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

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

I think what will slowly kill the fandom is if the show stops airing.

People will just run out things to talk about if that ever happens.

[LunarShadow 397]

I think what will slowly kill the fandom is if the show stops airing.

People will just run out things to talk about if that ever happens.

Eh i am not so sure about that. The rabbit hole goes much deeper than just the show. FanFiction, art, music, fanmade episodes, games are all made on the basis of original ideas with MLP Gen 4 acting as a framework. Even when Gen 4 ends there will still be loads of content by the fandom and it will likely stay around for a very long time even if Gen 5 doesn't become a reality which i doubt. Fallout Equestria is another great example of the potential longevity of this fandom. Fallout Equestria is a sub culture within our own sub culture and it is very popular. 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

How insecure are we to think that this fandom is dying 24/7?

 

Every other time I look at this site I see another "Is the fandom dying?" post

 

Let me answer this question for you.

 

THE FANDOM IS NOT DYING!!!

 

I've seen this alot lately and it's kinda starting to get on my nerves a bit. LOL 

 

Sometimes the reasoning so so flimsy and paper thin.

 

An episode didn't get as many views when it aired as it did last week "OMG THE FANDOM IS DYING"

Bronycon 2016 had only 7000 attendees when Bronycon 2015 had 10000 "OMG THE FANDOM IS DYING"

It's 2017 "OMG THE FANDOM IS DYING"

 

Sorry this is the forum I went off on I understand the OP is new-ish to the community but way too many people ask if the fandom is dying way too frequently.

 

Even in 2012-2013 when ponies were at a fever pitch interest people were asking if the fandom was dying.

 

It's not. I don't know why people are so insecure about this but I'm pretty sure the fandom will stick around for a long while even after the show ends which will be a sad day indeed.

I agree, seen thread..after thread..after thread wit hte same gosh darn thing. "fandom dying.." no it not tying tha liek syaing star trek fandom is dying. Fandom shrink and grow but don't just burn out..(unles the show is aweful) Hell something without soild subsecnae like Sonic still has a fandom.

 

 

[DixonTheAdversary 1,632]

I think that most of us aren't going anywhere for a while.

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

Eh i am not so sure about that. The rabbit hole goes much deeper than just the show. FanFiction, art, music, fanmade episodes, games are all made on the basis of original ideas with MLP Gen 4 acting as a framework. Even when Gen 4 ends there will still be loads of content by the fandom and it will likely stay around for a very long time even if Gen 5 doesn't become a reality which i doubt. Fallout Equestria is another great example of the potential longevity of this fandom. Fallout Equestria is a sub culture within our own sub culture and it is very popular. 

True, but the basis from which the brony fanbase comes from is the fact that the generation 4 entry of the show is little less girly than previous ones in the series.

This made the show more digestible and easy to watch for male viewers and adults.

At least consider the fact that if generation 5 doesn't continue this theme and the next entry is really girly and is targeted specifically towards the young female demographic, less bronies are going to stick around in the fanbase.

Those who try to adapt will simply loose interest.

I lost interest in the show a long time ago, but I stuck around to talk about the fanfiction and the characters.

But in the end, I just got a new hobby.

[LunarShadow 397]

True, but the basis from which the brony fanbase comes from is the fact that the generation 4 entry of the show is little less girly than previous ones in the series.

This made the show more digestible and easy to watch for male viewers and adults.

At least consider the fact that if generation 5 doesn't continue this theme and the next entry is really girly and is targeted specifically towards the young female demographic, less bronies are going to stick around in the fanbase.

Those who try to adapt will simply loose interest.

I lost interest in the show a long time ago, but I stuck around to talk about the fanfiction and the characters.

But in the end, I just got a new hobby.

oh for sure. I don't doubt that. If generation 5 is all girly i can't see the Brony fandom expanding much further. However i doubt Hasbro would do that. If anything Hasbro might start directly targeting boys with generation 5 and start to adapt the series further to be more gender neutral than it already is. If that is the case and the writing is good the Brony Fandom could explode with popularity again and that would be something fantastic to see.  

Edited March 17, 2017 by DayShadow

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

 

 

If that is the case and the writing is good the Brony Fandom could explode with popularity again and that would be something fantastic to see.

I think the reason the Brony fandom exploded in the first place was because it was a new concept.

It was something different than what was generally excepted as normal.

But now it's somewhat old news.

I mean in my opinion, and from my observation over the years, as the whole brony thing is being normalized on the internet, the fanbase is ever so slowly shrinking.

And if Hasbro does either cancel the show or ruin it, I can't see the brony fanbase lasting a couple years after that time, even with the fanmade content.

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

Have you ever heard about Doctor Who's past? In the late 1980's, the show had fallen quite a lot in the ratings, reaching as low as 3.65 million when it was frequently hitting the 9 million mark 7 seasons ago. There were fewer episodes per season by that point too, and as much as the show had recovered by then in terms of storylines and reviews, the show eventually just, stopped I guess. There wasn't any new episodes until 1996, a TV movie in fact! And even though it got far more viewers than the show was reaching beforehand, nothing much came from it in terms of TV episodes, not until 9 years later in 2005, when the show became a hit once more, and still endures to this day even though gosh darn I wish there was a season this year~ </3

 

You might be wondering what that has to do with anything. Well, even though the show was silent and Doctor Who had fallen in popularity, throughout those years where more episodes seemed like a fantasy? The fandom still endured. Virgin New Adventures produced more books continuing from where the show left off, Big Finish went the extra mile and made practically new audio episodes featuring the available cast of the show throughout the years, and both of those were led pretty much by the fans of the show. Doctor Who Magazine didn't stop either, and kept talking about the series and making their own comics all through those years, if I understand correctly. The fact that the show came back to our screens after only one, kinda controversial episode in 16 years is testament to how the fandom was still good and alive and unwavering in their passion.

 

So... ya. I think if that fandom was able to survive through all that and become even stronger again in time, this fandom should be pretty fine, especially considering there's the whole appeal of making ponysonas and imagining oneself in a positive Equestria, something I'm sure is gonna keep people gaining interest for a long while to come. The fandom definitely seems smaller than it might have been a few years ago, but honestly, I don't think you've missed much that can't just simply be checked out whenever you like. And hey, fandoms being at the biggest isn't always the best thing, sometimes seeing too much obsession about a thing can make said thing a little easier to get exhausted with than when it's more low-key, ya know? :3

I'm not sure if the fandom will be as strong as Doc Who when G4 ponies end, but there are many less popular shows whose fandom still endures today. I'm sure FiM has that covered

[Solid 1,327]

I don't know, but what I do know is I've seen this question being asked on multiple occasions since I joined this forum back in late 2013.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Solid

[blackstarraven 142]

The thing about Fandoms is that in the modern world.

Fandoms NEVER die....

Really just look at shows like Buffy, The show has been off the air for 15 years and there is still a sizeable fandom. And comics.

 

Simply put if a IP makes money, its going to be a thing.

MLP Will most likely be going well after Hasbro makes a Gen-6...

 

It might be going in the form of Comics. Bronie Groups.

I suspect that places like Netflix are going to be pretty interested in the show when it does end its run on Hasbro's channel of choice.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

This fandom will die eventually, no doubt, it will happen, but not today, not this year, okay? If you want the fandom die faster, keep posting some threads like these, keep building up the negativities, day by day and you will reach the end soon enough.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Lambdadelta

[Hierok 11,831]

Well, I hope not. It would be a shame because I just got into it.  :-o Well we can only hope for the best.

Stop making me so worried 

Edited March 17, 2017 by Hierok

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Death? No. Transcendence!

[Lenny 249]

It is, actually. These people just can't accept it. It's noticably decreasing in popularity. Not much we can do to make it more popular, either. Weaboos are really taking over when it comes to fandoms.

[Neo_Shiron 56]

A fandom will never die. Yes, it can lose members but some people will always be part of it and new people will always join.

[Bronyyy333 7]

Only when season 7 AND the movie fail together.

 

But i doubt that.

[CT-1138 3,182]

I've been in this community for 5 years (saying that aloud - wow!) and this question gets asked every year. No, the fandom is not dying. It's platueing, meaning that less people are becoming Bronies and the fandom is leveling out into stability.

[Cl0udChaser 3,006]

That's pretty much a hard question to answer. People say that it's dying or it's not dying. To me, when I joined MLP back in 2013, (Originally I saw Rainbow Dash character on Facebook and my brother saw season 2 episode in anime con back in 2011.) I went crazy over MLP and talk about it a lot. But now, I went less on MLP and doing other things. It's not dying out. The popularity went less than it use to be.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Cl0udChaser

[Retro City 25]

Definitely not, im not going anywhere at least

[Vulcan 3,254]

I dunno about dying...but we "have" gotten a lot more inactive as of late.....

[zerox 1,113]

I reckon if the fandom was dying that it already would be dead.

Edited March 31, 2017 by zerox

[Stickman, The Legend 303]

I'd have to say... Ahh, No. MLP's not going anywhere anytime soon, and I doubt the fandom will die anytime soon too. Here's to hoping to the future.

[Breite Wiese 95]

I'll always be a brony by default. I'm sticking around for ALAP (As Long As Possible).

[Merion 783]

I went to a certain all-fandom con a couple of weeks ago, it was one of the biggest nerd events in my country and I actually met very few bronies. Like, only 1/2 of the bronies I had seen the year before. And there was very little MLP merch available, too... So I guess MLP's popularity has dropped, at least here in Central Europe... 

[Snow Frostflame 3,568]

Not going to sugar coat it... our fandom is dying. Every fandom will die as time goes on, until the next installment. I've noticed a decline in fans since season 3, and I'm starting to notice it within MLPF. I remember how active this place was back then, and now how barren its starting to feel. The MLP fandom will never truly die, but at this rate we will probably be off the radar for quite some time. Regardless what happens I will always be a Brony, despite how black the future seems compared to my original prediction.