Its just a kids show?

[jaime_lion 56]

So I am wondering why people post, posts saying that its a kids show and we are over thinking it? If I want to speculate on the political structure of equestria I am free to. I dont really understand why people feel the need to add posts that dont add anything of value to the conversation. Anywho anyone have any input on this?

 

Thanks

[Scootaloodle 1,622]

Well it is technically a kids show and if you want to speculate on the political structure of Equastia then feel free to, but sometimes that can be over thinking things a bit is all.

 

[jaime_lion 56]

Well it is technically a kids show and if you want to speculate on the political structure of Equastia then feel free to, but sometimes that can be over thinking things a bit is all.

 

 

 

Lol this is what I am talking about I am asking a question as to why people do this I am expecting an answer not a post restating what I am saying. Nothing against you or people that post these things it just kinda drives me crazy some days and is a reason I dont post a lot of stuff.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Well both are true.

 

Yes, it is a kid's show. It is mainly marketed towards children. Want to know what originally was set mainly for kids? Star Wars!

 

Thing is . . . kids grow up. When they do, they look back on the things they loved and analyze them a bit closer. We're only different in that we already have grown up. We're just applying that same analytical mindset to something we've only recently discovered.

 

Lucky us, the creators actually gave a damn to make Equestria interesting to analyze. (Then again, if they hadn't we wouldn't be here right now would we?)

Edited September 8, 2014 by Steel Accord

[BastementSparkle 20,323]

No such thing as overthinking. Keep analyzing, theorizing, and having fun with it. As long as you don't start trying to pass things off as fact, I don't see a problem with it.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

At it's most base form, it is nothing more than a children's show designed to sell toys and other products. It is a form of commercialization, packaged in a pretty pink pony wraping.

 

 

 

 

 

but as for analyzation, you are free to go a head, as anything can, and should be analyized in some regard.

[Jeric 46,850]

Our species looks for symbolism and meaning in almost every aspect of our lives, including our entertainment. This is how many of our collective cultures great works continue to survive in the mind centuries after the artist is long gone. Some of us take more out of FiM than was intended by the writers, or perhaps the simplicity of the show invited such thinking? I strongly feel that most art is collaborative, with the viewer or audience tasked with completing the work through their internalization. Through that process we not only get to know the art better ... but also ourselves. All I know is that by delving into the world, the culture, and the themes I see ... I enjoy the show more ... and the more it gives back to me.

 

[Kawaii Besu 28,011]

If you want to call it, it is basically a 22 minute advertisement of pony toys targeted to pretty little girls. Well, 22 minute extremely well written and played advertisements, ika nga...

 

Well, feel free to analyze the politics of Equestria. It's a free world after all...

Edited September 8, 2014 by Not Rising Shine

[Dark Qiviut 22,378]

One of my biggest pet peeves is the "it's for kids" excuse. Some reasons are it discourages critical thinking, implies how kids have no taste in content according to the people who handwave it around like a Terrible Towel, and is a blatantly ageist lie about FIM's animated product. It's not specifically a "kids' show" or "a show for little girls" (the latter being worse because the lie inherently segregates the product from other demographics, thus making the statement sexist to girls AND boys). It's a unisex, gender-neutral family show for all ages. Marketed to people five and up, targeted to kids' guardians. It's been this since Faust developed the generation, and it hasn't changed. The fact the excuse is so rampant is why I wrote this journal.

 

Every product is forever subject to analysis and critical thinking, and FIM's animated product is no exception. If you want to analyze character personalities, worldbuilding, character conversations, do so. There are various symbols, pop culture references, depth in the characters, and open-endedness of the canon to make people want to analyze it, make it sensible, expand it, and make it feel complete. There's plenty of quality in the show (the good, bad, and in between), and it's ridiculous to not apply some deep, analytical energy into something you like.

 

Analyze!

Edited September 8, 2014 by Dark Qiviut

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

It's worth taking a look into what makes this show work so well. If we didn't, we'd wonder why some shows are better than others, devolve into wild mass guesses, and there'd be no standards for quality or accountability in children's television at all.

 

There's really nothing wrong with it, because if you didn't, you wouldn't know why you liked it in the first place.

[Fractured 2,684]

One of my biggest pet peeves is the "it's for kids" excuse. Some reasons are it discourages critical thinking, implies how kids have no taste in content according to the people who handwave it around like a Terrible Towel, and is a blatantly ageist lie about FIM's animated product. It's not specifically a "kids' show" or "a show for little girls" (the latter being worse because the lie inherently segregates the product from other demographics, thus making the statement sexist to girls AND boys). It's a unisex, gender-neutral family show for all ages. Marketed to people five and up, targeted to kids' guardians. It's been this since Faust developed the generation, and it hasn't changed. The fact the excuse is so rampant is why I wrote this journal.

 

Every product is forever subject to analysis and critical thinking, and FIM's animated product is no exception. If you want to analyze character personalities, worldbuilding, character conversations, do so. There are various symbols, pop culture references, depth in the characters, and open-endedness of the canon to make people want to analyze it, make it sensible, expand it, and make it feel complete. There's plenty of quality in the show (the good, bad, and in between), and it's ridiculous to not apply some deep, analytical energy into something you like.

 

Analyze!

^This.

Also, it's a thing people say when they they run out of solid counters to an argument. It's the MLP version of Godwin's law; once you use it, you've already lost.

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Fans speculating about deeper meanings or possibilities in the characters and situations we've seen is fine and dandy. I have no problem with it.

 

I only tell people "It's a kids show" when they start wondering why the writers don't incorporate more mature themes best left to the fans into the show itself.

[Jangocoolguy 433]

Yes, but one with enough good quality a grown can enjoy it like the best cartoons

[Samurai Equine 50,893]

Sorry, but that is the "sad" truth. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a children's TV show. It is made for children, or more specifically, little girls. That is the target audience they are trying to entertain. That is the target demographic that they sell most of their toys and merchandise to.

 

Yes, it's great that the show has attracted fans of all ages. If a show is well made and doesn't talk down to it's audience, it will do that many times over. But the people at Hasbro and DHX didn't make this show for us, they made it for little girls. They might be HAPPY that bronies and pegasisters are watching it and buying the merchandise, they might even throw some fanservice our way just to thank us for the support, but that will NEVER change who the intended audience for the show is.

 

And when something is made for a certain audience, it will always have an effect on the quality of the show. Watch some critics on Youtube, read some of the analyzing comments here. You will find that there are times where the show cuts corners and lets its story quality drop. Why? Because it's a kids show. Most kids won't care as much as the rest of us will, and the creators of the show know this. Even if we are analyzing and critiquing in the name of good fun, there is still the risk of over-analyzing and over-thinking the subject matter. Sometimes there just isn't a reasonable answer about every little detail, and there might never be a real answer from the show's staff or anyone. Better to just let it go than get worked up over nothing.

 

Trust me, I've gotten caught in the same trap. Sometimes, the canon and in-show details don't always see eye to eye, sometimes there are major plot holes. When we have no answer for them, all we can do is look at real life situations to fill in the blanks. And even when MLP:FIM is at it's worse, we have to remember that the show, the comics, ALL of it was made by people. Regular humans like you and me. And nobody's perfect.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Samurai Equine

[Fractured 2,684]

Sorry, but that is the "sad" truth. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a children's TV show. It is made for children, or more specifically, little girls. That is the target audience they are trying to entertain. That is the target demographic that they sell most of their toys and merchandise to.

 

Yes, it's great that the show has attracted fans of all ages. If a show is well made and doesn't talk down to it's audience, it will do that many times over. But the people at Hasbro and DHX didn't make this show for us, they made it for little girls. They might be HAPPY that bronies and pegasisters are watching it and buying the merchandise, they might even throw some fanservice our way just to thank us for the support, but that will NEVER change who the intended audience for the show is.

 

And when something is made for a certain audience, it will always have an effect on the quality of the show. Watch some critics on Youtube, read some of the analyzing comments here. You will find that there are times where the show cuts corners and lets its story quality drop. Why? Because it's a kids show. Most kids won't care as much as the rest of us will, and the creators of the show know this. Even if we are analyzing and critiquing in the name of good fun, there is still the risk of over-analyzing and over-thinking the subject matter. Sometimes there just isn't a reasonable answer about every little detail, and there might never be a real answer from the show's staff or anyone. Better to just let it go than get worked up over nothing.

 

Trust me, I've gotten caught in the same trap. Sometimes, the canon and in-show details don't always see eye to eye, sometimes there are major plot holes. When we have no answer for them, all we can do is look at real life situations to fill in the blanks. And even when MLP:FIM is at it's worse, we have to remember that the show, the comics, ALL of it was made by people. Regular humans like you and me. And nobody's perfect.

So if i'm correct, this sums up as: it's okay for writers to not try their hardest because kids are too dumb to care about what they're watching. Because of this, you should never try to question or challenge the ideas in the show, or expect them to do better.

Uh-huh.

Dark Quivit more or less told us why that idea's rubbish and insulting(both here and on his blog), so I guess i'll just show you.

Here: 

 

is where that ideology will eventually lead to if nobody says anything. When we keep our mouths shut, the creators feel no need to put effort into their work, and, eventually, we get that.

I'll also say, intended audience and "targeted demographic" only goes so far. We pay for the episodes. We buy the toys, and the playing cards, and the comics, and the merchandise. We are part of their system; to say that we don't have the right to speak out when we put so much of our time and money into Hasbro is ludicrous.

We, as viewers, have a right to question what we're watching, even more so in this case, when the intended audience can't speak up for itself. I'll go as far as I have to to make sure the shows I love don't turn into Madballs. I'm not asking them to change show dynamics, or alter it in any way. But I do want them to respect us; i'm not going to sit passively and let them think they, or any other tv show, can get away with showing their audience garbage. 

Edited September 8, 2014 by Shimmer5000

[Samurai Equine 50,893]

So if i'm correct, this sums up as: it's okay for writers to not try their hardest because kids are too dumb to care about what they're watching. Because of this, you should never try to question or challenge the ideas in the show, or expect them to do better.

 

...

 

Wow. That is NOT at all what I said.

 

I never said it was okay for the creators to just phone it in. At most, I said it tends to come with the territory. If anything, I was trying to compliment the makers of MLP:FiM. If I ever said it wasn't a perfect show, if I ever said that it still has faults despite all the MANY things it does right, that's just because that's how things are. There's no such thing as a perfect anything. Perfection is not something that can be measured; it's only a matter of personal preference.

[111111 111]

So I am wondering why people post, posts saying that its a kids show and we are over thinking it? If I want to speculate on the political structure of equestria I am free to. I dont really understand why people feel the need to add posts that dont add anything of value to the conversation. Anywho anyone have any input on this?

 

Thanks

Well, both yes and no. From the beginning it was just a kids show,a really good kids show. Then we came, the bronies. I belive that the show crew adapted to that and because of that I can really see the space to disscus this things. It all come down to who you discuss it with. I also understand what they ment by saying that you overthink, they ment that becausec it is primary a child show so they can't explain every thing in to detail,as it had been done in a regular fantasy show. That will be to complex for the kids.

[Darker 1,351]

They don't swear or insult, they don't show blood, they don't use any kind of lethal weapons, they don't use the word "kill".

 

Yup, kids show.

 

Yeah, there was a DBZ-ish battle in the S4 finale, but in G1 the some villains may have threatened to behead innocents and it was still a kids show.

 

There's nothing that really stands out to be for more mature audiences.

[111111 111]

They don't swear or insult, they don't show blood, they don't use any kind of lethal weapons, they don't use the word "kill".

 

Yup, kids show.

 

Yeah, there was a DBZ-ish battle in the S4 finale, but in G1 the some villains may have threatened to behead innocents and it was still a kids show.

 

There's nothing that really stands out to be for more mature audiences.

Try to look deeper it's not just about fighting and insulting. For example the show sometimes have humor that i doubt a that a kid would understand. I think that even if hasbro made it for little girls, still thought about parents of those little girls. It's more likely that the kid get toys and merch from the parents if the parents think it's a good show.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

While being a kid's show is not an excuse for bad writing, it seems a lot of time like people don't quite respect the constraints that this puts on the show.

 

An episode of FiM needs to be a self contained story that can be told in 22 minutes and not be too confusing for young children. This means that episodes of FiM are going to usually be silly stories told in broad strokes with character actions being exaggerated and over the top.

[Darker 1,351]

Try to look deeper it's not just about fighting and insulting. For example the show sometimes have humor that i doubt a that a kid would understand. I think that even if hasbro made it for little girls, still thought about parents of those little girls. It's more likely that the kid get toys and merch from the parents if the parents think it's a good show.

"the show sometimes have humor that i doubt a that a kid would understand."

Like what? It's simple silly humor, aside from the bad jokes and puns they may have made. There might be a grown-up joke somewhere, but every single show has one.

 

"I think that even if hasbro made it for little girls, still thought about parents of those little girls"

The toys didn't have an exact gender or age, and so did the shows. Heck, the first MLP show was darker than other cartoons made for boys at the time, like GI Joe or He-Man. G3(and G3.5) was the only one specifically made for girls, the others could be enjoyed by adults aswell.

[Sceethe 704]

because it is, honestly.

 

but then again: how is that an argument, for anything?

 

overanalyzing is fun, but people who do not see the fun in that try to find reasons why other people shouldnt enjoy it, either.

and fail at the very fundamental of discussion: giving plausible arguments.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

This is why whenever I make a topic I make a point to say that "just a kid show" posts are not welcome. Its just an unimaginative, boring, dismissive, and frankly insulting way to reply to a thread the op put effort into.. I would rather my thread be dead on arrival with no replies at all then have posts as thoughtless as this.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

I don't even need to debunk this argument since everyone else does it. I'm really no against someone analyzing mlp since I subscribed to a few people who do. I just avoid the ones who I find either too negative or too nitpicky. I usually get a bad vibe from those types anyway since it feels like some criticisms

Just get a little too rediculous.

[111111 111]

While being a kid's show is not an excuse for bad writing, it seems a lot of time like people don't quite respect the constraints that this puts on the show.

 

An episode of FiM needs to be a self contained story that can be told in 22 minutes and not be too confusing for young children. This means that episodes of FiM are going to usually be silly stories told in broad strokes with character actions being exaggerated and over the top.

Well guess I´m a child at heart becuase that is how I like it, yeah!