It's been a bit quiet here in the past few weeks, and we're fully aware of that. That's why we did want to share the reasons behind this and what our plans are for the coming months.
So, to first address the elephant in the room: we're still very much alive and working on MLP Merch!
However, as you all know the current season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is going to be the final one in the current generation, and the effects of that are clearly visible. Stores are lowering stock, new merch is coming out pretty slow and existing licensing deals are ended or not being renewed. While there are several new or renewed collaborations (like Wilson, Daiso and C&A), the amount of news regarding MLP toys and merchandise is at it's lowest point since we started the site. In the haydays (pun intended) we were posting 5-8 articles a week, but we've accepted the fact that this is no longer the case. We're happy to post a weekly news post, but even this goal has not been met for a while. Store finds have also been low, and we're usually saving up at least 3 of them before we send out a store finds post.
Because of this we've also shifted our personal priorities a bit and focused more on our career and schoolwork. We're still ready to post about breaking news in the world of My Little Pony merch, but we do realize that we will have to prioritize site maintenance and posts against our daily lives and personal projects and goals.
Another result of this is the delayed updates for the databases, not only that of MLP, but also from our other sites. We're aware of most of the gaps that are in the data from the past few months, and will spend time on getting things complete when possible. This could be a project that will span several months, hoping to have it complete around the time G4 has officially ended (more or less 'finishing' the database).
This is also the case with the older generations databases. We're currently working on a revamp of the G1 and G1 Nirvana databases where we correct errors in the latter database and in the process merging the two into a universal format (which helps with browsing and searching). Several non-brushable ponies from the first 3 generations are also in the works, but have a lower priority.
And while we're talking about all the generations together... We're happy to share that our book My Little Pony Collectibles is now also available in the US at Amazon!
One last thing that we'd like to remind you of: The My Little Pony franchise will certainly not end after the season 9 finale, and so won't we! If a 5th generation is indeed on the horizon, then we'll most certainly be part of that journey.
With generation 4 coming to a slow end, it's understandable that toys and merchandise would be slowing down in production as well. I'm glad that sites like this are still active, even as the fandom wayned in recent years, and I understand the slowness (life always comes first).
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your contributions! I honestly can't describe how useful this site has been to me.
i've noticed that my local walmart and target have lowered stock on mlp toys, so i assumed it was just with the season ending. but it seems like it started a long time ago, so i'm not sure if it's just my specific stores or what.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to say a big thank you as well. I followed this site for several years now i believe, and it was very useful and I owe a big part of my collection to it. Thank you guys, and i will keep checking it out! Hopefully G5 will come around and we will find your work in all its glory again!
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