mega thread The state of the Brony fandom (Numbers, Popularly, Future)

[Ninjaed 526]

Don't listen to the neigh-sayers. If you can get a new Chrysalis picture on an average of at least one every day, I think there's still quite a way to go.

[Colt 45 148]

The movie might help with that, but I don't think it will shrink significantly anytime soon. When I joined this fandom last year, I thought it was dying, but there hasn't really been any solid evidence that it has been going down. I still see lots of pony profile pictures across the internet.

[Steve Piranha 29,428]

Nah, I just think it the novelty has gone off. Now it's pretty much normal of dudes liking cute cartoon horses  . But if it's a matter of actually revitalizing the fandom when it's actually dwindling, I suppose something BIG will help...... like a 100% pony feature film  :-P . No seriously, we should've seen a trailer by now

[NeonCobalt 256]

I thought the fandom is already shrinking.

The most bronies on this forum say that the fandom shrinks ans shrinks and it's impossibles to stop this.

Trust me, people have been saying that for a LONG time, and it hasn't become any more true, if anything, it's become less true.

[The Diver 760]

A free case of whiskey with every new episode watched? $5 per new post on social media that involves ponies? Free convention admission for each new Brony?

 

Just me? Okay...

[RealityPublishing 323]

I GOT THIS! (xD)

 

1. First thing we need to do is elect new Horse Famous people. Give attention to those who really need it! 

 

2. Make more fanimations like Children of the Night / Sister's Lullaby to bring in more people and boost our Youtube Status.

 

3. Make a public scene. Sure, we have conventions, but who doesn't? Put pony stickers on our cars, wear pony tee-shirts, etc. (we need another critical Fox News Report)

 

4. Break the music scene. If it's one thing that we do best, it's make digital music. We should take advantage of that and create bigger collab tracks and introduce more musicians to bring our industry to par. 

[Cyandashie 128]

They need to make references to other trending things in the show more, and that'll do the trick.

[That Guy with the CMB 5,873]

Love it and enjoy it like the wonderful show that it is which brought many people together in unison and love and the flame will not die. Basically, even if you don't enjoy it anymore, remember where you came from. c; And instead of criticizing it or seeing its flaws or "poor writing" or whatever folks are saying these days, just watch it with the intent to appreciate it and take it as simple entertainment.

[Gestum 2,493]

Transforming the fandom into a friendly place that accepts all people would be a start.

[Flutterbattyyy 331]

I'm pretty hopeful. I think we are already going to see a revitalization. There isn't much we need to change, really. 

I've been around since the third episode of the show, so I've seen a lot in regards to the history and growth of the fandom. I believe the main reason we are not seeing the same degree of growth as in 2012 and 2013, is that the novelty factor is pretty much gone. We're just "used" to it, now; and that we aren't "new" to society and culture anymore.

 

Another reason might be that we aren't showing as much outwardly passion and excitement. While expressing our love for the show outwardly has the effect of making others hate us more (i.e. the complaint of "shoving it down their throats"), it also has the effect of making open-minded people wonder "what is it with MLP that you guys love it so much?" Example: In the Bible, it states that people should know we are Christians merely through our actions. Then they will wonder "what is it that you have that I don't have?" Then they will ask you about it, and you will show them Jesus... Of course, that is a totally different topic, but the same principle applies with bronies. People should know who we are based on our actions. This is not to say that we shove it down others' throats or act weird/cringeworthy about it. It just means that not only should we not be afraid to admit we like the show, but also be open as to why we like the show. Be confident and sincere, but don't act zealous or strange about it. 

 

 

 

 

Here are my own recommendations:

 

What to do:

• The My Little Pony Movie will come out. That will most likely bring in a whole new swath of fans to the show.
• Focus more on canon art and less on OCs.
• Have seasons 7-10+ focus more on adventure/epic story arcs and less on slice of life. We need change. Having the exact same style gets tiring. We need that novelty-factor again.

 

What not to do:

• Replace the main show.... Why break something that isn't broken? Equestria is a beautiful setting.
• Replace the Mane 6.... We've grown so attached to the Mane 6, many would be sad to see them go.
• End G4 and start G4.5/G5.
• Prioritize EQG over FiM.... We're here for ponies, not humans.
• Focus on slice of life.
• Make the rest of the Mane 6 alicorns
• No romance in the show, whatsoever; that will tear the fandom apart. (In my personal opinion, never make Fluttercord canon. CelestiaCord ftw.)

Edited November 3, 2016 by ElementalFluttershee

[EmeraldStar04 250]

Vote Trump. He'll make Equestria great again!

I used to hate that guy because he's rich and old, then I noticed that the corrupt tv news shows HATE him and love the other rich old person suspiciously much. So I looked it up and found out he's the good guy, which is why tv hates him.

 

On topic: FANGAMES!

Yes, really. Fangames! Big fangame-making projects. And get people on youtube to play those games, too.

[Snow 7,057]

If you look at something like the living tombstone's discord, you see a lot of people saying that they aren't bronies but they like the fan made content, sadly we have a lot of rubbish like r34 and kids using toys to act out stuff that the outside world sees :/ stuff like that causes a big problem for the brony community and what influences people to avoid it is the Horrible steryotype that you'd rrreeeaalllyyy need to love the show or not care about it to be a brony.

Perhaps changing our public image to have more quality and less cringe would be a good way to go in regards to revitalisation

Like pumping out more amazing fan works... The good kind not the edgy or nsfw kind. That's negative reputation building material for the fandom.

 

(In my personal opinion, never make Fluttercord canon. CelestiaCord ftw.)

Nuuuu celestia is mine!! D:< (personal opinion: don't ship discord with anypony) Edited November 3, 2016 by Ju88snow

[EmeraldStar04 250]

Did I mention fangames? Mlp fangames are the way forward.

[Flutterbattyyy 331]

If you look at something like the living tombstone's discord, you see a lot of people saying that they aren't bronies but they like the fan made content, sadly we have a lot of rubbish like r34 and kids using toys to act out stuff that the outside world sees :/ stuff like that causes a big problem for the brony community and what influences people to avoid it is the Horrible steryotype that you'd rrreeeaalllyyy need to love the show or not care about it to be a brony.

Perhaps changing our public image to have more quality and less cringe would be a good way to go in regards to revitalisation

Like pumping out more amazing fan works... The good kind not the edgy or nsfw kind. That's negative reputation building material for the fandom.

 

 

I think rather than stop the edgy nsfw stuff, we just hide it better.  Saucy is fine, though.

 

 

 

Nuuuu celestia is mine!! D:< (personal opinion: don't ship discord with anypony)

 

Haha, I'd have to agree here. I only use Celestiacord as a "backfiring" method. (Fluttershy is miiiine, not some lizard snake's! D:< )

[leonbrony17 1,216]

With...

 

Oh gosh. I love memes sooooo much.

[ChB 18,557]

We need to organize missions and send MLP evangelists, around the world

 

No, seriously, we can make better quality fan-made content, as well as be more kind and respectful to Non-Bronies. 

[Ninjaed 526]

Emerald's idea isn't half-bad at all. If you want people to get to know something different, stay in their comfort zone. If they like what they see while in their comfort zone, they'll naturally seek out more of it. It can be with games yes, or with music. The new toy line is also taking a step in that direction, trying to show it may have been created for little girls, but it's not just them who can enjoy MLP.

 

Currently, there's the assumption that "MLP is for little girls, I won't watch something that dumb". Same thing plagues the PG-rating, with Frozen (among others) having to resort to including a line or two to show they're "edgy" to get a PG instead of a G rating. I recommend watching Nostalgia Critic's video on PG-rating actually, very interesting video.

 

Anyway, once this assumption has been swept under the rug, more people will be curious as to what's so great about MLP. Maybe they'll start looking for fanworks, maybe they'll start watching the movie or some episodes. Regardless, they'll be making that oh so very important first step.

[Denim&Venöm 19,095]

Probably one of the more debated aspects of the fandom among Bronies is if the collective is growing, shrinking or has plateaued.  

 

If the attendance of this years Bronycon is any indication, it's shrinking, as it went from a record setting 10,000 attendees last year, to 7,600. A 24% drop in 11 months. 

 

However, the last con I was at, Ponyville Ciderfest in Milwaukee, saw a growth in attendees, from 1000 to 1100, suggesting some growth. 

 

There was a spike several years back during S3, but then declines following not one but two long hiatuses prior to S4 & S5 respectively. Now it soudns like fans are gettign back in and that the EQG franchise has attracted some people. Seems to be a mixed trend.

 

 

What do you think? Overall is the fandom growing, shrinking or staying the same?

Edited November 12, 2016 by Denim&Venom

[Ganondorf8 11,321]

I'd say that the fandom is staying the same in terms of numbers, yet some places are seeing a decrease while others are seeing an increase. I attribute that to the fact that the fandom has been around for six years now, and while some no longer see it the same way they used to, others are more than willing to bring in new members into the fold. Every fandom goes through this kind of thing where number fluctuate between bad and good.

[Techno Universal 2,575]

The fandom is infact still growing substantially. But is not growing as fast as back in season 2-3. The growth rate is slowly decreasing over time.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

What I'm hearing is that it would be nice if the Herd Census could return so we could have more hard numbers but as that looks like an incredibly arduous project I understand why it has ceased. However, last year people made a reasonable argument that the fandom wasn't shrinking in spite of fears that it was. What was actually happening was that the fandom was no longer growing at the rate it was previously, and it was levelling off a little as some season 1-2 fans did leave so from the standpoint of someone who knew those fans, it's not surprising in the least that it seemed like it was shrinking. I'm basing all of this on no real data but what multiple people have said both in comments and in vids that I'd be hard pressed to find here and now.

 

With season 6's reception decidedly poorer than most previous seasons other than maybe season 3, it wouldn't surprise me if some fans have been contemplating leaving the fandom if they haven't already. However, I've also heard that newer fans have actually been much more entertained by season 6 so maybe it has brought in a steady flow of new fans. Of course there are factors that transcend the show and its perceived quality such as that the fandom has been around for 6 years so perhaps growth has merely levelled off due to how long the series has been around.

 

I consider myself to be from the late-middle period of the show as I came on board with season 4 and seem to be kind of caught in the middle of two factions I never would have thought existed. I do like the more adventure heavy approach of later seasons but have to admit even I was disappointed with season 6. I actually liked the idea of a less plot heavy season as I had hoped for something akin to season 2, so I went into it kind of excited, but the writing quality just wasn't there to back it up aside from a handful of standout episodes. I'm nowhere near the edge though so I'm staying in the fandom and am looking forward to season 7.

[KiraTakahashi 748]

Most likely staying the same.

[Swifty 249]

Onlinewise? Just take a look at equestriaforums .com. It s almost dead. Everypony .com the same. Broni. es doesnt evento exist anymore. Mlpforums , derpibooru and equestriadaily are the only englshspeaking suites who are lively.

 

The fandon outside of the Internet? I dunno. I dont visita conventions and see if less people do come.

[Flutterbattyyy 331]

I think that the numbers are staying the same. I have seen the fandom grow and change over these last six years. I became a fan back in SE01, E03.

 

Yes, some of the older fans are leaving, but that is being balanced out by the new fans that we're getting. So I would say it has no net growth or decline, rather staying the same.

 

>An equal number of fans coming in as those leaving.

 

 

As for BronyCon having less members, I think that is because of two reasons:

1. Many bronies who wanted to go have already gone to BronyCon. The rest aren't as interested in going.
2. Many of the local cons popping up are "leeching" from BronyCon's popularity. If a con is 1,000 miles closer to home, there is less incentive to fly 1,000 miles away to go to BronyCon.
   Personally, that is one of the biggest reasons why I decided to go to Everfree Northwest over BronyCon. Even going as far as San Francisco for BabsCon (which is not all that far from Portland), is still a long ways to go. Especially compared to Everfree Northwest, which is in Seattle.

 

 

 

But what we haven't considered is the growth of the international brony fandom. We don't have much contact with them, aside from the English-speaking countries, but what we do know is that the Russian fandom, the hispanic (South American) fandom, and the asian fandom are growing at an unprecedented rate. Those fandoms are growing at a rate comparable to the growth we saw in Season 2-3 for the English fandom. 

 

>So if you include the international, non-English speaking countries, then we are still growing at a semi-fast rate.

Edited November 13, 2016 by ElementalFluttershee

[Goat-kun 2,527]

I wonder what the so-called new fans’ retention rate is.

 

Anyway, we are not the fans MLP needs. We are the fans MLP deserves.