Maud Pie "Doll" Listed on Amazon

A lot of new My Little Pony products are on their way as announced on Amazon, including something listed as a My Little Pony Maud Pie Doll. Unfortunately, the description's sort of the opposite of descriptive, with the majority of what we're told just being generic stuff about My Little Pony which leaves us with only a vague idea of what the product could even be. One thing that appears noteworthy is that it states how you can "Style their hair and dress them up", but when comparing notes to past My Little Pony product descriptions, you find that even figures without style-able hair mentions this, such as this Flam figure pictured.

Speaking of that Flam figure, it seems likely when analyzing past Amazon releases that the Maud figure will indeed be part of the same Hasbro Friendship is Magic Collection line he is, though this isn't yet confirmed. Personally, I sort of think of a "doll" as a plush or something Barbie-esque, but I guess Amazon and/or Hasbro may think differently.

Overall the Friendship is Magic Collection seems pretty cool, but from the looks of it they're made so that any accessories such as hats or other clothes have to be removable, which results in a clothed figure having a bulky, unnatural look. Since Maud wears a dress, that means she may be affected by this.

All pictures from this post courtesy of mlpmerch.com

Another Season Five Episode?

I've seen it said that Maud will appear in another episode of season five. Whether this is news or just a rumor I can't say, but I'm hoping if it's true it'll be the comeback I've been hoping for since the failure of episode 98. I probably won't investigate into the matter further because I don't like having things in the show spoiled for me, but in case she really does appear again, I'll try to stay optimistic but simultaneously won't get my hopes up.

Update: Aw, man, it seems that the season's going on a hiatus until later this year, maybe around October or November, so we'll have to wait it out. I wish episodes could just be weekly, but there are constantly breaks. It'd be nice if that meant that they were taking their time to polish each episode, but I doubt that's the case -- they're probably just wasting time with that new Equestria Girls movie.

Revealed: Funko Figure Prototype

It appears that there's going to be a figure of Maud that, as far as I can say, will actually be good (no thanks to Hasbro, of course).

Before I get too far ahead of myself, allow me to explain for those of you unaware: toy manufacturer Funko has been releasing mini figures of different My Little Pony characters in blind-box packaging called My Little Pony Mystery Minis. I actually bought one some time ago hoping to get Fluttershy, but received Vinyl Scratch, instead -- that's how these generally work. The next wave coming is Series 3, which will include Maud Pie as evidenced by a prototype that's turned up. What's particularily exciting is that this means it's likely she'll also be released as a larger figure in Funko's Vinyl Collectible figure line, which are pretty much just the mini figures scaled up. I own a half dozen of the Vinyl Collectible figures already and am very satisfied with their quality, so I'm left with minimal concern about how a Maud one would look. I even sent Funko a message several months ago suggesting they add her to the line, so obviously I'm pumped for this.

Now, there is one major, major issue with the mini figures as I mentioned: the blind-box. Just to get the Maud figure requires gambling a decent amount of money with slim chances of actually managing to get her the first try. It could very well cost someone over twenty or thirty dollars just trying to get it. Is that worth a shot at something just a few inches tall? With that said, I'm sorta caught in between being excited and not. It's probably going to be a really nice figure, but let's just say I'm way more excited about the prospect of the larger, non-blind-box figure -- let's hope that gets made. 

Lastly, it should be mentioned that Funko figures can come in variations, such as glittery versions or stylish black-based versions (some or all being store exclusives). If they apply any variations to Maud, I sure hope they keep them to a minimum. Variations and exclusives are two of the worst things in collecting, with blind-packaging also becoming an increasingly frequent issue. A lot of companies sure like being jerks.

All pictures from this post courtesy of mlpmerch.com

Available Online: Maud Hasbro Figure

The My Little Pony Pony Mania Maud Hasbro figure is now available for purchase at toysrus.com for $9.99 with, I'd presume, shipping costs.

It's description is the same as the toysrus.com one I mentioned in another post, except they've made minor changes, including the deletion of the "s" in "adventures", stating, "You'll have the best My Little Pony adventure with this lovely Maud Rock Pie figure". I suppose this means that they've since determined that the figure is only capable of producing a maximum of one My Little Pony adventure, though it is the best one possible.

The product's description still laughably explains that the figure "looks just like her [Maud]", even though it really doesn't. In fact, yesterday I was strolling through the Toys R Us My Little Pony aisle when I came across the Photo Finish figure (also part of the Pony Mania thing), and after taking a look at her design, I think I know why Maud's bangs are too long -- her design is probably just swiped from Photo Finish's, whose bangs are meant to be longer. But, alas, this is expected from Hasbro -- the most rehash-y company to ever produce toys (just ask the Star Wars collectors).

Anyway, I'm still gonna hold off and just get my Maud in stores if I get one at all, but I'm also still cheesed off about the flower designs. It would have been forgivable if they would have released an average Maud first.

All pictures from this post courtesy of mlpmerch.com