Hasbro revamps My Little Pony to draw younger girls

Hasbro is set for a multi-million pound global relaunch of its My Little Pony range this month that will target the pony dolls at a younger audience.

The new dolls will be marketed to threeto six-year-olds, younger than the original product’s catchment range of up to nine years. “The young girls market is becoming more focused on fashion, glamour and glitz but we are looking for a return to innocence for young girls with this new look range,” says Hasbro senior brand manager Alpana Virani.

The launch is supported by marketing across a variety of formats, including point-of-purchase, a new website, and magazine and television advertising from August. BMP DDB handles advertising, with media bought by OMD. Hasbro Consumer Products will launch a range of licensed goods from September, featuring bags, stationery, clothing and publishing initiatives.

The revamped My Little Pony range features 12 new dolls, each with a different personality, such as the extreme sports pony. They will be accompanied by six playsets and will retail at &£4.99. My Little Pony will now be considered as one of Hasbro’s core product’s, alongside its Action Man, Transformer and MB-Parker Games ranges.

The original My Little Pony range, which launched 20 years ago, was a worldwide success, generating sales of over $1bn (&£610m) and was the top-selling mini-doll for seven years. It faded out in the early Nineties and failed to match its previous success when the dolls were reintroduced at the end of the decade.