Teen boys watching My Little Pony?

[Twin2]

My son is at a friend's house tonight. He told me they are watching My Little Pony. I googled audience of My Little Pony and see that it is unexpectedly popular with young people. I do not get it. I also am very concerned. What do you all think?

[Dani H]

It's weird for sure, but My Little Pony is not just for little girls anymore ... it seems to have acquired a rabid fan base that spans all generations and genders.

This too shall pass ...

[adampjr]

Yea, don't hate on My Little Pony. You should give it a chance and see if you don't end up getting hooked.

[Scooby_Snacks]

Im as confused as you are twin. Might have to consult known teenagers to elicit information regarding this phenomenon.

[Diggindeeper]

Without123 is from the younger ones...maybe he knows something we don't.

[Scooby_Snacks]

charlotte latvala
is a freelance author who writes a humor column on family matters.

Some days, I feel completely tuned in to my teenagers.

I get their obscure references, their obsessions with pop music, their offbeat jokes.



And other days? It's like my kids are living in one universe and I'm living in another, and never the twain shall meet. Or if they do meet, they look at each other suspiciously, shrug, and walk away.

The latest thing I Just Don't Get?

"My Little Pony."

Yep, "My Little Pony," the cartoon featuring roly-poly ponies with names like Sugar Doodle and Fluffy Tail, in colors ranging from electric pink to pastel blue.The sort of thing to capture the fancy of a 4-year-old girl.

(Right now, there's a voice in my head -- the voice of one of my teenagers -- saying, "No, Mom, there's no Sugar Doodle or Fluffy Tail. There's Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and Rarity! Get it right!")

Seriously now, "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" is a recently rebooted version of the original My Little Pony cartoon from the 1980s, based on a series of Hasbro toys. It's also a new sensation amongst hipster teens and -- gulp -- college kids.

Girls, yes, but guys, too. It's a fad akin to ... honestly, I'm not sure if there's been anything similar in pop culture history.

Female fans are "Pegasisters." Teenage boys have formed a My Little Pony subculture of their own. They are calling themselves -- wait for it -- "Bronies." Get it? Pony + bro = Brony. (Really. Look it up on Wikipedia.)

The revamped cartoon apparently has some winking asides, and references aimed at older viewers. But it's still a show about brightly colored little ... ponies.

"Are you sure the ponies aren't some secret code for drugs?" I said the other day. "Like 'Puff the Magic Dragon?' "

Cue the eye roll.

"No, Mom. It's about ponies. And friendship.Geez."

So, Twilight Sparkle is really just a pony named ... Twilight Sparkle?

I couldn't let it go. "It's not some slyly ironic commentary? About ... something?"

"No, Mom." Another eye roll. "Does everything have to be ironic with you?"

I grew up on a post counter-culture diet of Monty Python and David Bowie. So yes, everything pretty much has to be ironic for me.

"Well ... I mean, a bunch of young adults watching a show called 'My Little Pony' with obsessive interest? It's ... weird."

There. I said it. The W word.

She shook her head sadly, as if she felt sorry for my entire generation.

OK, so maybe I hadn't given "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" a fair shake. So I sat down, gritting my teeth, and made it through 20 minutes of Pinkie Pie and Princess Celestia and everypony in Equestria. (See, when you're a Bronyor a Pegasister, you start saying made-up words like "everypony" and "anypony" to show that you're really part of the ponyhood.)

And I have to say, outside of a lot of really bad horsey puns, I truly still don't get it. The hipness factor is utterly lost on me.

I guess I'll never be a cool mom. At least, not by anypony's standards.

[Twin2]

Its interesting to say the least.

[adampjr]

My favorite is Twilight Sparkle. I also like Applejack.

[Dani H]

Its interesting to say the least.

No different than Hello Kitty. Welcome to cultural phenomenon that nobody has any rational explanations for.

Ever have a pet rock?

[andrew_no_one]

Cartoon ponies seem to be only the latest in a wave of distractions that occupy time that could be used to share the Gospel, study the Bible, or build meaningful relationships with real people.
Leonard Ravenhill once said that "Entertainment is the Devil's substitute for joy."

[14390876]

you could use the same argument for any number of children's activities. Entertainment is not a bad thing. Its only bad if it is all you ever want.

[Indueseason]

No different than Hello Kitty. Welcome to cultural phenomenon that nobody has any rational explanations for.

Ever have a pet rock?

Lets keep the Pet Rockz out of this,poor things!

pet rock.jpgpet rock 2.jpg

As for the Ponies, I can't say I've heard of this before, but my daughter says she has a couple of facebook friends, who are into it.As Dani says, it will pass.

blessings to you

[jayne]

The boys and even men who watch My Little Pony and collect the "action figures" (I say that tongue-in-cheek) - they are called "bronies".

It's a harmless fad - silly, but harmless - and there are no double entendres in the messages of the shows.

GADS - looking back at some of the fads that we went through as older teens and college kids in getting into the old 1950's Mickey Mouse Club and 1930's The Little Rascals that came on oldies TV stations - I don't see the harm. We had long surpassed kid stuff, but we adored those old shows and never missed an episode.

[Twin2]

It does seem harmless enough. My daughter told me lots of their peers watch it. They are not gay and actually quite intelligent and well adjusted. I guess we'll just see how it goes. My son is getting to a point in his life where he will be busier with marching band and later with driver's ed and hopefully a job. He is in church and a part of the youth group. I agree with the statement that entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. I also believe most all of us do something that is robbing us of time with the Lord, but that is part of being human. We should be looking to see what we could be doing for the Lord instead of satisfying the flesh. Then again, I'm not aware of anything that says we can't have time to enjoy things here either.

[Godslittleangel]

I remember them when I was little! But I read an article about them becoming popular. They even have clubs and conventions for the fans I guess.