Equestria Girls: A MLP:FiM Spin Off

So yeah, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic will get a spin-off called Equestria Girls. It will involve human versions of the characters.

It was confirmed in Kidscreen Magazine (see scan here). According to the article, it will debut in Spring 2014.

Don't worry. Fi M won't go away, yet. The two shows will run concurrently.

Rainbow Dash looks like an alien, and Applejack is going to pick on Twilight because she's kind of black.

That sounds...wholly unnecessary. Also, your link isn't there.

Didn't know this. Wonder why they wanted to make a spin off.

More merchandise. This time, for teenage girls, apparently.

To compete with Monster High, most likely. Why they didn't use original characters (or Milky Way And The Galaxy Girls) is beyond me.

Funny, people were making up speculation that it would be called "Equestria Girls" and that it would involve humans even before there was any official word beyond "There's a new brand coming." I suppose there could have been early leaks, and that magazine page looks well-written enough, and with so many artists feeling the need to turn the ponies into humans, Hasbro might have said, "What the heck, let's make it official and sell some new merchandise..." But I still feel like this could be a hoax.

OK, a few things need to be made clear.

Hasbro has announced a Made-for-TV Movie for My Little Pony, which will launch a new MLP IP (Equestria Girls). It'll be marketed to teenage girls and up. More info will be unveiled at San Diego Comic Con.

The magazine article says the "series" is coming in the spring, when Hasbro told the investors the new IP is coming in the fall. This could mean that the TV Movie is airing in the spring while the toyline and assorted merch is coming later. Either way, we don't have a release date.

Also, Hasbro only mentioned a TV Movie to investors, and Friendship Is Magic is confirmed to have a full 26 episode Season 4. If the movie is successful, it may spawn a series, but the TV Movie is being made by the same studio that does FIM. They'd have to get a separate studio to do a TV series if they want one to air this year.

As for why this is all happening? Well one, in case you haven't noticed, MLP is kinda popular now. Two, Hasbro wants to break into the young teen girl market. Equestria Girls will presumably compete directly with Mattel's Monster High.

And why ponies as humans and not an entirely new IP? We don't know, but I'm chalking it up to a weird sort of Wolverine Publicity. Hasbro is entering a new market for them with younger franchises already in place, and the My Little Pony brand is a pop-culture icon with 30 years of history and with its current popularity, its the safer bet.

And that's pretty much everything we know. Equestria Girls is a thing, its getting a TV Movie. We'll find out more later.

edited 13th Feb '13 6:23:41 PM by Calnos

Also, I thought the original FIM cast was renowned for how distinctly specialized their designs were despite sharing a body shape, but it's hard to get a sense of that individuality if everyone's got high boots and skirts that take up like 90% of their outfits.

Yeah. hopes are not high for this series ATM. But, will wait and see. All depends on if hasbro actually understands WHY FIM is so damn popular.

Well, we don't know if it's a still from the show, or concept art, or what. It might not even be the finalized designs.

Well, nobody actually understands why the show is so inexplicably popular, so you can let that ship sink.

Okay, maybe not every little detail, but overall, there are several things that are agreed upon as being factors. Number one being quality. And avoid cliches and stereotypes as much as possible. While delivering a good mix of drama, humor, and action.

The main point, Whether they let it be guided mostly by skilled writers artists and other creative people that actually care deeply about making a quality show. Or from a board room by people that only care about what focus groups and surveys show.

Are the characters going to remain unique, fleshed out people. Or just be cliched "girly" stereotypes with no attempt at originality is the real question. Cause without the pony stuff, it pretty much comes down to how they handle the characters.

Damn it J-T we need to stop thinking so identically. Specially when you state exactly what I'm thinking better then I can.

edited 13th Feb '13 6:35:06 PM by Seraphem

Eh, there are a couple reasons. Basically, the reason the show is popular at all is that they actually took the time to make a quality product rather than crap out something generic rather and let the brand name carry it. FIM has surprisingly deep characterization for a show aimed at young kids, and the animation is a lot more solid than most of what's out there.

Most of the doubts about this show can be boiled down to two things:

1.Whether or not it'll retain the nuanced characterization or discard it in favor of cliched stereotypes

2.Whether putting the cast in a mundane setting will damage the overall quality compared to the fanciful original version.

Personally, I don't think 2 is a big deal as long as 1 is okay. Whether or not they'll pull of 1 remains to be seen.

edited 13th Feb '13 6:33:59 PM by JapaneseTeeth

I'm looking forward to this new cartoon as much as I look forward to a new episode of ponies. Chances are, Hasbro knows what they are doing.

I hope this thing gets out soon to shut up all the OMFG RUINED FOREVER people.

Yeah, the designs could change if that image is even the real deal. As far as the outfits go, I think something that hasn't been pointed out in the main thread is that it may not be their only clothes. Blythe from Littlest Pet Shop (2012) (also done by DHX) has an Unlimited Wardrobe. They might give the girls changing wardrobes, give them some pants and so on.

Y'know, as hard as I look for it, I don't really see the "nuanced characterization" that fans talk about.

If I had to guess, it's because the series doesn't use a "Character of the Week", so it can focus on the Mane Six having struggles purely based on themselves, and not on how some new pony dude shakes them up.

@ Klyer, what people? Again, my single biggest peeve with the fandom. How people overreact to ANY controversy or anything that can be iffy, NOT becuase THEY find it worth getting upset over, but simply because they instantly assume people will be up in arms about it and then get pissed at them.

Are there people that will gripe about this? Of course. But they are far far the minority. Even more so then most other issues, this one has almost no drama, beyond people causing drama about how there will be drama.

The majority opinion I've seen is one of two things.

"Well, no one thought FIM would be good, so wait till it comes out and see what it's like."

and

"It's going to be a horrid craptastic POS, but it's a spinoff and wont affect the main show. So Don't give a fuck."

edited 13th Feb '13 6:38:41 PM by Seraphem

I still think that "Leak" is a hoax. for reasons I already stated in the MLP:FIM reaction thread. But here's a condensed version: Hasbro will most like have it be placed in the Urban Fatasy G=genre (for obvious reasons) and apply ether Little Bit Beastly or Petting-Zoo People (because it would be In Name Only otherwise and because Ordinary High School Students will be bland compared to Cute Monster Girls [Monster High] and aliens [Novi Stars]).

One of my friends from school is going on about how MLP is Ruined FOREVER because of this. I pointed out that this is a spin-off, and not actually the main show.

Fanbases are the greatest curse a piece of fiction can have.

I'm not saying there's a whole flood of people complaining, but they come regularly in a slow trickle. And when it comes to negativity, even just that can be a buzzkill.

Given just HOW MANY people, all confirm this. The consistency of the rumors. And how it matches up with pretty much every single hint we've had about something that was coming. No, don't see it as a hoax. That particular screenshot, maybe. That series overall, no.

Also, I have this image of the Hasbro guy getting up at SDCC to make the big huge reveal of the new IP, just to get a collective. "Yeah? We already knew that. Tell us something we don't know."

If Hasbro finds talented enough writers, I'm sure some bronies will be surprised by a more thorough description of the premise.

edited 13th Feb '13 6:46:26 PM by Kossmeister