MY LITTLE BRONY! - Loved by more than little girls!

My little Pony toys were developed by HASBRO in 1983.  They were one of the most popular toys of the 80s.  Being born in the mid 60s they were a little late to be integrated into my play routine, however their popularity has seen them survive and undergo changes in appearance to maintain their appeal.  My Little Pony saw it's popularity explode after 2010 when the fourth generation was introduced and this also followed the extraordinary success of the 2010 animated TV series.

Now I happen to have two girls.  My eldest is 14 and my youngest is 9.  Both of them loved My Little Pony when they were little, which is totally understandable - after all, they are extremely pretty and colourful and fit perfectly with little girls' love of all things pink!  But my eldest daughter has been harbouring a secret - shhh - she still loves My Little Pony and watches episodes of "Friendship Is Magic" on YouTube whenever she gets the chance!  I imagine you are still not too perturbed by this snippet of information, but what if I told you that My Little Pony is also extremely popular with teenage boys and even men!  Yes, it's true, and they call themselves "Bronies".

Bronies are boys who are fans of the colourful, plastic ponies and the name comes from a union of the words "bro" and "ponies".  Some bronies say it is the quality animation that got them hooked but other bronies say that they identify with the four-legged stars with their stunning manes because the characters of the ponies aren't one dimensional, but have backgrounds that these bronies can identify with.  (Vara & Zimmerman, 2011).  
  
 When raising the subject of "bronies" with others, frequently the question of sexuality is raised and the enquirers are usually positive that "bronies" must be gay, however the majority are straight! (Vara & Zimmerman, 2011).  

In Defense of Bronies written by Gavin McInnes (2014), he addresses the fact that a number of "bronies" are on the Autism spectrum and that the repetition of stories about honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and magic do not become tiresome to them, but are, in fact, helping them develop the social skills that many of them lack due to their autism.  He says that people with autism have trouble making eye contact, but when it comes to the ponies, whose eyes take up most of their heads, this problem is alleviated!  McInnes (2014) tells us not to make fun of "bronies" because My Little Pony is helping them improve their social skills.

No matter the age, nor the gender, it seems that My Little Pony has managed to retain it's popularity with the young and not so young.  These little colourful toys and movies and television shows that they spawn will continue to delight and provide entertainment and positive stories about life for perhaps generations to come.

My daughters are quite accepting of "bronies", and have taught me a lesson of acceptance and inclusion in the face of what I did consider a very stereotypical toy for girls, because my daughters see no problem with boys or young men loving ponies just as much as they do.  Perhaps we as adults need to be more accepting of others like our children are and like the ponies they love to watch demonstrate.


 References:

McInnes, G. (2014).  In Defense of Bronies.  Taki's Magazine.  Retrieved from: http://takimag.com/article/in_defense_of_bronies_gavin_mcinnes/print#axzz3EakZ4a4X

Vara, V. & Zimmerman, A. (2011).  Hey Bro, That's My Little Pony! Guys' Interest Mounts In Girly TV Show.  Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203707504577012141105109140

My Little Pony Images: Retrieved from:  http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_AU/

A VISIT TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Popular culture of a different kind. 

 I recently had the experience of visiting Papua New Guinea and decided I would write about my experience and observations of the young people I met and what they did "for fun".  Travelling to Papua New Guinea on a Cruise ship certainly involves no hardship and also removes the harsh confrontation of poverty that is laid bare before you.  However, there is a contentment and happiness that is tangible in the children and young adults that we came across. 

 Arriving in the mainland town of Alotau, Milne Bay Province, we are met by a lovely group of eight year old girls who are eager to have their photographs taken.  They have been working with their mothers for the morning preparing food for the tourists and are now enjoying some free time.  There are no ipods or ipads, instead the girls talk, laugh and sing together before being called back to help once again.  

Just in front of us is a local dance group, performing their traditional dance.  Big bright toothy smiles and costumes bright red.  The young boys love the fact that they are able jump out in front of people and scare them during the dance.  And there are my two girls - completely bewildered by the happiness around them without an electrical gadget to be seen!  Replacing electronic media the young people are busy making traditional wood carvings of ebony; woven bags made of sago or banana leaf; and hand woven string bags made from wool that is spun by rubbing two sections of wool together on their legs rather than a spinning wheel!  Girls work together and learn their mothers' crafts and boys learn wood carving.  

Although these people appear poor in our eyes, and are devoid of western popular culture, it was evident that what my children turn to for entertainment is not necessarily a recipe for happiness.  Playing with a ball in the water; swimming; catching fish; and spending time with one another laughing and telling stories meant these children's lives were richer because they were participating in life, not just watching it tick by on a screen.  Don't get me wrong, I love using social media as much as my daughters, but observing these young people made me long for a simpler time before the distraction of mobile smart devices.  It has encouraged me to help my children reconnect with the world around them and find joy in the simple things around them.  Perhaps a walk with the dog or a game out on the street!

  

Visiting a country that does not have "western popular culture" was a reminder of how easily we can get caught up in "things" rather than people and was a poignant reminder to treasure those people we have in our lives, especially our children.  I am grateful to the people of Papua New Guinea for demonstrating happiness in the abstinence of electrical entertainment and for showing my girls that there is more to life than Minecraft, My Little Pony and YouTube. 


Photos owned by Melanie Fenn

Week 8 Blog: Interview with a young person about texts they like to read, watch and engage with.

Wow! My daughter came out of her room for this...

An interview with a young person about texts they like to read, watch and engage with.

Interviewee: My daughter who is 14 years and 5 months old.

When I was 14 I was never without a book, and most books were read by me over and over again.  My favourite was Go Ask Alice.  I became enthralled in the story and identified with this young girl who went from being a typical teenager to one heavily addicted to illegal drugs.  The booked served several purposes for me: one, it made me terrified of drugs - which is a great thing; two, it made me feel compassion for those who got caught up in the drug scene and helped me realise how fortunate I was.  I later went on to work with young women who were in juvenile detention centres and with drug addicts on the streets of St Kilda and also on the streets of Madrid, Spain.  That book educated me about the drug scene and motivated me to help those who had succumbed to drugs and felt there was no way out.

Time marches on and I am thankful for parents who loved reading and instilled this love in me.  During my teenage years I would dedicate myself to reading a whole author's work.  I started with Neville Shute; Stephen King; and Sidney Sheldon.  Neville Shute's stories of the Australian outback and England were a great source of comfort to me when I was 19 and living and working in Northampton, UK.  Now my two daughters find enjoyment in reading and it is exciting to see them with their heads down and totally engaged in their reading.  

For this blog I have chosen my 14 year old daughter to interview:

What books are you reading at the moment?: "I am reading the Hunger Games again, and a zombie book which is like Alice in Wonderland.  I have just started it and I really like it".

Why did you choose the Hunger Games?: "I first read it because my friends started reading it and said it was really good.  I knew the movies were being made and I wanted to read the books first before seeing the movies.  I loved the story so much that I decided to read it again".

Which character do you like best in the Hunger Games?: "I really love Katniss.  She is amazingly brave to take the place of her little sister, especially when she knows that she will probably die.  I kind of like the love story part too, and feel sorry for Gale because he really loves her but she has to pretend to be in love with Peeta to keep the people of the Capitol happy.  But Peeta and Katniss do fall in love, get married and have children, but poor Gale will always love Katniss but could never be with her as he would remind her of the death of her sister Prim because of the bomb he made".

When reading a story, do you identify with a particular character?:  "Sometimes, yes.  With the Hunger Games I really identified with Katniss because she is such a strong character and I would like to be that strong, but I don't think I would be."

Do you prefer reading the book or watching the movie?: "I prefer reading the book, because you can play your own movie in your head and have everything looking the way you want it to look".

What is the zombie book like and are you enjoying it?:  "I have just started it and am loving the fact that someone wrote a book for girls about zombie's - that is totally awesome and I am so happy to have something really different to read."

So the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree!  We both love reading and making the movies up in our head as we read along.  I am delighted that my daughter loves the smell of books new and old and that she is fascinated by the new worlds these books can take her to.  In reading other people's blogs I am alerted to the importance of nurturing reading in young children and leading by example.  I am proud to see that my young person will keep the world of print alive and pass this love on to others.