[Disclaimer: While this blog post discusses Rule 34 statistics, it doesn't contain explicit imagery, embedded links to pornographic material or excessive coarse language.]

Part One of this blog post (Pound Puppies, Strawberry Shortcake, G.I. Joe) can be found here.

Part Two of this blog post (Transformers, Dan Vs, Care Bears) can be found here.

It's time for the third and final part of this Hub retrospective.



Littlest Pet Shop

While some of the other series based on Hasbro properties originated in the '60s, '70s or '80s, Littlest Pet Shop is more recent, with their original line of toys first appearing in 1992.

The concept was beautiful in its simplicity. Miniaturized versions of animals with interactive playsets. Building upon the success of the Micro Machines from the late '80s, the early '90s were filled with various tiny toys lines. Littlest Pet Shop, Polly Pocket and Mighty Max helped pave the way for the ultimate series of pocket monsters...



An animated series of Littlest Pet Shop was made in 1995 and lasted for 20 episodes comprised of 40 ten-minute segments. It followed the lives of five miniature animals who lived in a pet shop on Littlest Lane and had their own treehouse inside of the store. The series frequently broke the fourth wall by acknowledging that it was a cartoon.

There were no new Littlest Pet Shop toys for nine years until Hasbro redesigned and relaunched the brand in 2005. The new pets had huge eyes and disproportionately-large heads. In 2010, Hasbro added a pet sitter named Blythe to the Littlest Pet Shop toy line.

Who's Blythe? Littlest Pet Shop may have originated in 1992, but Blythe existed twenty years prior to that. The current iteration of the Littlest Pet Shop actually began as a crossover with the Blythe dolls. Originally produced by the Kenner toy company in 1972, the Blythe dolls were only made for one year before being discontinued, due to their lack of sales. Blythe's haunting eyes failed to resonate with young girls at the time.

Blythe was created by designer Allison Katzman, who wanted to design a fashion doll to compete with Barbie.



Katzman drew inspiration from Betty Boop's large, expressive eyes when designing Blythe. The changing eye color was partially inspired by the tinted contacts of Katzman's teenage daughter.



When Hasbro bought Kenner in 1991, they also gained ownership of all their toy lines, including the discontinued Blythe dolls.



In 1997, a television producer named Gina Garan was given an original Blythe doll by a friend. Garan had a camera she wanted to test, so she used the Blythe doll as her model. While traveling for her work, Garan began taking Blythe everywhere and took hundreds of photos of her. In 1999, Garan was introduced to Junko Wong, CEO of Cross World Connections (CWC), an organization that specializes in illustration and design. With some help from Wong and illustrator Jeffrey Fulvimari, Garan was able to bring Blythe to the attention of Parco, which is the fashion branch of Seibu department stores in Japan. In 2000, Garan published her first book of Blythe photography entitled "This is Blythe."



Garan showed her photos to Wong, which led to Blythe being the model for the Christmas 2000 Parco ad campaign.

After appearing in a Japanese department store commercial, Blythe became an overnight sensation. In 2001, Hasbro gave Takara of Japan and CWC a license to produce a new line of Blythe dolls called "Neo Blythe." When the dolls were made available the stores sold out in less than an hour. Hasbro and Takara have produced more than 200 different versions of the doll, which are all completely customizable. Neo Blythe stands about 11 inches tall and, like the original doll from 1972, features a pull string in the back that blinks and changes her eye color. The dolls range in price from around $60 to upwards of $400 for the limited edition versions. Vintage Blythe dolls from 1972 are sought after by collectors and can sell for as high as several thousand dollars. The first edition Neo Blythe dolls also sell for thousands of dollars.



In addition to the 11 inch version, Takara produced hundreds of different 4 inch tall "Petite" Blythe dolls. An 8 inch version was added later.



During the last 15 years, Blythe has risen from obscurity to become an international superstar who has been featured in the front windows of Bloomingdales, on the cover of Women's Wear Daily, on VH1's "I Love the '70s", in People, the New York Times, and ad campaigns for Nordstrom, Sony, and Bottega Veneta.



In 2005, Garan made a sequel book entitled "Blythe Style," in which Blythe models 100 outfits created for her by top designers from around the world including Gucci, Prada, Versace, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, John Galliano, Paul Smith, Issey Miyake, Vivienne Westwood, and dozens more.



Blythe has been featured in several South Korean commercials.

In the spring of 2009, Alexander McQueen launched a fashion line for Target with an ad campaign featuring Blythe dolls.



No one was more surprised by Blythe's newfound popularity than her original creator.

Which brings us back to 2010 and the Littlest Pet Shop. In 2010, Hasbro released the Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop toy line, with Blythe as a pet sitter for her animal friends. Blythe stared as a protagonist in a series of short animated webtoons produced by Cosmic Toast Studios. And yes, these cartoons are as vapid as they look.



2012 was the twentieth anniversary of Littlest Pet Shop and the fortieth anniversary of Blythe dolls.



In 2012, a new line of Littlest Pet Shop toys was created. The pets' eyes were made bigger and rounder. The pets had more vibrant colors with more distinguishing features. Hasbro has made more than 3,000 different pets since the 2005 relaunch.



The 2012 toy line coincided with a new Littlest Pet Shop animated series.



By 2013, Hasbro left the Petite Blythe dolls behind in favor of a new redesigned doll which seemed to be the end of the collaboration between the brands. The new Blythe doll more closely follows the design of the series, with Blythe having plastic-molded hair. Despite the doll still being called Blythe, the Blythe logo was no longer used on Littlest Pet Shop toys.



Produced by Hasbro Studios and DHX Media, The Littlest Pet Shop animated series stars Blythe Baxter, who is voiced by Ashleigh Ball.

Littlest Pet Shop is often viewed as a sister series to My Little Pony, since both shows are animated by DHX Media. The series follows Blythe Baxter, a teenage girl with her father, Roger Baxter. Forced to move out from her suburban hometown because of her father's promotion, she moves into an apartment located in a crowded city. Her apartment is located above the titular Littlest Pet Shop. Her adventure begins when she discovers that she alone can miraculously understand and talk to all of the pets as well as other animals. She and the pets go on several adventures together, only to find their shop is being driven out of business due to a larger pet store managed by twins Whittany and Brittany Biskit, along with their father Fisher Biskit. Having no other options, the pets turn to Blythe to help them save their shop from closing down.

Blythe's character in the series pays homage to her fashion doll roots. She carries a sketchbook for designing clothes, which is appropriately called "Blythe Style."



There have been several references and homages to My Little Pony within Littlest Pet Shop.



Discord is seen using Blythe's scooter in the Season Four premiere of My Little Pony.



Zoe Trent's color palette bears a striking resemblance to Twilight Sparkle.



Equestria Girls further complicated the issue.



Littlest Pet Shop even has its own Derpy!



And who could forget the My Small Squirrel segment from Littlest Pet Shop? It's one thing for another series to mock the style of My Little Pony, but it's another thing to watch an animation studio parody its own show.

Other homages may just be mere coincidences.



A sleep-deprived character voiced by Ashleigh Ball teaming up with Shannon Chan-Kent (in one form or another) attempting to make baked goods that wind up being baked bads? This is either an homage or an example of copy-and-pasted screenwriting.



In May 2014, IDW started releasing Littlest Pet Shop comics.



The second issue included a surprise cameo by a well-known Internet reviewer of comic books.



While I don't enjoy Littlest Pet Shop as much as My Little Pony, I have to commend DHX for adding some depth to the series. The cast of animal characters is diverse and entertaining. The songs can be hit or miss, but when they're good, they're really good. Blythe is an excellent role model for young girls. She also has a fascinating history for those who look beyond her involvement with the Littlest Pet Shop.

"Spend all your money at the Littlest Pet Shop." Who says there's no truth in advertising?

SheZow

In a previous Rule 34 blog post, I drew a comparison between SheZow and Cybersix. SheZow is an Australian-Canadian animated television series created by Obie Scott Wade who originally created the IP as a short for Disney Channel's Shorty McShorts' Shorts in 2007.

In the series pilot, when Guy Hamdon transforms into SheZow, his best friend Jose falls in love with Guy's superhero persona. It's awkward to think how that storyline would've progressed if it had been allowed to continue beyond the pilot. For the series, Guy's best friend was changed from Jose to Maz Kepler, who is well aware of SheZow's secret identity. Guy's 12-year-old twin sister Kelly is the president of the International SheZow Fan Club. Kelly is the number one authority on all things SheZow.



In the United States, SheZow was added to the schedule lineup of Hub Network on June 1, 2013 and is currently on hiatus after one season.



SheZow was controversial with conservative groups such as One Million Moms, who viewed the series as promoting crossdressing and a transgender lifestyle. In response, series creator Obie Scott Wade stated, "SheZow is not transgendered. He's a boy, his gender never changes, he's just trapped in a silly costume."



Beneath the guise of SheZow's crossdressing comedy, the series is attempting to teach an important lesson about gender equality. When Guy is dressed as a super heroine, he uses SheZow's overly-feminine powers to save the day. Slapping, screaming and feminine intuition are all depicted as effective ways to thwart super villains. Guy also has laser lipstick, a boomerang brush and vanishing cream in his utility belt. It reminds me of the Super Princess Peach game which was released for the Nintendo DS.

When that game came out, it was also controversial.

Quoting from Gamesradar.com "We’re all for giving Peach the ability to prove herself as a courageous heroine equal to her male counterparts, don’t get us wrong. But does the game Super Princess Peach tear down traditional gender roles or reinforce them? …Well, let’s put it this way: in Super Princess Peach, Peach uses her wildly fluctuating emotions to defeat her enemies."

Gamesradar is missing the point. The issue isn't about whether or not something is reinforcing gender stereotypes; it's how those gender stereotypes are received by the public. In most societies throughout history, emulating feminine traits is viewed as lesser, while masculine traits are revered. In other words, we see logic in women who want to emulate masculine behaviors, because those things are deemed sensible and good; but if men partake in traditionally female-relegated activities, (like watching My Little Pony) the reaction is very different. Regardless of sexual orientation, if a man wants to wear pink, tight-fitting clothes, makeup, or have a skin-care regimen, he's labeled gay and society denies him the same opportunities he would have as a guy with stereotypical masculine interests, like sports or cars. And the reason why this happens is because society as a whole can't fathom why a man would want to do feminine things because those things are seen as inferior. And, as such, any man who wants to behave like a woman is punished. The hatred against femininity has gotten so bad that even women can be chastised for acting "too girly."



In Super Princess Peach, she uses her emotions to defeat her enemies. Some people say that Princess Peach is the worst woman in gaming because she reinforces negative gender stereotypes. To imply that Peach can only be a hero if she forsakes her femininity and emulates masculine behaviors is the biggest insult of all. It's not offensive that Peach cries to solve her problems. It's offensive that some people tell her to stop. I'm reminded of a Disney short which illustrates this point.

"Do not be afraid to cry; it really is okay. Sometimes it's through out tears, we find a better way."

SheZow is trying to change the notion that there's anything wrong with female behavior, patterns and interests. Many episodes refute the idea that girly stuff makes someone weak. On the contrary, Shezow draws his strength from feminine sources. It's such a blatant message that the average viewer will miss it if they try to look for subtlety. The show isn't trying to get little boys to wear dresses or question their sexuality; it's trying to teach everyone that feminine pursuits are just as valid as masculine pursuits.

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

In a previous Rule 34 blog post, I discussed how characters like Sabrina the Teenage Witch helped to inspire the magical girl genre of anime. I already addressed Sabrina's history in that previous blog post, so my comments here will mainly be focused on her Hub original series.



Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch premiered on the Hub October 12, 2013; one year prior to the Hub's final full broadcast day before becoming Discovery Family. In this series, Sabrina Spellman is voiced by Ashley Tisdale. Fans of Phineas and Ferb will recognize her as the voice of Candace Flynn. Hilda Spellman (the stout witch) is voiced by none other than Rarity herself, Tabitha St. Germain! Zelda Spellman (the tall witch) is voiced by Erin Mathews. Fans of My Little Pony will recognize her as the voice of Little Strongheart.



Sabrina lives a double life as a normal high school student and the other as a sorceress-in-training in the magical world. When her two worlds collide, Sabrina must battle her enemies while attempting to maintain her secret identity as a witch from all of the humans around her. Unlike previous iterations of the character, Sabrina is shown to be a witch princess who is destined to rule all of the magical world one day. She also had a brief stint as princess of the trolls.

Now that we've covered nine of the Hub's original animated series, it's time to see how they compare in terms of porn production. As of October 10, 2014, here's the state of Rule 34 for the top ten animated Hub series, according to Rule34.paheal.net:

60,180 My Little Pony

1,919 Transformers

607 Littlest Pet Shop

576 G.I. Joe

233 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

218 Care Bears

202 Dan Vs

148 SheZow

91 Strawberry Shortcake

47 Pound Puppies

It's truly staggering to comprehend just how much pony porn exists. I was shocked that Littlest Pet Shop came in third. What's also surprising is that Pound Puppies hardly had any explicit imagery. I guess the lesson is that when drawing animal porn, diversity is more popular than being limited to one species. It's worth mentioning that Zoe Trent has more porn than all the Pound Puppies put together. I guess that makes her... top dog. In spite of fears that SheZow's crossdressing crusader would corrupt children, the series couldn't even generate 150 explicit images.

Special thanks to Infinion, who made these awesome graphs of the data I collected.



The top chart shows how much My Little Pony towers over the competition. The bottom chart cuts off after the first 2,000 images in order to better see how the other nine Hub series compare to one another. Here's the uncropped version of the bottom chart.



The 5th season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic will usher in a pretty big milestone for the cartoons based on toys. The first Transformers series reached 98 episodes before being taken off the air, and second in line was G.I. Joe with 95 episodes. Friendship is Magic ended season 4 with 91 episodes, and once the 5th season hits next year, 26 new episodes will be added. That means My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic will become the longest running animated series based on toy.



Before I end this blog post, I want to encourage everyone to go out and vote!



What? I guess the midterm elections are November 4th. I was actually talking about the more important issue of voting to induct new toys into the National Toy Hall of Fame. My Little Pony is one of the twelve finalists on the ballot!



The twelve finalists are:

American Girl Dolls

Bubbles

Fisher-Price Little People

Hess Trucks

Little Green Army Men

My Little Pony

Operation

Paper Airplane

Pots and Pans

Rubik's Cube

Slip-N-Slide

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Surprisingly, My Little Pony is currently in second place behind Rubik's Cube. The National Toy Hall of Fame usually selects a couple of toys to add each year, so My Little Pony should make it in whether it gets first or second place. The question is, are fans of My Little Pony going to sit back and watch as Rubik's Cube gets more votes? Do I need to bring up Rubik, the Amazing Cube cartoon?

Is the toy that inspired the Rubik cartoon going to beat My Little Pony? Not if I have anything to say about it! Go and vote! Spread the word! Don't settle for second best! Let's work together to secure My Little Pony's place in the annals of toy history!

Here's a link to vote!

On Thursday, November 6 at 10:30 a.m., a ceremony at The National Toy Hall of Fame will reveal this year's inductees.



I hope everyone enjoyed this three-part Hub Retrospective. Come back on November 10th when I'll discuss the newest inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame and the latest Rule 34 statistics!

Farewell, Hub Network. We'll miss you.

