Concerned Bystander

I would have liked some higher-end action figures, something like Figma, SH Figuarts or even Hot Toys. Figurines would have been good as well, I would have loved an intricately carved Prime 1 Studio (or similar) Luna. Realistically though I guess maybe the adult fanbase isn't large enough for companies like that to justify pursuing a licence.

A new t-shirt. Not that I really needed another one but sometimes you just gotta.

We already had UK PonycOnline last month since the regular annual PonyCon had to be cancelled this year. It obviously didn't quite match up to the actual event but it was good that they were able to put something together at fairly short notice.

What do I like most about Rainbow Dash? So many choices, and such riches aplenty. Rainbow Dash more than any other character got me into MLP in the first place. Back in the days when entire FiM episodes were available on youtube (circa 2012-13 or so) we used to put them on for my young daughter, and every time I searched for them for her I kept coming across the same video (linked below) titled "My Little Pony - Rainbow Dash - You're Gonna Go Far Kid [Explicit]" (I wasn't really familiar with The Offspring at this point and hadn't heard the song). I found this very curious, I had no idea that the Brony fandom existed at this point, and I couldn't figure out why a MLP video would have a warning for explicit lyrics. I didn't click on the video at the time because my daughter was there, and you know... explicit lyrics. Anyway, fast forward to the summer of 2013, and I'm in Afghanistan of all places, I find myself alone in an internet cabin one evening with no pressing need to be anywhere else and I have a sudden inclination to finally watch this video and find out what it's all about. She is an endearing character and I was pretty much immediately captivated, she is such a bold and colourful design, and equally bold and colourful in personality. I pretty much discovered the fandom in the comment section of that video and the recommendations in the side bar (Incidentally, this was around about the time I started listening to The Offspring as well). On my return home I started looking for any fan forums to try and find out a bit more, and the first place I stumbled on was a site called BronySquare. If the video was the window through which I first saw the fandom, then Bronysquare was the door through which I entered it. There came a time when we having a bit of a clear-out of the house, and my ex had decided that some of my daughters MLP toys (these were the little blind-bag style figures) had passed their time and were going to be thrown out, one of the figures on the chopping block was Rainbow Dash. I felt it was a bit of a loss for her to end up in a landfill somewhere so I rescued her and in the act of doing so acquired the first item of MLP merchandise I would ever own. The second being one of the larger Funko Vinyl figures, also Rainbow Dash. A little further down the line my ex and I split up, and even though it was a relief by that point I was nevertheless a bit down and really needed something positive in my life, and the Brony fandom certainly provided that for me and helped to buoy my spirits at a time when I needed it. In summary, Rainbow Dash may not be my favourite character from the series, but she will always have a very special place in my heart because she, more than any other character, opened the way for me to experience this fandom and all of the people, music, art, conventions and everything else contained therein. Fun fact - in relation to The Offspring's original song, the version used in this video is about 20% faster. I'm not even kidding.

Twilight wearing a saddle in 'Winter Wrap-Up'.

Twilight wearing a saddle in 'Winter Wrap Up'. That's all I'm saying.

Pretty much the whole of Lesson Zero, Twilight going gradually more and more crazy was definitely one of the funniest things in the series.

MLP should be more popular than it is? I would argue that MLP is already more popular than it ever had any right to be. MLP has been around since the early 80s, and previous to FiM it only appealed to the target audience of young girls, and maybe a few nostalgic collectors. With FiM they managed to catch lightning in a bottle and the fact that they managed to not only satisfy their main audience but also attracted a whole new audience of boys, teenagers and adults is beyond anything they could have expected in their wildest dreams.