Did bronies exist before Generation 4 existed?

[RakanTheMan 125]

I a brony myself know that bronies became known when generation 4 came out. But where there any bronies that existed before generation 4?

 

When I'm referring to bronies, I'm talking about grown men or teenage boys

[Northern Star 1,024]

Yes, but mostly as toy collectors  

[Ring Team 123]

I honestly have never met a single fan of the franchise before Friendship is Magic exploited in popularity. I mean, I'm sure they are some people (like someone said, there might be a toy collector), but, considering how low the bar of the franchise was with things like the generation 3.5, I think there are gonna be very few people interested in that type of content.

That doesn't mean the older content doesn't have potential. I saw the first episode of generation 1 many years ago (back in... 2013, I guess?) and I think it could have been a nice adventure TV show. I like the design and personality of Firefly.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

There could've been "bronies" in the 80s when G1 was at its peak. Then they probably left when Tales was introduced due to the fact that it went from full on Disney Adventure style, to more of slice of life...(which didn't pan out so well due to character dynamics and the balance of male and female characters (in context from what I have heard, the female characters were chasing 1 of 3 male characters...yet most of the time, the males were portrayed as rather jerky and snarky), which put a really bad image on the show. Most of us know what G3 and G3.5 was. I know for a fact that I wanted nothing to do with it. So yea...there you have it! 

[Octavian 5,421]

collectors was the big fandom - unsurprising given that it's a toy fandom, but the show had some good media prior to Gen 4 and I know it attracted brony-like fans as I have found the Gen 3 PMVs they made prior to the brony phenomenon. I bet there were (and still are) more things like that - fanfic and such - but I don't know how to find them. 

I also know that some of the fans of the previous gens are less than thrilled by the Bronies and Lauren because I read a fun book by one of them. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ponyville-Confidential-History-Culture-1981-2016/dp/1476662096 (Well more angry-fun than fun, because I enjoy arguing in my head with the author who suggests that Bronies have invaded a girl friendly safe-space with their evil boy ways )

 

[RakanTheMan 125]

Moments ago, abrony-mouse said:

invaded a girl friendly safe-space with their evil boy ways )

 

What? lol x)

[Octavian 5,421]

5 minutes ago, PinkiePie50 said:

What? lol x)

It's been a while since I read it, but basically the author chafes at Lauren's Gen 4 pitch which rested on the idea that the brand had patronised girls and was bad feminism. The safe spaces bit was linked to that - she the previous gens as more appealing to cute girliness which bronies apparently ruin in various ways (eg saucy content). If you want to chat about it, I would be happy to either in DMs or statuses - but probably best to do off-thread as it'll go off topic  

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

Never underestimate weird people... I mean look at us? They had underestimated us muhehehehe.

[Ganondorf8 11,298]

MLP fans did exist before generation four came along but as some have said, they were mainly collectors who wanted to have one of every character in as many forms they came in. My older sister used to collect the toys when she was young and I believe my parents still have those toys stored away in the attic. Most of those fans were females because Hasbro marketed MLP to girls but I do believe some male fans existed. Such fans likely watched the G1 cartoon and not purchase the standard merchandise.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

I think the "collector" thing is accurate to some degree. I once saw this documentary about an adult woman who collected those popular dolls for little girls that shall not be named. It was soooooo weird.

She had them in the hundreds. All over the house. Definitely nothing wrong or out of order with that person. No, for real. There was something really, really wrong with that person. Let me emphasize on the "really", and the "wrong" part. So, that kinda changed my understanding of "collector" to "possible psycopath", especially if you are an adult who is actually collecting tons of childish stuff. I mean the really childish stuff. That is a little worrying, and I can see it from a mile away.
I mean, there is a difference between having some merchandise, like my missing rainbow dash key chain. But when you see something to that extreme, it is almost like you can touch the existencial void these people are trying to fill in their lives.
Sometimes, it is even worse than that. It can get really distorted. There were some cases I knew personally. And even if I tried to help. It was like "No, screw it. I like my collection of wigs better than a truth that is too painful to see". Actually, this grown up woman in my family wanted to dress me as a little girl so we could play. And I was a five years old boy at the time.
Or that girl I knew who had a huge collection of knives. It is not even that. It is the obsessive personality that is formed around the object of interest as a result of the unresolved complex. You can have a genuine interest in knives. Like I do with chainsaws. But the point where fascination begins... sigh. So much healing is neccesary in this world. But I don't know if that is even possible at this point. I cannot heal myself, or what is left of my luciferian family. Just two fifty year olds that act like children. And it is so sad to see. Almost like the guy on the mirror. Because that is all that is left from a family I never had.

But the concept of collectors still creeps me out. And I am extremely creepy myself. Have you seen my messages? Very criptic. Actually, I spell it out for you.
Also, it is weird because my little pony was kinda brain-dead at the time. At least, the generation I watched. "Lets treat children as stupidly as humanely possible". I imagine writers who are grown up men and women laughing their butts off while they were coming up with that stuff. It is like the infantilization and government propaganda program started by walt disney. That bastard was obsessed with rockets. If you know what I mean. Disney is so guilty of all this conundrum, when you consider his involvement with the space program charade.
But I digress. As I said, chainsaws are always better than knives, in all circumstances. You should try slicing your daily bread, or dread, and spread the butter using one of those. It is so much fun. But there is almost no butter left on my recipient anymore, unfortunately. But I digress yet again.

I think there were no bronies at the time. Or maybe there were, but they were simply called weirdos. In this modern society we have a name for every distortion of the mind. And this is not meant as an insult to bronies. But the entire world. So, you can see how inclusive I am. Hahahaha! Just dress up the trauma.

Poor lucifer.

Edited March 29, 2022 by They call me Loyalty

[Tom Gallagher 33,588]

I’d say that there were unofficially. Just not in name or scale.

[Sonic Shimmer 4,132]

The word Brony wouldn’t have existed, but yes. I’ve come across a few guys at conventions who were already fans and/or collectors before FiM, mostly gen 1.

[Cash In 22,300]

I'm sure they were around. If it exists, it has fans.

[twilightlicious69 629]

Idk about g2 or g3 but g1 seems to have 'bronies' but it wasn't a term back then.

Also @They call me Loyalty, do you like writing essay - type posts?

Edited March 29, 2022 by Rainbowshine295

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I'm sure a few adults who liked MLP existed before G4, but not many at all, and I think that most of them weren't men.

[Savy 5,077]

I'm sure there were adults who liked MLP, but the term brony didn't exist yet.

[Scilla Bell 103]

Bronies as we know them exist because of the fandom surrounding G4, so I would personally argue no not really. I'm sure there were (and are) plenty of fans of previous generations, but they didn't really have such fandoms as far as I'm aware.