I’d be disappointing as a land owner with that thing obstructing the scenery. Especially after I invest a lot on a paradise real estate.

@PonyPon  
In retrospect, that question is pretty funny.

@Grieverokami  
Yeah this Mana Tree Castle looks straight from some 80s stuff, I thought the same about the Breezies’ homeland!  
 
Honestly, that looks almost like a G4 Dream Valley, or even Last Unicorn stuff, visually…

@Amethyst_Crystal  
Nothing beats 80’s animation aesthetic. I used to like Rainbow Brite just for the animation alone.

@Lokizade  
Thanks, I’m glad I’m not the only one. I got all kinds of good G1 vibes from the S4 finale, and needless to say I got flashbacks of the Smooze destroying Dream Valley’s old castle home…  
 
and then Mr. Moochick & Habbit..  
 
had to manifest the Paradise Estate for them.. so its is like the opposite this time in G4: from ‘homey’ to ‘fantasy castle’!
 
@PonyPon
 
Well, from what little we’ve seen of it already, the tree-castle has lots of crazy potential: implications galore!  
 

@PonyPon  
Well we’ve had episodes in Canterlot, The Crystal Empire and the Castle of the Two Sisters, so who knows, we haven’t seen much of the interior yet remember.

@Amethyst_Crystal  
Exactly what kind of character development and further adventure is facilitated by a castle?

@Amethyst_Crystal  
I don’t have any issues with it at all, and as you and someone else here have pointed out, it’s visual design is fitting when you consider where it came from.
 
I guess I’m one of those people that finds both the idea of a cosy library tree house and a badass crystal tree castle appealing.
 
But whatever, opinions and all that, I’m looking forward to seeing more of the interior as well, badass hall and throne room is a fantastic first impression.

 
I dunno about you guys but I grew up with all kinds of fantasy fiction having all kinds of exotic crazy looking places, sometimes with explanations of their appearance and sometimes because that’s just what the writer or artist wanted.
 
A magical mana tree manifesting a sapling castle which exists soley to help the Mane Six evolve and grow as characters isn’t all that bad.
 
I for one welcome our new crazy magical adventure possibilities.

@Vaughn Porter  
At least it has a nice balcony from which she can harangue the groveling peasants.

Twilight(Sarcastically)“Great! A new place for me to ‘Smile and Wave’!”

Seems we’re going to need a Twilight’s Castle Drama tag, to keep Alicorn Drama company.

used to be a bunch of houses there, but property values hit the roof and they had to demolish them all and go live in las pegasus.

@Background Pony #66A9  
Possibly. But that still doesn’t change the fact that the property values are driven down.

It’s not even just that it sticks out horribly. “Crystal treehouse” could have worked just fine, as long as it looked organic and natural in the same way that Twilight’s hold house does.
 
This thing doesn’t look organic. It doesn’t even look aesthetically pleasing. It’s horribly balanced, horribly proportioned, and just looking at it makes me want to knock it the fuck over.
 
This is an object designed by the marketing department. As opposed to anyone with anyone understanding of visuals.

@Background Pony #B16B  
Selling your house is not an everyday occurrence for us and so probably not for them either. In fact, since, as you say, Ponyville is a quiet little place, they get some people moving to the Ponyville area, but probably not many, and so ownership of homes might be transferred more by inheritance than buying (which is probably how it was for most people in real life in the past). So a decrease in house prices would probably not effect them that much, whilst an increase in tourist trade could bring a significant increase to their well being.

I honestly do not see what’s wrong with it. It’s clearly supposed to look like the tree of harmony.

Lovely artwork yet again assassinmonkey :)

not ripping the artist, but thats an ugly castle. what a monster it is. how to fit this behemoth into ponyville?

This artist once again created a beautiful piece of art. But even him couldn’t hide the fact that the castle looks extremely out of place. Oh well…still looking forward to S5! :)

@Background Pony #B16B  
All of the pony toys I’ve seen like this have a drawing of the toy on the front and a picture on the back. Along with some generic pony vectors.
 
But we’ll see I guess.

@Itsthinking  
Smells fishy2me

@Itsthinking  
Look to the right behind the castle on the DVD vector. That spiraling rainbow? Kind of looks like a slide.
 
And why does the toy not look like a tree? Hasbro. Why does the wedding castle look nothing like something either in Canterlot or the Crystal Empire? Hasbro. Why does applejack own a truck in the toy canon? Hasbro.  
Since when have the toys ever been super show accurate? Never.

@Background Pony #B16B  
An official asset when they announced the toy? Drawn in the same style that they draw all box illustration in?

@Background Pony #B16B  
That’s just random rainbows it looks like. Maybe the “Let the Rainbow Remind You” thing?
 
Why does the toy look nothing like the castle, then? It’s not even a damn tree.