SO, 2017 ended up being the year zero for them except that they had set a precedent.

Just that said past IS NOT the one that a FiM fan is nostalgic for. Their creation happened in 1984-86 and 31-33 years later, they would take the next step accordingly with the 4th gen standards.

So technically, while this species has lasted waaaaay longer than for example, the changelings or the kirins, despite appearing in a special and in the big screen (which is quite substantial if you ask me), they haven´t taken off all that well. Sure, they were seen as a highlight and delivered a fun moment in the movie with the song, just that perhaps the circumstances around the release didn´t accompany a greater legacy than it actually delivered to the community (or even remotely in pop culture).

So I end up stating the same conclusion: this thread is a joke.

Not because of how the thread itself is presented but how the content focused on it has been taken as such from the very beginning,both from the company and from the fans. One cannot tell how much of a fanservice wish they were for the community nor how much Hasbro was interested in using them for their toylines. I cannot distinguish the percentages of this approach.

They come from the past BUT it´s not the past that a FiM fan would cherish nor be nostalgic for in this 10th anniversary (because remember, their reintroduction happened in October 2017). If anything, this species comes the closest to the evolution of MLP throughout these 4 generations. Taken as a laughing stock at first and then, when there is more effort put into them, one doesn´t know how to react and one is left stunned/confused.

The thread focuses on a joke that was made 3 decades ago and a variation of the original. But the roots of said joke are still the same, it´s like trying to make a meme earn something meaningful and a context out of a dust particle. While they are older than many other creatures that would appear later in this franchise, their only relevant lifetime has only consisted in these 3 last years. Perhaps now in 2020, it´s the best time to post them. Sure, there is more content and plenty of art has been featured on EQD...

...but they are still niche. Because despite being popular with that gag, they didn´t have anything solid settled in order to inspire the community nor offer anything serious to the franchise.