Does it? Other than a select group of weirdos, I don't think MLP is appealing to anyone over the age of 10 that isn't female.
The Old KidZone Thread
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Does it? Other than a select group of weirdos, I don't think MLP is appealing to anyone over the age of 10 that isn't female.
- May 26, 2010
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This...
I'm sorry, but I don't think My Little Pony has a real shot of coming to Universal... TMNT, Spongebob, Dora, sure. My Little Pony? I really doubt it.
I'm honestly still at a loss at what they're going to do with KidZone. I wish Illumination's Woody Woodpecker film hadn't been axed, that could've made for some interesting expansion fodder. Really, Despicable Me should've ended up over here with Super Silly Fun Land taking over Fievel and Curious George.
Gimme upgraded ET though.
Yes. Very much so.
Before, My Little Pony merchandise consisted of mostly brushable dolls and coloring books. Now it has expanded into things such as various vinyl figurines of the characters, massive trading card sets, and even a friggin on-going comic book series. (which if I may add, was one of the top selling comic books last year). Also, at Toys r Us, I’ve noticed that there are My Little Pony bags and lunch boxes targeted at boys. (they even say “Brony” on them). Beyond that there’s also a hundreds of different adult-sized t-shirts of MLP being sold at various places. And I could go on and on with examples here. Things like this don’t happen unless there is a pretty decent amount of appeal for it. Hasbro even has said themselves that although little girls are still their target, they will put further effort into making more merchandise for the adult fans of the show in the future, as they have been proven to be a decent source of income. Due to the surprise popularity of the whole thing among little girls and other demographics, Hasbro is going as far as to introduce it into new markets, such as Japan.
The appeal of My Little Pony is not to be underestimated. And this has all happened in under three years, and so far, there are no signs of this stopping. Most professional news articles go as far as to refer to this whole thing as a “phenomenon”. So yes, it is fair to say that it has a wider range of appeal than most other girl properties out there. Little girls will always be the target audience, yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a pretty sizeable amount of teen and adult support for the franchise. Which is again, why I say, “it has a more wider range of appeal than other shows like it”. And I’m standing by that statement, as it’s indisputable as far as I can see. It’s obviously not a SpongeBob-level of mass appeal, but it’s quite big and still growing.
But of course, I would never say that MLP is guarantee for the KidZone, but for now I’m leaving up as a possibility, due to all my previously said reasons.
And although I don’t consider myself to be a part of that fandom, I find you referring to them all as “weirdos” to be both surprisingly unfair and rude of you. I please ask of you to at least do some unbiased research before making such harsh assertions. I know several folk that are into the fandom, and they are very kind people that live pretty normal lives overall. But I suppose some people must have had different experiences with MLP fans. Regardless, I don’t want to drag this thread too off-topic.
With that said, I’m done arguing here.
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I don't understand how you can think Dora, but not MLP? Dora is for preschool age, so younger than 10 and it is on the downhill side of things. Unless for some other reason merchandise is not out there as much as other IPs. Because in the last year I have seen less and less Dora toys and clothing.
- Feb 3, 2013
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...as I keep saying, the reason we're talking about My Little Pony is because the new version of the show has a more wider range of appeal, has made remarkable merch sales, Universal has a close relationship with Hasbro, and there's many aspects of the new series that would translate well into the theme park environment. It's popular enough. I suppose to some it's a long shot, but for the time being I'm keeping it within the realm of possibilities until we get more information regarding what's going to happen to the KidZone.
(^ For now on I think I'm gonna quote this post whenever someone questions MLP.)
Dora isn't old at all. The show is still going pretty strong.
The Smurfs, I can agree with you on at least.
I'm pretty sure the Smurfs have high merchandise sales... but yeah the new movie totally bombed
Finally caught up on this thread. Thoughts:
I would also love a Scooby Doo dark ride! There's a family ride that is multi-generational, and not gender-specific.
I would only agree for ET to stay with a heavy refurb and revamp. Not necessarily story-wise, but the ride system, effects, the entrance, etc... It needs a lot of work to get up to today's standards at UOR.
I still think Dora is a good choice for a ride or show.
I'm torn on Animal Actors... I don't love it, and I don't love the use of animals, but they have rescues, and it's something different in the park, and I don't know... Mixed feelings.
I haven't seen either of the Smurf movies, so I don't about that, but I have seen the TV show when I was younger, and a playground of the Smurf village might work.
I would also love a Scooby Doo dark ride! There's a family ride that is multi-generational, and not gender-specific.
I would only agree for ET to stay with a heavy refurb and revamp. Not necessarily story-wise, but the ride system, effects, the entrance, etc... It needs a lot of work to get up to today's standards at UOR.
I still think Dora is a good choice for a ride or show.
I'm torn on Animal Actors... I don't love it, and I don't love the use of animals, but they have rescues, and it's something different in the park, and I don't know... Mixed feelings.
I haven't seen either of the Smurf movies, so I don't about that, but I have seen the TV show when I was younger, and a playground of the Smurf village might work.
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As I mentioned on another thread, I think the Animal Actors stage is just a massive building that's just sitting in the way of things now. It really pushes away the KidZone areas from the rest of the park, and removing it would open up the area for a lot more possibilties, along with the Barney show.
I agree with the Animal Actors stage. You could demolish it and build a Scooby Doo dark ride there without killing E.T.
However I think they should keep the Barney show building and simply re utilize it. I may get some hate for saying it, but the Barney show is really a great show for young kids. When my daughter was younger, we frequented it often. The kids have a blast singing and dancing with Barney, BJ, and Baby Bop. If you wanna replace Barney, that's fine. But they need a family-friendly, interactive show. Despite what people are saying, Dora is still popular among young kids. Why not have a Dora/Diego show where the kids can interact with the characters, dancing along with Dora, Boots, Diego, and Baby Jaguar?
If they're going to replace Barney with another show, then yes, Dora would absolutely be the ideal choice.
The only way I would agree with E.T. leaving is if a Scooby Doo or TMNT dark ride was put in it's place. But even then I would still be sad.
I firmly believe much more can be done with that building. If I were Uni the investment of putting something new in and the return would drive me to use that building for something bigger better and more "today"
I wouldn't be heartbroken if ET got the boot either. I'm not sure if an update would even change my opinion of the ride.
The queue for ET is reason enough to keep it. Sign me up for leaving it as is and I don't even think it needs much of an upgrade. Well the police officers need upgrading. My wife and I laugh every time we hear "Halt, Hold it right there, whoaaaaaa", even though his mouth isn't moving at all.
Scooby Doo would be a great addition if possible. I wasnt aware Universal did not have rights to Shaggy until someone mentioned on here. We have asked in the past where the rest of the gang is and have been told they were off solving mysteries.
Scooby Doo would be a great addition if possible. I wasnt aware Universal did not have rights to Shaggy until someone mentioned on here. We have asked in the past where the rest of the gang is and have been told they were off solving mysteries.
I got a problem, I Like to be in Disney's side, but I also like The Smurfs. Both are my Childhood. I can't Lose The Smurfs to Disney's rival like Universal.
The same thing that has people longing to keep Haunted Mansion, Pirates, etc.
Nostalgia.
Despite some corny moments toward the end and some horrible "police" figures during the ride, E.T. is one of the best rides in the park to me. It has a very convincing forest atmosphere, a ride system unlike any other, its closest comparison being Peter Pan, but its leaps and bounds above that.
It's one of the more kid-friendly rides in the park, the first half of the ride is a solid one and I really don't think we'll see Universal make a ride like that one again, though I hope I'm wrong.
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