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

[ShadOBabe 18,984]

No. There was a show I loved as a kid in the 90s called SWAT Kats. It only had two seasons and it’s last episode was in 1994. And to this day it STILL has a fan base.

FiM is a million times more culturally cemented than SWAT Kats was, so even if it shrinks, I think the fandom is going to live for quite a long time.

[Sparklefan1234 161,597]

Hopefully, the brony fandom won't die but instead will carry over to future generations for a *very* long time. 

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

No, I don't think so. I still see the brony community continuing on long after the show comes to its final conclusion. The truly dedicated fans will ensure that the show remains relevant for years to come as it no doubt becomes a cult classic.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Ganondorf8
Fixed the post.

[CheeryFox 23,811]

Probably not. It might have to take a hard nosedive in popularity first. Honestly, I don't see that anytime soon tbh. 

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

The original Star Trek series ended in 1969; it's still revered by Trekkies. Return of the Jedi came out in 1983; the original trilogy is still celebrated by millions of Star Wars fans to this day. If you seriously need to ask this question about the brony community with regards to FIM ending, I don't think you understand how fandoms work.

[Moony the Cat 3,695]

I dont think that the Fandom would die out, seeing how a lot of even older Shows and Movies still have Fans and still get new fanart, even if its only perverted fanart sometimes.

Nothing gets forgotten about entirely, if it has been this successful. Even older Movies like The Secret of Nimh still gets fanart from time to time, since it developed a cult following and i mean we already have a cult following or have we not? And dont forget all the Fans of the older Generations who still like My Little Pony, it is unlikely that Bronys would die out.

I would stay a Brony and look forward to the next Generation, if they will be one.

[Foxy Socks 2,596]

There is heavy evidence that a Generation 5 will be out, as the show is already successful, so it likely will still be a thing even then. Perhaps people would leave, but as long as there is interest there will be some people. I can't say how many, but I'm not so sure of it dying.

[RavenholmZombie 1,329]

Personally, I don't think the fandom will die off after the show ends. If anything, it'll just shrink in size and enter hibernation until Hasbro releases Gen5 then, for all we know, a new generation of Bronies could emerge and take over the fandom, carrying its torch well into the future.

I try to be optimistic when discussing the end of Friendship is Magic

[The Kaeya Simp 13,953]

WE WILL NEVER FADE.

NOR WILL OUR SHIPS AND WAIFUS.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

No way, it will be a large fandom for years to come.

[Goat-kun 2,495]

... But I'll keep coming.

 

[Chuckles4lyfe 441]

I don't think the Brony fandom will ever become extinct. But it has certainly dropped off in popularity over time. That's just something that was bound to happen, given how long MLP is still on the air. It's been on tv for more then seven years already! Kids who were born when MLP first aired back in 2010, are now in the 2nd grade !

We are guaranteed 2 more seasons of Pony goodness to bring the season total to 9. I don't know many children's cartoon shows that have made it up to 9 seasons without dropping massively in quality (i'm looking at you Spongebob ). 

[twilightfan 12]

as many of you already know the brony community have'nt been so great lately since the toonkritic scandal and as a concerned brony with hfa(high functioning autism) i want to know if the brony community is dying or there is just less brony celebs as there was during the start of the brony community?

[Mirage 24,034]

The brony fandom is not a closed book. It may change, but the future is promising.

[twilightfan 12]

Just now, Mirage said:

The brony fandom is not a closed book. It may change, but the future is promising.

ok the thing is that the brony community is really the first fandom i actually get big into since i started using social media around 2011 and joining around 2015 during the end of season 5 so my experience with fandoms are very limited especially with the fact that the internet is totally different world compared to irl

[Guest]

No community is as it was in its infancy. There's a very common feeling of nostalgia the older fans have that make it seem like it's just not as fun or as influential as it was a few years ago, but that feeling can only set in if you let it. I've been a fan since early in the first season and in that span of time I've been in and out of the fandom itself, but ponies have always been a reliable source of therapeutic entertainment for me. While the community may have a lengthy history of people coming and going, the fact that FiM venues like Equestria Daily and this forum still have a pretty good amount of traffic is evidence enough to me that it's still going strong. 

I think this question will be more relevant once the show's generation ends. 

[twilightfan 12]

12 minutes ago, Sunset Rose said:

No community is as it was in its infancy. There's a very common feeling of nostalgia the older fans have that make it seem like it's just not as fun or as influential as it was a few years ago, but that feeling can only set in if you let it. I've been a fan since early in the first season and in that span of time I've been in and out of the fandom itself, but ponies have always been a reliable source of therapeutic entertainment for me. While the community may have a lengthy history of people coming and going, the fact that FiM venues like Equestria Daily and this forum still have a pretty good amount of traffic is evidence enough to me that it's still going strong. 

I think this question will be more relevant once the show's generation ends. 

well i been big into anime-influenced as well anime in my preteens in the 2000s that are action-comedies that aired on cn, nickelodeon, and saturday morning shows like the tmnt 2003 reboot so my perspective of the brony community is coming from a outsider pov so nostagia kinda factor in why i got into the brony community in the first place when i was losing hope in animation plus with the fact that i am a introvert my whole life is also another reason of my lack of knowlege of the brony community among with other fandom communities than there's also the fact that i am not interested in most pre-2000s western and eastern animation especially television shows like the smurfs and the flintstones so i have no interest in any of the mlp cartoons before fim

Edited March 1, 2018 by twilightfan

[GrimGrimoire 4,970]

I find the term "brony celebs" very amusing.

Anyway, the fandom is hills and valleys just like most fandoms are as content is released and digested and then goes into hiatus and reruns. I imagine it will stay steady through the next couple years, and then rise up again with the next incarnation of the series if they do it right and it does not become a mockery of what we all know as some franchises have.

[twilightfan 12]

36 minutes ago, GrimGrimoire said:

I find the term "brony celebs" very amusing.

Anyway, the fandom is hills and valleys just like most fandoms are as content is released and digested and then goes into hiatus and reruns. I imagine it will stay steady through the next couple years, and then rise up again with the next incarnation of the series if they do it right and it does not become a mockery of what we all know as some franchises have.

ty i needed some brony veterans or at least more knowledgeable bronies to help me figure this out since i don't go on much forums just mostly just social media and websites like newgrounds and gamejolt if those websites are even considered social media also i seen some threads about the reason there are less viewers is because more bronies are using laptops or phones instead of tvs to watch episodes of mlp?  it also didn't help that there are actually bronies who are intolerant to mlp r34 content

Edited March 1, 2018 by twilightfan

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

Let's use a non-brony example here. Ever hear of Battlestar Galactica? It's a sci-fo show from the very late 70s that only lasted a single season, but actually had a steady fanbase even after it's cancellation. After a couple of revival attempts (one by actor Richard Hatch, another by the series creator) the series was eventually revived; partially due to the support that had still existed.

FiM is still going, and going by the amount of traffic at places like EqD & MLPF, the amount of people that go to the cons that are still active, and the amount of fan content that still comes out; we're still pretty darned healthy. As @Sunset Rose stated the real test of a fandom is when the show itself ends. I mean, if a one-season show like Battlestar Galactica can survive well since the 70s, I'm sure FiM going into season 8 with a healthy spinoff series, a relatively successful theatrical film, and an on-going line of comics and books; the brony community should survive and maybe even thrive to a point; especially with G5 coming up.

Of course you will still get contraction. That's only natural, but the fandom will still exist in some form or otherwise. ^^

[Mystic Brush 102]

When i was a kid, i had two favorite cartoons called, Code Lyoko and, Avatar The Last Airbender. These are cartoons that are over a decade old and, the fandoms are still strong. People make art and, everything else. Undertale is a bit old and, the fandom is still there. You just have to know where to find places with the most activity. Sure, people leave but, not everyone does. As soon as G4 ends, there's still going to be fanart, music and, fiction around. It's not just going to come to a complete halt after it's finished.

[twilightfan 12]

19 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Let's use a non-brony example here. Ever hear of Battlestar Galactica? It's a sci-fo show from the very late 70s that only lasted a single season, but actually had a steady fanbase even after it's cancellation. After a couple of revival attempts (one by actor Richard Hatch, another by the series creator) the series was eventually revived; partially due to the support that had still existed.

FiM is still going, and going by the amount of traffic at places like EqD & MLPF, the amount of people that go to the cons that are still active, and the amount of fan content that still comes out; we're still pretty darned healthy. As @Sunset Rose stated the real test of a fandom is when the show itself ends. I mean, if a one-season show like Battlestar Galactica can survive well since the 70s, I'm sure FiM going into season 8 with a healthy spinoff series, a relatively successful theatrical film, and an on-going line of comics and books; the brony community should survive and maybe even thrive to a point; especially with G5 coming up.

Of course you will still get contraction. That's only natural, but the fandom will still exist in some form or otherwise. ^^

sorry if my terminology is terrible but is that contraction is why there are so many cringey anti-brony videos on youtube since the brony vs anti-brony flame war started because i always been into the brony community more for the fan content than the show itself with some having the dramatic elements alot of anime and anime-influenced shows have that i enjoy in cartoons like my little portal and ponies meet world 

10 minutes ago, Mystic Brush said:

When i was a kid, i had two favorite cartoons called, Code Lyoko and, Avatar The Last Airbender. These are cartoons that are over a decade old and, the fandoms are still strong. People make art and, everything else. Undertale is a bit old and, the fandom is still there. You just have to know where to find places with the most activity. Sure, people leave but, not everyone does. As soon as G4 ends, there's still going to be fanart, music and, fiction around. It's not just going to come to a complete halt after it's finished.

yeah i was'nt sure if it was going to go the same route as the sonic fandom after fim ends or the same route as the ppg fandom with well-produced origional fan content being obscure with the biggest one i know of that i enjoy is the ppgz webcomic

Edited March 1, 2018 by twilightfan

[meck-can-ik pony 1,091]

Brony fandom is like whiskey to me, Everyone is excited about it and over time the sour taste matures and becomes stronger as all the weak molecules die off and all that's left is a strong bond that keeps it together throughout the years.

[twilightfan 12]

1 minute ago, meck-can-ik pony said:

Brony fandom is like whiskey to me, Everyone is excited about it and over time the sour taste matures and becomes stronger as all the weak molecules die off and all that's left is a strong bond that keeps it together throughout the years.

yeah same thing with me you could easily get addicted to the fan content of the show and this is coming from a person who prefers to stay away from alcohol, harmful drugs, and tobacco and go for more safer alternatives like soda and video games 

Edited March 1, 2018 by twilightfan

[ShootingStar159 2,155]

46 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Ever hear of Battlestar Galactica? It's a sci-fo show from the very late 70s that only lasted a single season, but actually had a steady fanbase even after it's cancellation. After a couple of revival attempts (one by actor Richard Hatch, another by the series creator) the series was eventually revived; partially due to the support that had still existed.

Firefly is another, more modern example. Did anything come from that rumored continuation/reboot?