September 22nd, 2011
01:03 PM ET
The Throwback: 'My Little Pony'Season two of The Hub Network's original series "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" debuted last week. The latest incarnation of Hasbro's "My Little Pony" franchise follows the adventures of unicorns Twilight Sparkle and Rarity - along with their pony friends Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy - as they gallop through life in the village of Ponyville and its outlying kingdom, Equestria. I'm tempted to say something along the lines of: Depending on your age, "My Little Pony" is either a warm, fuzzy '80s memory or something that the children in your life are into... but back when Marquee covered "My Little Pony's" Katy Perry song parody, I got schooled by some members of a group known as bronies (as in, bro-pony).
It's true: "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" has a large fan base of males who are mostly in their teens to early 30s. The Katy Perry parody (produced by The Hub) even mentions the bronies by name. In the post, I (apparently mistakenly) implied that "My Little Pony" fans were mostly seven-year-old girls. Boy was I wrong! A handful of bronies went so far as to track down my e-mail address and office number and leave me messages. To the bronies, I say "thank you." You exposed me to a world I otherwise wouldn't have known existed. There are multiple web destinations for bronies, but Equestria Daily appears to be the most concise at the moment. As Wired.com so aptly put it, "Most people over the age of, say, 20 remember 'My Little Pony' as a saccharine-smelling Hasbro toy and cartoon from the 1980s." Wired's article goes on to explain that most bronies cite excellent storytelling, clever nods to pop culture and a healthy smattering of irony as the reasons why they gravitate toward a show that wasn't originally intended for their demographic. Heck, the bronies can even count Bill Clinton among them! The former president aced a "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic" quiz when he was a guest on NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me" in June. True story! In the interest of full disclosure, however, Clinton was asked just three multiple-choice questions, two of which had answer choices that were comically incorrect, e.g. "Q: The ponies' most powerful enemy is which of these? A) Krastos the Glue Maker B) the evil pony Nightmare Moon or C) the cynical grown-up Chester"... the answer being C. Just last month, Stephen Colbert gave a shout-out "to all my bronies who may be watching" on "The Colbert Report." A high school boy's physics presentation became a YouTube sensation when the student applied real-world principles of physics to explain exactly why the magical world that the ponies inhabit isn't possible. For example, he shows a scene in which a group of butterflies catches one of the ponies in mid-air and explains that this couldn't actually happen, due to the pony's mass in relation to the collective mass of the butterflies, providing charts and exact scientific data. And for the "Throwback" portion of this week's "Throwback"... I am part of the demographic for whom "My Little Pony" means extremely hazy memories of "My Little Pony's" predecessor, "My Pretty Pony," a 10-inch toy pony that was a more organic shade (brown with blonde hair) before she was miniaturized and pastel-ized, becoming the iconic "My Little Pony" that was a huge part of my childhood. I have fond memories of playing with my barn play set for hours, and watching the ponies' adventures with resident barn girl, Megan, on the cartoon TV show that was half "My Little Pony and Friends," half "Glo Friends." My most prized ponies were Blossom, Lemondrop and the unicorn named Moondancer. What does "My Little Pony" mean to you?
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Bronies are hated by all the normal people. Bronies deserve to burn in hell, if it exists. Seriously, screw you guys. You guys nothing are disturbed manchildren who obsess over a show meant for little girls.
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Did you know that Moondancer is actually the inspiration for this show's Twilight Sparkle? True story.
You made a grave typo. The answer to the question was B, not C. The ponies are already grown up anyway.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! Brony all the way
I'm 32 but seven years ago I bought the entire first season on dvd. My friends thought I was INSANE. This is possibly true, but MLP is SO F***IN BIZARRE it belongs in my collection. Watching it on K or E is preferable.
I like it because it's fascist in ways that would make Hitler blush. Yep, MLP!!!
Friendship is Magic is the cure for the cancer of Internet cynicism and the requirement that we deconstruct everything.
Friendship is Magic is the opposite of YouTube commentary.
Friendship is Magic is proof that manly men who by day are Marines and police officers and firemen and smelly bikers and are more masculine than anyone here can experience emotions like joy and compassion without losing their Man Card (try to tell one otherwise, and your insurance best be paid up).
Friendship is Magic is proof that quality transcends shallow categorization.
Friendship is Magic... is magic.
30 year old female here.
I grew up with My Little Pony as a girl. I collected them, enjoyed the cartoon... but like most childhood cartoons, watching them as an adult is, well... difficult at times.
I got into the new cartoon because of it's popularity on the interwebs. *brohoofs* I found that the cartoon was completely enjoyable and hilarious as an adult. Not only that, but the songs don't get the "oh GOD, it's cheesy song time" reaction out of me. They're catchy, well-written an memorable. Even Pinkie Piie's silly songs can be catchy, even if they aren't... they're meant to be stupid, and get stupid responses from the other ponies... "That was the worst thing I've heard."
Beyond that, great animation, great voice acting, great writing. It's amazing seeing a cartoon targeted toward little girls that isn't portraying girls as innocent, sweet, and void of any personality. And that's probably why it became so popular.
I blame it for getting me back into the 80's ponies, which I started collecting again. I have a large growing collection of G1 (1980's) and G4 (Friendship Is Magic) toys.
Plus the fanbase is awesome. If it can teach some internet trolls to love and tolerate the $#17 out of anyone and anything... that's pretty downright amazing. 
And once again, another article that ignores that fact that even before FiM and Bronies, there have been large numbers of adult fans of MLP who grew up with it in the 80s and continued to collect the collect the toys. We're not so vocal like the new fans, but come on, doesn't anyone who writes about MLP recently do their research? We are not a small group. And who do you think those eBay sellers have been selling vintage ponies to all these years?
BroNYCon this saturday 9-23-11 in wonderful Manehattan. Hope to see you all there! *brohoof*
Air Force Brony in Iraq giving a shoutout and thank you for correcting our culture, lol~
I'm just 1 of 9 Bronies out here and trust me, it's growing lol
Lauren Faust, the mastermind behind MLP, is a genius and should get an Emmy or an Oscar or something...or BOTH !
Interview her !!!
It's also worth mentioning that Hasbro has been very lenient on allowing the episodes to be posted on YouTube (they care about the toy sales after all, spreading the TV show actually benefits their business model), so if you want to see what all of the buzz is about for yourself, it's just a few clicks away. Several others here have posted their suggestions for where to start, but I'll throw in my two cents and say "The Return of Harmony Part 1". It does a pretty good job of exposition (being the Season 2 opener), it's a solid episode, plus it has Quite a delightful special guest.
Basically, MLP is awesome. You neglected to mention the music. Winter Wrap Up, and the Sondheim inspired pieces, Art of the Dress and At the Gala are simply fantastic.
Oh, Internet, how I love you. <3
There's a slight mistake in the article.
The answer was B) Night Mare Moon
"Bronies, as in bro-ponies."
No, just.. No.
It originally started on a thread on 4chan, known as /b/. The original term was "/b/ronies."
Bronies is not a gender specific term.
....the answer is C?
really, man? But thanks for the shoutout, buddy. brohoof!
"My Little Pony" was something that my sister played with while I was fighting imaginary wars with my G.I. Joes back in the '80s. Never seen any of the cartoons of that era, since no Cable TV in my house.
Nowadays, "My Little Pony" is a charming, engaging and clever show. Animation is technically strong, emotional and resonant voice cast, the morals lessons get dropped a little heavily occasionally, but overall it's an easy show to watch and like. It's girl-positive without male-bashing.
It was colourful refuge during a rough patch at work, and after a long day, I'm the one zipping out the door, going "Haha! Time for Ponies!"
Suggested starter episodes? "Fall Weather Friends", "Ticket Master".
Brony 4 Lyfe.
Best pony is Rarity. Hoof yea.
>"Q: The ponies' most powerful enemy is which of these? A) Krastos the Glue Maker B) the evil pony Nightmare Moon or C) the cynical grown-up Chester"... the answer being C.
>the answer being C
if this is a joke, don't attempt any more jokes. mediocre article at best
Actually the term brony comes from 4chan. it is a derivative of /b/ rony
actually, only if you're retarded. It's only somewhat accurate to say it's /b/rony...but remember it started on /co/. Bro, as in " everything starts in /b/? cool story, bro!" also plays into it. Helps not to get all your info from KYM.
Rainbow Dash is the best. No cupcake can be truly delicious without her help.
*brohoof* Dash is beasty. All i gotta say.
XxDashxX
Yo, CNN, love the fact that you're raising Pony awareness, but Twilight Sparkle is the only main (mane) character – Rarity is one of the five major characters. Other than that, completely correct, love it, and I'd highly suggest that anyone interested in the phenomenon watch S1E13 "Fall Weather Friends", or episode 3 "The Ticket Master". Or the whole season.
It's an amazing show with amazing fans.
I'd go so far as to say it's restored my faith in the Internet.
I was bumping Alex S.'s "Party with Pinkie" while driving around today.
Check it out if you haven't heard it yet.
I have to say. This is probably the BEST CNN article EVER! It's SO AWESOME /)^3^(\
18-yr-old Brony here ;D
Rainbow Dash. Haters gonna hate.
Yes, you are absolutely correct in claiming that Rarity and Twilight are a cut above their Earth Pony and Pegasi pals.
Racist.
SO glad the new MLP is getting some attention. I was a big fan in the 80s and absolutely love the updated version. It's WAY more than 20% cooler. ;D
I'm super excited for season 2. For those of you who haven't seen this show: what are you waiting for??? It's a light-hearted, fun, and all around entertaining cartoon. Give it a chance, will ya? <3
Only problem I really had was how the author got the protagonists wrong – it centers on Twilight, Rarity isn't a co-star.
debateable. The Mane 6 have their own centric episodes. Twilight Sparkle is the catalyst of the group, but all 6 of them have their own shining moments, therefore they are all Co-Stars. Spike is a sidekick.
Yeah dawg! Ponies over everything! FL brony here!!!
Fluttershy is my favorite pony
Life's not always nice – even in Ponyville – but overall, the world is a much better place when there are ponies in it! So many creative people, musicians, artists, they gravitate to the show and bring "zee Magicks" ... I even love and tolerate the lunar rebels, knowing that enough love and tolerance will bring 'em back. Miss you guys – and we have socks and cookies when you come back. Heck, we'll bring the socks and cookies to YOU ... and a good time will be had by all. Pass on the muffins, though.
Psst!
Correct answer is B.
Nyx is best pony!
Nyx is certainly one of the cutest ponies. Mary Sue or not, I don't get why so many hate her. Anyway, Twilight Sparkle is MAI WAIFU!
Wow, It has been forever since I have seen any pony hate! CNN, why didn't you mention the fact that there are over 4 million bronies worldwide?
Because there really hasn't been any way of judging the actual size of the bronies. The only real facts that have been shown are that the show started off with an average of 1.4 mil. viewers an episode, and eventually went up to nearly 4 mil. but there's no data showing how many of those were "bronies" and how many were members of the actual target audience.
"True story! In the interest of full disclosure, however, Clinton was asked just three multiple-choice questions, two of which had answer choices that were comically incorrect, e.g. "Q: The ponies' most powerful enemy is which of these? A) Krastos the Glue Maker B) the evil pony Nightmare Moon or C) the cynical grown-up Chester"... the answer being C."
Wrong. The real answer is B, the evil pony Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon wasn't evil.. she was mad because she got banished to the moon for 1000 years just because she was sick of her sister getting all the attention and glory.
I am a 27 year old male brony, and seeing some of the ridiculous hateful comments here (not to mention on a forum that I used to frequent and decided to return to recently. Big mistake that), I have to say that I don't even feel any anger toward people who mock us anymore. When it comes down to it, I actually feel kind of sorry for people who allow their preconceived notions of seeming "girly", "lame", or -heavens forbid- "gay" prevent them from experiencing something that they might actually enjoy, if only they weren't afraid to just give it a chance.
What, they called us GAY!?!
;____;
I'm so hurt, I think I'll go kill myself.
"Q: The ponies' most powerful enemy is which of these? A) Krastos the Glue Maker B) the evil pony Nightmare Moon or C) the cynical grown-up Chester"... the answer being C.
Think ya might have made a typo – the answer was B.
thatisthejoke.jpg
I forgot brony-haters still existed. LOVE FOR EVERYPONY!
You have restored my faith in the media, good sir.
I liked the last pony blog better I think, watching it descend into a 400 post pony-apocalypse was probably one of the funniest things I ever saw on here. Only theCORA LDS posts and Oprahs last show blogs made me laugh harder.
D'you mean "aponcalypse"?
Hey @Happy Cow ~ did you ever hear the Katy Perry song "California Gurls"? It talks about where grass is what's for dinner. @MoonDancer ~ did you get your name from My Little Pony? I am glad to see that the military guys enjoy this overseas. I am sure that it helps them escape/relax for awhile. Does it help you guys feel connected to your family too?
Never cared for the cartoon. Loved the toys though.
"Fu** trying things, even if a really great creative team did it and tons of people think there's something special there, it can't possibly be good because it's My Little Pony" – Someone who sucks.
The new ones are good... I was trying to keep up on current Internet trends, and watched to find out. Didn't care for it right away, but then the humor designed for it to be a family cartoon rather than a kids show hit me. (Yakkey Sax)
Wow... So much hate in these components.
It's been a while since I've seen any hatred.
They obviously have not watched it yet. (We recommend Dragonshy as a first episode, and I currently recommend watching Return of Harmony immediately after, as it's the most epic without having to know anything extra about the show)
@anomic
Hasbro did some executive meddling when Faust pitched her Galaxy Girls to them.
"Fu** originality. Let's just bring back My Little Pony" – Someone who sucks.
Have you actually watched it? It's a decidedly different show than those which came before it.
You must be new here.
Pony fans! There's a new My Little Pony app for iOS devices available now on iTunes. Check it out! There's a little hidden surprise for Bronies too! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-little-pony-twilight-sparkle/id465213808?mt=8
Argh, I'm sorry, but I hate iAnything devices, so I don't have one. I do hope they'll make something PC friendly. I *need* this.
BTW. The demographic goes way higher than men in their 20s and 30s. I'm in my mid-40s. My wife just accepts it because she has (real) horses, and it's one more thing we have in common that way. She's a country gal, I'm a city slicker.
Check out the new My Little Pony that launched today – it features Derpy!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-little-pony-twilight-sparkle/id465213808?mt=8
I can't even believe I watch this show.
Me too. I hope they will eat lots of fiber so they will stay regular. Eating prunes helps me.
What are you talking about eating regularly?
What does this have to do with the article and My Little Pony?
I loved my little ponys when I was little
so stoked it's back on
My bologna pony.
We LOVE U KATIE! Perry and McLaughlin! FIM POWER! GRRRRRL POWER!
FIM RULES !
Shout out to all my bronie brothers in Iraq. YOU RULE !
Us bronies are cool dudes. When I was stationed in Afghanistan all of my marine brothers loved The Ponies.
*brohoof* and thank you for serving our country
*Brohoof* Thank you for your service
Wish I had known about this when I was in afghan, I didn't find out about until afterwards. Of course, I deployed the same month the show first aired.
well, that right there is just awesome
*brohoof* from a former tanker with M Company, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry (Desert Storm veteran).
AY-EE-AH!
ok...why did you type that and what does
this have to do with the article?
This sounds like the plot of a lifetime moment of truth movie!
I prefer all my little ponys to be brown so I stick them up my tailpipe for a day or two and WAHLAH! All Brown little ponys.
wat