My Little Pony is an overrated cartoon.

[Zenoctilles 102]

Oh my god, this. Even Johnen Vasquez hates Invader Zim. It had its moments, but god it wasn't nearly as funny as the fans made it out to be.

 

And now they have meme crap all over the Invader Zim stuff at Hot Topic. Makes it x2 better, right?

 

But it's hardly an Internet meme, though. And I can't name a single major fansite for Zim that still exists. Everyone congregates on either the Facebook fan page created by fans, or the official message boards on Nick.

 

Sure, there's InvaderCon coming up in July... but it's probably nowhere nearly as large as BronyCon.

[halcyonharlot 372]

But it's hardly an Internet meme, though. And I can't name a single major fansite for Zim that still exists. Everyone congregates on either the Facebook fan page created by fans, or the official message boards on Nick.

 

Sure, there's InvaderCon coming up in July... but it's probably nowhere nearly as large as BronyCon.

 

ZIM was MASSIVE three or four years ago.

 

These things come in waves, man.

[ponyvangelist 732]

Rates And Measures

 

I'll admit I was attracted to the thread because I thought it was troll bait, but the OP seems thoughtful and sincere, so hey.

 

I think there are some good points made, but some problems with the thesis and how it's supported. In particular, there are several generalizations and assumptions about the opinions of others and what motivates them, and assertions founded on personal opinion presented as if they are established facts, which they are not.

 

First, there's the matter of what "overrated" means. Overrated by who? Fans of the show may think it's the best thing since sliced bread, but fans of just about anything (including sliced bread) will tend to think highly of it, so pointing only at that means little to nothing.

 

If we go with the world at large, most people have never heard of the show, and most who do assume it's something they would never dream of watching in a million years (like I did). Just say "My Little Pony" to anyone who hasn't watched the show, and that proves the case soundly enough. I wouldn't call that "overrated".

 

When it comes to ratings, there's nothing like critics and sites that rate entertainment. Rotten Tomatoes has no ratings or reviews posted. Not overrated there. IMDb gives it 8.4/10 with some interesting demographics. Is 8.4 overrated? Reviews by critics are almost universally positive. Are they all bronies, or are they reviewing this show the way they do others?

 

Friendship is Magic, according to TV by the Numbers has excellent, even record-setting popularity among the target audience of children, and is a ratings leader for the Hub.

 

Is a show that popular really overrated? The facts suggest otherwise. And please note I'm not even referring to the show's popularity as an Internet meme, just its popularity as a TV show.

 

As for which cartoons are better, that's about as subjective as it gets. Listing shows one thinks are better as an argument is as valid as claiming vanilla tastes better than chocolate, or the color green is better than the color red. Shall we say yellow is an "above average" color at best? Not very convincing.

 

For my part, I pretty much wrote off most Western animation in favor of anime (and a small percentage of that) years ago. Frankly, most of it absolutely sucks and is absolutely intolerable to me. My favorite cartoons are mainly from the Golden Age of American Animation, and FiM is not only loaded with homages and shout-outs to the classics, but shares many qualities with them as well.

 

Enough that I, as a lifelong fan who never thought I would ever again see their equal, consider FiM to be in the same class as Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and other big-name cartoons from over a half-century ago. As a major fan of the classics, I would never profane them by holding a crap cartoon up to them, and so far, FiM is the only cartoon in recent memory I consider their equal. Granted, all this is my subjective opinion, but it's an informed opinion based on a lot of experience watching cartoons that span several decades.

 

It's tempting to look at the brony phenomenon and assume it is all there is to the fandom of the show, but despite the visibility of bronies, what's selling MLP dolls and merchandise is the market for children, and according to Hasbro, sales are up. Considering the volume of sales worldwide, it's unlikely bronies are making up the difference, given the huge difference between the populations of fan demographics.

 

For a show to become the target of Internet memes doesn't detract from the credibility of its popularity. Memes can, of course, spring up around horrible shows as a gag, and that may very well be (and probably was) how it all started on 4chan. But on 4chan, as in a lot of other Internet communities, the overwhelming memetic chatter surrounding the show is generated and sustained by fans. They're still out there, of course, but the "Neighsayers" are hopelessly outnumbered, and it's doubtful that's going to change anytime soon.

 

The show is popular because people like it. We might infer that people like it because the show is popular, but there are plenty of popular shows out there that people don't like and won't watch no matter how popular they are. Considering the stigma associated with the franchise, factors such as peer pressure and cultural perceptions actually work against the show, and make a strong argument against fans simply "following the herd".

 

We can, of course, opine as we see fit about FiM, conclude whatever we want, and disagree on pretty much anything about it -- which is fine, of course. I'm not knocking anyone for sharing their opinions, since that is, after all, what forums are for. But the hard facts surrounding the show support a lot, if not all, of the hype associated with it.

 

To miss that would be to miss the forest for the trees.

[JhonHipster 124]

To tell you the truth I think this guy Is a troll, i doubt the community would have even got close to the size it was If the only reason people liked it was becuase it was for little girls. In recent poll only less then 1/5 of the community where hipsters (people who watch for the the community and the fact it's made for little girls).

[cuteycindyhoney 13,285]

In the past few weeks, I've come to question my fascination with My Little Pony more and more. To this end, I have come to a few conclusions:

 

1. My Little Pony became popular only because people were enthralled with the idea of being a part of a fan community that surrounded a media franchise that shouldn't have had such a big fandom (outside of little girls and women in their 30s and 40s) to begin with.

 

 

 

Nope. I started watching from a clip I saw on Youtube. I didn't know about the fandom until I saw almost half of season one.

[hironakamura 126]

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

In truth, this subject has been weighed into so heavily, especially by Scootacool, that I'm not sure I can say anything that hasn't already been said repeatedly. So my response will be chock full of my opinion.

 

In the past few weeks, I've come to question my fascination with My Little Pony more and more. To this end, I have come to a few conclusions:

 

1. My Little Pony became popular only because people were enthralled with the idea of being a part of a fan community that surrounded a media franchise that shouldn't have had such a big fandom (outside of little girls and women in their 30s and 40s) to begin with.

Stop. Just stop, right there, and please listen to what you're saying. According to you, My Little Pony became popular because people wanted to be part of a large community...but how did that large community form without people being interested to begin with? This is circular reasoning.

 

Friendship is Magic because popular initially through 4chan...I can't speak as to why people were initially drawn to it there, not having been present--and you'd never catch me on 4chan anyway--but if I might hazard a guess, it was due to Lauren Faust's involvement. Because Lauren Faust had been involved so highly with Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends and involved to a certain extent with The Powerpuff Girls--contrary to popular belief she only worked on the show for a brief time--she had enough rapport with those interested in cartoons that some checked out the show because of that. It then probably did start initially as a meme but very soon grew to become far more than that.

 

I guarantee you that a good ninety percent of the fandom are fans of the show because they enjoy the show. It's not hipsterism, it's not irony. In fact, I can attest to my own experience in that I refused to watch the show for a long time precisely BECAUSE of it's large fan base. I figured it was overrated, hyped up, and that I wouldn't enjoy it if I tried it. Plus, I have terrible memories of watching the G1 show as a kid and loathing it, as well as loathing the television commercials for the toys. I only got into the show thanks to a review by SFDebris giving me my first real honest look at it, informing me of Lauren Faust's involvement, etc. I tried it and found that I enjoy it immensely. In fact, quite frankly, I am more into this show and the ensuing fanworks created through it than I have been into anything since I was a little kid growing up on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

 

While I'm proud of how this show is breaking ground, through being a girl's show that people actually like, that attracts such a massive fanbase, I definitely don't stick with the fandom out of some sense of irony. Believe you me, if I didn't enjoy the show, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't write any of the things I write.

 

2. My Little Pony is a good cartoon, but not a great one. I can easily name a few other cartoons which exceed it in terms of writing and characters: The Angry Beavers, Rugrats, Invader Zim, Hey Arnold!, Courage: The Cowardly Dog, and even Lauren Faust's own Powerpuff Girls.

This is entirely your own personal opinion, an opinion I happen to disagree with. Courage: The Cowardly Dog and Angry Beavers were both, in my opinion, terrible shows. Now, mind, a good deal of that opinion is based on their atrocious art styles, but they weren't interesting. They were dull and unfunny. Hey Arnold was a fairly decent show but I honestly don't remember much of it nowadays. Same with Rugrats.

 

And as for The Powerpuff Girls? I can tell you as a longtime fan of that show, that it isn't half the show Friendship is Magic is. It's good, certainly, but it's not nearly as good because it doesn't really have the same level of charm. It's a bit too violent and too ready to endorse the notion that some people are just plain evil and there's nothing you can do about it. Meanwhile, FIM exceeds it in quality of animation, quality of storytelling, quality of music, and even arguably quality of voice acting. As already stated by others, it wasn't created by Lauren Faust either, no matter how many people keep saying it. Her husband, Craig McCracken, created it.

 

Obviously, this is all my opinion too. I'm not trying to claim it's any more valid. But honestly, I can't look at the two shows the same way. Sure, I liked The Powerpuff Girls, but Friendship is Magic? I love it.

 

3. The way the Internet blew up My Little Pony is one reason why so many people view it through rose-tinted glasses. The show is good, but not that good. Perhaps the vibrant fan community makes people think differently, but from an objective standpoint, My Little Pony is an above-average cartoon at best.

 

Rose-tinted glasses? Excuse me? Have you not paid attention to the way pony fans are attacked everywhere they go? You want to get a good look at what some people think of pony fans? Look no further than Youtube. It's easy to find dozens of videos attacking pony fans in one way or another, treating them like garbage. We receive mountains of insults, homophobic, uninformed, and generally harsh. The worst aspects of our fandom are taken and used as a brush to tar us all. People have even been verbally attacked in public and outright assaulted over being fans. Being a pony fan has been treated by most people as something akin to being stuck in the closet, with people telling stories of how they've come "out" to their families as pony fans.

 

If you seriously believe that the world is looking at us with rose-tinted glasses, you need to get your eyes checked.

To this end, My Little Pony is overrated. Why don't other similar fan communities erupt for old cartoons? Oh right, because they have failed to become memes like MLP!

 

Nope. I think there's more to it than that. In great part it has to do with a perfect storm of circumstances that haven't really occurred for older cartoons. The internet is more powerful nowadays than it ever has been. As a method of communication and a platform for delivering and creating content, it really helps to foster this sort of community. Meme status is irrelevant. Plenty of older cartoons are featured in memes all the time. They don't become instantly popular all over again because they're not currently being worked on anymore. The fact that new official content is made for the show on a continuing basis is a large part of what keeps the community growing.

 

There's also the connection the community has between itself and the creators of the show. I can't think of very many shows with this level of popularity and connectivity between fans and creators. It just doesn't happen. We see nods to us all the time on the show, whether it's seeing a background pony like Lyra getting together on a date with Bon-Bon for a few seconds, or seeing Doctor Whooves running the timer at the cider contest. And, of course, we can't forget how we pony fans took a two second animation error from the pilot and turned it into a Where's Waldo character that appears in the background of every episode in one place or another and was finally given a voice and the name the fans had given her. True, she was altered and edited, but the fact that she was included on the show to begin with speaks of just how connected we are.

 

This community also creates bucket loads of content every day. If the internet were a street, I wouldn't be able to take two steps without tripping over a new piece of fanart, stumbling over a new well-written story while listening to the newest fan song. I have fifteen gigabytes of pony fan music on my hard drive alone. FIFTEEN GIGABYTES OF JUST FAN MUSIC. When's the last time something like Invader Zim inspired that level of creation?

 

As for whether or not the show is overrated, as others have said, whether or not something is overrated or underrated is purely a matter of opinion. I honestly don't think it is. It's a wonderful show that a lot more people really should give a fair chance to. Sure, not everyone is going to like it. Certainly not everyone is going to become a strong pony fan. But I wouldn't dream of calling it overrated, not when I enjoy it as much as I do.

[The Alpha Team 51]

I like the show because its good. So I don't think its overated

BTW so much reading

[Pony Joe 582]

I have to admit... the fanbase is the only reason I didn't stop watching after the pilot episodes.

 

However, by episode 9 I had completely fallen in love with the characters and writing, and found myself truly appreciating the show.

 

So yes, it is a bit overrated, but it's also something of an acquired taste. What seems cheesy and cliche to an outsider is jaw-droppingly awesome to a brony who's spent 50 episodes getting to know and love the characters.

[raharu 4]

You prove my point. The fandom sustains the show's popularity to a degree.

 

And yes, people do have negative opinions of MLP outside of the fandom, but within the fandom, positive feedback bounces off on everyone else who is also a fan.

 

That's called synergy, and it's fun. When more people are all doing something fun, then that's fun. It's why Woodstock 69 was a life changing event, but the typical garage band can't get five people to attend their shows even though they're playing the same songs. It's why Cupcakes, a poorly written horror fanfic, is so popular. More people = More fun.

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Well I have to disagree .... a little ...if that's okay.... I watched the show on the hub, I didn't even know Bronies existed, and I think Invader Zim was a bit more overrated (don't get me wrong, I love invader zim) I think the only cartoon that was better than MLP was Animaniacs but that show's not here anymore, and I think that the show that's it best right now is MLP

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

In the past few weeks, I've come to question my fascination with My Little Pony more and more. To this end, I have come to a few conclusions:

 

1. My Little Pony became popular only because people were enthralled with the idea of being a part of a fan community that surrounded a media franchise that shouldn't have had such a big fandom (outside of little girls and women in their 30s and 40s) to begin with.

2. My Little Pony is a good cartoon, but not a great one. I can easily name a few other cartoons which exceed it in terms of writing and characters: The Angry Beavers, Rugrats, Invader Zim, Hey Arnold!, Courage: The Cowardly Dog, and even Lauren Faust's own Powerpuff Girls.

3. The way the Internet blew up My Little Pony is one reason why so many people view it through rose-tinted glasses. The show is good, but not that good. Perhaps the vibrant fan community makes people think differently, but from an objective standpoint, My Little Pony is an above-average cartoon at best.

 

To this end, My Little Pony is overrated. Why don't other similar fan communities erupt for old cartoons? Oh right, because they have failed to become memes like MLP!

 

No offense OP, but anything can be deemed "overrated" to an extent.

The ones who consider this show "overrated", however, are only subjective fans who dislike MLP.

 

Seriously, this isn't even about overrating TV shows. Why do you think that MLP really got popular? Just because the internet blew it up? I suppose that's one reason, but take a look at why it isn't overrated and/or is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people. The show manages to convey its dialogue wonderfully through smooth animation and this is further enhanced by the fact that the characters are immensely in depth. Honestly, what other cartoon of this era can take pride in the fact that its characters are this dynamic? Not only that, but looking at the characters themselves, you could easily relate to their struggles in most of the episodes - myself included! - and this is why many people (not just bronies) like the show, because it manages to give the viewer what he or she wants. This can take form in many ways. Whether it be reminding them about the shows you previously mentioned, or it could represent some of the struggles that take place in the real world. That is why it is so appealing in general; the big issue here is that you fail to grasp the show's charm and are deeply underestimating it. Suffice to say that the fanbase is a rather big surprise, we will all admit that, but based on the aforementioned, it is no surprise that a show of such charm would attract a large (and growing, no less) number of people... and of ALL AGES!

 

You also compared it to shows from different times as well; that's just weak. To go and put something in a cartoon which would remind the viewer that this surely happened in another cartoon or some other event is one thing, but to compare and contrast a show in its entirety to another show is of a much different outlook, no less shows from different time periods. It's also rather moronic to be comparing MLP to a show which is completed: MLP hasn't even aired its 3rd season yet. There's still a lot more pony to look forward to, and while the outlook is always uncertain, rest assured that the show's immense potential will launch it to even greater heights. Because of this reason, MLP could become even better than say, the PPG.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Tom Da Diamond

[5guysburgersnfries 216]

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Edited November 13, 2022 by 5guysburgersnfries

[Jemboi 127]

I'm a female, I bucking love the show. It's not that I was ecstatic to join a community infact I joined long after I became addicted, ignoring the fact that I'm already a party of plenty of other communities. There's something different about the brony community though, even if it was fake (I'm not saying it is, I said 'if') it's still nice to see people interact so nicely as opposed to the way people talk to each other on 4chan or anywhere else on teh internetz. I felt so welcome on my first day here and it made me feel good to know there were still nice people

 

But back on topic, MLP is just a good cartoon, I wouldn't call it OVERrated but it does get a lot of attention but there's a reason for that. Sure there are really good old cartoons but MLP is here NOW and reaches people unlike the other cartoons you mentioned. I can't speak for others but that's just my opinion.

 

This is very true. People are so much nicer here. There's so much hate on the internet, This is a nice getaway.

[Rainbow Danger Dash 145]

Hasen't this been posted b4? like really?

[TwiForLife 87]

This show most certainly deserves the population it has. After all it's been a while since I've, in fact ALLof us, seen a cartoon that we all enjoyed as much as we did back in the day.

[Senor Citizen 516]

That's all very well and good, but at the risk of sounding cliche, if you dislike it that much, then just disassociate yourself from it. No need to talk about it on a MY LITTLE PONY FORUM.

[Fox 5,330]

Spongebob is a fairly liked cartoon and so is fairly odd parents. Tbh it's okay to watch any cartoon, as long as you enjoy it as a viewer.

[1Fluttershy 411]

Spongebob is a fairly liked cartoon and so is fairly odd parents. Tbh it's okay to watch any cartoon, as long as you enjoy it as a viewer.

 

In the early 00s, that would be a huge understatement.

[Ezynell 2,036]

The reason MLP became a meme was because it was so good in the first place...

[Starbrose 20]

Overrated is such a subjective term. It basically means "I don't like this as much as everyone else does." That really doesn't mean anything. MLP didn't luck out with it's large following. And no, it's not just about trolling or hype - with that logic any kid's show could have this success - but it's not. MLP is just a quality show. The shows you listed in the OP are also very quality, but they are shows that are from the past - not current. You can't compare. Internet fandoms weren't as prevalent then as someone else stated. Social networking has done wonders for MLP exposure.

 

The state of cartoons today is a sad one. It's very rare to find one that pays attention to the details in character development and plots. MLP is a breath of fresh air. And there are many factors to why it's made it big, sure.. but the underlying factor is just that it's a good show.

[roomforapony 285]

That's all very well and good, but at the risk of sounding cliche, if you dislike it that much, then just disassociate yourself from it. No need to talk about it on a MY LITTLE PONY FORUM.

 

I don't see any problem when people critique something they like. Here's a quote I found on Tumblr the other day that I think is relevant to this topic.

 

“

People believe that critiquing = not a good fan. Enjoyment of something is all or nothing. People believe that if they acknowledge something they love is problematic, then that means they are then bad people for liking something problematic.

But I mean, look at it this way. A person loves their cat. They LOOOOOVE their cat. But sometimes, cat will scratch you, or pee on your pillow or something that you really don’t like. Does this mean you are a bad person, because you love your wildly urinating cat? I don’t think so. But it is good to acknowledge that cat can be a badcat. And then maybe train it to not be a badcat. I mean, who likes to sleep with cat urine on their pillow, no matter HOW much you love that darn cat, right?

” —

glockgal: media = your cat

 

[HomuraBL 851]

I would like to say one thing. It really is unfair to compare MLP to other shows like adventure time. For one thing, both rely on different ways to make you laugh. (MLP using slapstick and light hearted humor while Adventure time uses crude humor.) Really its all about personal taste, but you really can't say its over rated.

[XMark 18]

Overrated is a bit too powerful of a word to use but not entirely innacurate. I mean, it's good. It's VERY good. It's not the best thing to ever happen to TV (that would be Breaking Bad) but it's incredibly high-quality nonetheless.

 

The reason for my obsession, I'm realizing is because it's good in a way which I didn't think that a show COULD be good. The automatic line of thinking is happy + girly + bright = lame. Somehow, a show managed to be good despite being filled with what should have been lame.

 

It's like if you never ate Japanese food, and you tried Sushi one day and really liked it. You would think it's the best food on the planet for a while because it's a new flavour. But a few months later you adapt to it and it becomes just another type of food that you have on occasion. I think I'm at that point after two seasons of MLP. Definitely still gonna watch it, but the shock of liking a girly kids' show has for the most part worn off and I can judge it more fairly now.

 

Objectively I'd place the quality of the show at about the same level as the Disney cartoons I watched as a kid in the 90s - Tale Spin, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, Ninja Turtles, etc. Or at least my rose-tinted nostalgic remembrance of the quality of those shows.

Edited April 9, 2012 by XMark

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I agree with you, OP. And I believe that some others are misinterpreting what you're trying to say, exactly.

 

Here's what I got out of this:

 

I think that MLP isn't JUST popular because of the irony of males liking a little girl's show, but I certainly think that the irony is what has propelled it to such heights that no cartoon has ever seen. Yes, I know a lot of the cartoons around are of seemingly low quality to some of you. Although I wonder if that's really just the Nostalgia Filter talking. Have any of you actually tried watching the cartoons around? If you have, you probably view older cartoons more favourably because they were in your childhood, where you weren't as critical. There may be some cartoons out there to this level or higher of quality, but ones that will never become popular. And it's not just because MLP was released when the internet was alive and thriving either.

 

With this statement, I do not doubt the sincerity of bronies. I know that the fanbase is a group of rather... enthusiastic individuals with which I honestly do not share that much enthusiasm. (I am more of a lukewarm fan of the show myself.) But I think that the show is sort of overrated. What I think has occurred is that at first, it was viewed for the irony. Then there were probably those who actually liked the show for what it was, sincerely, and they began to spread.

 

This is the part where the OP refers to "rose-tinted lenses." Whilst there are a lot of haters, there is also a countless multitude of fans spreading their rose-tinted and extremely enthusiastic views. Such intense enthusiasm is contagious. It's a human thing. Mob mentality. Everyone's enthusiasm in the fandom feeds off of itself, which has caused the fandom to spread to such enormous size. The more enthusiastic people seem, the more they become.

 

Personally, I think the reason people are so enthusiastic is because of the bright colourful happiness of the show, and the fact that these males can feel free to express their desire in something that they should typically avoid in society (feminine things) for fear of being called gay amongst a group of like-minded individuals rather than being restrained by the norm. They feel a sense of relief from this. And though they do enjoy the show for various reasons in its quality, this is why I believe the fanbase has become so huge. Not because of the show itself; but because of the mentality with which males approach it.

 

Many fans I speak to seem to see the community itself as some sort of sanctuary from the troubles of the world. A relief and a place to stay away from society's painful norms or to relieve yourself of your depressive habits. Which is unrelated to the show's quality at all. I'm not saying they don't like the show, oh no. They can sincerely like the show. But because they have this sort of emotional attachment to the community, their view of the show becomes more rose-tinted and biased. They view it in an intensely more positive light.

 

So whilst I do believe that the show is good and entertaining to watch, I honestly think that the reason the fanbase has become large to such levels is largely because of self-perpetuating enthusiasm, rather than its quality. So in a sense, though I do not like to use this word, yes. I do think it is a tad overrated.