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/