were sad about that when we found out.
as someone who’s a HUGE fan of mlp and eg THANK YOU for covering it!! no one ever talks about the eg dolls and they’re the main doll line i collect. they’re not perfect, but they’re so special to me :)
I was a big fan of MLP as a tween along with my little sister and honestly the bronys back then traumatized me a little, if you've been a fan around that time yk at least something about all the horror and nsfw content that was put out by adult fans wich a lot of kids like me would be exposed to on accident when looking up mlp stuff. Not to mention the grooming and racism/misogyny those men would inflict on young MLP fans. Those were dark times.
Seeing all these gen z mlp fans grow up and talk about how the older brony fandom made their experience worse and shit on them does put a smile on my face
Yeah, it was unfortunate. The problem was that the non crazy Bronies got waaaaay more attention. One of my friends, a non crazy Brony, liked “background fillies”: the little kid ponies going around like normal kids doing normal things, like Twist and Archer. We got to be friends because I wrote totally wholesome stories about Scootaloo and Babs Seed.
I HATED what was called “glue fic.” It was gross, and it was so hard to avoid.
@@professorbutters😨wth is glue fic…
“Sunset Shimmer must’ve killed and replaced her [the original human version]” got me lmaoo
I loved equestria girls as a kid. Even this past new years my friends and I ended up watching the first two movies 😅 the dolls were honestly kinda meh but they still are so special to me
So is montser high
rainbow rocks is a genuinely good film and i will stand by that statement
I was an avid MLP: FIM watcher when I was younger, so I remember when Equestria Girls was first announced and let’s say I was more than a little curious, since I was also into Monster High at the time, hate to compare the two, but whatever.
Even though the actual media was pretty ok, I do agree that the dolls were pretty lackluster. Hasbro really isn’t known for producing great fashion dolls per say, especially now, but these really left a lot to be desired. Some of those budget dolls bring back TERRIBLE memories omg 💀
Especially those ones with modeled front hair and blushable ponytail. Right, BLUE Dash?
So do you still like it
@@blaizegottman4139 I haven’t watched it in a long time.
The Trixie doll, though? Gorgeous! They hit the mark with her. 💙
I write it every chance I get: Flash Sentry had potential to be a good character and didn't deserve any of the hate he got that affected his ability to be more than just a love interest 🤷🏼♀️
This franchise honestly had so much potential to continue. Sad it ended like it did but glad it happened. Twilight's human form is too iconic, even in doll form that couldn't capture it fully. The dolls have a soft spot in my heart 🥺
Spike's character got done dirty too.
Making him a dog really restricted his potential
@@nightshroud9671 a perverted dog*
@@nightshroud9671 definitely agree
I wrote a few stories with both Pony Flash and Human Flash. I have to admit that I made fun of him a little, but I definitely did not hate him. Flash hate was weird. (Sorry about the self-promo, but if you’re remotely curious, it was Flash And Trend Steal All Your Waffles. Cheese Sandwich was in it, too. I adore Cheese).
I loved EG so much, I even bought the special edition Twilight Sparkle Bishoujo figure! She’s proudly on my desk with beautiful lights and I adore her so much!
I always wanted a bishoujo figure specifically rainbow dash but she’s going for $700 😭
Oh dear, I’m sorry! I just checked online though and her limited edition version is available on Amazon! It’s around 140 USD and there’s some other versions of it so try to check there if they fit your budget. Good luck!
@@mc895 thanks I’m probably gonna buy her along with Luna
@@alexgfan2011 Thats awesome! Hope they arrive safely to you quickly!
They're on Amazon now!!
I remember this line coming out as a teenage fans of MLP and Monster High, I remember the discord in the fandom. Some fans were mad at how bad the design for the dolls since fan artists were creating more creative outfits and was to include their cutie marks in them. Most fans I knew it was a cash grab but were hopeful at the time for more designs and world building. After rainbow rocks, it didn't do any well loved designed. Although I didn't know about the Japanese doll line and I'll definitely but looking for them and the Miku figurine
Heh. Discord
Hi guys! Yes, I've seen the leaks. If you're wondering why I don't mention them in the video- I didn't know about them until after publishing and also I couldn't have legally said anything anyways (which is why I'm being vague even now)
This does negate a few things I say towards the end, but! to be fair. this new doll line is operating under a different name, so my statement of there never being anything like EQG again still rings true :)
Honestly the rainbow skin never really made me bat an eye, but that might just be because I’m used to cartoons like the Simpsons messing around with that. I’ve always just kind of assumed that the rainbow skin tones were so they could be recognizable to the kids, but the racism in the fandom honestly probably contributed more to the decision. I wish hasbro had been a bit more brave and given us a diverse mane six.
I have mixed opinions on the dolls now but I loved them when I was younger, seeing them as humans was the coolest shit 9 year old me experienced and I ate it up, I was already really into Monster High but combine that concept with my favorite franchise and you got me begging my parents for the dolls
I was never a fan of the dolls but I absolutely loved the movies…Sunset was my favorite and one of the best characters imo
I'd like to imagine the reason the human versions are teens is because humans age slower then ponies. So while a 17 year old horse would be an adult and about halfway through their lifespan, once they become a human they would still be 17 years old, but not adding on the horse-years.
that's what I always figured!!!
I legitimately had NO idea there was any Equestria Girls content after Friendship Games. I'm so upset I had no idea of the minifigures until now, I *love* how they look!
I'm really surprised they decided to go for a more "realistic" look with the second version of the dolls - by 2018 lines like LOL were already gaining popularity, right? There were lots of more cartoony dolls around then and it would've paired so much better with their animated counterparts.
This brought memories, i jumped on the brony train hard during its heyday and remembered hearing about the equestria girls movie and dollline. I bought the first line rarity and rainbow rocks rarity, a budget rainbow dash and the dj pon3 doll. I definitely remember the initial wave being really cheap, and rainbow rocks looking a little better, it definitely gave me the impression that dolls were not hasbro's strong suit like. I jumped off the brony train later on not because of fandom disputes but my interest was just starting to wane. You are definitely right about bronies being a little different compared to other toy collector communities but it didnt help that the show crew was starting to become very aware of the brony fandom and started to willingly cater to it. Its crazy to think how long ago this whole brony craze was but its something i still hold with fond memories because it led me to collecting mlp in general
So why did you stop
@@blaizegottman4139 just kind of lost interest in friendship is magic. I stopped keeping track of the show and didnt feel interested in returning either. Maybe it was burnout or other fandoms taking my time i dont know but it just sort of happened. Someday ill watch what i missed but right now i dont see it happening anytime soon. I got up to at least the movie and own it on blu-ray
these were actually the first dolls i collected, before i even considered myself a collector! My first one was a Pinkie Pie i was given as a gift and i treasure her
I think a cool twist tthey could make during the second phase, was if they made the dolls more like the art on the box. People were desperate for monster high to return, and if they made something similar to them ( or if they made the prototype dolls that the designer posted on their instagram) the doll history could be different, they could make the doll market to be big again, but hasbro always make weird and cheap dolls that I don't see them doing something big like L.O.L OMG was at their release, which brought back a lot of collectors to the doll world. I particularly love the first styles of dolls, I have only two tho. The budget FG Fluttershy has a impressive screening that really pleases me, and the deluxe everfree Rarity is one of the best EG doll they ever made.
As a longtime MLP fan (from before G4), I remember the character designs leaked on Tumblr first before Equestria Daily or another source cracked the news. I think a blog criticizing the brony fandom (with a name like "FuckNoMyLittlePony" or something similar) got sent them and spread them, which naturally caused chaos. I also remember Flash Sentry being known as "Brad" for a while before his name got announced, largely because a bunch of people hated the idea of any of the main characters getting a canon love interest
There was already so much fearmongering during the gap between seasons 3 and 4 due to Lauren Faust leaving the show and Twilight becoming a princess, that Equestria Girls being announced felt like Hasbro was pouring gasoline into a forest fire
i still call flash sentry brad to this day 😭
As someone who was, maybe 3/4 the target audience throughout most of the runtime (teenage trans guy) I loved EQG, and I knew everyone disagreed with me on that. Honestly I think a major factor was just *they isekai'd Twilight Sparkle*, which was absolutely hilarious to me
This scares me because this comment mirrors my life experiences exactly, down to the opinions haha
The first thing I said when I saw the trailer as a teenage girl was “omg, an isekai”
From my personal experience collecting this line; I'll say that rainbow rocks was the only high note for them and that's been generous... (I'm talking only about the doll line not any or the movies)
Hexitan did all the girls as dolls and they are STUNNING! it just shows how safe they went with their designs
Ok but thank you so much for bringing the official Miku Pony to my attention that’s so iconic
I didn't think there was that much lore behind that part of the MLP franchise, wow.
Listening to this while doing math homework between my college classes making the wait a little more bearable.
Equestria Girls was the reason why I was obsessed with boots when I was a pre-teen, let's just say that not only monkeys and cats looks great with them.
Honestly, I do feel bad for this spin-off because after Legend of Everfree, we just got small specials and weak toys. I'm not saying the specials were bad, it's just that they're pretty forgettable and the reboot dolls look (mosly) bad. Equestria Girls (for me) was at it's maximun audience from the first movie to Legend of Everfree, but because of the poor sales of the reboot dolls, I won't be surprised if it dosen't return for G5.
Also, I really hate how they stop making Rainbow Dash's fully rainbow in later dolls. I mean, her name is RAINBOW Dash, it's not supost to be blue with some colors!
I was right around the target demographic for Equestria Girls when the first movie came out and I loved it from the start! The dolls were my first introduction to fashion dolls, and although they're no longer my favorites in my collection now that I have so many other interesting dolls, I still appreciate them for what they were for me. I also, weirdly, appreciate the movies for having such weird plotlines -- writing fanfiction to fix all of my issues with them was my introduction to writing long-form stories, and that's what led me to discover I love writing and that I wanted to major in English in college! And I'm currently using a lot of those ideas I came up with in my Equestria Girls fanfictions to help me in writing some original stories, so it's been fun to see how my appreciation for the series has persisted even though I'm not as attached to it as I once was.
I do agree that almost every piece of concept art or even concept writing that I've seen for Equestria Girls is far more interesting than what we ended up getting. I would have loved to see what Equestria Girls could have looked like without (what I'm assuming is) corporate meddling. It had some real potential to be even more impactful than it was. I remember seeing the pitch for what would've been a true finale episode to the series where we would get answers to what happened to the human-born Sunset Shimmer and why magic kept following the main girls around. Nick Confalone posted it to Twitter in March 2021 and said Hasbro rejected it in favor of making Holidays Unwrapped instead. That decision still frustrates and confuses me to this day!
The first EQG line had many dolls with articulation actually! Some of them also had absolutely terrible hair, but some others had amazing hair, it was inconsistent. The original line of dolls had peg feet/shoes like Bratz, while later one did not. Personally I really liked the first line of dolls, and really all of them, it was pretty sucky constantly seeing them shat on by everyone around me. :(
I was there for all of this, from inception to now and I still really like EQG as a thing and find it a super fun setting to write for. The sirens became my favorite species in their true forms and I adore them.
I have the full collection of the Rainbow Rocks-rainbow locks, they have a good quality compared to the other dolls from the line.
The hair clip is for the young kids to clip in their hairs, it's actually rather common for some dolls to have these hair clips that don't fit the dolls.
The first wave was bad, and thankfully they removed the shoe plugs and made normal shoes.
And most importantly, they give them moded feet (wait, wrong choice of words)
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 the budget line they were molded feet with shoes.
I won’t lie, my opinion on their human designs aren’t bad in my opinion. They resemble their pony characters very well, however the design I was most upset with was the “other Twilight Sparkle” who already was a part of the EQG universe. It’s just Twilight but with glasses. I also think they should’ve updated Rarity’s outfit and both of the Twilights as well, but these are entirely my opinions.
i actually found out about EqG in a my little pony garry's mod map that had a fanmade EqG billboard. i believe it was before EqG actually released (they had made like some sort of wedding concept poster), as i looked up "my little pony wedding" and only ever got the season 2 episode, so i didn't even think it was real, just something made up by the map maker. it was only a few month after EqG dropped that i realised it wasn't entirely fake.
(i was pretty young and didn't really keep up with the fandom side of the show, i just watched it because i liked it)
thumbnail showed up and ive NEVER been so fuckibg excited to witness a video hell yes hell yes
Gods, this video is a blessing, love how well-researched it is, and THANK YOU for bringing up the discussion of race when talking about the characters skin tones! Such a damn shame Hasbro never had the balls to just make Sunset Shimmer or Twilight black. I've loved Friendship is Magic since I was seven, and when EQG came out it was so crazy to 10-year-old me, I loved it as a kid and I still love all the movies to this day. And yes, the dolls are GOD-AWFUL. My friends and I talked about them and were just baffled by how ugly the dolls are. Gods, just thank you. I needed a vid like this. (Edit: I own the Kotobukiya Miku figure, pre-ordered it the second I was able to, it finally arrived earlier last year and she is now my prized possession.)
But Twilight and sunset shimmer aren't Black though not trying to sound racist just saying that is how they are
@@blaizegottman4139 says who.
@@blaizegottman4139 they're fucking ponies, blaize.
@@blaizegottman4139 i mean tbf twilight is purple
@@clawcakes yeah
FIFTY MINUTE DARLING DOLLZ VIDEO??? AABOUT EQG???? What a gift! So excited for this one
So when these dolls came out I remember being so excited coming from a 6 year old who of course loved dolls and MLP. Looking back I remember losing all of the shoes and the clothes ripped easily (like about 2 weeks after play.) So since my mom noticed how "poor" the quality was she never bought me any of them again. Didn't stop me a year later being OBSESSED with the dazzlings begging my mom for their dolls.
A beautiful mess (affectionate) is a pretty apt descriptor for this franchise. I have a lot of unreasonable affection for this series, so I collected and still have a lot of the dolls. I think you summed it up pretty well, the team was given a weird premise, and ever shifting direction from Hasbro, and still made a remarkably good series. It's a shame about the dolls, because I think Hasbro has a great sculpting team and you can see that in the EG minis and other MLP stuff, but doesn't allow their doll teams to flourish equally. Oh well.
Anyway, Sunset Shimmer is best girl
your video essays are so good how are you so underrated 😭
Tying EG to FIM is impossible too as the maine six were undoubtly adults in FIM
Not to mention the town litrealy had a high school where young ponies went to so how does an entire town translate to a high school? What happened to the already existing high school?? I rlly dont think they considered this all through😭
I also dont get why they always make spike a dog-guess pet lizards jus arent real smh😒/half joking
I really love your "History of" videos for dolls. It's actually my favorite thing about this channel. When you dive deep into the history of some of these dolls, it makes me rethink how I viewed certain dolls. I've actually gotten into picking up a doll here or there that I wouldn't have thought about before because I'm learning about what went into their creation.
Ahh my favourite dolltuber talking about one of my favourite franchises! A treat✨
I am SO glad you made this video! I literally just revisited all the Equestria Girls content this past week and I'm honestly upset we didn't get more of it (or at least a satisfying conclusion). One thing I'm glad you mentioned was the "on the nose" lgbt rep we got! In the last special, Sunset's Backstage Pass, we see two male characters holding hands, and the antagonists Post Crush really gave me lesbian vibes. Not to mention Lyra and Bon Bon in Rainbow Rocks!
I was way into MLP and EQG as it was coming out when I was high school age and I love it still to this day. It got me through some hard times as it was always a light-hearted escape from the mundanity of the real world. I especially loved Sunset Shimmer's arc, and she'll always be my favorite character. Thank you again for this video! I love long-form content I can have on in the background. Keep up the awesome work DD!
I remember seeing a post where it was explained the reason Equestria Girls ended so abruptly was because an ending WAS planned where pony Sunset met the human Sunset, but it got cancelled. Sucks they couldn’t conclude properly considering the impact this spinoff had :C
As yes the beautiful mess I still love. Still have them! And I’m hoping to thrift and add more to my collection!! Sunset is a queen tho, should replace starlight.
There are prototypes for the EQG that are reallly good! Have nice clothing , face up, and articulations. It would have been a great competitor to monster high. Brought in sale not just from kids, but also from collectors, and doll customizers.
I remember getting the rainbow rocks rarity (specifically the one where she had her keytar and pony counterpart figure) when they came out and her hair was nice, slick, ya know standard doll hair. After storing her away in a drawer for a while, I decided to take her out just to find out her hair got super poofy and curly??? Like it just…expanded somehow?? Idk if it was just my doll or other people had that problem too with their EQG dolls
I love your content, I’ve had a doll hyperfixation and started watching you a couple months ago! As someone who grew up with MLP but not Gen 4, I’ve been really fascinated by Equestria Girls recently and so this upload couldn’t have come at a better time for me, it was a great deep dive!!
I think using the fantasy colors was a good idea because the main series is what fans are connected with. Keeping the colors consistent with the main series keeps the mental continuity and connection with the characters strong.
15:04 the extension is meant to be an accessory for the kid to wear so they can match their doll! Not clipped to the doll itself. I remember getting a doll with one as a gift when i was a kid
I really liked the basic reboot dolls, they're not perfect but after a little restyling my collection turned out great!
I wish we got an official spike doll despite all the strange design choices, im forever mad about him being a dog
As someone who had the mlp/brony fandom as my first fandom experience and had "pony enjoyer" as one of my key personality traits for 3.5 years, the original Equestria Girls and Rainbow Rocks were incredibly formative pieces of media for me. Like those are the only two movies I ever bought on iTunes because I really wanted to be able to watch them anytime anywhere that bad. And I was eqg Twilight and Sunset for halloween two years in a row. I only ever had two of the dolls as I was never into them as a kid, but I desperately want to replace my beloved Rockin Hairstyles Twilight from the line that in my heart will always be the Friendship Through the Ages line from the music video the designs are featured in.
Some G5 ones were leaked recently, I’m praying it won’t be terrible 🤧
There was an improvement betwin the Eq dolls and the Rainbow Rocks dolls, the very first line did not have any feet under the shoes, while from Rainbow Rocks onwords they did have feets. And also in the first movie the outfit had nothing to do with movie outfit while in RR they could be SOMETIMES traced back to either Music Videos or the film,
i remember watching the first movie in theatres at an amc in manhattan, such an amazing moment seeing everyone’s first reactions to it as 9 year old. so grateful mlpfim was the best part of my childhood
it was just leaked that gen 5 is getting equestria girl dolls! they look so different but the outfits are way better.
From what I remember reading before they cancelled the equestrian girls movie and toy line the final movie was actually going to focus on the human worlds sunset shimmer and what happened to her when Pony sunset shimmer crossed over and replaced her, it was going to tie into how magic was running rampant and was connected to the human worlds sunset shimmer but the franchise was cancelled before that story could be completed.
I honestly never saw Equestria Girls as a Monster High competitor (I LOVED MH Gen 1 as a teenager and it is still one of the main doll lines that I like to displsy on my currently very limited doll shelves. I still collect them sometimes even, but Shadow High is my main doll line currently). The Equestria Girls dolls were okay to me, but nowhere as creative or impressive as Monster High in my opinion. The earlier dolls were okay, but weirdly sized and a bit awkward looking. The reboot near the end of the franchise did improve the dolls' faces and clothes a bit in my opinion (I have Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, and Applejack from the reboot line and they are cute, but still a bit underwhelming.). I feel that the movies and the media was okay and that Rainbow Rocks definitely stands out as the best movie. The Dazzlings' songs from Rainbow Rocks are probably some of the best and catchiest MLP songs I have heard. I also liked Sunset Shimmer as a character and I thought that her character design from the movies looked cool. And there was that one music video 'Get to the Other Side', that had Rarity in almost sexualized, model poses, possibly making bedroom eyes, and one of her outfits showed a bit of her chest (I clearly remember people joking about how Rarity seemed a bit too sexualized in that music video, and that is why I remember it more clearly than the other ones.).
FiM and EQG were so important in how i used the internet when i was little. my first two instagram accounts were MLP roleplay and fan accounts, and one still exists to this day…i’ve seen a resurgence in appreciation for FiM as well as my own little sister starting her journey with it, being the same age i was when i enjoyed it. there will never be another piece of media as influential as these two.
tldr mlp fim made me chronically online
Firstly, I'm not done with the video yet, but I really appreciate your take on the brony community at the beginning. Racism and just this insecurity over liking a show for little girls from these adult male fans were 100% issues in the community. Like, I do appreciate some parts of the brony community a lot, but there were so much messed up stuff that would pop up and at the time, some of the discourse in the fandom was so exhausting.
I still remember when there were rumors about gen 5, that there was one about rebooting gen 4 and giving Apple Jack a black VA... hoo boy I saw some not so great takes....
I always thought this had a full length show for some reason. The dolls were immensely unappealing to me, and certainly not worth having to brush shoulders with the hateful adult men I had already been faced with just from sorta liking FiM so this video was really enlightening! I do wonder if G5 will have some manner of fashion doll moment. From what I know of it rn it doesn’t really fit, but on the other hand the fashion doll market is way healthier and more competitive than when EQ were releasing
It really is mainly a problem the parents had, because I remember being a tomboyish girl who still loved barbies and would pretend they'd go through all sorts of shenanigans
There were a few knockoffs we had which also had different body types so when the clothes didn't fit/looked to boring, I made custom clothes from fabric scraps left from sewing projects either I or a few family members did
I was curious to what the video you were teasing on twitter would culminate on, and I'm not disappointed!
Equestria Girls always felt like a fever dream and it lasted a good period time considering it was never a strong fashion doll line for the market and collectors of other doll brands.
great video overall!
*After Googling Equestria Girls concept art* We were cheated out of greatness. Rainbow Rocks in particular.
19:40 Oh actually the last Equestria Girls special planned WOULD have focused on the human Sunset Shimmer, G4 was just wrapping up by then so it never got made lol
I do love MLP but stopped collecting Ponies other than G1 and G3 20 year anniversary releases. I do love the mini vinyl ponies as well. The Bishoujo line illustrated by Shunya Yamashita is by far my favorite human take on these girls. I've been a Shunya fan for a very very long time. And they are more stunning in person although the boxes are nice as display pieces. If those were dolls I would lose my mind. =)
Equestria Girls was my life in my early middle school days. 11-12-year-old me loved the original movie and Rainbow Rocks. I desperately wanted the dolls.
It’s kinda funny how after 3 days of this film the g5 Equestria girls dolls leaked to the internet 😂 unofficial of course. Maybe they’re not only a product of their time after all.
Jeremy from the Save Hanazuki Movement here!
For someone who was a former Brony 10 years ago, Equestria Girls was my introduction to the Friendship is Magic series, having seen the film back in August of 2013 and discovering the entirety of the show afterwards. (I tried to have the DVD of the film be gotten around Christmas 2013, but didn't get it, but I digress) but after 2014, I made a difficult decision to leave the fandom just before Season 5 premiered and never watched the series again due to me being so angry and sad over the loss of The Hub Network (I have since gotten over it and became happy again since 2022). Had I not been introduced to My Little Pony, then I wouldn't be introduced to Hanazuki in 2017. and I feel nostalgic for the Equestria Girls franchise despite only watching the first two films and nothing else from it.
I am grateful for this spin-off franchise that introduced me to the fourth generation of the franchise that may never be marketable again (unless Hasbro takes the Transformers Generations route to market collector-oriented MLP toys of these Bronies and Pegasisters' favorite multicolored horses.)
MY LITTLE PONY VIDEO LET'S GO
I had a few MLP's when I was young (Gen 3 I believe...), but I was mainly into the TV show. I remember being obsessed with the first equestria girls movie, especially because in school, my friend assigned each friend a character and drew us as the characters, and equestria girls was an official version of that. However, shortly after I started watching doll RUclips and seeing unboxings of the equestria girls dolls and being very disappointed with their appearance. They just looked so cheap and "fake" with the bright skin compared to other lines. As you said, the art style worked in animation but not in the original wave of dolls. I never watched the later movies but the first one will always be nostalgic to me.
Heck yeah! I love your content and now I get dang near an hour of it!
This year is 2023, I hope to have EQG's 10th anniversary to continue the production even if it is handed over to another production team, or in the manga or novel to continue to write, the screenwriter Nick originally had the human world of Sunset in the season 3 will come out of the season 3, but because of the end of the season 9 of MLP canceled
the dazzlings have such a hold on me still. i sing their songs around my house
I still remember watching someone’s camera recording of the first Equestria Girls movie on RUclips . Since it was filmed in a packed theatre, the quality was awful, but I was desperate to watch it. Good time
I loved the video! As someone who grew up along with the series it's nice to hear it talked of again. One thing to note however is that honestly Hasbro was thinking of ending the series after season three for a little bit there- which was terrifying. But because the show was a success they continued on.
Oh I have been WAITING for someone to make this video !! I’m so glad it was you!
I love equestria girls and especially the rarijack stuff in it
I thought that the second movie was actually the first movie... I don't even remember the first one because the second one was so good lol
when eqg came out, i was a 12-year-old trans man (who didn't know that was a thing yet) who LOOOOVED mlpfim, and i remember my main issue... was that rainbow dash had a skirt on when she probably would prefer pants. and also that the dolls' hair was all too long. which, like, i stand by, but i Get it more now
i had no idea about the franchise's history after 2015! kind of delighted that it was so... fun? maybe i should watch rainbow rocks. great video!
I remember being a HUGE MLP addict when i was a kid, i had tons of MLP merch, i watched clips on YT religously, i sometimes went to the MLP website and i do have an MLP bedset lmao, but i remember watching the EQ movies as well and having some of the dolls, as well as playing the game on my tablet or my phone. Speaking of which, anyone remember the EQ game?
THAT GAME WAS MY CHILDHOODDD
I absolutely loved this format, please do more it's so interesting !
Agreed!
Timing for this is perfect because we just got G5 Equestria Girl dolls leaks
its interesting that only a few days after this video g5 eqg styled dolls have leaked and theyre mad cute
I got into the whole Friendship is Magic in Fall of 2013 so I was pretty much there from the beginning of EQG. The first one seemed like a rehash of the first episode of FiM (with Twilight introducing herself to everyone), but one thing I really liked was that Twilight handled the situation smartly. Usually in cartoons or shows where time and/or dimensional travels occur the main character makes a bigger fool of themselves by assuming too much, like getting chummy with their "best friend" but they've never actually met in this reality. Sure, there were slip-ups but handled well in my opinion.
And I do believe Hasbro did get some inspiration from the fans to turn the ponies human. Aside from all the fanarts, and that they were mostly inspired by the Monster High(school) life, there is a fimfic that was started 2011 and was given up 2012 called My Little Human: High School is Magic. The synopsis reads "Ponies are great... But what if they were humans? Just like you and me? This is an alternate universe story in which the mane six attend a highschool as humans."
If that doesn't seem like a precursor to Equestria Girls I don't know what does. XD
I can’t stop looking at all the dolls behind you, they just look so pretty ⸝⸝ʚ̴̶̷̆ ̯ʚ̴̶̷̆⸝⸝
Me too 💐
I remember when the Friendship Games movie came out, me and my friends were really excited for it and I remember being disappointed by it.