MLP Rule 34 Update: October 2014 / Hub Homage: Part 2 · 4:01am Oct 14th, 2014
[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 1 of this blog post can be found here.
It's October 13th, 2014. The last day of the Hub.
As of 6am, the channel officially became Discovery Family.
Here's a promo for the new network.
Just to recap the latest porn statistics from October 10th, here are some bar charts from Infinion, which details the data in a new way. Here's the latest info on the top ten porn producers.
And the current data for the mane six.
I'm eager to hear if people prefer this new style over the line graphs. Each version has its pros and cons.
It's time to resume this retrospective on the Hub's most popular cartoons.
Transformers
In 1983, Hasbro was still reaping the benefits of its successful G.I. Joe relaunch which occurred the previous year. Tonka saw how integral an animated series was in driving sales of G.I. Joe and wanted something similar for their Gobots toyline. Tonka worked with Hanna-Barbera to produce an animated Gobots series, which ran for 65 episodes.
Most people see Gobots and assume that it's a Transformers knockoff, when in reality, Gobots is the original. Their toys appeared on the shelves a year prior to Transformers. Tonka based the Gobot toyline on the Machine Robo figures produced by Bandai. 
Tonka made a new storyline for the Gobots in which they were cyborgs with human brains in robot bodies as opposed to the human-piloted mechs from the Japanese version.
While the Gobots were launching the transforming robot craze of the 1980s, Hasbro was working on its own line of toys to compete with Tonka. Hasbro executives were intrigued by a Japanese toyline called Diaclone, which consisted of robots that transformed into vehicles and other objects. Hasbro toy company product developer Henry Orenstein discovered the Diaclone toys at the 1983 Tokyo Toy Fair and saw potential for a new toyline.
Hasbro bought the rights to the Diaclone toys and partnered with their creator Takara to make a new line of toys known as Transformers. Much like what happened with the Gobots, Hasbro created a new storyline and personalities for already existing characters. Only instead of making them cyborgs like the Gobots, or human-piloted mechs like the Japanese version, the Transformers were now sentient robots.
While the Gobots may have been first, the real test is determining which toy is better. Let's compare the Gobot Clutch to the original Optimus Prime.
It's the little details that make all the difference. Giving the Transformers thicker legs and longer arms made them look more dynamic than the boxy Gobots.
Hasbro had previously worked with Marvel Comics to develop a three-pronged marketing strategy for G.I. Joe consisting of the toyline, a tie-in comic book by Marvel, and an animated series. Given the success of that strategy, the process was repeated in 1984 when Hasbro marketing vice president Bob Prupis approached Marvel to develop their new toyline. The first Transformers series premiered in 1984 and lasted four seasons which spanned 98 episodes. As with G.I. Joe, the Transformers comic book commercials could be fully-animated.
In 1986, the animated Transformers: The Movie was released in theaters.
Orson Welles told his biographer that his role in the film was "playing a toy" in a movie about toys who "do horrible things to each other." Welles later added "I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed." Welles died less than a week after recording his final lines of dialogue for Transformers.
The Transformers animated film was set in the futuristic world of 2005. Controversy surrounded the film because Hasbro used the movie as a way to kill off many of the original Transformers, including Optimus Prime and Starscream. Fan backlash was so great that it prompted changes to be made in the G.I. Joe movie, which was still in development.
After the death of Optimus Prime in the movie, Transformer fans wanted to see him return. The production team ultimately gave in to these demands, and Optimus Prime was brought back in the two-part season three finale entitled "The Return of Optimus Prime."
Although initially a separate and competing franchise started in 1983, Tonka's Gobots became the intellectual property of Hasbro after they purchased Tonka in 1991. As a result, the Gobots universe was retroactively established as an alternate universe within the Transformers franchise. In spite of Hasbro owning the rights to the GoBots name and characters, they doesn't own the rights to the Gobots toys themselves, which had only been leased to Tonka from Bandai. Hasbro has used Gobot names on Transformers, first with the 1993 G2 Gobots figures, then with a whole line of Gobots in 1995. While Hasbro uses current toy technology to update their G1 Transformer characters over the years, it is unlikely that Gobots will receive similar treatment, since the original character designs belong to Bandai. In 2002, Hasbro, under its Playskool brand, released a toyline named Transformers: Gobots.
The second Transformers series, which ran from 1993-95, was basically one long, glorified clip show. In had a new animated intro which utilized early GCI.
The "Cybernet Space Cube" was the framing device used to present episodes from the original Transformers series as historical recordings. Not all of the G2 toys matched the designs of the G1 show. More stringent toy laws concerning gun replicas required Hasbro to redesign Megatron as an M1 Abrams tank with a green camouflage color scheme, as opposed to the Walther P38 handgun he transformed into on the show.
In 1996, the first CGI animated Transformers series premiered. Known as Beast Wars, the story focused on a small group of Maximals (ie Autobots), led by Optimus Primal, and Predacons (ie Decepticons), led by Megatron.
While the dated CGI may be difficult to look at now, it was groundbreaking for its time. A good script can save a show that looks bad, but no amount of visual wizardry can save a poor script. Fortunately, Beast Wars has some of the best writing and voice acting of any Transformers series. Beast Wars lasted for 52 episodes spread over three seasons.
When Beast Wars aired in Japan, the Japanese dub turned the show into a goofy, fourth-wall-breaking screwball comedy. While this version of Beast Wars took the series in a completely different direction, it was still popular enough to spawn a Beast Wars sequel anime series exclusively in Japan.
One of the strengths of Beast Wars was its attention to character development. Due to the graphical limitations of early CGI, the number of characters on Beast Wars was limited. Whereas the previous Transformers series introduced as many new characters as possible for the purpose of selling more toys, Beast Wars started out with only five characters per side, which allowed more time for character development. New characters were added to the cast slowly. Restriction breeds creativity. The efforts of the creative team were soon recognized by the critics. The Production Designer for the show, Clyde Klotz, won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 1997.
When a second CGI series of Beast Wars premiered, the formula was shaken up. Premiering in 1999, Beast Machines ran for 26 episodes as a successor to Beast Wars. If the Japanese dub of Beast Wars was too goofy and the English dub found the right blend of comedy and serious narrative, then Beast Machines took the story away from any humorous moments and into darker territory than any other Transformer series. 
The series focuses on the Maximals who have returned to Cybertron, only to find that the villains have already taken over. Whereas Beast Wars had an even number of combatants for each faction, Beast Machines has the heroes hopelessly outnumbered and struggling for survival. It's one of the more depressing entries of the Transformers franchise. While not as strong as Beast Wars, Beast Machines still boasts high production values and deals with serious themes in a respectful manner.
The dawn of the 21st century saw a new series for the franchise entitled Transformers: Robots in Disguise. Originally airing in Japan, Robots in Disguise was dubbed in English and brought over to America. In marked a return to traditional animation, after two CGI Transformers series. The series premiered in 2000 and lasted for 39 episodes.
Robots in Disguise was just a place holder until a new series could come along which would serve as a hard reboot for the franchise. In 2002, Transformers: Armada was rushed off the assembly line while only half baked. Armada was the first Transformers cartoon to be co-developed in the United States and Japan. The dubbing and scripting of the Armada series left a lot to be desired. One of the aspects which contributed to the success of Beast Wars was its lack of annoying human sidekicks. Armada is filled with scrappy kids who want to help the Autobots. The series revolves around collecting small, human-sized Transformers known as Mini-Cons, which power-up their larger brethren. Gotta' catch 'em all!
Transformers: Armada lasted for 52 episodes. It was the first of a trilogy. The second part premiered in 2004 during the 20th anniversary of the franchise and was called Transformers: Energon. Like the previous series, Energon was written and animated in Japan and dubbed for an American audience. This series used cel-shaded CGI for the Transformers against 2D backgrounds. One of the biggest complaints of the series is the pacing. The driving force of the narrative is the Decepticon's attempts to restore Unicron. This happens during the halfway point of Energon's 52 episode run. Because there are still 26 episodes left, the remaining narrative involves the Autobots deactivating Unicron, only for the Decepticons to reactivate Unicron by the next episode. It's like switching a light switch from off to on for 13 episodes. Once Unicron is finally defeated, there are still 13 episodes of the series left, with nothing to drive the narrative, other than selling repaints of figures as new toys.
With Armada not performing well and Energon lowering the bar even further, the final series of the trilogy didn't need to do much in order to be an improvement over its predecessors. The final series of the trilogy premiered in 2005, under the name Transformers: Cybertron. In many respects, Cybertron fixed several mistakes of the previous series. It had better dubbing than Armada and had better pacing than Energon. Unfortunately, like the two previous series, the animation for Cybertron was still subpar. Beast Wars, which had come out nearly a decade before Cybertron, still managed to have better facial expressions than the CGI models in Energon or Cybertron.
After the Cybertron trilogy, Transformers Animated eschewed the CGI for a more stylized 2D cartoon aesthetic. The series premiered in 2008 and lasted for 42 episodes. Unlike the grand space opera narrative of the previous trilogy, Transformers Animated involved an episodic method of storytelling, with an increased focus on characterization, action, and humor.
Transformers: Prime aired on Hub Network from November 29, 2010 to July 26, 2013. The series lasted for 65 episodes. The Transformers: Prime TV movie, Predacons Rising, premiered on October 4, 2013. Transformers: Prime won four Daytime Emmy Awards, and received seven other nominations. It was the first Transformers show to win an Emmy Award since Beast Wars in 1997.
Now to talk about the Michael Bay Transformer films...
I think that about sums it up. The only thing I'll add is to point out references to My Little Pony within the films. A G3 pony was featured in the first Transformers movie.
Rainbow Dash transformed into a gun in Transformers 4.
My Little Pony has even made references to Transformers. Pinkie Pie makes the iconic transformation sound in Equestria Girls.
Since IDW produces Transformers and My Little Pony comics, some cross promotion is to be expected.
Optimus Prime had a cameo in the My Little Pony comics as a toy on the shelf of a cave troll.
2014 has a couple of important anniversaries for Hasbro. In addition to the 50th anniversary of G.I. Joe, it's also the 30th anniversary of Transformers. 
Here's a trailer for the newest Transformers series which will be premiering in 2015.
But it won't be premiering on Discovery Family.
In a decision which indicates a lack of faith in the Hub's successor, the 2015 Transformers series will be airing on Cartoon Network. Studio executives said that Transformers is being moved to a channel where it would "fit better."
“We are 100% committed to our joint venture with Discovery,” Stephen Davis, president of Hasbro Studios said, “We see that [Hub’s] kids schedule has traditionally skewed towards girls while Transformers is a very boy-centric show.”
Cartoon Network is the top-rated primetime network for boys’ ages 6-11 and 9-14. I suppose that's good news for My Little Pony fans. Since Friendship is Magic is "skewed towards girls," it's more likely to stay on Discovery Family. The only "discovery" I've made so far is that the "families" watching Discovery Family apparently don't have enough boys to warrant a new Transformers show. Transformers: Prime won four Emmy's airing on the Hub, for crying out French! You would think that sort of performance would be rewarded. Instead, Transformers gets moved to Cartoon Network. If new shows targeted towards boys are being given to other networks, then the cartoon portion of Discovery Family may end up only showing programs targeted towards girls. Lauren Faust's efforts for gender equality are undercut when Friendship is Magic is only allowed to remain because it "skews towards girls." 
[Lauren Faust appears to have a chibi Optimus Prime doll on her shelf.]
Dan Vs
Dan Vs was pitched to various networks, including Adult Swim, until it finally ended up on the Hub. The first episode premiered on the Hub January 1, 2011. The series is rated TV-PG and is the first original animated show on the Hub Network that's not based on an existing property. Series creators Dan Mandel and Chris Pearson modeled the personalities of the main characters Dan and Chris by exaggerating their own negative qualities. Pearson once stated that he thought of the Dan character as Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes as a grownup, if his life had gone horribly wrong somewhere.
What Chris doesn't realize is that his wife Elise works work a mysterious quasi-government agency. Imagine if Kim Possible grew up and married an unemployed schlub with a psychotic sociopath for a best friend.
Since Dan Vs is rated PG, it has more adult humor than the other Hub Network cartoons, and even includes jokes about sexual bondage.
My Little Pony has been used in promos for Dan Vs.
Pinkie Pie has been shipped with Dan in numerous fan art.
There's even a Dan Vs FiM tumblr, which has made some entertaining animations.
Dan Vs received an Emmy in 2013 for "Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program." The series lasted for three season comprised of 53 episodes, with the final episode airing on March 9, 2013. On October 18, 2013 it was announced that Dan Vs would not be renewed for a fourth season.
Just imagine the enemies Dan could've made if he wasn't limited by a PG rating...
Care Bears
Much like Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears originated as characters designed for American Greeting cards. The Care Bears debuted in 1981.
In 1983, Kenner made stuffed animals based on the Care Bear designs. The Care Bears appeared in their own TV specials called The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings (1983) and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine (1984). They also had their own television series from 1985 to 1988, in addition to three feature films: The Care Bears Movie (1985), Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986), The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987) A TV special, Care Bears Nutcracker Suite, premiered on the Disney Channel in 1988.
Between November 1985 and January 1989, the Care Bears appeared in a 20-issue comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The November 13, 1986 issue featured a crossover with another American Greetings property, the Madballs.
In 2002, the bears were reintroduced with new toys. As part of this comeback, the Bears have appeared in two computer-animated movies: Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot (2004) and The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie (2005). In 2007, the franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary. In mid-2011, American Greetings announced a revival TV animated series titled Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot. The premiere of the series utilizes 30 years of caring.
In the weeks leading up to the premiere of Welcome to Care-a-lot, a representative from the Hub's PR agency reached out to Cartoon Brew in hopes of promoting the new Care Bears show and encouraging grown men to watch the show. An overexcited Hub PR representative wanted to make Care Bears the next brony phenomenon.
"What’s the Care Bears equivalent of a Brony? Belly-Bros? Care-Dudes?"
Needless to say, some bronies felt like they were being manipulated and the Hub was trying to capture lightning in a bottle.
In an effort to control the damage, a Hub representative released a statement which corrected the previous gaff.
Hi Amid,
Last night I came across your story on Cartoon Brew titled “The Hub Hopes Men Will Start Calling Themselves “Belly Bros” and “Care Dudes.” In response, I wanted to let you know that this was an unapproved and unsanctioned pitch by our PR agency that we are completely taken aback by. Both The Hub TV Network nor American Greetings Properties had any knowledge of the pitch angle. It is not our intention to compare Care Bears to My Little Pony and/or the Brony community.
All the best,
Crystal Williams
Manager, Communications & Publicity
The Hub
Welcome to Care-a-lot premiered on The Hub June 2, 2012 and lasted for 26 episodes. Not quite the second brony phenomenon some were hoping for, now was it? I don't mean to sound bitter. I just know how foolish it is to try and force something to happen as opposed to allowing it to occur naturally.
I think that three series per blog post is a good number to stick with, so join me in the next blog post which will conclude this retrospective on Hub shows.
Click here for Part 3.
RIP Hub... Thanks for the porn.
So that's what Dan's from, huh?
...So, how was it? Worth hunting down the episodes?
Flipping my arms up in a Dan vs esque pose. "Bronystories!"
I cannot recommend that Dan vs FiM tumblr enough, or rather, his (FluffyMixer) animations. That series sparked my love for Fluffle Puff.
Also I believe that clip spoiled the fact that Twilight became a Princess for me.
Dan Vs really needs more love. A lot of notable voice actors appear on it.
I definitely prefer the line graphs to the bar graphs. I like being able to see the progress of the trends through time.
Well, there were those early hominids...
But yeah, Beast Wars was awesome.
Looking forward to part 3!
i.imgur.com/xEHeubg.png
That girl's face frightens me.
Also, I think you should have both line graphs and bar charts. The lines show the progression well, but the bars are for just that month and it shows the close race between the top 10 fandoms and the main six much more clearly.
I liked the bar graphs, but I think you should include both bar and line graphs. That would be excellent for giving the whole picture and then zooming in for a close up, especially since the line graphs were a bit chaotic, in my opinion, with lines intersecting with other lines and so forth.
So that's Dan? I just thought it was literally some person inserting himself into a Pinkie ship.
As usual, keep up the great work!
I can't help but wonder how long until Hasbro backs out of Discovery Family entirely and the whole thing goes up in flames.
Wonder if that's part of why it's taking so goddamn long for Season 5 to come out... 
Prime and MLP seem to be the only pair of series that garnered any attention at all, and with Transformers moving to CN, one has to wonder how long before the other shoe drops.
I think that the legacy of FiM, more than anything else, will be how damned hard it is to make something that's a true, lasting hit. There are literally thousands of teams trying to figure out how to pierce the hearts of consumers, and out of friggin' nowhere, here comes this simple, heartfelt show, and blows all these efforts away and creates something that absolutely hits. Much like Minecraft, I don't think we're going to see another show garner as much love as FiM in a very long time.
2558761
Excellent points!
I plan to post the final part of this blog post before the end of the month.
Is there any sign that reruns of Dan Vs. will be on the new channel?
I'm a little disappointed that the Transformers portion of the retrospective didn't bother to mention Rescue Bots, seeing as how it was made for the Hub and this is a Hub retrospective. Certainly it's worth sparing a few words for the mechanical mayhem that happens on Griffin Rock, right? And unlike the new RiD, Rescue Bots IS going to be staying by FiM's side on Discovery Family.
Still, what's left on the channel seems a sad testament to the former glory of Hub-That-Was.
2531805
How could you even ask that? Go! Watch! See for yourself! Last time I checked, every single episode of Dan Vs. was available on Youtube for free on Starz Media's account, which is corporate so it probably means they have the rights and won't get slapped with takedown notices. You'll thank me later. Or don't, see if I care. (I actually do care.)
2581487
The Rescue Bots logo was used to represent Transformers in part three of the retrospective, but you're right. It would've been nice to mention the series proper in the Transformers retrospective.
2581913
Eh, at least you owned up.
2587355
I just posted the November Rule 34 update, in case you want to check it out.