Nirvana Fakies theory

Use this prefix for threads about MLP items manufactured outside of the USA, exceptionally rare items, variants, and prototypes.

Somepony

Bushwoolie
Joined
Nov 25, 2014
Messages
96
Guys, I am sorry, but browsing much (if not all) sources of info for MLP G4 merch, especially for blind bags 'cause I am collecting them, I saw very optimistic IMHO tradition to name toys, that differs from the majority as "prototypes" or "factory errors". Honestly, I am new to Hasbro merch and know nothing 'bout their distribution policy, but living not the first day on earth, I can suggest that no company with reputation will allow to leak to open market so many prototypes and/or errors. Especially when we are talking about child toys, which have strict hygienic, quility control and etc. norms.

I tryed to ask a few collectors and just a people who have some of those toys - nobody knows anything. BUT we hypothesized that maybe, just MAYBE, those "prototypes" are actually mass-produced toys, intended to be selled on internal Chinese market, much cheaper, and thus with lower quility norms, "smelly" plastic/paint, etc. (maybe Chinese goverment norms for child toys are not so strict?) with OR without Hasbro's consent. And quirky re-sellers just buying those internal Chinese toys and sells them all over the world on ebay and etc. online stores?

This theory explains much of the facts. BUT the main reason I concerned about this at all is an answer - does those fakies, as I name them, or "prototypes" as soft-naming the most of you, are worth collecting at all? If you can go to China, and buy a bunch of toys, that all have such big production-spreading qualities, so that each of them can be considered as unique, then it is not collector fun, what do you think?

I guess to know if this suggestion is real, anypony must just fly to China and go to a big toy store/market there :). Somepony? Anypony? :)
 
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Yeah a lot of the G4 "prototypes" just seem to be Taobao fakes done in the molds of the real ones. I see them on there all the time.
 
I want to add: prototypes in particular have a very little chance to be found on stores shelves/in online shops anyway taking into account the general considerations:
- firstly, they are produced (if produced at all) in a few pcs. each I guess (and oh how many in constrast are floating around in Internet like here, on this forum, etc.!)
- and second - I see no way them to be put into wholesale products, then to stores, then to come to collectors. Ususally, if prototypes are leaking at all, they have different ways to come - for example for microprocessors it be mostly an examples given out for test purposes to limited number of people/companies, etc. Why Hasbro would give away prototypes of toys, huh?
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In addition to why I am also thinking that "fakies" are rather be normal mass-produced toys for Chinese market (on the same factories maybe) is that they have the same molds (often with the same production defects, like slightly deformed left ear for all stallion blind bag molds) and shares the same hooves numbers, done in the same font - why fake producer will bother with that? It seems though that they comes out a little earlier on Chinese market too - like I think they already have blind bags wave 12 for over a two months at least, I think?
 
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I think most of the toys being sold by Chinese sellers are the same toys that are being packaged and sold globally, except that these ones have come off the conveyor belt and not met 100% of the quality control standards. Instead of dumping them or melting them back down, they sneak some out and sell them on eBay and Taobao. I think the term "factory error" is probably the most accurate. I've never seen a fakie, even in an official MLP mold, that was as authentic-looking as the originals or that used very similar materials to them, yet from what I've seen and heard, the toys coming out of China from third-party sellers are close to identical to the official ones bought in stores.

I personally have several G4 brushables that are official licensed products, purchased from Toys R Us, that have messy seam lines, permanent marks and skew transfers, and all of them have a strong chemical odor. Therefore even the ones that make it through quality control and onto store shelves have noticeable flaws, making the line between the ones they reject and the ones they choose to box and sell very thin.
 
Instead of dumping them or melting them back down, they sneak some out and sell them on eBay and Taobao.
I think ebay is secondary. Just to clarify: you mean you also think that they first comes out to large Chinese toy market (including Taobao as just another online store, but one is able to sell outside the China), right?
 
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To not open another thread, look what a photo was sended to me:
1417121282327.jpg
 
I didn't notice Octy before you mentioned her LOL. I guess DJ PON3 affects her a lot :)
 
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