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If bronies never existed...


The Fortunato

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As of late, I've decided to give the series another go. I've started at the beginning with the Friendship is Magic episodes, and I plan on gradually working my way through the entire series again. While I was watching some of the earlier episodes, I began wondering how different it must have been for the guys behind MLP back then. I mean, back then, they thought that their audience would be composed of young girls, and now they know that their audience is composed mainly of teenage and adult males.

 

This got me thinking... What if bronies never existed? What if we all just judged the book by its cover, and never sat down to watch an episode? Without the aforementioned male fan base, how would the show be? Would it even still be around? Where would you be without MLP? I find it interesting to dwell on what could have been.

Edited by The Fortunato
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I'm sure many fans (including adult male ones who simply separate themselves from 'bronies' even though by definition they ARE bronies) would be appreciative of there never having been bronies, and would assume the show would be better, more 'pure' and closer to Season 1's unique brand of loveliness and warmth while having just enough cartooniness to be fun and set it above previous generations of other girls' faire; but the truth is, the reason for the tonal shift from Season 1's more subdued, character-driven approach and the newer seasons' flow toward a more regular 'saturday morning cartoon' feel is I'd say almost entirely the result of Faust leaving, which had absolutely nothing to do with the bronies at all.  Sure, episodes like Twilight's Kingdom and little bits and pieces of things like Derpy existing and Bulk Biceps getting scenes in later episodes beyond just being a silly one-off joke are likely the result of bronies, but I'd say by and large the show wouldn't have been a heck of a lot different, an the staff is still trying to make little girls happy even knowing we're a huge chunk of the fanbase now.

 

In fact, the main thing that would've been different if teens and adults (male OR female) hadn't gotten into the show as much as they did, is that it would have been less popular and probably wouldn't have lasted as long.  Frankly, love 'em or leave 'em, bronies in the grand scheme of things have done nothing but good for the franchise, I'd say, no matter how much some people want to complain "but oh *cringe-worthy* this and *spaghetti* that".

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If not for the Brony community I would have never tried watching the show in 2011, and then tried again three years later which (finally) snared me ... hard. The fans definitely got the word out about the show really early on.

 

I don't believe that the fans had that much content influence though. More likely you are seeing writers and producers being self indulgent and it works (you saw this in Bugs Bunny, Tiny Toons, Chipmunks, Animaniacs, Family Guy, etc).

 

Us adults lap that stuff up

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If bronies never existed, that last Ponyball Z episode probably wouldn't have happened, among other things.

 

Oh, please. Girls can like over-the-top DBZ action as well. I actually was watching DBZ and not MLP when I was younger, and yes, for the action.

 

There's no telling how the episode might not have turned out. Tirek originated from G1 MLP, of which the elements of villains and action were largely carried on to this generation from. The action may not have been the same back then, but G1 MLP also aired before DBZ became a big thing in the West, so it didn't even have that action to go off of.

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I think... we, as a community, allowed this age to be more open. Now I could care less of the direction of the show because i'll love it anyway, regardless. But 'we' changed a course in the mind of society. That men are allowed to be feminine or like cute stuff and be open about it. Maybe not just men either, but with everyone.

 

I think, if bronies never existed then no one could truly understand openess or what truly they like and desire. The male stereotypes would stay as they were, and life would be same as before. I don't care about the 'Hasbro fan service' or even if they are doing that. 

 

The fact that we like it is enough. I think we made a landmark in society. So I think its good thing we embraced it. Maybe most of the community may not feel the same way, but, its something I feel strongly about.

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Oh, please. Girls can like over-the-top DBZ action as well. I actually was watching DBZ and not MLP when I was younger, and yes, for the action.

 

There's no telling how the episode might not have turned out. Tirek originated from G1 MLP, of which the elements of villains and action were largely carried on to this generation from. The action may not have been the same back then, but G1 MLP also aired before DBZ became a big thing in the West, so it didn't even have that action to go off of.

 

I wasn't referring to any gender in particular. I'm simply saying that If bronies didn't exist, brony meaning any guy, and girl over 10 (Let's just say), that would mean that the original targeted demographic would be the only ones watching it. I'd put any amount of money that over-the-top action would not be a part of the show, at the very least, not to the degree as was displayed in that episode. And I just want to be clear, i'm only referring to over-the-top action, not action in general.

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You would notice an increasing appeal towards the brony audience here and there starting in season two, of course. It's obvious the animators and writers needed to invest more air time and resources to show their appreciation. It's obviously changed several elements. 

 

As for would it work without bronies altogether? I think so - it definitely got good cartoon elements to make a solid show for children. 

 

I wouldn't say my life would be completely different without this show - reflecting back on it, i wasn't changed by the show but i liked it because of who i am. I like to imagine that the show complements me, adding and expanding on who i am as a person.

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If bronies didn't exist we would not know each other, and we would be much more ignorant to certain things. We would be just like anyone else who just doesn't understand bronies.

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I think it really wouldn't make a difference (other than Hasbro's profit) if bronies never existed. Just like any other fandom, if they never existed, no body will not mind it not only because it never existed, but there are other fandoms out there. If that makes sense?  :wau: 

Edited by candyowlet
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Without the fan base, i guess, there would be less references to other shows. However, I do think that it would still be around. I mean, the show is highly successful. Sure, bronies made the show even more successful but, they are not really needed for the success of the show as the target audience is more than enough to make a decent amount of profit.

 

As for where I would be, well, I would still be here. I mean, where else could I be ? :(

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I think that if bronies never existed, the show would be very different. Like the newer seasons or not, its clear that they are different from season 1. I mean, just look at Daring Do, Power Ponies and Bats. Those episodes were clearly made to entertain bronies, while season 1 had more ''down to earth'' kinda stories (season 4 also has that kinda stories, but also a lot of just weird episodes)

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Woo! I truly like alternate time theories! Here we go:

 

Probably, and just probably, the show would have ended on Season 3. Plus, M. A. Larson would not have a desire to troll a whole fandom and therefore, no Twilicorn. Just kidding on that last one, but I know for sure it would be a boring life for sure. Who dares to imagine a world without liking ponies?  :(

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As others have said here: The show would probably have ended by now. I do not think that it would have been a faliure, since there is still the originally intended target audience, but it would not have been nearly as popular.

 

As for the actual content of the show: There would probably still be a few adult and cultural references, but not nearly as many. And while I do think that the writers try to primarily appeal to young girls, they probably get a lot more feedback from bronies and therefore they are bound to be more influenced by bronies than young girls (either consciously or not), and therefore the content of the show will reflect that.

 

Where would I be without MLP? I only got into the brony fandom in januari this year, so I'm a fairly green brony, but the show have been an almost exclusively positive experience (even if it have a quite large psychological hurdle to overcome :lol: ). I do not wish to make it seem like it has been some kind of life-changing spiritual experience or something (it hasn't... yet), but it has given me a slightly more positive outlook on life.

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That is something I've thought about. I don't know exactly how much influence Bronies might have had on the show. It's possible, and maybe even likely, that a Bronies have helped keep the show running for as long as it has, and ensure the series will most likely have at least 9 seasons. I don't know if Bronies have really affected the core of the show, but it is likely that events such as the aforementioned "Ponyball Z" are nods to this side of the fanbase. The show doesn't appear to have forgotten it's a little girl's series though. Things like the infamous Twilicorn incident are reminiscent of common tropes in media marketed towards girls, and as action packed as season intros and finales can be, it's still more or less a slice of life series about lessons in friendship. So, in response to the question of whether or not Bronies have had a strong influence on the series, I'd say yes and no.

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We generate most of the attention to this show, positive or negative. Aside from younger children, most everybody that talks about MLP talks about bronies. Without us, it probably would've been another obscure girls' show that would've died by season 3.

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Without bronies I don't think the show would've failed, as it probably would have appealed to its intended child audience instead of the large adult audience it accumulated. It'd probably have kept going but there wouldn't be as many of the big, epic storylines and fandom nods thrown out for the bronies.

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We generate most of the attention to this show, positive or negative. Aside from younger children, most everybody that talks about MLP talks about bronies. Without us, it probably would've been another obscure girls' show that would've died by season 3.

 Aggreed. TO the situation room!

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