To put the dissonance between “first always popular” and other shows into perspective:
It took until yesterday for Puppysmiles, the main character of what is probably the 5th most popular Fallout Equestria spinoff, to get a SFM model. On the other hand, Gin Rummy, a PH character who has the equivalent of 15-30 minutes of screentime in the entire Disney Animated Canon, has had one for over two years (since June 27, 2015 to be exact. That’s before the CMC overhaul!)