My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

I watched an ep to see what all the hype is about, and it's a cute enough show w/ some meta humor mixed in for the adults. But ultimately it just seemed like another spastic, slapstick animated kids' show. Why older, childless men have latched onto MLP is still a bit of a mystery to me. Not saying male fans are weirdos or "furries," but I just don't get why this particular cartoon has attracted this kind of following.

@Flawed_System said:

I can understand children watching something like this, but if you're over the age of 14 and you're a male...you need to rethink decisions you've made in your life.

stop insinuating that grown women should be watching this show either

@Animasta said:

@Flawed_System said:

I can understand children watching something like this, but if you're over the age of 14 and you're a male...you need to rethink decisions you've made in your life.

stop insinuating that grown women should be watching this show either

Clearly that is exactly what was being insinuated.

@AlexW00d said:

@Animasta said:

@Flawed_System said:

I can understand children watching something like this, but if you're over the age of 14 and you're a male...you need to rethink decisions you've made in your life.

stop insinuating that grown women should be watching this show either

Clearly that is exactly what was being insinuated.

well he never said anything about women over 14 not watching this, so my stance stands

let's agree that anyone over the age of 16 should not watch this

It's OK, but I don't think it's as good as people say.

@Animasta said:

@Flawed_System said:

I can understand children watching something like this, but if you're over the age of 14 and you're a male...you need to rethink decisions you've made in your life.

stop insinuating that grown women should be watching this show either

Wasn't insinuating that. I just put males because I was addressing the majority of the Giant Bomb user base.

Can someone explain to me why this show is so popular? I've never watched it.

This fad literally symbolises what is wrong with people today.

If a friend of mine called himself a 'Brony'(sp?) or the like then I would stop being friends with them.

The audience picture gave me a good laugh. Thanks for that!

Yep after knowing that the show was made by the same person behind Power Puff Girls all this makes sense, it dosn't really matter if the show is about Ponies change this with PPG in an age were internet boards are a thing and you'll have the same reactions, is a show for little girls that cleverly hides serveral "adult themes" in some of it's episodes , the character of HIM in PPG is this devilish looking dude who acts very falmboyant and talks in a provocative maner almost like a drag , for little girls they'll just see "him" as weird and bad for creepy grown ups he's just a pool of memes and references to adult themes to stuff they get, and by adult themes I'm not trying to say the shows makes references or tries to implies sex tropes, drugs or violence none of that , it just talks in a language this people can understand is almost like doing a wink like "hey derp is an internet thing right? so lets make a derp character girls won't notice what's so funny about it but you 20+ guy or girl will".

Just by watching 2 and half episodes I get why some people "internet people" specifically would like that show , that's not my thing I'm not into appreciating weird stuff "awesome stuff" like you know how GB likes FMV just because is bad and then Patrick came along and spell it for everyone "we like it in a sarcastic way" he didn't need to say that it's implied that you would like something like that for some despective but genuine reason of is funny because is dumb. That show could be about anything really it's the writter how really clever is at introducing this elements seamlessly into the show that would only be noticed or recognized by this people on the internet who have some sort of appreciation for quirky/meme material stuff like that.

@AngelN7: Yes and no. The show was and is designed primarily for little girls, but a clear and ever-present goal of the showrunners was to make a children's cartoon that wouldn't be physically painful for a parent to sit through too. (See Dora the Explorer) The end result is the same: A children's show with references and hints that adults can enjoy, but the intent was slightly different, which is important.

Derpy Hooves is something else entirely. That was pandering to fans, pure and simple.

@Forderz said:

@AngelN7: Yes and no. The show was and is designed primarily for little girls, but a clear and ever-present goal of the showrunners was to make a children's cartoon that wouldn't be physically painful for a parent to sit through too. (See Dora the Explorer) The end result is the same: A children's show with references and hints that adults can enjoy, but the intent was slightly different, which is important.

Derpy Hooves is something else entirely. That was pandering to fans, pure and simple.

I'm sorry but I can't buy that specially the part about being a show also parents can watch , when the internet made it pretty clear that young male adults in the ages of 20-30 watch it I bet there's a little demographic of those who are actually parents, not only that it was 4chan influence who made that show so popular in the first place it's clearly a show made to please and make callbacks to that audience and even if it doesn't they take them as if is trying to make callbacks for them wich is the weirdest creepiest part about the fanbase of that cartoon.

@Forderz: I've heard a few podcast interviews with the cast and creatives and a lot of them are very familiar people. A lot of them showed up in shows that the same 20-30-somethings watched when they were younger. Lauren Faust and Tara Strong are no coincidence; Hasbro had their sights set on the that age group from the beginning. Faust wouldn't have been tapped at all, otherwise.

You guys do realize the eps have pretty different styles, and even the kiddiness varies from ep to ep? In fact, I stopped watching the show for about a month all because I was watching an ep and Pinkie Pie started singing. (I am not a big fan of the musical numbers as some are.. but I don't deny they are top notch in quality) This show.. one ep might be about kindergarteners babysitting and finding out that babysitting is hard. Whereas the next is about one of the characters becoming crazy and paranoid because she thinks her friends are avoiding her, another is about what kind of childhood everyone had and how it shaped their future, another is about racism between different species of ponies, one or two eps are harsh stories about.. straight up.. one of the characters coping with her OCD.

So it's not just that ''oh there's an action scene, oh it's a homage to Godzilla or Star Trek, etc, therefore it's good for us older audience too''. etc. It's the atmosphere of the show. /The show has atmosphere./ It's how neurotic all the characters are, and the fact they are portrayed to know that about themselves and each other.

Anyway, this was a really long way of me saying that I cringe at the people here who base their opinion on one ep. (and to boot they don't even mention which ep. This only serves to make me really curious which ep it was!)

Part of what makes MLP:FIM special is the level of fan interaction. There is some with other shows like Adventure Time but this is an entirely different level. Artists to the musicians to the show runners to even certain levels of Hasbro embrace this. Due to a combination of events and technology anyone who worked on the show can find someone who watched the show and basically ask "What do you think?" which has brought an entirely new level to the production. And for fans, it is easier than ever to watch it with other fans where even the creators slip into the crowd and enjoy the show just like fans. Watching an episode on Ustream/Livestream/Justin.tv with people from all around the world is kind of an amazing thing. It is one thing to watch the show with Canadians but when you see German and French people watching the episode you are and ask "Why are US commercials so dumb?" it is a lot of fun.

At its core, this is still a show for little girl toys but the people who make it are savvy, tech connected artists and technicians who know what really goes on and embrace it. I think buying toys is a bit overboard but watching it and just enjoying the production and setup of the show is enough for me.

@Makoto_Mizuhara_Sakamoto said:

Why the hell is this thread still unlocked?

Because all the mods are closet Bronies.

@jerseyscum said:

@Makoto_Mizuhara_Sakamoto said:

Why the hell is this thread still unlocked?

Because all the mods are closet Bronies.

Really? Then @Sparklykiss isn't doing a good job of keeping the closet door shut :P.

@Forderz said:

@AngelN7: Yes and no. The show was and is designed primarily for little girls, but a clear and ever-present goal of the showrunners was to make a children's cartoon that wouldn't be physically painful for a parent to sit through too. (See Dora the Explorer) The end result is the same: A children's show with references and hints that adults can enjoy, but the intent was slightly different, which is important.

Derpy Hooves is something else entirely. That was pandering to fans, pure and simple.

you do realize that you could say that for 80% of cartoons ever right

It's OK, but I don't think it's as good as people say.

@MocBucket62 said:

@supermonkey122 said:

It's OK, but I don't think it's as good as people say.

Funny that this is coming from someone who used to have a pony avatar.

Yea, that's something odd I've noticed about this thread: people from over a year ago cautiously commenting on the show, only now they have MLP avatars.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

Can someone explain to me why this show is so popular? I've never watched it.

ummm.... because people are assholes.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

Can someone explain to me why this show is so popular? I've never watched it.

Autism.

@Jumbs said:

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

Can someone explain to me why this show is so popular? I've never watched it.

Autism.

Ouch, that's cruel. But... I can't completely deny it. Since I love Friendship is Magic and have autism.

With that said though, I know a lot of people who don't have autism or anything like that and who also likes Friendship is Magic.

Thanks to Netflix, I checked out a couple of episode--they're not bad. I understand why people have grown attached to the series as it has that same general comedy that shows like Dexter's Lab or PPG had (just, you know, with Ponies). I highly suspect that the "bronies" that people routinely attribute to the popularity of the show only make up a small fraction of the actual fanbase, and I would imagine that a majority of adult viewers are normal people who just happen to like a good cartoon.

Me and my friend decided to check it out the other day (We got curious after seeing a lot of talk about it on the Internet) and... Of course the first episode ended with a cliffhanger, so we had to watch the second one and... I like it. It's really enjoyable. So I guess that's that.

Fluttershy is my favorite.

This fandom went downhill when people started seriously making porn instead of just making it because it was funny.

@ThatFrood said:

I like it. It's a good show. It's a cartoon, like any other cartoon. You might as well ask why a grown man would watch any stupid kids show.

my reson for liking it is the same as that dude.

@MocBucket62: @Video_Game_King: One of the things I love about the show is the way it looks, and Rainbow Dash is my favorite.

I checked out the first 2 episodes and I felt really weird. It is just a normal girls cartoon, there aren't really any outstanding qualities to the show. Then I think about all the people who constantly reference this show and act like it is the best thing to happen to moving pictures since Buster Keaton and I am a little weirded out. I need somebody who is better with words to explain this shows appeal.

Hey @Sparklykiss, why is this show so popular? Is it basically the same thing as the attraction to redheads (that is skeezy viewers for what is essentially a fetish)?

Never seen.

@DarthOrange said:

I checked out the first 2 episodes and I felt really weird. It is just a normal girls cartoon, there aren't really any outstanding qualities to the show. Then I think about all the people who constantly reference this show and act like it is the best thing to happen to moving pictures since Buster Keaton and I am a little weirded out. I need somebody who is better with words to explain this shows appeal.

Hey @Sparklykiss, why is this show so popular? Is it basically the same thing as the attraction to redheads (that is skeezy viewers for what is essentially a fetish)?

I don't have better words to explain the appeal, but every time someone comes along and says "I watched the first couple of episodes and didn't understand why people say it's so awesome," I cringe horribly. Those first episodes are something you should watch after you have decided that you like the show and want to go through and watch the episodes in order. Some people say you can't appreciate episodes like this one without knowing the characters (which I agree with to a certain extent), but try this one instead:

I like it, though I refuse to call myself a Brony or anything like that. Regardless of whether it's your thing or not, you got to admit that Lauren Faust took a horribly generic girl cartoon from the 80s and actually turned it into something, and there's definitely merit in that.

For me, it sort of fills the same hole as Azumanga Daioh, in that I watch it and wish I had friends like that. The fact that it's girls might have serving to do with it. Ain't nothing "magic" about guy friendships.

The Loading Ready Run crew had an episode about this that mirrors what happens to a lot of people:

1. They notice MLP activity on a message board.

2. They dig up an episode to "research" what is going on.

3. ???

4. All the episodes later, they realize they like it!

@Village_Guy said:

@Jumbs said:

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

Can someone explain to me why this show is so popular? I've never watched it.

Autism.

Ouch, that's cruel. But... I can't completely deny it. Since I love Friendship is Magic and have autism.

With that said though, I know a lot of people who don't have autism or anything like that and who also likes Friendship is Magic.

Is it wrong that I read that in Rainbow Dash's voice?

@EXTomar: Kind of what happened to me. If the first episode wouldn't have ended with a cliffhanger...

I have a weird relationship with Friendship is Magic. I don't really have any interest in the show, but the way some people behave when talking about it or get super aggressive when someone mentions they don't like it really scares me.

@valrog said:

@Village_Guy said:

@Jumbs said:

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

Can someone explain to me why this show is so popular? I've never watched it.

Autism.

Ouch, that's cruel. But... I can't completely deny it. Since I love Friendship is Magic and have autism.

With that said though, I know a lot of people who don't have autism or anything like that and who also likes Friendship is Magic.

Is it wrong that I read that in Rainbow Dash's voice?

@EXTomar: Kind of what happened to me. If the first episode wouldn't have ended with a cliffhanger...

Not at all - although I doubt Rainbow Dash is has autism :P (also I love her voice actor, when her voice cracks, I think it is one of the best things of the show xD)

@EXTomar: That is what happened to me, except I just saw people using avatars (since it was still around the time that 4chan embraced the show ironically) and no-body actually talked about the show (not seriously anyway).

EDIT:

I just saw this 8-bit ponies commercial from the Hub (so it is an official commercial)

Several reasons to get excited about that, 1. another commercial mainly aimed at bronies, 2. Is season 3 closer than we think?, 3. Discord and the commercial ending in "It could happen" - that is a good hint at Discord returning!

This is a buddy of mine. A big, burly, metal as fuck Trollslayer/ car mechanic of a man.

This is his latest tattoo!

Badmouth My Little Pony and I'm sending him to sodomize you with a wrench!

It must be fun to be in the US prison system with that tattoo.

My little ponyyyy, my little pony

The best part is watching with your bronies and talking about how much of a bitch Rarity is (the answer is "what a total bitch!") and waiting until Rainbow Dash is ready to admit she's ready to start dating, but she's thinking about dating fillies.

The setting of MLP:FIM is ripe enough to build a "real game" around. There are fan projects out there that are pushing the boundaries of what a "fan project" can be in good and bad ways.

This is why i have my avatar. PONIES! :D <3

It's just a normal, pretty funny cartoon like the old Cartoon Network ones. It just gets shit for its past branding and obviously the aesthetic of it. Still not my cup of tea. Still don't see how it has THAT much of an adult following. To each their own, I don't really watch cartoons at all anymore. Not even south park, unfortunately

@Yummylee said:

@FluxWaveZ said:

" @Abyssfull said:

" Sounds like some 4chan influenced nonsense. Its rise in popularity I mean "

The 4chan moderators banned My Little Pony talk. Not sure if it had anything to do with its rise in popularity when it wasn't banned, though. "

Someone must be trolling the shit out of this show. I really can't find any of the general appeal for anyone who isn't a 12-17 girl. I know there's bound to be guys out there that like this, but at this scale it starts to lose its plausibility.

I know this is an old comment, but:

12-17 year old girls? Dude, it's called, "My Little Pony". I'd say a more apt age group is between four and ten.

@Napalm said:

@Yummylee said:

@FluxWaveZ said:

" @Abyssfull said:

" Sounds like some 4chan influenced nonsense. Its rise in popularity I mean "

The 4chan moderators banned My Little Pony talk. Not sure if it had anything to do with its rise in popularity when it wasn't banned, though. "

Someone must be trolling the shit out of this show. I really can't find any of the general appeal for anyone who isn't a 12-17 girl. I know there's bound to be guys out there that like this, but at this scale it starts to lose its plausibility.

I know this is an old comment, but:

12-17 year old girls? Dude, it's called, "My Little Pony". I'd say a more apt age group is between four and ten.

I can't find it in my heart to respect anyone who watches MLP. Like hardcore drug addicts for example... the fact that it interested you enough to try it in the first place tells me all I need to know all about these people. I don't care how "AWESOME" or "COOL" this show is after you get into it, the fact of the matter is, you made a lucid and sober choice to start watching it in the first place and therefor you are a dipshit.

@NlGHTCRAWLER said:

@Napalm said:

I know this is an old comment, but:

12-17 year old girls? Dude, it's called, "My Little Pony". I'd say a more apt age group is between four and ten.

I can't find it in my heart to respect anyone who watches MLP. Like hardcore drug addicts for example... the fact that it interested you enough to try it in the first place tells me all I need to know all about these people. I don't care how "AWESOME" or "COOL" this show is after you get into it, the fact of the matter is, you made a lucid and sober choice to start watching it in the first place and therefor you are a dipshit.

Er. Are you talking to me?

The show is pure mind control. When you have watched it, you can't go back. And Rainbow Dash is the symbol of awesome.

@InternetCrab said:

The show is pure mind control. When you have watched it, you can't go back. And Rainbow Dash is the symbol of awesome.

For reasons other than the following?

My Little Pony, Two Best Friends Play and Portal 2. Some of my favorite things all in one video

OH LAWDY LAWD! AUTISMAL OVERLOAD!

I need a team up between this guy and Chris-chan!