The Future of My Little Pony and the Brony Phenomenon

[Reversalx 129]

Definetly not a fad, i mean, i could go off paragraphs explaining why.The show is excellent by itself, but the works the fandom has created is just flabbergasting. We(the fanbase) have accomplished too great of feats to just simply die out And while all shows are destined to one day die out, bronies shall prosper for that time alloted, and may it be great of a time.

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

If this were a fad, I believe the fandom would already be dead.  It's been over two years at this point, and in that time we've only grown stronger and have shown no/very little signs of decline.  Yes, it has to end eventually.  An end to everything is inevitable, but I think that we still have a hell of a future ahead of us.

[Awesome Dashie 30]

No matter how much I hate to admit it, this fandom will most likely die out eventually, but like this guy said:

We(the fanbase) have accomplished too great of feats to just simply die out

,

We have accomplished too much for the fandom to die, quickly at least. So, with that said, we have all the tools and have already started making this time the best we can, with all the music and art inspired by the show, we've definitely given it a good run so far and I hope we can keep it up as long as we can. MLP is amazing as is this community and it dying would be terrible, even though it is inevitable.

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I think this has the potential to stay forever if possible. I mean look at harry potter and star wars. Do you see those franchises dying out anytime soon?

[Fender 1,283]

Bronies will continue existing, just like Trekkies, Harry Potter fans, and Star Wars fans. When you make something as great as MLP: FiM and give it a fandom as great as this, it lasts, oh it does last. For quite awhile.

 

And no, I would never call this a fad anyway, only for the people in the fandom who treat it as such.....like the bronies who are bronies only for attention.

[Phoenix237 353]

We still have star trek fans, star wars fans, Harry potter fans, twilight fans, dc fans, marvel fans, DBZ fans, etc.

Less commonly known and not as large are smurfs fans, thundercats fans, etc.

 

Look I doubt the fandom will simply go away. Will it slow down, probably, but one thing that I doubt will happen quickly is that the fandom will go away completely. It will take years if not decades for this fandom to start to slowly deteriorate.

 

I believe that the fandom will live on as long as we the fans keep on doing what we are doing now.

Who knows, maybe when G5 comes out we may like it and if it is related with the G4 series then our fandom will rise again. (I always get the impression that G5 will somehow be a sequel to FIM. Don't know why).

[Squid 100]

The show will end. One day. It is inevitable.

 

After this, the fandom will take a heavy blow, however, I believe it will still persist. Just not quite as large as it once was.

 

Somehow, Brown Coats are still around, even though Firefly ended so long ago.

 

Though, there is a possibility that after FiM ends there may be a spin-off show, something like how Star Trek had several TV shows.

Since Equestria is a big place, they could potentially make MLP shows forever.

 

The only thing I could see really killing the fandom would be the show turning bad before the end, much like SpongeBob did.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

People who don't understand the fandom say a lot of things about it. What bothers me is that we seem compelled to repeat every single one of them. -_-

 

It's not a fad. Paper dresses and yelling "wazzaaaaap?" were fads. This, as the title said, is a movement.

[The Stranger 812]

If people are going to run around and call MLP a fad they might as well call everything that ever came into being a fad. I write this because everything has an end not just MLP. 

 

MLP will end one day but I assure you all that will take many years to happen so don't wait for it or you'll be waiting for a long time. 

Edited January 23, 2013 by Photo Finish

[Gone Airbourne 21,969]

It is not a fad and it has stayed this popular because of how great of a show it is. The fanbase is massive and we pretty much will keep it going strong. I mean yeah over the years it will not be as popular but it will not just up and vanish. Cartoons like this do not come around that often and this show is like gold. I still love shows like ed, edd, & eddy, courage the cowardly dog, tom & jerry etc. Those shows have stopped airing but that does not mean people do not still love it!

[hawkflame 3,308]

I think it's more than a fad but its longevity remains to be seen.  These things come and go in waves.  It's not the first show I was passionate about, and it's not going to be the last.  We think things will stay the same forever, but real life has a tendency to get in the way. 

 

It could be like Star Trek and Star Wars and go on while there's no "official" material for years on end.  Will it?  Who knows.  I hope so.  I think it can.  A lot of fans have invested a ton of time and and effort into this fandom so it's got some very strong legs, but at the same time this is relatively new while other fandoms have been around for decades. 

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

The fandom will only die if we choose to let it. If we continue to have the same kind of passion and dedication that has been demonstrated for the last two years, we have the power to remain strong long after FiM has ended.

 

We owe it to the bronies who will come after us the chance to experience the magic we are experiencing now. I want bronies a decade from now to still be able to experience events like Bronycon.

Edited January 23, 2013 by AtomicBassCannon

[DATAIRSOFTBRONY 13]

i agree, the MLP fad will die down but maybe the series will last long after it ends because of other fans. possibly they may create a whole new series like this one if somepony wants to take that responiblity. but i think it will stay alive as long as we keep it alive. the creators may want to go on to better pastures down the road but we, as fans of MLP: FIM can keep it going as long as we want it to.

[Phoenix237 353]

It is not a fad and it has stayed this popular because of how great of a show it is. The fanbase is massive and we pretty much will keep it going strong. I mean yeah over the years it will not be as popular but it will not just up and vanish. Cartoons like this do not come around that often and this show is like gold. I still love shows like ed, edd, & eddy, courage the cowardly dog, tom & jerry etc. Those shows have stopped airing but that does not mean people do not still love it!

I know what you mean. Growing up I loved many of the cartoons at the time such as Ed, Edd, n Eddy, Courage the Cowerdly dog, Dexter's Laboratory, etc. Long after the shows ended I see people who still remember them.

Every once in a while I watch the old shows I loved to remember their glory days. When MLP: FIM does end, it won't for me.

For me it will be a show I loved that I will rewatch every once in while to remind myself I it's glory.

 

And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who will continue with the fandom long after the show had ended. I will be there waiting with all the rest of the fans long after the show has ended to prove that this fandom won't go away that easily.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

I think the people that say that are mistaken about what the word "fad" means, we've lasted to long, made to much, and had to big a impact to be called that. 

Edited January 23, 2013 by Shoboni

[MatrixChicken 879]

It's most definitely not a fad. If it were a fad, it would have died out quicker than Gak memes.

 

Sure, the show will end and without new official content, the community will slowly die down, but not for a while. And maybe, just maybe, the show will continue, but in a different incarnation. Perhaps G5 will be just as intriguing and fun as this generation. Who knows?

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

This will be a fad if Hasbro becomes as idiotic as we think that they will. As I watch half the fanbase ragequit and walk away.

[Shanks 10,811]

This show has inspired a level of creativity that is exceedingly rare in most fandoms, helped people with depression by reminding them that not everything about life is gloom and doom and has started a long overdue debate about gender rolls in society. I haven't seen very many "fads" accomplish even half of these things, fad or not though I think MLP has had a positive influence on the world.

[~Lawful Sturdy Wing~ 522]

There is a degree to which I agree with the people who say that MLP is a fad... This is because I see who makes up a large portion of the fanbase, "20% cooler" meme idiots who fall in and out of followings biweekly, I mean you guys see our retention numbers on mlpforum members.

My Little Pony FIM means more to me than any other movement ever has, but I am fully aware there are many more who do not see the light it produces...

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

"Nothing gold can stay"...

 

Really though, I think that after the show eventually ends, it will be inevitable that the fandom will die down, and eventually, without any new content, the bronies will basically die out. They may still exist to some extent, but not anywhere close to the level they do now.

[ShyForever 282]

We will stay for a long time, trust me.

Take a look at what the community has done so far.

We have a vast amount of jaw-dropping animations, fanfics, conventions, and music dedicated to this show.

Other fandoms have lasted for decades. By looking at that perspective, and looking at how much we have accomplished so far,

we will never die in our generation.

Sure, the show has to end. It's a TV show. But the community will always come back and relive the inspiring scenes from probably the most inspirational show I have ever seen.

 

I vow that if the fandom shrinks in size, I will still watch the show. I don't care what anybody else says; I love My Little Pony.

 

We will never die. 

[Modphase 1,270]

Oh look, another one of these threads? Oh joy.

 

Am I the only one who disagrees, and says that this fandom will not last as long as others? look, I'm not trying to be cynical, but I believe that what people are saying here are a bit...erm, extreme.

 

And trust me, I know that there will still be Bronies, even after the fandom dies down. Not die completely, but it will become quite small. You see, there are still trekkies, Star Wars fans, superhero fans, all of them, of course. But those were fandoms a long time ago. nowadays, you don't see many sites dedicated to Super Man, Spider Man, The Hulk, Star Wars, Star trek, you name it.

 

The point I'm trying to get across is that there will always be individual fans, but not enough to actually call the fans a fanbase.

 

And I've seen people here saying that the enormous amount of artistic talent, the amount of publicity it is getting is large, and that so much fan content is being produced, that it will not go anytime soon.

 

However, you ever heard the saying, "The candle that burns twice as bright, but half as long?"

 

 

Anyways, this fandom is also small. It's not large enough to get to a point where it will be stable. I think we will die, of course not before the show ends, but it is inevitable, but us, as a fandom, will die, but individual fans will not.

 

 

And you know, everybody says this about their fandom, and I don't blame you. I just wish to be a little more realistic. And sorry if I'm coming off like an ass, I'm a bit tired of seeing this same idea popping up every week.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Modphase

[NavelColt 22,876]

John De Lancie himself has called this a movement and he's right. We're one of if not the largest, most productive and creative fandom to ever hit the internet. Time will make things calm down a bit but we're not going anywhere for a long time to come.

[Rainbow Dash Loyalty 1,274]

Bronies would never die out, it'll be one of the ever-lasting fandoms. If it were a fad, the show would of died out in 2011 or 2012. Gangnam style is a fad, and I'm hell tired and annoyed out of it and its only been a couple of months. Even if we did die out, we've had a hell of a run so far and no one will forget what bronies have done ^.^

[Betez 1,734]

I honestly don't think it's a fad. I think it will continue to be a strong fandom years after the show eventually ends. It really is a good show, and I just can't possibly see the fandom that is Bronydom dying anytime soon.