The Future of My Little Pony and the Brony Phenomenon

[planet news 16]

Yay first thread!

 

Forgive me if this has already been made a thread or if this is posted in the wrong place.

 

But I'm curious as to how all of you would react in the following situations:

• Imagine that the rest of season 2 (somehow) goes to utter shit, and everyone unanimously begins to hate it.
• FiM is not renewed for a third season.
• FiM goes on for years and years but the mane 6 change throughout that time and the direction of the show changes drastically.

Is the fandom over when FiM is over or loses the key elements of its current identity?

 

This might be an irrelevant concern since, based on this last episode, I feel that the show and the fandom are only going to continue to fuel each other's strengths.

[Zoop 8,384]

This might be an irrelevant concern since, based on this last episode, I feel that the show and the fandom are only going to continue to fuel each other's strengths.

I'm inclined to agree with this, if anything I think the show's quality has gone up with season two thus far, and don't really foresee the show pulling such a sudden 180 on us. Additionally, I think the community will sustain itself just fine for a decent while even if a third season doesn't come to fruition, though I obviously would prefer not to test that particular theory.

 

Honestly, if the show ends up running for several years (let's cross our fingers), as much as I love the current cast, I wouldn't mind if they eventually transition to other characters further down the line. It could, if done properly, freshen things up a bit.

[Kenny 232]

I'd say for all three of those situations, the fandom would slowly die off. There will still be bronies, but their popularity will decrease.

 

Though I'm confident the show will go for at least 3-4 seasons and the brony community will keep growing as long is the show is still running.

[Gummy 725]

I think there will be at least a season 3. And then bronies will petition for season 4.

[Octavia2 83]

 

• Imagine that the rest of season 2 (somehow) goes to utter shit, and everyone unanimously begins to hate it.
• FiM is not renewed for a third season.
• FiM goes on for years and years but the mane 6 change throughout that time and the direction of the show changes drastically.

*shudder*

 

I don't even want to think about it...

 

If season 2 went bad, I'd be really disappointed in Hasbro, not to mention angry.

 

But we don't really need to worry about that. I'm sure the team at Hasbro will continue the show for a few more years, and will keep the show at it's already amazing quality.

 

I'd say for all three of those situations, the fandom would slowly die off. There will still be bronies, but their popularity will decrease.

 

Unfortunately, this is probably what would happen in those situations.. Edited October 16, 2011 by Bon Bon

[Fghik 360]

I'm still a fan of Animaniacs, Ed Edd and Eddy, Charlie Brown, and Really anything Hanna-Barbara. And alot of those shows ended before I was born, or a few years after.

 

I don't think my opinions of FiM will change. I'll probably always enjoy the show and occasionally Youtube some episodes when I get bored.

 

The fanbase will definitely die-down, and eventually many people won't know what a brony is. There will still be bronies, but I'm sure they wouldn't be called that anymore. Most likely they will just be fans of My Little Pony.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Fghik

[Crispy 5,563]

I'm not sure.

 

Eventually, the upward swing of fans will have to come down, but I don't think any of those three things are going to happen.

[Sageflare 277]

Well, I am not sure how this will go but I am pretty positive this fandom won't go down for a long time. I would probably agree that the fandom will have to go down before the show stops.

[Kinvara 117]

Ideally, it will end after 6 seasons with the quality remaining consistent throughout its run.

 

It's probably best to look at MLP:FiM to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and the Power Puff Girls if you want a prediction of what the fandom will be like after the show has ended..

Edited October 16, 2011 by Kinvara

[Marshmallow 1,137]

Realistically, it will probably start to suck more after a while. The creators will start running out of ideas, or will start to make the show aimed solely at small children. Hopefully it won't, but quite honestly, I don't see this fanbase lasting more than a couple years. Or at least , the general interest in the show will start to lessen.

 

Now I realize that this sounds awefully pessimistic, but I'm mostly basing this on what happened to other cartoon shows. But I'm sure that MLP:FiM willl still have at least 2 or 3 other great seasons before it starts going downhill.

[Fghik 360]

 

It's probably best to MLP:FiM to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and the Power Puff Girls if you want a prediction of what the fandom will be like after the show has ended..

 

Maybe not... I don't recall being called a "Fony" or a "Pownie..."

 

Maybe things will be different in this Lauren Faust show? I hope FiM lasts a really long time.

[Finesthour 7,287]

Well, considering the orriginal my little pony still has a huge fanbase and it ended before I was even born, I think FiM will last a very long time. The show kind of has the flare of the Power Puff Girls, it was made for girls, but about everyone who grew up watching Tv loved Ppg.

[Akaraah 77]

I think, naturally, the popularity will die down at the very end, much like many other shows. But I'll remain a fan of course, a good cartoon is a good carton and I'm sticking with that. Just a day ago me and my bro. looked up Teen Titans, an anime esq. series based on the comic Teen Titans Go (which I have never read). It is still a FANTASTIC show, but it does not air much if at all and it has since ended.

 

Personally, I'm someone who thinks nostalgia is one of the most overrated things to feel/confide in, it can get in the way of new, interesting experiences for some, so to see a new show such as FiM is refreshing. As for writers running out of ideas, I'm not so sure.

 

My opinion of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic at the current?

It can only get better and better. They have very well established the characters and are working through their highs and lows. This leaves more room for creating interesting predicaments such as dealing with Discord (and we all know how much we fans love Discord).

 

Ed, Edd, and Eddy only got better to me as the seasons went on. The highly stylized character designs, environments, and color palette strengthened and the events got crazier for the Eds at times, but more creative and fun. And that's saying a lot considering it is a cartoon about three guys inuring random shenanigans in a slightly formulaic way. They even added a tiny bit of depth by making the characters become emotional, namely Double-D. Even changing up the plot line with school related episodes.

 

Fans and the like will like something no matter the case, even if it is not always in its prime. There are many people who love Family Guy and SpongeBob and think the newer episodes blow, but remain fans none-the-less, and regardless, fans establish these types of communities in the first place to either gnaw at or exemplify certain attributes taken on by their favorite shows!

 

The future is bright at the end of the tunnel. At the current I am actively seeing if one of my friends could be into the show (by e-mailing him parodies and clips, the responses are good so far) and not being forceful. And I don't do that for just any show or any particular interest of mine. Honestly, all I see them doing is expanding upon the complexity of the show, as in being more in-depth with fan favorites. And if they're passionate about making the show like I am passionate about my own stories and creations, we will see a lot of good. With my current icon being a very-well established character of mine from a few years ago. With that said, let us just not worry.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Akaraah

[SugarSlatheredCandyApple 20]

Well, it really depends on what they do with it. Time will tell.

[Mint Petal 258]

I'm sure the popularity will die down eventaully, but like many others have said, I will still be a fan of the show because of its quality. While it is inevitable that the popularity will go way down in the future, I'm still sticking to it, even if the episodes start to suck, it's just the good episodes that has me loving the show.

[Tom The Diamond 1,830]

Well, in anycase, here are my two end of days predictions. Either

 

A) The series takes a turn for the worst, but bronies will remain and reminisce of the old days, like the Spongebob fandom.

 

B ) The series just stops, but the fandom lives on for what feels like forever, even when nothing new happens. See the Earthbound Fandom.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Tom the Rock

[Finesthour 7,287]

Well, in anycase, here are my two end of days predictions. Either

 

A) The series takes a turn for the worst, but bronies will remain and reminisce of the old days, like the Spongebob fandom.

 

B ) The series just stops, but the fandom lives on for what feels like forever, even when nothing new happens. See the Earthbound Fandom.

 

Option B please.

[HomuraBL 851]

You know, I predict the shows going to go for at least four seasons. Any more and we could end with something like the pokemon anime, (When I say this, I'm talking about the fandom of the game series. I'm however, still a fan of the show.)

 

Also probably, it will take at the very least, a year or two after the series end for the fandom to start decreasing rapidly depending on how much stuff we have left to work with. I will always be a fan of the show and continue to look back at the show every now and then and probably show my kids, (if I had any), the show. I will always consider myself a brony no matter what anyone else says. Cause I don't want to forget the most awesomest thing to happen on the internet.

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,526]

I really can't say how long the show will last. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was originally conceived as a 22-minute infomercial for the fourth generation of Hasbro's MLP toys. Naturally, it's a little illogical to assume that G4 will be the last generation of ponies, so the longest the show could possibly last is until G5 rolls around. Seeing as one season takes about one year, and there have been four generations of ponies in about 30 years, we could expect seven or eight seasons absolute tops, though I have a feeling they'd probably ruin the show if it went on for that long. I wouldn't hope for more than four seasons, personally.

 

But the show has built a lasting legacy in its fandom that I have no doubt will still be going strong for years to come. To my knowledge, FiM is the biggest Internet hit since Keyboard Cat - properties like that and their fans don't just vanish overnight. Equestria Daily has more than double the readership of Nintendo 3DS Blog - and Nintendo 3DS Blog is pretty damn big.

 

The brony community has already proven itself to be self-sustaining, as the pony-less summer showed. Even if the show isn't around anymore, fans will still be producing fan games, fan art, fan fiction, fan music, and even fan animation for a very long time to come. And once some of the younger, unmarried bronies grow up and start their own families (like myself), they'll probably show FiM to their kids and spread the love of friendship to a whole new generation.

[Akaraah 77]

I really can't say how long the show will last. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was originally conceived as a 22-minute infomercial for the fourth generation of Hasbro's MLP toys. Naturally, it's a little illogical to assume that G4 will be the last generation of ponies, so the longest the show could possibly last is until G5 rolls around. Seeing as one season takes about one year, and there have been four generations of ponies in about 30 years, we could expect seven or eight seasons absolute tops, though I have a feeling they'd probably ruin the show if it went on for that long. I wouldn't hope for more than four seasons, personally.

 

But the show has built a lasting legacy in its fandom that I have no doubt will still be going strong for years to come. To my knowledge, FiM is the biggest Internet hit since Keyboard Cat - properties like that and their fans don't just vanish overnight. Equestria Daily has more than double the readership of Nintendo 3DS Blog - and Nintendo 3DS Blog is pretty damn big.

 

The brony community has already proven itself to be self-sustaining, as the pony-less summer showed. Even if the show isn't around anymore, fans will still be producing fan games, fan art, fan fiction, fan music, and even fan animation for a very long time to come. And once some of the younger, unmarried bronies grow up and start their own families (like myself), they'll probably show FiM to their kids and spread the love of friendship to a whole new generation.

 

 

Double the viewership of Nintendo 3DS Blog? Wow! I did not expect that!

So on and so... Excellently put! This fandom is relatively fresh compared to others, considering the show came out late last year. Personally, I don't think I've seen a fandom this strong beyond some anime or popularized video games in recent years. As I said in the previous post, naturally it may die-down after the show ends but as you said and I, here-say, have rephrased, it will still brim brightly to those fans who appreciated it while the show airs or while all the 'zest' remains. Even when generation 5 (or 4.5) rolls around. People won't just "forget the magic" of the current cartoon, as some seem to think will happen. If the entire show remains good it may just become a modern classic among the ranks of other great cartoons' such as Ed, Edd, and Eddy and a benefactor to nostalgic purposes.

 

A little odd, but I notice that quite a few associate the number "7" as the magic number of seasons prescribed until a show should wrap up while still remaining strong. I hope it never goes in the direction of SpongeBob whereas some others have become disheartened to say, which is still watchable in my opinion. In a similar case, I read up that Seth MacFarlane felt that Family Guy should have ended around season 7. I don't know everyone else's stance on this, but I'd personally end a series after the "true" story has ended and not butcher the main plotline with pointless ploys. Needless to say, something popular can be milked, but still remain good, admittedly.

Edited October 17, 2011 by Akaraah

[LyraHeartstrings 482]

I have no clue where the fan base will go. It has been so unexpected so far, it could grow and just never stop. (kind of like Star Trek...) There's just so much about this show that people like! (and many aspects about the fan base that some people like even more!)

 

Honestly, I don't think the show'll last very long, but the fan base will last for quite a long time after... (I mean, Oban Star-Racers ended 5 years ago, and I still love it more than any other non pony-related show!

[Gummy 725]

While I wouldnt go so far as to think it will get as big as Trekkies. I think the fandom is still in its beginning stages.

[Heartstrings 102]

After a few years it'll probably simmer down to a small group of dedicated fans, but I don't see it ever actually dying (The Lion King fandom still exists and is holding up very strong, for example). There'll still be forums and fan art and stuff, and if you're still a Brony you'll be able get you're daily fix of ponies (Although I'll miss the thousands of fan art done daily).

But it all could depend on what Hasbro does. If they can manage to evolve the show to keep it fresh, while still being as good as it is now, I could see the fandom becoming similar to the Trekkies. But, as I've learned these last few months, this fandom is Very unpredictable, so we'll just have to wait and see.

[Swoop 2,278]

Ponies could last for as short as two seasons.

 

 

Or as long as five, heck who knows...

 

 

All i really know, is that i'm going to have ponies stuck in my head for a hell of a long time.

 

 

And i couldn't be happier about that.

[Fizz. 1,078]

I wish it would be around forever, but obviously that won't happen. I'm sure it'll last past the show's last season or if the show starts sucking it'll latch on to the Golden Age. But aside from that, how long? Most bronies are teens and young adults, so eventaully they'll be consumed by real life and it'll just be a crazy thing you did when you were young.

 

I think it'll last at the very most one, MAYBE two years after the last good season.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Thereisnospoon303