Ponies with black mane and/or coat

[cider float 2,535]

Out of all colors why is there a severe lack or absence of ponies with black mane or coat when they're a common sight in real life? They've used many color combinations and have been running out that some start looking like other ponies we've already seen. 

 

 

The only pony that had a black mane and coat was King Sombra and he just had to be a villain.

 

 

I would think a black manes could be pretty common.

 

 

[ReverieRiver 525]

From a general standpoint, I think the MLP character designers just... prefer lighter, pastel colors overall when designing characters. The MLP world as a whole has that sort of cheery, light palette design-wise, because of course they want to portray this world as something bright and cheerful. Not to mention kids just tend to like more colorful things.

 

Color can also hold some unspoken symbolism; if not that, colors set the general mood. More often than not, darker colors tend to be more symbolic of darker characters - i.e. villains. I'm not saying black automatically equals "evil," but look at Sombra. Look at Chrysalis: she has a darker coat. Perhaps it might be partly due to the fact that most children are typically afraid of the dark, so imagery more closely related to shadows (such as the color black and dark colors overall) tends to be used for the villains.

 

That said, I'd love to see more characters with a dark mane/coat and not be an evil character, lol. But as you've seen, they generally don't go by realistic coloring, so the point about real ponies having those colors is pretty much moot.

[Snow 5,305]

My little pony is a bright, happy, up beat show and one should never forget the target audience.

The show is designed to be simple and understandable for kids, if you go around making too many ponies dark colours/looking like a villain they will get confused.

Not to mention it would just drain the awesome vibe the show has. I don't think severe black is a good choice for more use.

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

It's probably because that's just the style they prefer. MLP is a pretty lighthearted show, and the bright pastel colors fit it well. Other than just villains, Luna still has her dark coat and mane even after reformation, and there was that one Goth pony in "Canterlot Boutique" with a dark mane and tail. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing some more dark colors every now and then.

 

 

 

The show is designed to be simple and understandable for kids, if you go around making too many ponies dark colours/looking like a villain they will get confused.

 

 

 I don't see how just having a dark colored mane/fur would make somepony look like a villain? The occasional pony with some darker colors would add some extra variety. Yeah, if they made them all look like Sombra they'd seem like villains, but darker colors can work with ponies without making them seem evil.

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

Don't forget about Octavia:

 

[Snow 5,305]

 

 I don't see how just having a dark colored mane/fur would make somepony look like a villain? The occasional pony with some darker colors would add some extra variety. Yeah, if they made them all look like Sombra they'd seem like villains, but darker colors can work with ponies without making them seem evil.

It's just generally accepted stereotyping in media, that's why celestia and Luna are princesses instreag of queens, because queens in cartoons are steryotipically evil.

As you said, the show is light hearted and as I said it's simple and understandable. Working with pre established steryotypes just makes things easier for everyone.

[BastementSparkle 20,312]

 

 

As you said, the show is light hearted and as I said it's simple and understandable. Working with pre established steryotypes just makes things easier for everyone.

 

 

The show's mainly aimed at kids 6 and up from what I remember, I don't think it'd be hard to show a kid that old that a character that looks "Dark" isn't evil. Hay, we already kind of have that with Luna, don't we? Yeah, she was Nightmare Moon, but even after her reformation she is still the Princess of the night, and still has her dark color scheme, she's even got her Batpony guards in Luna Eclipsed. She didn't have to become all "Light-like" or whatever to be seen as good. It's something I appreciate about her quite a bit in this show actually.

 

 I think mostly sticking to brighter colors and pastels is all fine and dandy, but having a few more darkly colored ponies here and there would add some variety, which is always a nice thing.

[Silver Letter 1,830]

It would be nice to see a black pony. I think stereotypes are stupid and should be removed from media. Using them is simply a cop out; it is trying to do things the easy way. Children only think of black as equating to evil because they are told as such. But every cartoon doesn't have to abide by it as if it is law. It restricts creativity and that is ultimately a bad thing.

[Kaneki 1,072]

It would be nice to see a black pony. I think stereotypes are stupid and should be removed from media. Using them is simply a cop out; it is trying to do things the easy way. Children only think of black as equating to evil because they are told as such. But every cartoon doesn't have to abide by it as if it is law. It restricts creativity and that is ultimately a bad thing.

 

Yeah, I agree somewhat, but people get offended too easily nowadays. I know it's a joke now, but people getting offended incredibly easily is what the whole "triggered" thing came out of, and look at how that turned into a thing.

 

Anyways, yeah, that would be cool to have a black mane pony, but I'm not sure how realistic that would be with the people who control the show. They probably want to keep the whole evil thing to a minimum.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,297]

Variety is the spice of life after all. I wouldn't mind seeing some darker looking ponies that are just, well, normal ponies. So far the main one we got was an evil being that was a shadow being of absolute destruction and slavery. Not the best representative for that color pallet. XD

[cider float 2,535]

From a general standpoint, I think the MLP character designers just... prefer lighter, pastel colors overall when designing characters. The MLP world as a whole has that sort of cheery, light palette design-wise, because of course they want to portray this world as something bright and cheerful. Not to mention kids just tend to like more colorful things.

 

Color can also hold some unspoken symbolism; if not that, colors set the general mood. More often than not, darker colors tend to be more symbolic of darker characters - i.e. villains. I'm not saying black automatically equals "evil," but look at Sombra. Look at Chrysalis: she has a darker coat. Perhaps it might be partly due to the fact that most children are typically afraid of the dark, so imagery more closely related to shadows (such as the color black and dark colors overall) tends to be used for the villains.

 

That said, I'd love to see more characters with a dark mane/coat and not be an evil character, lol. But as you've seen, they generally don't go by realistic coloring, so the point about real ponies having those colors is pretty much moot.

I actually feel like these color choices are more the feeling of the animators and writers not the children. If you give children a black puppy they'll still love it for what it is.

Edited December 10, 2016 by cider float

[Kaneki 1,072]

I actually feel like these color choices are more the feeling of the animators and writers not the children. If you give children a black puppy they'll still love it for what it is.

 

You do have a point there!

 

Little kids generally don't see if something's black or white, or blue, or gray, or green, whatever. Now, on a toy, they may notice it, but with people, as weird as this may come out, they don't really see it, they just see as a person. Since these are ponies we're dealing with, it's a good point.

[Red Cedar 1,407]

The general style of the show tends towards brighter colours, so I doubt you're going to see any ponies much darker than Octavia, Doctor Whooves or Twilight's father. They just like their ponies bright and cheery!

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

Dark grey and black is a redundant combination.

No lively hues, except for the saturation on his eyes, none of which combines.

Sombra looks like some outdated villain from the 80's

 

Lively, pastel colors is main theme.

[Vlazamal 338]

They were exterminated in a war with the red alicorn OCs.

 

Joking aside, Dark is generally Darkness in media, even MLP follows this. Even Octavia is secretly evil!

[aishani_pinkamena 0]

Guy's name is dark moon