FA+
Shop
My thoughts on the My Little Pony craze and "bronies".
13 years ago
Hello, friends!
It might come as a surprise to those that have known me for a long time to learn that I'm not a fan of the new My Little Pony cartoon. I did watch the first season, but by the end of it, it had worn on me and I wasn't enjoying it. I was merely watching it in an effort to keep up with what my friends were talking about. I wasn't honestly interested in it myself. I attempted to watch some of the second season, but I just couldn't get into it. In fact, my husband ended up sleeping through most of the episodes, so I guess he was bored, too. And that's just our preference. I realize there are a lot of folks who love this new show and really do enjoy watching it. That's okay with me. I'm glad to know that people are enjoying something so much like that! Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I think nobody else should.
What's been getting to me, though, is that people almost seem to EXPECT me to love this show because I'm a life-long MLP fan. I grew up with the original toys and cartoon from the 1980's. As for art, I've been drawing MLP all my life, but in my current style, I've been doing it for nearly 10 years. And that's another thing...
I developed my style long before this craze was even thought of. I used to draw MLP almost exclusively for a little while. I realized I was devoting too much time to ponies and eventually stopped drawing them as much, and then almost not at all. I doodled some of my personal pony characters as well as some ponies for fellow fans as gifts, but I didn't do it with the kind of seriousness I had been at one point. Still, I have my own style. I don't draw like anything you would see from Hasbro or this new cartoon show, but you can still tell they're MLP's. I know of a LOT of artists who draw ponies their own way, actually, and what's unusual is that I never seem to hear anyone complaining about the style they choose to draw their ponies in. This confuses me and, yes, mildly irritates me. I can draw furries in any style I want, but it's not okay for me to draw MLP how I want? I don't get that.
And then there's the term "bronie". I'm a My Little Pony fan, not a bronie. When I fell in love with them as a child in the 80's, there was no such term. The only term that I can even really recall is "MLP mommy". That's definitely not the same thing. I see a bronie as, usually, a male fan who enjoys the new cartoon show. Maybe he isn't interested in the toy side of the craze, but just likes the show. Basically, I think of a bronie as someone who would have otherwise dismissed MLP for its girl-centered universe and otherwise girly atmosphere. I don't, in any way, see myself as being the definition of what it appears a bronie is. I'm a MLP fan. I can enjoy the frilly girly aspect of it as much as I enjoy writing fanfiction putting my personal pony characters into dark, violent situations they would never have been put into otherwise via shows like Friendship is Magic.
I have had some people be rude to be regarding my form of MLP fanart. This is something I can't say I've seen happening to anyone else. Even those who draw MLP in pornographic situations, of which I am opposed, I never seem to see this. I'm not sure what it is about folks thinking I'm part of this new craze alone and that I've never drawn a pony before (which my gallery will show you otherwise), and why my choice in style really even much matters to anyone. If you like it, I'm glad. If you don't, then why not go find something you do like? I know I've said that about a thousand times in all my years in art communities, but it will never make sense to me why people waste their time and someone else's time being rude over something they just didn't like in the first place. Then again, I have a real problem with rude people in general.
I don't have a problem with fans of this new MLP cartoon, nor do I have a problem with people preferring to draw their ponies in that given style. What I have a problem with is people who are trying to force me into a group I don't feel I belong to, and who seem to think it isn't okay for me to draw ponies like I want to. That's what I'm pretty much trying to get across here.
It might come as a surprise to those that have known me for a long time to learn that I'm not a fan of the new My Little Pony cartoon. I did watch the first season, but by the end of it, it had worn on me and I wasn't enjoying it. I was merely watching it in an effort to keep up with what my friends were talking about. I wasn't honestly interested in it myself. I attempted to watch some of the second season, but I just couldn't get into it. In fact, my husband ended up sleeping through most of the episodes, so I guess he was bored, too. And that's just our preference. I realize there are a lot of folks who love this new show and really do enjoy watching it. That's okay with me. I'm glad to know that people are enjoying something so much like that! Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I think nobody else should.
What's been getting to me, though, is that people almost seem to EXPECT me to love this show because I'm a life-long MLP fan. I grew up with the original toys and cartoon from the 1980's. As for art, I've been drawing MLP all my life, but in my current style, I've been doing it for nearly 10 years. And that's another thing...
I developed my style long before this craze was even thought of. I used to draw MLP almost exclusively for a little while. I realized I was devoting too much time to ponies and eventually stopped drawing them as much, and then almost not at all. I doodled some of my personal pony characters as well as some ponies for fellow fans as gifts, but I didn't do it with the kind of seriousness I had been at one point. Still, I have my own style. I don't draw like anything you would see from Hasbro or this new cartoon show, but you can still tell they're MLP's. I know of a LOT of artists who draw ponies their own way, actually, and what's unusual is that I never seem to hear anyone complaining about the style they choose to draw their ponies in. This confuses me and, yes, mildly irritates me. I can draw furries in any style I want, but it's not okay for me to draw MLP how I want? I don't get that.
And then there's the term "bronie". I'm a My Little Pony fan, not a bronie. When I fell in love with them as a child in the 80's, there was no such term. The only term that I can even really recall is "MLP mommy". That's definitely not the same thing. I see a bronie as, usually, a male fan who enjoys the new cartoon show. Maybe he isn't interested in the toy side of the craze, but just likes the show. Basically, I think of a bronie as someone who would have otherwise dismissed MLP for its girl-centered universe and otherwise girly atmosphere. I don't, in any way, see myself as being the definition of what it appears a bronie is. I'm a MLP fan. I can enjoy the frilly girly aspect of it as much as I enjoy writing fanfiction putting my personal pony characters into dark, violent situations they would never have been put into otherwise via shows like Friendship is Magic.
I have had some people be rude to be regarding my form of MLP fanart. This is something I can't say I've seen happening to anyone else. Even those who draw MLP in pornographic situations, of which I am opposed, I never seem to see this. I'm not sure what it is about folks thinking I'm part of this new craze alone and that I've never drawn a pony before (which my gallery will show you otherwise), and why my choice in style really even much matters to anyone. If you like it, I'm glad. If you don't, then why not go find something you do like? I know I've said that about a thousand times in all my years in art communities, but it will never make sense to me why people waste their time and someone else's time being rude over something they just didn't like in the first place. Then again, I have a real problem with rude people in general.
I don't have a problem with fans of this new MLP cartoon, nor do I have a problem with people preferring to draw their ponies in that given style. What I have a problem with is people who are trying to force me into a group I don't feel I belong to, and who seem to think it isn't okay for me to draw ponies like I want to. That's what I'm pretty much trying to get across here.
I'd say just dismiss the complaints. It can't be any worse than bronies throwing conniptions over MLP fanart that happens to be hosted on FA ('cause you know, that's one of them there icky "furry" sites).
The original cartoon was pretty lacking, but it was the 80's. A lot of the cartoons back then were kind of lacking. I think the original toys had the most to offer, though. They just had more substance. The G3 collection of ponies were interesting enough, but there was no show to back them up at all, and they refused to include male ponies, so after they force-flooded the market with a million similarly colored earth ponies, the interest in them waned.
MLP is technically furry, since it involves anthropomorphic, brightly colored horses who have their own society and do a lot of humanistic things. So it can fit in a place like Fur Affinity or some other furry centered site. I dunno why people get so upset about it. I figure, they don't like it, why not skip it? I admit I don't like the new style, but I don't go around telling everybody they're stupid for drawing ponies in that style, and I don't get mad that there's a lot of it around. Eventually, there probably won't be. It'll take a while for the craze to die down, but these things do usually pass.
The porn mostly.
You see, even if the pic is totally G-rated, because it's on one of them thar FURRY sites, there's going to be guaranteed eye-bleach, either in the comments, or description, or the avatars, or the ad banners, or linked to somebody's gallery linked to the gallery behind an avatar in the comments. Nevermind that there's plenty of squick-inducing art on DEVIANTart, where most MLP fanart is posted, it's those FURR-IEHS who are such sickos that you ABSOLUTELY MUST post a WARNING whenever linking to G-RATED MLP fanart hosted on FA.
/sarcasm
Granted this appears mostly to be a prevailing opinion on Equestria Daily, I haven't really rummaged through the other pony blogs to see if this holds up on them, but EqD is the biggest of them, so...
I'm sorry you've been hassled by over-zealous fans who want others to see it the way they see it. I can't say for certain, but hopefully they don't make up the majority of the fan base of the new series. I think behavior like that kind of defeats the idea of having a diverse cast of characters that can appeal to a variety of people, which everyone will have their own reasons for liking them.
Much like everyone will have their own reasons for liking (or not liking) the series.
Anywho, don't let them get to you. You're free to see the series as you see fit and draw what you want of the current series or others that preceded it, but you already know that. ;)
And don't forget to use the kind of logic you've shown here to counter their arguments. You'll either get them to think and possibly see your side or freak out. Either way it's should satisfying. ^_^
My experiences have been like this with other crazes, too. I tried Harry Potter and just didn't like it. I looked into Twilight and couldn't bring myself to like it at all. But, I respect those who do, even if I don't understand the appeal.
I think the over zealous fans are in the minority. I like to think that most fans understand that not everybody is gonna like it like they do, or even at all.
My favorite thing about this show? It got me more back into something I loved as a kid and haven't paid attention to in forever. X3 You know that I dabbled a bit in pony art and customs before FiM ever came out. So actually having a show to watch kind of gives me more incentive. I'm still put off by the fact that it's animated in Flash with lazy shortcuts like base ponies and random cutie marks and colors applied. But all in all it's cute and has lots of funny parts with good acting. John thinks it's the worst thing to ever be aired on TV. XD But he still tried to get me the toy while he was in Crestview hehe.
I don't have time to be imersed in the crazy fandoms of the things I like. I have a full time job and a family and life besides! Crazy nutter people!
I'm put off by it being animated in Flash as well, but traditional animation is pretty much dead anymore. Even the Japanese seem to be throwing computer graphics into their cartoons more and more often. I want to believe they'll keep their animation traditions alive, but I don't know. Something tells me they'll go full on digital before long, like everybody else did... *sigh*
The only pony toy from this show I even really kind of want is Luna. I don't particularly want her as the baby pony you see her as, though. I want her as Nightmare Moon. Sadly, I doubt they'll ever make that toy. I'd settle for a Luna, but I only want LUNA. She's always packaged with someone else, and I don't want that other pony...
Yeah, not unfortunate for me either. Something I can spend a few minutes watching and reading up on and drawing without worrying with the stupid fantards, just like Sonic. :D Meanwhile I devote my best time to my family (not so fulfilled with work right now BLEH).