I’m hoping this’ll be the start of an all-new series on Bad Reputation, where I delve into a misunderstood, secretive, or just slightly odd subculture. Today, we\u2019re going to start with bronies.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with a little background.<\/p>\n
Once upon a time (1982), in a marketing meeting far, far away (Rhode Island), Hasbro decided to take on the My Little Pony intellectual property. They marketed it pretty much exclusively at girls. The toys were sold with world-shakingly innovative features such as brushable hair and a unique mark on each character\u2019s butt.<\/p>\n
The theme continued with a couple of animated series – in which the ponies partook in such riveting activities as going to school and dating – and even a feature film. This was pretty standard stuff for Hasbro, who had long since realised the value of getting kids involved with a cartoon. My Little Pony continued on form, with few variations on the core premise, until 2010.<\/p>\n
Everything changed in 2010. Lauren Faust, animator supreme, was roused from her cryogenic slumber. Her mission: to turn a tedious, gender essentialist franchise into something that would break gender boundaries and interest a whole new generation in animated ponies with magical tattoos.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the horse porn fanart, but we\u2019ll get onto that later.<\/p>\n
Faust lists the things that she hopes to achive with MLP:FiM in her Ms. Magazine article about the issue<\/a>. To quote –<\/p>\n
There are lots of different ways to be a girl.<\/p>\n
[…] This show is wonderfully free of \u201ctoken girl\u201d syndrome, so there is no pressure to shove all the ideals of what we want our daughters to be into one package.<\/p>\n
[…] Cartoons for girls don\u2019t have to be a puddle of smooshy, cutesy-wootsy, goody-two-shoeness. Girls like stories with real conflict; girls are smart enough to understand complex plots; girls aren\u2019t as easily frightened as everyone seems to think. Girls are complex human beings, and they can be brave, strong, kind and independent\u2013but they can also be uncertain, awkward, silly, arrogant or stubborn. They shouldn\u2019t have to succumb to pressure to be perfect.<\/p>\n
Yes, My Little Pony is riddled with pink, the leader is a Princess instead of a Queen and there probably aren\u2019t enough boys around to portray a realistic society. These decisions were not entirely up to me. It has been a challenge to balance my personal ideals with my bosses\u2019 needs for toy sales and good ratings. […] There is also a need to incorporate fashion play into the show, but only one character is interested in it and she is not a trend follower but a designer who sells her own creations from her own store. We portray her not as a shopaholic but as an artist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Lauren Faust, I think I love you. And, apparently, I\u2019m not the only one. MLP:FiM gained a fucking enormous<\/em> audience, across all gender identities. For example, let\u2019s take a look at this video.<\/p>\n