PonyMage

I agree with most of your post, but something I do want to say is that a show can and always can be marketed towards boys or girls. There are some things that appeal to girls more, and things that appeal to boys more. Not all boys or girls, per se, but each gender does have preferences in tastes. Most boys seem to like action and robots. Most girls seem to like horses and bright color. But that of course doesn't mean a gender can't like things that (usually) appeal to the other. With that said, I'm honestly a bit surprised to learn that little girls is still their primary demographic. Sure, I know the show was made with that demographic, but I honestly believed they'd moved on to "teenage show watchable for little girls." Stranger Than Fan Fiction anyone? I didn't feel like that episode was made for 6 year-old girls. It felt more teenager-y with all the snark and sarcasam going on. Heck, I wonder how many 6 year olds, male or female, know what fan fiction is lol. But then we had Cart Before The Ponies right after, and yeah... that wasn't teenager material at all. So I guess I drew that conclusion more from exceptions to the queue rather than the whole of it.

So what are your favorite moments in this show? Scenes or gags that hit you just right? Here's some of mine: Ponyville Confidential: The part where Diamond Tiara says, "No more Namby Pamby stories," and somepony says, "But Namby Pamby was a great editor!" That joke always gets me. It's About Time: When they were scouring Equestria for problems and Rainbow Dash said, "My weather ponies gave the clear from here to Las Pegasus!" That one always gets me too. I guess I like name puns. Super Speedy Cider Squeezey 6000: The part where AJ and friends lost, and AJ swallowed her pride and congratulated Flim and Flam, and then said to the townponies with tears in her eyes, "Go on y'all, it's OK." Return of Harmony Part 1: Discord's entire entry scene in the Canterlot Castle. Just excellent all around. Oh, the intro of this episode was great too.

This topic has raised some points I'd never considered. It never occurred to me Twilight might've been holding back, or that, as others have said, Twilight may not actually be the best at magic despite having it as her element. A thought I've had of my own which ties in with this is that what if the element of Magic is not magic as in horn magic, but friendship magic? Also, I've always assumed Twilight's cutie mark symbolized horn magic, but what if it symbolized unity and the magic it holds? It is not a single star but a constellation, after all. Plus she got it during the Sonic Rainboom, an event which apparently had some sort of "friendship destiny power" or... something.