Is MLP even for little girls anymore?

[NightGuard 251]

My little 7 year old sister likes Family Guy and Avatar: Legend of Korea, so yea I guess..

 

I'm 13 so it seems legit, I got into MLP when I was 11 or 12..

[Ashley 2,427]

But little girls can like lasers and stuff too.

Can't agree with this more.

Little girls don't always like girl stuff. When I was younger, I would only play with "boy" toys like Pokemon, Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends, toy cars, etc. I wouldn't play with "girl" toys at all. I once got a very expensive Little Mommy doll and snubbed it for a Pikachu plushie.

Today, even, I still don't like girly things. Of course, I'm less of a tomboy now, but I still hate makeup and dresses yet I love my computer. It's very hard to get me to spend more than 5 minutes in the morning on hair and clothes, yet I'll stay up all night watching youtube and browsing the internet.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the show's target audience shouldn't be considered a bunch of girly 6-10 year olds. There's tomboyish ones who watch it as well. ^^;

Edited July 26, 2014 by Ashley

[Ragnarok 52]

Imagine if MLP was actually intended to an adult harem show under the pretense of being a show targeted towards little girls.

[Clover Heart 978]

I think something being "for" a demographic and being "targeted" at a demographic are two different things. Being "for" group x implied that it's intended for them and only them. Being targeted at group x means that group x is the main focus, but they still have other audiences in mind. G3 is for little girls. (Much as it makes me gag to say.) G4 is targeted at little girls.

 

As for fights, struggles or any sort of conflict at all coming into question about being for little girls at all, well, I think that's the whole point. Again, look at G3. Hell, look at any cartoon made specifically for girls from the 80's. What happened? A group of girls giggled, tried on clothes and makeup, baked and basically, nothing that matters happened. Ever. Girls' cartoons are founded on the idea that "girls don't like conflict." If you think about it, nobody really likes conflict. However, this is in direct opposition to what makes drama and thus what makes a good story. Drama is deeply rooted in conflict, and thus, story telling as well, whether or not it's particularly dramatic, also requires conflict. This can be between characters or overcoming an obstacle, but there has to be some sort of struggle for the characters to endure in order for the story to have any meaning at all.

 

G4 aims to challenge what had typically been deemed "for girls" and push the bounds of the way animation typically handles talking to an audience of girls. Who's to say that girls can't enjoy laser fights? Who's to say that girls can't get wrapped up in a dramatic story? I think that MLP is appropriate for all ages and genders even now. There's nothing about it that makes it wrong or not alright for anyone to watch.

[Armin 168]

Just because of a small fight scene people expect the target audience to shift to bronies? Not everything revolves around the damned fanbase.

[Shanks 10,811]

Can we just admit once and for all that good really has no demographic? The whole Tirek show down was surprising but not something we are going to see very often if we do see something like that again. Little girls will always be considered when it comes to ponies but Hasbro has so far been smart enough to not alienate that audience while still keeping the newfound brony audience on board.

[AveryGamerDude 4,640]

MLP certainly isn't safe for its target audience anymore. (Damn you, Rule 34!!!) It's fine if they're attracted to the ponies. Heck, I kind of am, too. But why do their risque drawings have to be so easily accessible to little girls?!

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

MLP is marketed towards girls 2-11 primarily. The crew went the extra mile by making it enjoyable to the entire family and not insulting the intelligence of the demo it was aimed at, which so many shows find it easy to do nowadays.

 

MLP is still primarily a kid-oriented franchise. As a result, that dictates a majority of the production decisions made by Hasbro and what can and can't be done with MLP. However, thanks to the Brony fandom, the franchise has diversified to a point and started selling to this entirely unexpected new audience.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Wind Chaser

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

Well of course it is.... If it got away from being for little girls, then being a brony would be about as special as being a waffle lover.

[Jeric 46,834]

I have three nieces between 5-7 that will confirm that it is indeed still for little girls. The irony of this question doesn't escape me either.

[Dr. Frasier Crane 319]

Yes, it still is and always will be. It's just because this generations show was of surprisingly good quality, and a hell of a lot better than the previous generations, and people began to take notice. It tailors to everyone, and that's what is so good about Friendship is Magic.

The toys have more or less stayed the same though, and will always be targeted solely towards little girls. 

[Gernia 690]

I think we're going round in circles here, but yeah, the main target audience isn't really a question at this point. There is definitely an appeal to older people and males, but I don't think a fight scene like that means its intentions have changed.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

I personally don't know a single six year old. And it ranges really. Not just six year olds. But little girls can like lasers and stuff too.

 

You do realize that one of Lauren Faust's motivations from the word 'Go' was to create a show that defied, or destroyed, the dismissal cliche "that show is for little girls", right?

[Mightymags 1,053]

I personally don't know a single six year old girl that likes any of that. I only know little boys and even then my knowledge is limited.

 

My little sister is 5 and she absolutely loves MLP and she loves superhero cartoons as well. She also loves Power Puff girls, which had many lasers and explosions. 

 

I don't think they're targeting the show to bronies or older people. I think they're just writing episodes and making sure it's appropriate for kids. 

[Orablanco Account 3,706]

Why can't this show just be awesome? All this talking from everyone about who the show is made for, and who Hasbro should be appealing to and yada yada yada. Maybe, just maybe, the show's creators are using the resources, source material, and limitations given to them and are making a show that anyone with an open mind can enjoy and admire. 

 

I think this constant conversation about how bronies have no right to "take this show away from the audience it was meant for" or whatever nonsense people want to talk about, or arguing that this show has grown beyond the scope of a girl audience because girls apparently can't like good storytelling or things that kick ass is detrimental and betrays the show's attempts to just be a good show, regardless of who's enjoying it.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Little girls can like action and adventure! I've been a science fiction fan for as long as I can remember. I used to swipe by brother's VHS tapes (Gasp, how primitive!) and watch his bootleg anime too.

[Adachi 772]

Well, considering that both Bonnie and Lauren wanted to break gender stereotypes, we can see where they're going with the show. If you take the whole series into account, it has enough girly moments to keep little girls entertained, and it has enough action, drama, comedy, etc to keep adults entertained.

[Nulln 754]

Of course.  It's target audience has been for them for over 3 decades, they're not going to change it.  Their main goal is to sell toys, and little kids are the ones who buy the toys the most.  

[ShadowPirateX 600]

Girls can like Dragon Ball Z- style combat too. Besides, the fight scene wasn't really that violent (but awesome nevertheless).

[Fractured 2,683]

I don't think the phrase "for little girls" is fair. Little girls shows are based on what producers happen to think the largest demographic of girls appeal to, such as obsessing over boys and fashion. These shows have two dimensional characters and plots that don't go anywhere, characters never change, because the producers don't respect their audience enough to put any effort into these shows.

Friendship is Magic is not this show.

Friendship is Magic is a show with living, breathing characters. Their personalities are complex enough as to be human, They have quirks, they have talents, and they have flaws. The plots, while simple, have large stakes, occasionally fatal in nature. And through every episode, these characters change. They grow. They learn from their mistakes. They also have jobs and permanent responsibilities. They are mature adults, in this sense.

But they can still be girls. They are girly, in a way. They can have fashion shows and sleepovers and picnics and fight over boys. It 's not detrimental to their character, it's honest; they like to do these things. They're realistic in this regard; they're not forced to be one way or another, but instead fall perfectly within the bounds of innocence and maturity. They're human, in a sense.

I don't think it's proper to say this show was ever "for little girls". It cheats the characters out of too much when you assume they need elaborate fight scenes to appeal to audiences outside the target demographic. If you look deeper, Friendship is Magic already has something for everybody.

[Guest]

With the explosion of the brony fandom, it's likely they now target both audiences rather than focus on one or the other. They take the likes of both groups into consideration, it's not like little girls can't enjoy things that older audiences enjoy.

[UserNotFound 964]

Of course it is! And it will always be just like Transformers is aimed for boys, but as Lauren Faust said girls show didn't use to be good before, girls used to prefer boys shows cause they had more plot quality than girls' ones, so  she made FIM with an enjoyable plot.

 

I bet a lot of girls here liked cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse or Woody Woodpecker when they were younger, rather than Jem and the holograms, My Little Pony previous generations or Strawberry Shortcake G1.

I know I did! Looney Tunes > Strawberry Shortcake xD

 

I know some little girls enjoyed lasers and explosions and stuff when I was six, and I know a lot of them like them now, (I've worked in a school... The 6 year old girls talk about stuff like that just as much )

[Mr. Forest 135]

Of course it is, but it's also for all ages now thanks to Lauren Faust. The best thing about MLP now is that it is made to be enjoyed any age group, even if it is still primarily marketed to girls. The show is still "girly" IMO, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable for me to watch, nor doesn't it make the show any worse.

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

Bronies are not the reason that My Little Pony is not only for little girls. The intention was for the show to be both appealing to kids as well as adults. They did a great job at that. Power Puff Girls had a lot of fighting, and that was for little girls,too. My father did like the Power Puff Girls. Lauren Faust, unlike a lot of creators for shows for little girls, know that girls don't only like tea parties and sleep overs. She knew that little girls can also like fighting and action. I think that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a family show. It isn't only for kids, and it isn't only for adults. Besides, even if it were only for kids, there is nothing wrong with watching it. 

[Away 2,077]

Yes it is, but it's not just for little girls, even if that is the target audience. Both girls and boys can understandably like the show.