An Attempt to Get Inside the Mind of a Brony
The worst thing that happens in Ponyville is that a bad pony wants to make night last longer. A griffin is mean to a duckling. A pony brags about her magic too much. In short, there are no problems, not really. Every single plot is a simple A to B format (at least from what I’ve seen) and you can almost always predict the end within the first five minutes.
That said, it’s all done very well. The characters are very distinct and the voice acting is great. The visuals are easily the most gorgeous across any animated series out these days. But not only does it fill a void left by traditional “adult” entertainment, I think it may fill a personal, real life gap for many as well.
Yes, we may be subconsciously tired of all our entertainment options being violent or crass, but I think we might be sick of our real life problems as well. Not to say this is true of all bronies, but for those dealing with particular problems, stresses or depressing issues in their lives, I can see how it can be an injection of pure joy for them, at least for twenty minutes.
This may be getting too personal here, but as a guy in my mid twenties, many of my friends have scattered to the wind. Not that we’re not still friends, but our former “group” now lives in many, many different parts of the country, and I only get to see them a fraction of the amount. I used to see them every day, but now I’m lucky if we hang out more than a few times a year.
With this in mind, I found myself getting a tiny bit choked up at the end of the two-part pilot where Twlight Sparkle becomes good friends with six other ponies with equally fabulous names. Their journey to find some lost elements brings them closer, and in the end, it’s the power of friendship that helps them defeat the dark-bringing nightmare pony. The show is well-written enough where actual bonds of friendship are incredibly believable between the characters, and as such, I can see how it can tap into a part of the psyche of a person missing their friends, or feeling lonely in general.
But even if this is true, there is a limit. There is a point where being a brony gets a little strange. As much as I was able to appreciate the show, and may finish out the season, I don’t quite understand the need to go on forums to discuss recent events on the show, go to conventions celebrating “brony-dom” or god forbid, start dressing up like a pony. I mean, if that’s your thing, more power to you, but that’s where you’ve lost me. Though this could be said about any show or movie with a cult following, it’s going to come off as a bit stranger when you’re dressing up like Rainbow Dash instead of Han Solo. One of those things does seem weirder than the other, whether that’s fair or not.
In terms of the overall trend however, I do understand it. I’m not devoted enough to call myself a brony, but sure, I’ll watch the rest of it and add it to the other 60-odd series I’ve already consumed. Experiencing something that’s nothing but pure happiness should be celebrated in today’s rather dark and gritty media climate, and it’s not as bizarre as it initially sounds.
Ride on, bronies. Ride on.
have never seen this new version of the show. I watched the original 80’s one. Going by this article, other than the art style (which I like less) what’s the difference between this and the 80’s t.v. show?
Great article. This whole bronies culture was a very bizarre enigma for me. Glad to be more informed now.
As a Brony and a devoted fan of Unreality Mag, I salute you Paul, thanks for giving us a fair and shake! =D
I’d say fairly accurate… I’ve liked the show for about a year now, picked up during season 2. I’m slightly out of your age bracket at 28, although i wont lie there’s a ton of cartoons i still watch. I do think you partly nailed down why a lot of folks watch mlp though. I like the whole hearted approach that they take, which is a nice breath of fresh air even for the new generation of cartoons. I will admit as well most of the main stream tv shows out there i do not care for. Anything with even the slight base of reality tv i can’t stand to even listen to let alone watch. When a friend of mine mentioned this show to me i laughed at first thinking like you… hmm something must be going on here. I watched it and fell for it pretty quick. All the reasons you state are what keep me watching… generally i’ll like a show if it’s got at least a few things going for it. Be it animation quality, voice actors/script, store lines, etc… if they can hit about two out of those three alone i’ll most likely like it. Now like you mention about going to bronycon and the sort… i don’t fit in that bracket. About the only things i do is watch the show and go on the mylittlebrony meme base. There are a good deal of funnies there that i get a kick out of. However there is some fantastic fan art floating around deviantart.
I grew up in a house where I loved Transformers and my sister watched MLP, which was the natural enemy. It amuses me to no end that a few decades later the worm has turned and Friendship is Magic is cooler among geek circles than what Transformers has become. Like I previously said, I just watched the two-part pilot and called it a day on MLP for now since my entertainment schedule is full. But I’m still down with most of the brony community although I’m not a part of it. If I can deal with the insanity that American otaku culture has become, I can surely find some room in my heart for Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy fanatics. Way to pony up, Tassi.
I think he gets it. I started out seeing all the funny pony memes and mashup videos and got curious, expecting something subversive but instead I just got a half hour of pure positive energy every week and got to looking forward to it.
It’s just a nice lovely little break from all the grimdark and hardcore and other such macho compound words we have floating around.
It;s cute, harmless and fun, and it makes me feel just a little bit better. I watch it and I smile and feel like a human being for a while.
Awesome. Paul, you perfectly described why I’m a brony. And just for the record, I’ve never dressed up as a pony or been to a bronycon.
I am the Adventure Time version of a brony, and I understand it completely. Some innocence in a very ugly world is sometimes needed. Great piece, Boss-man!
please dont start posting constant my little pony stuff, i have friends that are bronies and they dont shut up about it, they always try to get me to watch it, thats why i hate bronies
It helps that there is continuity in the series. While there isn’t a story arc like anime the ponies remember things that happened in previous episodes and apply them to their current problems. They aren’t stupid and they don’t need the help of a human girl of the age 13 as the ponies did in previous generations.
I’m a brony, 25 and proud of it. Of course, I’ve been watching and playing with My Little Ponies since the late 80’s early 90’s. I was hesitant to jump into this new generation of ponies, but now I freaking love it.
A fair assessment. Well put.
-A Brony
Oh I get it now, my 15 year old sister has just converted and my best friend has been a brony for a while now but neither can explain why they love it so much. Personally I can’t watch anything less innocent than the Pokemon anime but I’m fine with other people watching stuff like this especially since bronyism led to the creation of one of my favorite you tube series hotdiggedydemon’s MLP serires.
You absolutely nailed it. An excellent read. There’s good and bad parts to every fandom. Likewise, every fandom has the casual fans and the over-obsessing ones. This one is no different.
Paul, I just want to say that I really appreciate the fact that you decided to give the show a chance and try it out, unlike many others who just hate the brony community for no real reason whatsoever.
I think you pretty much got it right with the article. The show is really just a nice alternative to the typical entertainment that the people of this age group are surrounded by.
I even agree with you on the whole point that there is a limit. I would definitely consider myself a proud dedicated brony, but like Seth above me, my devotion pretty much ends with the show itself and the My Little Brony website on Memebase. I don’t go to the conventions, I don’t read the fan fics, I’m definitely not into the cosplay, etc. Of course I have nothing against the people that are into that stuff– it’s perfectly fine. They’re all entitled to their own interests. Just don’t think that you absolutely have be into all that stuff to be a brony.
Fantastic Article. I’ve been confused for a long time as to what bronies actually are and how the show was appealing (I have not taken the time to watch the show itself), so your article was very well received. Really, fantastic job.
My initial ideas about this whole craze were like yours – maybe it’s really a cartoon like South Park or Simpsons, but the “adult” humor is concealed cleverly with colorful animation and characters for children. Or maybe they’re just watching it for the sheer irony (that great word is so cheap these days) and to generate new memes.
But I think you’re right – watching this cartoon is an expression of yearning for innocence, longing for childhood that passed, better times.
And I actually think that’s sad. I’ll be bashed for this, but I think that such widespread fandom of a cartoon about ponies is a product of overfeminized culture. Whole generation of pampered man-children with first world problems hankering after the time they had even less problems.
I thought at first that Bronies were a joke; then when I found they really liked the show, I assumed it was sort of like Adventure Time or Ren & Stimpy with adult undertones that made them appeal to a huge audience, not just the kids.
I think Chronoss hit the nail on the head for me.
It’s all a little too bizarre for me and I don’t expect to “get it” any time soon, but learning about it makes me feel a little more comfortable. I will never understand all the pony porn, though. That stuff just ain’t right.
Ok, I finally get it. I can’t believe it took the internet so long to provide me with this exact type of article.
However, if that group of males really want the simplified joy that ponies provide, out of nostalgia or whatever, in order to escape from their real life problems and violent entertainment, I think we should consider the possibility that a big chunk of this generation turned out to be really soft. But since that’s the way it goes, it does seem pretty understandable that they like ponies, and way more “normal” than I thought before reading this article.
“It’s an oasis of purity in a sea of carnal sins…”
This is exactly why I watch MLP.
Watching this show actually takes me back to my own childhood watching Ducktails, Tailspin, Gummy Bears, and all those other shows that were super well written and innocent to the core. I’m 24 and if the average age is 21 for bronies then most of us grew up on Disney Afternoon television shows. I can’t recall how many times I’ve said and heard said, “Man! TV isn’t like it was when I was a kid!” My Little Pony is a return to that sort of quality we were used to. Perhaps that could be a reason as well?