I’m sure by now some of you folks have heard, they’ve done a re-make of the classic 80s cartoon My Little Pony.
It’s cute. Pink. Rainbows. Hearts. Giggly girls.
And it’s good.
It’s actually intelligently-written, designed to be watched by the Target Audience, but not bore any Parental Units who are watching with them. Lauren Faust, the designer of the show, absolutely detested the sacchrine-sweet 80s version, and set out to make something that kicked ass. She’d worked on Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends as well as the Powerpuff Girls, so… yeah.
Where before there was giggling at silly outfits, there is now actual comedy. Where once was endless tea parties and princesses, there is now action and adventure.
The scary thing is that the fastest-growing group who watches My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic… is guys. 18-35-year olds. The REALLY scary thing is that some of the most hard-bitten, cynical rotten bastards of 4chan have… well.. been transformed. Something about the sheer innocent joy of it has cracked their dark hearts, and made them actually realize just how awesome being nice can be. Thus have been born the ‘Bronies’. The (foreign) media takes notice!
Suddenly, pink means cool parties, rainbows are awesome, and everypony respects the Princess. It’s THAT good.
Additionally, the creators have taken notice of their unexpected fanbase. An animation ‘goof’ in the backround - a pegasus with crossed eyes - became a fan favorite, despite appearing for only seconds at a time, and her only line is ‘Muffins!’. The creators saw all the love that ‘Derpy Hooves’ was getting, and have begun deliberately putting her into the show. Thusly.
There’s been even more love for the adult fans. The Season Two premier episode had John Delancie playing the villian Discord. For those unfamiliar with the name, he played Q on Star Trek… and that’s pretty much what Discord was - an omnipotent trickster. He even did the finger-snap. Also included in the episode was Chocolate Rain, another internet meme, as well as Star Wars references. “Your overconfidence is your weakness.” “Your faith in your friends is yours.” as well as… well, a certain ending. (note brief cameo of Derpy - it’s like Where’s Waldo now)
They’re trying to get Weird Al to do some voice work for them.
The incredible part is the amount of creativity the fans are showing. Yutube videos of remixed pony tunes are numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands. There are people working on games. There are even people doing animated Doctor Who.. er, Doctor Whooves crossover cartoons. Yes, that’s Derpy. Again, one of the background ponies - a chestnut colt with Tennet’s hair and an hourglass mark - becomes a fan favorite.
So yes.. if you hadn’t guessed, I’m a fan. It’s just… well… It makes me smile, and that’s something I’ve needed, for a very long time. It isn’t for everyone - I’ve shown it to people who watched a couple episodes and gave a ‘meh’ - but there’s a lot of people who find it gives a little bit of sunshine in a cold, cruel world.
If you want to check it out, the episodes are usually available online. Trolls have been bugging YouTube to get them taken down (Hasbro doesn’t actually mind - free advertising for them!), so my usual go-to for the episodes is no more. Still, try this link: Episode One!
Before people ask, no, it’s not a ‘Furry’ thing. Oh, sure, there’s crossover between the groups, but the fanbase appears to be its own thing.
Oh, and before I forget: Whoever my Secret Santa is, I don’t need any ponies, but thanks anyway.
