For those wondering why My Little Pony is so popular...

[ABLb0y]

I've seen about a minute and a half of Friendship is Magic, and I loved it. But I'm afraid to watch it, in case I become a disappointment to my parents. (For the record, it was a bit where one of them gets kidnapped in a mine or something, and the kidnappers find her complaining so annoying they let her go. I think her name was Rarity or something, and she was a purple pony with a horn. Is that Rarity?)

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Don't mix me up in all of this. The Fez loves whores! Now good day!

Then you'll be needin' this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY5iLIMkZ5w (warning: explicit lyrics and brony in-jokes)

I was going to point out something, and then your next post did it for me. I guess, even with the pic, you didn't get that I reference certain shows (only 'cos it's funny to me, and Wilmer Valderamma is an insufferable douche), and they are not the shows that you reference. But, regarding what you said, though all kids' shows are indeed kids' shows, Aristotle's law of identity being firmly intact and all, many of them are able to be enjoyed by adults, BECAUSE THEY DON'T INSULT THEIR AUDIENCE or aren't just sacharine sugary sweet pastel explosions with googly eyes for kids to go nuts over. The My Little Pony show is, in my opinion, the latter. Though it may not be as vapid as Barney or the Tellytubbies, I also don't think it's the animated equivalent of Vonnegut, as many of its supporters seem to think.

Pan's Labyrinth, The Last Mimzy, and Where The Wild Things Are are all good examples of kids' entertainment that are enjoyed by numerous adults, and no one thinks that we're weird for it. They are intelligent, thoughtful films that don't insult their audience or constantly bombard them with hyperactive nonsense. I had a neighbor who had probably every Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie they ever made, from when they were 4 to when they were 16, and I thought that was weird. I didn't think he was a pedophile (still don't) but I DID think it was odd. And it was, as was he. He had the personality, quite literally, of a lobotomized person. He was in his late 50's and had a small child's mind with a small child's approach to solving problems. This, of course, is not true of bronies, though many of them that I've spoken to have a tween's level of maturity and oftentimes a tween's level of communication.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, it's Bastille Day!

Back to Battlestar!

Uh, I'm pretty sure Pan's Labyrinth was rated R. It was full of blood, violence, and disturbing imagery (Read: Don't show this to your kid if you don't want to deal with the nightmares.) It was marketed as a fantasy movie, but it was more horror than anything else.

Edit: Maybe you were thinking of Labyrinth, the Jim Henson movie that starred David Bowie?

 

[Stalydan]

Dragons are cooler.

I'll tell you what's cooler than Dragons AND ponies combined.

Fezes. Fezes are cool.

And on that note, I give you this:

5 posts was all it took to get from Dragons to Time Lord Ponies. Well done internet xD

OT: I've never actually seen MLP:FIM and don't have any desire to. BUT, I do love the pony based memes that flood onto the internet because some of them have me reduced to tears of joy xD

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I know, I know, another one of these threads -- and this one is being started by a brony, instead of someone who has apparently been avoiding the internet for the past year. I'm just letting you guys know that Know Your Meme has done a video explaining the whole thing, all the way down to the article that got /co/ interested in the show in the first place.


Now can we please get a sticky?

I love how the video's creators claim that My Little Pony had a target demo of young women, and how they refer to an honest critical article as "sensationalism." Let's keep watching and see if they give us anything to debunk the articles claims, or if they just say "it's awesome and the animation is the best!" as bronies always do...

..."It may seem strange that 4Chan would latch onto such cute, childish imagery."

Has this guy been to 4Chan? The only time I ever went, the first thing I saw was some very cute, childish imagery...of kiddie porn. Haven't been back. And people are offended when others insinuate that some bronies may be pedos. The trend originated at a pedo hangout. I spoke with a friend who still goes on 4Chan, and he acknowledged the pedos: "Just don't get on after midnight."

"A mass exodus of bronies fled the persecution of 4Chan." Why, they're just like the Israelites, aren't they? Jesus.

"Some" (all) "embrace it out of irony alone."

Have you read the article in question? It was sensationalism. It wasn't an article about My Little Pony, it was an article claiming that MLP (and, by extension, The Hub) was a sign that all cartoons were going down the toilet, and the creator driven era was at an end. It just used MLP as an example, and it was an interesting enough example that it got /co/'s attention.

 

[Snoozer]

I've seen about a minute and a half of Friendship is Magic, and I loved it. But I'm afraid to watch it, in case I become a disappointment to my parents. (For the record, it was a bit where one of them gets kidnapped in a mine or something, and the kidnappers find her complaining so annoying they let her go. I think her name was Rarity or something, and she was a purple pony with a horn. Is that Rarity?)

Everything right. Did you notice how they play the Zelda treasure music when spike (the dragon) digs out diamonds?
I had the exact same problem as you and only dared to watch it when I came home late and drunk. Believe me you are not the only one, there was even a meme: " nobody at home - watch pony" (instead of porn). I would recomment you to watch it anyways, my parents still don't know, they took the pony desktop as one of those crazy internet memes that they are and that's it. To break a (unnecessary) taboo is part of the fun.

 

[Keepeas]

you are gushing over a kiddy show.

Reality Check: very few animated shows AREN'T aimed at kiddies, including anime (which is why if you like anime and you're not a teenager, you're otaku).

We're all geeks here, not every geek "gets" what other geeks like, so eh. That's life.

but most geeks don't flaunt their liking of whatever it is like some kind of new coat.

in other words. PACK IT IN. IT'S A KING SIZED ANNOYANCE.

Says the guy with a Family Guy avatar. Avatars are about 90% of the "flaunting" you see on these forums, and as I noted above, A.) less of these threads are started by bronies than you seem to think, and B.) there's a pretty good reason bronies wound up being so visible.

i have a family guy avatar because it's the only one that seems to work here. so that's invalid.

A. that's not relavent

B. because they make such a big deal of themselves

Actually it is, people like you continously think that all the Pony Threads are started by us fans, they are not. And we do NOT make a big deal of ourselves, we simply defend what we like. It is people like you who continously insult, annoy, and bring us into the foreground.

Damn trolls.

Amen!
I like MLP but I don't go around flaunting my fandom.
I just defend the show when a bunch of people start hating usually with out even trying it.

But I have to admit that I was made into a brony(fan is you prefer) because of a thread very similar to this right here on escapist.
If it wasn't for one of the "What's with the ponies?" threads I might not have even tried it, let alone become a fan.

Not everypony will like the show...
but I think that those who have tried it and think it's 'just okay' are only a few episodes away from being hooked for life.

 

[Discord]

I still don't see what's the whole appeal, I mean someone I meet on XBOX was loosing there Fuc***g mind when I told him i didn't watch it (or any episode expect the first few).

I've always held fast to the theory that this is the next "in thing" the next "Internet phenomena" that will eventually be pushed aside by something new. But if it continues it will more than likely be over commercialized until the public get tired of it or some new plot twist or character will divide the fans and the interest will drop.

OT - The more I listen to MLP fans defend there "Fandom" the more i'm reminded of the Furry Fandom,

@MLP fans: Welcome to the Internet Spotlight of Judgement.. how does it feel?
HUH!?
How does it FEEL!?

^_^

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I still don't see what's the whole appeal, I mean someone I meet on XBOX was loosing there Fuc***g mind when I told him i didn't watch it (or any episode expect the first few).

I've always held fast to the theory that this is the next "in thing" the next "Internet phenomena" that will eventually be pushed aside by something new. But if it continues it will more than likely be over commercialized until the public get tired of it or some new plot twist or character will divide the fans and the interest will drop.

OT - The more I listen to MLP fans defend there "Fandom" the more i'm reminded of the Furry Fandom,

@MLP fans: Welcome to the Internet Spotlight of Judgement.. how does it feel?
HUH!?
How does it FEEL!?

^_^

I resent the comparison to furries, but we certainly seem to attract just as much contempt and fear as they do. Really though, we're more like Invader Zim fans than furries. It's only a matter of time until the Fluttershy shirts hit Hot Topic.

Edit: And that is my 3200th post, better known as my 100th post in the last couple of weeks. I should spend less time posting, and more time actually watching cartoons and playing videogames.

 

[Discord]

I still don't see what's the whole appeal, I mean someone I meet on XBOX was loosing there Fuc***g mind when I told him i didn't watch it (or any episode expect the first few).

I've always held fast to the theory that this is the next "in thing" the next "Internet phenomena" that will eventually be pushed aside by something new. But if it continues it will more than likely be over commercialized until the public get tired of it or some new plot twist or character will divide the fans and the interest will drop.

OT - The more I listen to MLP fans defend there "Fandom" the more i'm reminded of the Furry Fandom,

@MLP fans: Welcome to the Internet Spotlight of Judgement.. how does it feel?
HUH!?
How does it FEEL!?

^_^

I resent the comparison to furries, but we certainly seem to attract just as much contempt and fear as they do. Really though, we're more like Invader Zim fans than furries. It's only a matter of time until the Fluttershy shirts hit Hot Topic.

Edit: And that is my 3200th post, better known as my 100th post in the last couple of weeks. I should spend less time posting, and more time actually watching cartoons and playing videogames.

Resent you will, but tis the truth. Your fandom will grow, your fans (Bronies or whatever) will grow, it will be commercialized the hell out of (I've already seen backpacks and lunchboxes)Until it reaches it's apex and the popularity begins to fade either because something new comes along that catches everyone's attention or the developers of the show take it in a new direction and fans don't agree, argue and abandon it.

Actually I take that last one back, MLP will more than likely stay around but will be over shadowed by new stuff, just give it a year or 2. Remember how popular Spongebob-Squarepants was when it first hit? It's still around, but not as popluar as new shows but it lives on through the internet.

And for the record...

I got no beef or Anger toward the show, I mean it's a damn cartoon. My thoughts and predictions come from curiosity and observation of the internet conversation and social trends surrounding MLP; not anger.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I still don't see what's the whole appeal, I mean someone I meet on XBOX was loosing there Fuc***g mind when I told him i didn't watch it (or any episode expect the first few).

I've always held fast to the theory that this is the next "in thing" the next "Internet phenomena" that will eventually be pushed aside by something new. But if it continues it will more than likely be over commercialized until the public get tired of it or some new plot twist or character will divide the fans and the interest will drop.

OT - The more I listen to MLP fans defend there "Fandom" the more i'm reminded of the Furry Fandom,

@MLP fans: Welcome to the Internet Spotlight of Judgement.. how does it feel?
HUH!?
How does it FEEL!?

^_^

I resent the comparison to furries, but we certainly seem to attract just as much contempt and fear as they do. Really though, we're more like Invader Zim fans than furries. It's only a matter of time until the Fluttershy shirts hit Hot Topic.

Edit: And that is my 3200th post, better known as my 100th post in the last couple of weeks. I should spend less time posting, and more time actually watching cartoons and playing videogames.

Resent you will, but tis the truth. Your fandom will grow, your fans (Bronies or whatever) will grow, it will be commercialized the hell out of (I've already seen backpacks and lunchboxes)Until it reaches it's apex and the popularity begins to fade either because something new comes along that catches everyone's attention or the developers of the show take it in a new direction and fans don't agree, argue and abandon it.

Actually I take that last one back, MLP will more than likely stay around but will be over shadowed by new stuff, just give it a year or 2. Remember how popular Spongebob-Squarepants was when it first hit? It's still around, but not as popluar as new shows but it lives on through the internet.

And for the record...

I got no beef or Anger toward the show, I mean it's a damn cartoon. My thoughts and predictions come from curiosity and observation of the internet conversation and social trends surrounding MLP; not anger.

No, you're largely right, especially when you start comparing it to Spongebob, instead of furries. I still like the Invader Zim comparison better, though; has there ever been a kids show that sold more merchandise to teenagers and young adults? Talk about crass marketing.

 

[Calbeck]

aren't just sacharine sugary sweet pastel explosions with googly eyes for kids to go nuts over. The My Little Pony show is, in my opinion

I can't conclude from that assessment that you're aware of what you're talking about.

I also don't think it's the animated equivalent of Vonnegut

There is no animated equivalent of Vonnegut. But as your statement is simply another example of overstating a case by extremes, in order to avoid the obvious, I merely view it as intellectual disingenuity.

Oh well. Nothing really new on the Internet.

Pan's Labyrinth, The Last Mimzy, and Where The Wild Things Are are all good examples of kids' entertainment that are enjoyed by numerous adults, and no one thinks that we're weird for it.

Plenty of people think all of the above are weird, and that adults who profess enjoyment of same are similarly weird. Conversely, plenty of adults enjoy Warner Brothers cartoons and are widely accepted regardless of the fact that WB toons are overwhelmingly aimed at a pre-teen and young-teen audience.

They are intelligent, thoughtful films that don't insult their audience or constantly bombard them with hyperactive nonsense.

A definition of "what adults should like in animation" which neatly eliminates most of '90s nostalgia on the second basis if not the first. You clearly have a limited ideal of what amounts to enjoyable animation.

On this basis, we are simply going to have to disagree.

Also, you like BSG? Great! Dirk Benedict was AWESOME in that show (there is of course no other, and anyone who says otherwise or proclaims a love thereof is clearly mad). -

 

[Calbeck]

but most geeks don't flaunt their liking of whatever it is like some kind of new coat.

My dear Tom, that is exactly what "geeking out" IS.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=geeking+out

"3. geeking out - freaking out over something that could be considered nerdy/geeky and knowing it"

 

[Snoozer]

Resent you will, but tis the truth. Your fandom will grow, your fans (Bronies or whatever) will grow, it will be commercialized the hell out of (I've already seen backpacks and lunchboxes)Until it reaches it's apex and the popularity begins to fade either because something new comes along that catches everyone's attention or the developers of the show take it in a new direction and fans don't agree, argue and abandon it.

Actually I take that last one back, MLP will more than likely stay around but will be over shadowed by new stuff, just give it a year or 2. Remember how popular Spongebob-Squarepants was when it first hit? It's still around, but not as popluar as new shows but it lives on through the internet.

And for the record...

I got no beef or Anger toward the show, I mean it's a damn cartoon. My thoughts and predictions come from curiosity and observation of the internet conversation and social trends surrounding MLP; not anger.

I think you are absolutely right about how the fandom will develop, it's most likely to be overshadowed, then fade out.

@ your anger towards fandom: what about the fandom makes you mad? This is not supposed to be a provokant question, I would really like to know. I am a fan of the show, but I surely do not approve everything bronies do. The fandom is way to big for that and you know the bigger a fandom becomes the idiots there are in the group. Just don't let an Idiot at xBox ruin your image of a group.

 

[The Human Torch]

I watched the first three episodes of MLP: Friendship is Magic (just to see what all the hubbub was about) and I have to say it's one of the kiddiest cartoons I ever saw. I mean, it's nicely made, the voice acting is good but it's aimed at young kids. I don't get why all these adults are falling all over it, which is saying a lot since I can enjoy a good cartoon.

So yeah, not a Brony here.

I just want to say that you made it through 3 episodes, which is HUGE,
I appreciate you for trying...However many would say you watched the wrong episodes to start with.
Episode 1 and 2 do NOT represent the rest of the show.
I did not fall in love with the show after the first 3 episodes I watched--I thought it was just okay

I have no idea what made me come back to the show after deeming "just okay" but I'm glad I did.
Ultimately, what makes the show great is the Extremely well developed characters and overall design.
The show's main intended audience is younger girls, but it was created to also appeal to a much wider audience--
a show that not only entertains girls but also adults and males.
The Lead Designer, Lauren Faust, wanted to make a show that went against the stigma that 'for girls' = 'lame'.
I think she has done a beautiful job along with the rest of the crew of making a great show for all.

I understand what you mean, the first 2 episodes nearly gave me diabetes...but there is a certain draw to the show which is hard to explain.
Before I knew it I was watching an episode per night and loving every minute.

You don't have to like the show, not everyone will,
but I find it heartbreaking when somebody who likes cartoons puts this particular cartoon aside because they find it too girly or young.

I will try the rest then, and I am not too afraid to look like a big kid myself, since I got a giant collection of the Transformers (Generation 1) and Beast Wars DVD's and toys. The first two MLP episodes were just too sugary for me and I actually felt uncomfortable when my girlfriend came into the room and asked me what the hell I was watching.

 

[The Human Torch]

I watched the first three episodes of MLP: Friendship is Magic (just to see what all the hubbub was about) and I have to say it's one of the kiddiest cartoons I ever saw. I mean, it's nicely made, the voice acting is good but it's aimed at young kids. I don't get why all these adults are falling all over it, which is saying a lot since I can enjoy a good cartoon.

So yeah, not a Brony here.

I think because it's a form of social rebellion. You have these rules laid out by society, and people like to break them just for the sake of breaking them, or rather some way to define themselves, really, something to set them apart from the teething masses. You get to screw the rules through some backwards way (now THERE'S a mental image), and get away with it because you're a nerdy social outcast anyways!
And the show's kind of cute. It is the first in a long time to make a serious effort at being a really good little kids' show, rather than just a time-slot filler or toy-seller or gender-role-panderer.

EDIT: Also, it's a great way to victimize yourself, like that annoying kid who teases the big kid into attacking him and he gets in trouble, while at the same time criticizing others' lack of tolerance for other subjects, rather than just not liking it.

That's pretty much it, for ya.

I see where you are coming from, but it's just a cartoon? In my day when we rebelled, we let our hair grow, wore jackets made out of jeans material and sprayed harsh language on the walls.

...

On second thought, My Little Pony sounds less lame than that.

 

[Generalissimo]

but most geeks don't flaunt their liking of whatever it is like some kind of new coat.

My dear Tom, that is exactly what "geeking out" IS.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=geeking+out

"3. geeking out - freaking out over something that could be considered nerdy/geeky and knowing it"

you aew missing my point, most geeks don't create as big a deal for so long.

 

[Generalissimo]

you are gushing over a kiddy show.

Reality Check: very few animated shows AREN'T aimed at kiddies, including anime (which is why if you like anime and you're not a teenager, you're otaku).

We're all geeks here, not every geek "gets" what other geeks like, so eh. That's life.

but most geeks don't flaunt their liking of whatever it is like some kind of new coat.

in other words. PACK IT IN. IT'S A KING SIZED ANNOYANCE.

Says the guy with a Family Guy avatar. Avatars are about 90% of the "flaunting" you see on these forums, and as I noted above, A.) less of these threads are started by bronies than you seem to think, and B.) there's a pretty good reason bronies wound up being so visible.

i have a family guy avatar because it's the only one that seems to work here. so that's invalid.

A. that's not relavent

B. because they make such a big deal of themselves

Actually it is, people like you continously think that all the Pony Threads are started by us fans, they are not. And we do NOT make a big deal of ourselves, we simply defend what we like. It is people like you who continously insult, annoy, and bring us into the foreground.

Damn trolls.

at what point did i say that all pony threads are started by fans? i couldn't care less who they are started by.

and as for "not making a big deal" BS utter BS, you move into normal threads and establish yourslef there. and when you are defending your religion, i mean, uh.. show you main argument is that we can't judge because most haven't seen it. while true, some (like me) have seen it and your main weapon is useless. when you start up about your show innon-pony threads, that's an open invitation for flaming.

 

[Calbeck]

but most geeks don't flaunt their liking of whatever it is like some kind of new coat.

My dear Tom, that is exactly what "geeking out" IS.

you aew missing my point, most geeks don't create as big a deal for so long.

Quite the contrary: you've never heard of Firefly, right off the bat?

How about Star Trek, which was effectively dead from the mid-'60s until 1980 --- when Paramount finally responded to the Trekkie phenomenon with a new movie?

Geeks are infamous for making big, long-lasting deals out of whatever floats their boat.

 

[Generalissimo]

you are gushing over a kiddy show.

Reality Check: very few animated shows AREN'T aimed at kiddies, including anime (which is why if you like anime and you're not a teenager, you're otaku).

We're all geeks here, not every geek "gets" what other geeks like, so eh. That's life.

but most geeks don't flaunt their liking of whatever it is like some kind of new coat.

in other words. PACK IT IN. IT'S A KING SIZED ANNOYANCE.

Says the guy with a Family Guy avatar. Avatars are about 90% of the "flaunting" you see on these forums, and as I noted above, A.) less of these threads are started by bronies than you seem to think, and B.) there's a pretty good reason bronies wound up being so visible.

i have a family guy avatar because it's the only one that seems to work here. so that's invalid.

A. that's not relavent

B. because they make such a big deal of themselves

Actually it is, people like you continuously think that all the Pony Threads are started by us fans, they are not. And we do NOT make a big deal of ourselves, we simply defend what we like. It is people like you who continuously insult, annoy, and bring us into the foreground.

Damn trolls.

at what point did i say that all pony threads are started by fans? i couldn't care less who they are started by.

and as for "not making a big deal" BS utter BS, you move into normal threads and establish yourslef there. and when you are defending your religion, i mean, uh.. show you main argument is that we can't judge because most haven't seen it. while true, some (like me) have seen it and your main weapon is useless. when you start up about your show innon-pony threads, that's an open invitation for flaming.

Oh lord; trolls like you are so annoying, yet so funny when I read your "arguments." When I said that "people like you who continuously think that all the pony threads are started by us fans, they are not." was directed toward point A.) of your post. I was simply saying it WAS relevant for that exact reason.

When have I, or for that matter, others, done that? I am on these forums damn near everyday. We 'fans' keep to ourselves in our little group. However, we like to post elsewhere and rarely does it ever have to do with "ponies" unless it bothers you that we like to day fillies, gentlecolts, or everypony in which case get the fuck over it. You don't see me bashing you for not even ATTEMPTING to use correct grammar or punctuation. When we DO bring up the show, it is usually just to relay a message because that is what is most prevalent in our lives right now. IE COMPARISON. (I really don't need to tell you what that word means, right?) Most of the time those who continuously bring up the show or use image macros are TROLLS. If you want to see a troll, look in the mirror, I thought you people knew each other?

i'm sorry but your argument makes no sense, i'm confused more than offended or whatever. and i'm not trolling, (i tend not to do that) you are just throwing words at me as an argument. think your words through before just pouring frustration onto your screen then hurling it at me.