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Yes, it is. To me, girly = pertaining to girl-centered issues, concerns, and perspectives. The show was created to show young girls that there are many different ways to be a girl. At the core of each episode are issues that is relatable to young girls. Just because the dressings may sometimes be more action-based doesn't eliminate the fact that at it's core, the show is made for a young female audience. That's my opinion, as a certified Girl.

My response was quite literally "bro, what is this?" As I, an 18 year old girl, was introduced to the show by my 20 year old brother. So that, and hesitation. He pestered me for months to watch it before I finally did. And that only happened because he cornered me on spring break, lol.

MLP was something familiar for me to cling to when I moved across the country to a place where I didn't know anyone for hundreds of miles. It was my first time being truly alone, so it was important for me to have something comforting and familiar. I explored the new city for ponies - I traveled to areas I wouldn't have gone to if it weren't for the hunt for toys. And near the end of my first semester, I got the news that my grandpa only had a few weeks left to live. I needed to stay and finish my semester, but was terrified I wouldn't make it home in time and get a chance to say goodbye. Around this time, the Smile song leaked, and I really leaned on it. It helped.

I love the fact that this strange, obsessive thread is still active. I take long sabbaticals from this site, but every time I come back - lo and behold, here it is on the first page of Sugarcube Corner, with some new pondering of the texture of Pinkie's tail! I still maintain my original stance that it would be a mostly unpleasant tactile experience.

You have quite a unique infatuation...

It would probably be very scratchy. Horse hair doesn't exactly have the softest texture, unless it's like long and straight and possibly styled. And if it were all poofy/frizzy like Pinkie's? Probably not too comfortable...even if it is magenta, lol. And now that SolarFlare13 mentioned it, there are probably interesting finds in her tail. With all the sweets she would inevitably stash in there she'd probably have some level of infestation going on. Maybe this is why all the parasprites chose to follow her?

I think the main problem is that the two communities have completely different focuses. You can see it in this thread. Up until FiM, when someone would talk about G1/G2/G3 MLP, almost everyone would assume you were talking about the toys, not the show. These terms were created with the toyline in mind. It's a completely different perspective. An example that illustrates this is MLP Tales. Bronies often assume it was G2, because well it's different from MLP & Friends, so it must be G2 right? But it's actually part of G1, because came out while G1 toys were still on the shelves. Toys determine the generation, not tv show. Bronies judge prior generations based on the shows, which honestly isn't fair. Because the media has never been the point of MLP until now. I can see most bronies not caring about past generations because they're not interested in toys, and I think that's totally fine. No one should be forced to like something just because they're obligated to 'respect' it's history. But there's no need to drag the prior gen's shows through the mud, because dang...they were never the focus anyway...

This. I feel like this thread, along with others OP have posted both here and at the MLPArena, is championing a cause that no one else is fighting for.

Honestly, divides happen when people from one side go into the other side's community and tell them they're going extinct, lol. And that they don't produce enough of the right type of content (the type of content bronies make). Older gen collectors don't really need bronies to champion for them. If some bronies want to expand to the other gens that is awesome, but overall the collectors are not in desperate need of brony approval or conversion. It's great that you love the MLP franchise as a whole, but you don't need to speak for collectors so much. Both communities - collectors and bronies - have VERY different vibes. One is primarily women ages 18 to 50 or so, probably about an average of 30-35. The other is mostly male (but a large portion is female) and overall much younger. They aren't necessarily incompatible, but when someone crosses from one to the other, they have to be very considerate of the difference in culture. For instance, I can usually be far more frank here than I am at the MLPArena. Plenty of bronies have bridged the gap, and plenty of collectors love G4 too. They get along! People just need to be very mindful of the different tones of the communities.

I have a birthmark, a few inches underneath my collarbone. It's a light brown circle with flecks of darker brown, and it's maybe an inch wide. Because it looks like a chocolate chip cookie, I used to call it my cookie when I was a kid. That sounds way more inappropriate now a days though, lol.

Adding to RareBase's comment, I'm sure AJ and her family play a large role in the agriculture of Ponyville. It's less exciting than being a princess or the 'preserv[ing] happiness', but still vital to the town's every day life!

My main brony haunt back in 2011 was the My Little Pony page of Know Your Meme, and all the pony reaction images. I remember watching Pony and another super-big-at-the-time page (maybe Homestuck?) fighting for the most popular page on that site. I used to do realistic pony portraits in pencil, and my brother would find my drawings posted on KYM. I remember when neither the show nor Hasbro acknowledged us, and everyone being cool with that. And then the Equestria Girls video came (California Girls spoof), and everyone freaked out because Spike gave bronies a callout. I don't really remember anyone necessarily demanding anything of the show or having any high standards for it at that time, people just liked it for what it is. There was also the Pony Swag Megamix, which was totally awesome at the time, but now kinda cringe-y. I had no idea who any of the rappers were, and I still don't! I was really into the toys from the beginning though, so that took me in a different direction. I would go to the merch section of ponychan, and follow the huge megathread where shy bronies told their harrowing tales of going into the dreaded pink aisles - the weird (sometimes imagined) looks they would get, but it all being worth it for the brushable Pinkie Pie with the little comb and pink hedgehog! That was years before anything like the Funkos ever existed, lol. I actually do like the brushables and through FiM I've fallen more in love with older gen MLPs, but...If you're a brony and you think the merch you have now is bad, imagine how it was in 2011!

What is your MBTI type? INFP Who is your favorite pony? Applejack Which pony are you most like? Fluttershy/Sweetie Belle What type of pony is your ponysona?(If you have one) Earth Pony If applicable, how do you contribute to the fandom? I used to draw fanart back in like, 2011. Now I just lurk.

I got Pinkie Pie and Applejack GoH figures...In my very biased opinion, these are the best things Hasbro has made in years

If your funds are low and you think you would have more fun with the Nintendo Switch than five pony toys, then you should probably pass on them. You mentioned you're content with your collection. Do you feel like you've reached the point where buying the newest merch is a compulsion to you? If so, you should probably take a step back and re-evaluate. That may mean no longer following new merchandise news, and ignoring sites that often post about them.

Just curious, is the quote in the OP from Taffeta at the Arena? That sounds like her sage, UK-based wisdom

Mine was back in spring of 2011. My brother had just gotten me into the show, so I bought us two brushables - Rarity for him, Applejack for me. He's since moved on from ponies, so both are now together again in my herd.

Yes, I have and I will continue to do so! My entire G3 collection came from Goodwill over a two year period. I've also found a number of G1s there as well - two Cotton Candys, Bluebell, Firefly, and baby Crumpet Never all at once, though! I do leave behind a lot of G3s now, especially ones that are primarily pink (I just have too many pink G3s...). I don't think I've ever picked up a G4 from Goodwill. They're definitely the most plentiful, but...eh. The only other secondhand stores I've bought ponies from were antique malls. There are always G1s at the shops in my hometown, but the prices usually don't make it worth it. I usually do pick up at least one every time, though.

We've had the same few molds for years. Just because there are finally new ones, doesn't mean it's no longer G4. G1 had several different sylistic choices, and I don't see anyone calling Sweetheart Sister ponies G1.5. A few stylistic choices does not a new generation make...The changes are nothing compared to the jump between G4 and G3.5. It's a little silly to declare this a whole new, totally different thing.

The true shame with that Cadence is that whenever there's a Luna toy, they typically just make her in a Cadence mold. So if we see a reboot Luna, there's a good chance that she'll have that wonderful balloon head, yay!! The least they could have done was imply some kind of eye socket or something...

Am I the only one that's been completely blindsided by Guardians of Harmony? I found Shining Armor today and had to get him because he is too cute and cool! And he's crazy fun to play with, haha. FOR DEATH! Ser Armor humbly requests your pardon for the mess in the background.

Just straight up ponies! I don't really mess with random merchandise, clothing or even accessories. I just like the ponies! I have over 100 G1s, just as many G3s (though they're more accidentally acquired, lol), and a couple G2s. My favorites are G1s though, my most recent find was a 4-Speed at an antique store

I used to be deep in pony merch. I bought so many of the brushables and fashion style ponies starting 2011, all the Funkos, random toys, some plush. But I realized I was just collecting a lot for the sake of collecting. And it wasn't as fun. I got burned out of the Hasbro toys because of the huge dip in quality and the fact that they were all just the main six over and over, and I hated feeling obligated to buy all the new Funkos just because I had all the others. I went on a several year hiatus, and since I stepped back I realized I don't care about or need all the stuff I have. A few I still like, but I would be fine with severely culling the herd. When collecting becomes more about owning something rather than enjoying it, it's no longer fun. Or it wasn't for me.

There's also a new toy line coming out, Guardians of Harmony, which are like pony action figures. They're more show accurate than the normal brushable toys, and made by Hasbro itself. It is a shame about Funko, tho. I've been collecting them ever since the first release of Rainbow and Derpy. Funko may be more or less done with pony (not completely - the still have the pony moji things), but it looks like GoH can fill that gap. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/02/10/my-little-pony-guardians-of-harmony-exclusive/80103638/