TheLeastEvil

I think some people may like the character dynamics that can be played with when two characters are stuck in some romantic relationship. It is still a very curious situation because shipping happens massively in a lot of fandoms. It might be linked to some human desire to see people linked together and not left alone. [Theory] People identify with certain characters and want to live their dream relationships through them in some cases.

That reference to body pillows was awkward to say the least when I noticed it in stranger than fan-fiction. It really caught me off guard to see that kind of thing so blatantly used without being a movie reference.

Zootopia is the real success of Disney now. It grossed a massive sum of money in its opening box office sales alone to beat Frozen. MLP may be able to compete as a well known and recognized brand as well as having an established fanbase with a large range of ages and nationalities. Good marketing will be a major factor in the success of the MLP movie in the end though so we can't make many predictions now.

The products you listed are very short from being "heavy hitters". Pokemon is actually property of Hasbro and Nintendo [it's Complicated]. MLP outperforms all of those properties (possibly even combined). They may receive more media attention but boy related toys have always had greater strength in that field. MLP is reaching further into other media, but it is an uphill battle for such an established brand. Hasbro has made a lot of risky decisions with their properties, so I'm sure they can stay quite competitive against the big boys: Mattel, Lego, Jakks Pacific.

I could see it going for a NC-17 rating to bring in more people then release the X rated one as a director's cut.

I just want to see the book from the first season (and used in other seasons) closing at the end of the cover. That would be a great resolution. The entire series will likely stay forever with the toy line. MLP is a popular brand that Hasbro won't let rot away.

I have seen many jokes about Applejack lying, :scoots: Rarity being selfish, and Rainbow Dash not being loyal. -_- I get a good laugh out of these jokes but it made me wonder what the elements mean. A theory I have is that they are not related to what the character is or how they act. Applejack tells lies a lot, Rarity does things for her own gain, Rainbow Dash leaves in hard times, Pinkie Pie gets depressed, Fluttershy acts rudely, and Twilight is not always very magical or a good friend. Instead of the elements representing what the characters are, I believe they represent what the characters value and strive for. Sometimes the things they value the most are also the things they struggle with the most just like us. If their characters were defined by the elements they may be more 2-dimensional and less approachable. Extra Note: During the premiere of season 2, Discord reverses each character's element. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash end up being the easiest to convert. That seems to correlate with them struggling with their values. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, however, live more like their elements which makes them harder to convert (especially Fluttershy).

My mother was kind of dismissive of the show when I first told her, but she saw the ABC news report on bronies and was shocked. She didn't realize there are so many fans and now she seems more likely to actually watch it.