Adult Fans of “My Little Pony” Are Getting Their Own Dolls
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(NEW YORK) — The makers of My Little Pony are trying to appeal to adult fans with high-end collectible dolls.
These dolls represent the archetype of My Little Pony adult enthusiasts, often known as “bronies” if male and “pegasisters” if female. These fans are very active in the social media community, creating fan fiction, organizing and attending brand gatherings and creating websites all around the cartoon.
The dolls will be available to purchase in the fourth quarter of this year. Hasbro is licensing My Little Pony to Integrity Toys, which creates collectible dolls, including characters from American Horror Story and Jem and the Holograms.
The price range hasn’t been released yet, but other Integrity Toys range in the “high two or low three figures,” according to Carol Roth, who worked on the licensing deal between Hasbro and her client, Integrity Toys. Jem dolls range from $120 to $150, depending on the product.
“It’s probably not unreasonable” that the My Little Pony dolls will be in that range, Roth said.
“We saw there were enthusiastic fans around My Little Pony,” Roth added. “They had come together in an unusual pop culture phenomenon with such a positive connection. They were connected around the positivity and friendship around the cartoon and toy line.”
The series collection is called “<3 MY LITTLE PONY,” pronounced “Heart My Little Pony,” and it’s described in a statement to the media as a “fashion figure collection.” Sketches of the first two figures, which are about 12-inches tall, are inspired by two My Little Pony characters, “Rainbow Dash” and “Sparkle.”
There will only be a “limited” number of these dolls available according to Roth.
Why not just create high-end toys of actual ponies? The original versions for children can cost $5 to $20.
Roth said, “This collection is meant to honor the fans and to celebrate the fans, and it’s meant to tap into Integrity Toys’ strengths: high fashion dolls with really high-end detailed fashion. If you got into ponies that’s completely outside the scope of the company.”
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