More Hasbro Figure News

The My Little Pony Pony Mania Maud Hasbro figure that I've previously posted about (the one where she looks like she's infected with some flower rash) has got some updated news. According to information on toysrus.com & toysrusinc.com, it'll first be available at the Entertainment Earth Booth at the San Diego Comic Convention and online. Then, later this year, it will also become available at Toys“R”Us stores. My guess is that the convention and online ones will have some sort of differentiating sticker variation, but considering it's not not even a very good representation of Maud anyway, it certainly doesn't seem worth the bother to get multiple versions. I'm just gonna wait and see if I can find it in stores later on if I even get one.

It's sorta funny; on toysrus.com it says of the figure,

"Be part of the Ponymania with Pinkie Pie's sister, Maud Rock Pie! This beautiful pony figure looks just like her, and she wears an outfit that's all flowers. You'll have the best My Little Pony adventure with this lovely Maud Rock Pie figure!"

And on toysrusinc.com it says an extremely similar thing, but omitting the part about it looking just like her,

"Fans can join in on Ponymania with PINKIE PIE’S sister, MAUD ROCK PIE™. This detailed and beautiful pony comes complete with an outfit featuring all kinds of flowers, perfect for kids and collectors looking to have the best MY LITTLE PONY adventures."

I wonder if the toysrusinc.com one was written second, and they just said, "Whoa, this thing doesn't look 'just like her'. The last I checked she didn't have flowers all over her face!"

I don't like things being online or convention exclusives when they don't need to be, so this hasn't helped my lack of enthusiasm towards this figure.

All pictures from this post courtesy of mlpmerch.com

Maud Pie #E83 Series 3 Trading Card

Series 3 Trading Cards

Episode
#E83

Maud Pie

This card shows a picture of Maud and Pinkie Pie on the rock farm where they both grew up. Pinkie Pie is setting off an impressive display of confetti from nowhere in celebration of her five Ponyville friends bonding with her sister. On the back, it also shows a small picture of Maud as she pummels away the rock towards the end of the episode. It'd have to be challenging to pick just two pictures to represent the whole episode, and though I totally agree with their first choice, I think I'd have picked something different for the back picture -- maybe her with Boulder or maybe even some of Pinkie's crayon drawings of the two.

Text on the back of the card gives an episode synopsis, saying, "Pinkie's sister is visiting, and oh how she hopes everything goes well so they can make best friend rock candy necklaces together! Pinkie's friends learn quickly that Maud Pie doesn't express herself the same way that her sister does, and it looks like they might not even end up as friends. Luckily, it turns out that loving Pinkie is a great reason to bond together as friends, and they exchange rock candy necklaces after all!" Ah, yes, what a great episode.

Also on the back, it lists a quote they think of as "Quotable", offering up Maud's recited "Rock. You are a rock..." rock poem, which seems like a pretty good choice. Their trivia question is "What is the name of Pinkie's obstacle course?" Gee, that's got to be the most challenging question to ask, right? I know the answer combines the names of the seven ponies and something about "fun time", but I don't know it off the top of my head. The answer, though, as they tell us, is "Pinkie-Rainbow-Rari-Twi-Apple-Flutter-Maud Fun Time!"

Rock Poetry #S4 Series 3 Trading Card

Series 3 Trading Cards

Sticker

#S4

Rock Poetry

This is a sticker that shows a portrait of Maud situated next to her poem, "Rock. You are a rock. Gray. You are gray. Like a rock. Which you are. Rock." which she recites in the "Maud Pie" episode. Behind the poem is the rock-slide from the "Pinkie-Rainbow-Rari-Twi-Apple-Flutter-Maud Fun Time" obstacle course, and the whole sticker has a calming purple tone to it. The back is blank, as is to be expected. I find it really neat that one of the series' stickers was given to Maud.

Maud Pie's Cutie Mark

(Note: This was first published 6-4-15)

When looking at Maud, it's not immediately evident what her cutie mark is due to her dress covering it up. To begin our analysis of the situation, let me start by explaining for those unaware -- a cutie mark, as Cheerilee says in the episode "Call of the Cutie", "appears on a pony's flank when he or she finds that certain something that makes them different from every other pony." From this, we'd guess Maud would probably have some sort of rock.

After getting the My Little Pony Collectible Card Game "Rock N Rave 2-Player Starter Set", I was examining the Maud Pie Mane Character card and noticed a silhouette of a five-sided diamond shape behind the text. That spot is usually reserved for a depiction of the pony's cutie mark, I thought, and theorized that the diamond shape might be hers. Well, sure enough, some viewers of the "Maud Pie" episode noticed that just for a split second or two, you actually are able to see her cutie mark as she traverses the "Pinkie-Rainbow-Rari-Twi-Apple-Flutter-Maud Fun Time" obstacle course, and it is indeed a diamond shaped rock. The size in the episode was too small to really make it out, and the only enlargements I've seen online seem likely to be tampered with, so it was unclear if the rock is rough or well-cut.

Then came along the My Little Pony Series 3 Trading Cards Character card #14 "Maud Pie", which on the back shows a clear picture of her cutie mark as being of a well-cut rock... but it additionally shows a mislabeled rock, so I guess it's not the most trustworthy source.

Lastly, there's the upcoming Hasbro figure, which shows her cutie mark to be the same as the card does, though the only pictures to surface so far may be just of a prototype.

As a concluding answer to the question of Maud Pie's cutie mark, I'd say it's fairly safe to assume that it's of a well-cut gray rock. The four sources seem to point toward it, and, after all, rocks certainly are a part of what makes her "different from every other pony", aren't they?

All pictures from this post courtesy of mlpmerch.com

Enterplay Play Mat

For the My Little Pony Collectible Card Game, Enterplay released a 13.5 inches by 24 inches play mat that features Maud reciting poetry at an "Open Mic Poetry Slam". It was apparently available at the Enterplay booth at the 2014 New York Comic Con back in October, and the last I checked, it's also now available through the Enterplay Store website for $20.

The art was done by Deviant Art member "Pixelkitties", who has done other My Little Pony art for Enterplay before. For the most part it's pretty well done, especially the background, but there's several things off in regards to Maud -- she has a buckle on her belt, her mane has too many lines drawn on it, her eyes are positioned poorly, and the back of her mane has what seems to me to be an unnecessary addition.

The art was also used for two cards for The Crystal Games expansion thingy, one being card #112 "Poetry Slam", and the other being its foil version, #f39 "Poetry Slam".

All pictures from this post courtesy of mlpmerch.com