Ponies: A look back.

[Scarecrow]

Well my fine friends, season two of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" is over. We won't be seeing anymore ponies until around the end of the year. So how have ponies affected your life? Have you held the line, staying pony free? Or have you, like me, completely given up and let the ponies wash over you, consuming you into the herd, so now it takes up almost all your free time and money? Have fun kids, and don't burn down the forums please. They don't come cheap you know.

 

[Lilani]

(a second powder puff girls)

The Powderpuff girls

Stop, stop, stop. Please. Stop. It's POWERpuff. The Powerpuff Girls.

As for me? I guess I'll get around to watching the bulk of Season 2 between now and the end of the year. I've watched about 1-6 and then the season finale episodes, so I've still got quite a bit to catch up on. Though I do like them a lot and I guess you could say I'm a "pegasister" my life doesn't exactly revolve around them, like some I know.

 

[Seydaman]

..Still working through season 1, I like to watch them with my little sister, good bonding that.

Twilight Sparkle is my favorite, she's a god damn wizard!

 

[Lilani]

Ah crap I was right the first time around. I changed it in an edit because I thought I misheard since its been years since I watched it.

Hehe, understandable.

And I think you are very right about MLP calling back to the cartoons of the '80s '90s (very much explaining why those of us who grew up in the '80s '90s love it so much), and I think I know why. There are a few cartoons out now which have hit it big, finally solidifying what cartoons are in this new post-millennium era. Things got pretty bad for cartoons during the reign of Spongebob, but now Cartoon Network is taking back the baton with Adventure Time, Regular Show, The World of Gumball and the like.

But here's the problem: Those cartoons are, for the most part, geared toward either a primarily male or unisex audience. They aren't particularly feminine. Even in the '80s and '90s and early 2000s we had shows with female main characters and feminine subject matter which flourished (As Told By Ginger, Pepper Ann, The Powerpuff Girls, The Little Mermaid, etc.). But you haven't seen "girly" cartoons like that for a while, or at the very LEAST cartoons where the main character is a female. I think it's because after Spongebob changed the paradigm, they simply forgot how to make "girl" cartoons without being sexist or having a devastatingly small viewership.

So in a desperate move to recapture and rediscover the magic of those old girl cartoons, they went with MLP and its more '90s style. And I think it's safe to say it worked, but not quite in the way they imagined. Rather than capturing a new viewership they did get a few younger kids, but mostly they recaptured the nostalgia us older people have for our cartoons which were really shoved out the door when Spongebob rose to the top, without so much as a thank you or a farewell.

 

[CruisingForBiddies]

I have watched a few episodes and I don't understand the hype. My Little Pony is nowhere near as 'funny' or 'clever' and many Bronies like to vocalise on the internet. Their argument that is is just light-hearted fun is a bit weak in my opinion but at least it is slightly more valid. Its not a bad show though... there is worse.

Its just meh.

 

[Esotera]

Yeah, I really don't get what the big fuss is about. It's supposed to be ironic/not serious but then you get people seriously discussing the show & actually getting into arguments about it. Then there's people who make graphic images out of this stuff, who are a whole different league together.

It sort of annoys me more the amount of threads that forums seem to get about it. (not badmouthing this one, as this is meta) The frequency isn't comparable to any other children's cartoon, and they're not particularly good threads or interesting.

I'll be happy when the phase finally ends.

 

[Your once and future Fanboy]

I have fallen head over heels for the ponies.
I've seen all episodes 3-5 times and almost memorized "Winter Wrap-up", "Art of the Dress" and Pinkamina Diane Pie's "Giggle at the Ghostly" song from the first double episode.
I have also 9 t-shirts that I bought from Redbubble.com (great site btw).

...And Pinkie Pie is my favorite pony FYI.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Snip

Oh, you have one example you have that you user over and over again? That's pretty neat.

Regular Show
Adventure Time
Courage the Cowardly Dog
The Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy
The Amazing World of Gumball

If you like MLP, that's cool. But say you like it, because you like it, don't invent reasons. It's annoying.

 

[Lieju]

I haven't watched all the episodes, and I'm not a big fan of the show, but I think it's good.

And I'm really glad it exists, there really are not too many shows aimed at kids with interesting and positive female role models. Or in all of entertainment.

I never was a fan of My Little ponies as a kid, but I do make custom ponies, because I like the template it gives me to work with.

 

[Berithil]

I'm surprised at the lack of fans in this thread.

Anyway, yeah I'm a fan (obviously). I didn't do any resisting when I first heard about it, probably because it wasn't everywhere. I just encountered a few memes here and there way back when I first heard about it. I'm by no means a huge fan. I don't have any merch and I'm not all that vocal about it. But I do enjoy the show immensely.

 

[Worgen]

Watched it, didn't really like it (take THAT MLP FiM fans, bronies sounds lame) animation was good though. I vastly prefer Adventure Time, It's simply ALGEBRAIC?!

This thread may go down the hateful path and when it does, i will have the popcorn ready for sharing.

Its one of those things that can take a while to get into, I conceptually liked it for awhile but could never get though an episode without needing to switch channels, really it took my friend and beer to get me though one and now I'm a fan of the series. Rarity is the best pony.
op: I still haven't watched up to the end of season 2 so I guess when I get there I will need more or something. I guess the way they have affected my life is that I have this neat Rarity 8bit looking bead thing now.

 

[CAPTCHA]

Ah crap I was right the first time around. I changed it in an edit because I thought I misheard since its been years since I watched it.

Hehe, understandable.

And I think you are very right about MLP calling back to the cartoons of the '80s '90s (very much explaining why those of us who grew up in the '80s '90s love it so much), and I think I know why. There are a few cartoons out now which have hit it big, finally solidifying what cartoons are in this new post-millennium era. Things got pretty bad for cartoons during the reign of Spongebob, but now Cartoon Network is taking back the baton with Adventure Time, Regular Show, The World of Gumball and the like.

But here's the problem: Those cartoons are, for the most part, geared toward either a primarily male or unisex audience. They aren't particularly feminine. Even in the '80s and '90s and early 2000s we had shows with female main characters and feminine subject matter which flourished (As Told By Ginger, Pepper Ann, The Powerpuff Girls, The Little Mermaid, etc.). But you haven't seen "girly" cartoons like that for a while, or at the very LEAST cartoons where the main character is a female. I think it's because after Spongebob changed the paradigm, they simply forgot how to make "girl" cartoons without being sexist or having a devastatingly small viewership.

So in a desperate move to recapture and rediscover the magic of those old girl cartoons, they went with MLP and its more '90s style. And I think it's safe to say it worked, but not quite in the way they imagined. Rather than capturing a new viewership they did get a few younger kids, but mostly they recaptured the nostalgia us older people have for our cartoons which were really shoved out the door when Spongebob rose to the top, without so much as a thank you or a farewell.

I'm one of those "don't get it types" when it comes to MLP, but that explanation made a lot of sense. Cheers.

 

[Loop Stricken]

So how have ponies affected your life?

Well, I'm not as angry a person as I used to be. This could be attributed to simply growing older, but the timing is rather coincidental if that were true.

I never was a fan of My Little ponies as a kid...

Understandable, as that show was utter shit.

 

[GamemasterAnthony]

While I'm not as big a fan as those in the "Brony" category, I can definitely get the appeal of this series. Even having what a colleague of mine refers to as a "Disney tier villain" in the season finale was a nice touch as well.

I'm presently looking into ways to integrate the reality of MLP:FiM into the reboot of my own fanfiction series. This will definitely involve a connection from Capcom-Earth to Hasbro-Earth to Equestria...but I need to flesh out a few things first.

 

[TriGGeR_HaPPy]

...
Or have you, like me, completely given up and let the ponies wash over you, consuming you into the herd, so now it takes up almost all your free time and money?
...

Eeyup, this sounds about right, except maybe the part about money. And I still have lots of time for other things too...
... Okay, maybe it's not so much me. But my mind has definitely been ponified utterly and completely: Accidentally reading words differently (e.g. "anyone" as "anypony"), constantly having the songs go through my head, etc...

Got into it around the end of april last year, just over halfway through season 1.
Don't have any merch, and only a few close friends IRL even know about the show (unfortunately, only a couple of which actually enjoy it too). But I've seen every episode at least twice, and every ep in season 1 probably at least 3 times.

Most of the music I listen to now is from the fandom. Not all, I still listen to other music on occasion, but good lord, there really are some seriously talented musicians/artists/etc. in this fandom!

Oh yeah, and I never, ever changed my avatar here on The Escapist from a pic of an F-14 Tomcat (still my computer background, however). Within a couple days of discovering FiM, my avatar changed to the one you see now. ^_^

I'm generally not vocal about it, except at appropriate times like in pony threads like these, or the group chat here (which really is an awesome place to hang out whenever I'm free ). But I do enjoy talking about it if there's a legitimate chance to...

I'd say that's probably enough detail for now... Blame the slight rambling on my tiredness, I really need sleep. Will check up on this thread in the morning.

 

[Lunar Templar]

aside setting foot in a MC Donalds for the first time in >.> like a decade for close to show accurate figures of the main 6

it hasn't, least not in anyway i've noticed (since I'm still prone to being a jerk to some one that being a jerk to me)

 

[kortin]

Well, I was a brony, but I sorta had a falling out with my brony-ness. Still love the show, but I'm not sure I should be called a brony anymore. I'm too...risque and jerkish to be able to be called one.

Seriously though, when I found the show, that part of my life was great. I was happy, problems were nonexistent, it was a really great time. I found myself able to get over obstacles with little difficulty. It was a great time and I look back on it fondly. I find myself drawing more because of it as well, to my parents delight (apparently I drew a ton growing up and was rather good, but as I've grown up, I stopped). Hell, I've even gotten to the point where I might want to start my game design career on art. The biggest problem is that I have a computer and internet. I would draw a lot more without internet...

 

[Sonicron]

What's to say? It's yet another fun cartoon show for me to watch when I have the time, but it's nowhere near a life-altering experience - at least no more so than other cartoon stuff I get nerdy about. I guess the biggest impact it's had on me is the fact that I frequently find myself hanging out in this site's MLP group chat because the people are nice. A bit loony maybe (sometimes), but nice.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

What's to say? It's yet another fun cartoon show for me to watch when I have the time, but it's nowhere near a life-altering experience - at least no more so than other cartoon stuff I get nerdy about. I guess the biggest impact it's had on me is the fact that I frequently find myself hanging out in this site's MLP group chat because the people are nice. A bit loony maybe (sometimes), but nice.

We are a bit loopy sometimes, but...


OT: It's affected me in a big way, I'm much happier now and it's reignited my taste in music. It's also gotten me about 5 more close friends, who I talk to each day. So yeah, I've been positively affected by being a brony.

 

[Fractral]

I've watched most of it over the course of the past few weeks; just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I like it, I think that the characters are good for the most part, there is plenty of humour, though some of it falls a little flat, and its an interesting diversion from the usual things I watch in my spare time. I wouldn't consider myself a Brony though, and I certainly wouldn't reccomend it to anyone- its one of those things that you probably won't like if you don't end up finding it yourself. That and I don't want any of my peers at school finding out I watch it.

And I'm really glad it exists, there really are not too many shows aimed at kids with interesting and positive female role models. Or in all of entertainment.

This is basically the other reason why I think its a good thing.