The Future of My Little Pony and the Brony Phenomenon

[Fhaolan 4,468]

I've seen many people are thinking that the making of  seasons 5 and 6 of MLP FiM is possible. And as far as I know, the season 4 will mark the official end of the series with a total of 91 episodes. So, from my point of view, seasons 5 and 6 are not possible to be made.

 

I would like to know in what are those people based to say there will be Seasons 5 and 6. Or if I'm wrong about this.

 

What do you think?

Out of curiosity, what is your evidence that season 4 will mark the official end? It sounds like you've heard something somewhere that we haven't.

 

For animated/children's series, the syndication threshold is usually 65 episodes. Yes, adult drama series usually wait for 85-100 episodes before syndication, but the animation market has a lot lower threshold.

 

Given that MLP:FiM hit 65 episodes *exactly* with the end of Season 3, and that Magical Mystery Cure is written like a series finale in many ways, it's pretty much a guarantee that the option of stopping the series at that point was being kept open.

 

But now that Season 4 has not only been confirmed, but is actually being worked on actively by DHX, there is no artificial limit that I'm aware of that would keep Hasbro from re-upping the contract for Season 5 and 6. If anything, they will likely deal with these seasons as another 65-episode syndicatable block, with Season 6 being another 'short season'.

 

The question is, what will the state of the series be at the end of that new block? Hasbro may decide to go Gen 4.5 at that point, or break for a couple of years to retool for Gen 5.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,621]

Well, it's unknown for the time.

 

Remember, hasbro is mostly a toy selling company that has to expand and upgrade every once in a while, even with the success of FIM, I predict that the sixth season might be the final one....

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

If I can make a bold statement, I think season 5 and 6 of Friendship is Magic are anything but a myth. I would be extremely shocked if the show ended anytime soon. MLP: FiM is not just another run-of-the-mill cartoon that runs for 2-3 seasons and then fades into obscurity. MLP has done exceptionally well in every way, from TV show ratings to merchandise sales. Nothing spells success better than a franchise that can expand on its media content, and MLP has done just that. The series now has its own comic book series, and numerous different books have been printed with a lot more coming in the near future. The show has made its debut in Japan, where it will enjoy its own manga series too. MLP has also navigated its way into trading card territory, and a full-fledged trading card game is just beyond the horizon. It has even hit the big screen in the form of Equestria Girls, where it has done extremely well for a film that saw a very limited release, and that has opened up new marketing possibilities as well. The merchandise never stops coming. Toys, plushies, clothes, accessories, school supplies, DVDs, Equestria Girls products, happy meal toys, board games, and even a mobile game have all been released. Heck, we've even got MLP jewelry on the way. At this rate, we'll be giving Disney Princess and Hello Kitty a run for their money.

 

If Hasbro can continue to make a profit off of the series, then we will continue to see more from it. The future lies within our hands in a way - that is we have to support it in any way that we can if we want the series to last as long as possible, and that means watching the show and buying the products, which most Bronies and the target audience do to some extent. This is why the brand has been so successful.

 

Look at all that FiM has accomplished in its three years. It is the top rated television show on The Hub, and it's selling merchandise consistently well. Bronies are becoming more and more well-known, as we've been covered on everything from CNN to Fox News, to Time Magazine, PC Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and everything in between. Much of this exposure is likely to help the fandom grow even more. How many shows have their own fan convention? I think a lot of us underestimate the success and widespread popularity of the show. I'm not suggesting that the show will last forever, but with it going as strongly as it is, and considering how Hasbro is profiting so well from it, it would be pointless to pull the plug on it anytime soon. All the things that I mentioned should be indicative of a brand that is flourishing, not declining. I think it's far too early to panic about whether or not MLP is on its death bed. Let's just enjoy it while we have it and keep a positive outlook on its future.

 

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a cash cow, and Hasbro would be wise to treat it as such - by milking it to the very last drop.

[Tempest Chaser 45]

Well stated Sugar Cube, couldn't have said it any better myself. Hasbro would be stupid not to keep this show going while it is still popular, heck I'd even wager that they will keep it going one season after it isn't anymore just to make sure. Point being is that I'm not ready to say it's over yet. I could be wrong, but come on why would they stop a show that basically is carrying The Hub?

[Winger7632 124]

If I can make a bold statement, I think season 5 and 6 of Friendship is Magic are anything but a myth. I would be extremely shocked if the show ended anytime soon. MLP: FiM is not just another run-of-the-mill cartoon that runs for 2-3 seasons and then fades into obscurity. MLP has done exceptionally well in every way, from TV show ratings to merchandise sales. Nothing spells success better than a franchise that can expand on its media content, and MLP has done just that. The series now has its own comic book series, and numerous different books have been printed with a lot more coming in the near future. The show has made its debut in Japan, where it will enjoy its own manga series too. MLP has also navigated its way into trading card territory, and a full-fledged trading card game is just beyond the horizon. It has even hit the big screen in the form of Equestria Girls, where it has done extremely well for a film that saw a very limited release, and that has opened up new marketing possibilities as well. The merchandise never stops coming. Toys, plushies, clothes, accessories, school supplies, DVDs, Equestria Girls products, happy meal toys, board games, and even a mobile game have all been released. Heck, we've even got MLP jewelry on the way. At this rate, we'll be giving Disney Princess and Hello Kitty a run for their money.

 

If Hasbro can continue to make a profit off of the series, then we will continue to see more from it. The future lies within our hands in a way - that is we have to support it in any way that we can if we want the series to last as long as possible, and that means watching the show and buying the products, which most Bronies and the target audience do to some extent. This is why the brand has been so successful.

 

Look at all that FiM has accomplished in its three years. It is the top rated television show on The Hub, and it's selling merchandise consistently well. Bronies are becoming more and more well-known, as we've been covered on everything from CNN to Fox News, to Time Magazine, PC Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and everything in between. Much of this exposure is likely to help the fandom grow even more. How many shows have their own fan convention? I think a lot of us underestimate the success and widespread popularity of the show. I'm not suggesting that the show will last forever, but with it going as strongly as it is, and considering how Hasbro is profiting so well from it, it would be pointless to pull the plug on it anytime soon. All the things that I mentioned should be indicative of a brand that is flourishing, not declining. I think it's far too early to panic about whether or not MLP is on its death bed. Let's just enjoy it while we have it and keep a positive outlook on its future.

 

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a cash cow, and Hasbro would be wise to treat it as such - by milking it to the very last drop.

 

Got to agree with this one, some people don't seem to look at how many items are connected to MLP. I mean people need to took at this from a business standpoint and not from a CORPORATIONS ARE EVIL AND WILL TAKE THE SHOW OFF THE AIR TO MAKE US MAD standpoint. Hasbro isn't going to start G5 or G4.5 when G4 is in full swing and has been almost 10X as popular as all the generations put together. I mean the animating, music, character development, story, and voice acting are all superb and the shit that bronies are producing is just amazing (music, fan art, short stories, and even their own fan animated series like Friendship is Witchcraft). This show is just so popular at this point that in my honest opinion could be kept going until season 9 or 10 if the quality stays consistent then everything else will speak for itself. I mean if Hasbro is able to take G4 character that made me cringe when i saw the G3 theme song out of curiosity today like Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo being prime examples and reboot them into my 2 favorite characters then who knows where they can take this series. My guess is it won't end for a while.   

Edited September 10, 2013 by little gamie

[GrimCW 658]

I'll be honest, i fear the 4th season as is, and worse if it continues.

 

While I'd love to see the series continue, given Hasbro's track record, I fear they're going to want to shake it up a LOT more than just Princess Twilight in coming seasons.

If they're going to continue, they'll want more toys to make and sell... Despite if they threw more marketing toward the higher end (less on the brushables and little girl toys, and more on the collectibles and such) they could really milk this for all its worth.

Much like Transformers and such.. well... they're going to want to "shake it up" a bit by either redoing the whole thing again, or middle of it all rehashing things (Think Beast Wars Transmetals - Fuzors - Transmetals 2 - Beast Machines situation. Heck even between 3 movies for the TF's, each one has found a way to make a new megatron and optimus figure. As well as dozens of new Bumble bee variants)

 

Generally the shows they do, despite being cheap enough to rake in tons of cash off minimal toy sales, don't last long for a reason. At least not unless they can shift things a bit and keep making new toys.

 

They probably figure that once the dip in sales begins, the kids aren't wanting the old stuff anymore, so they need new stuff. And obviously rehashing the old stuff won't work much, however changing things minimally on the show with the same characters... That'll get the kids going (And i'll be the first to confess to having gotten all three versions of Megatron from Beast wars, and 3 of the 4 figures of Optimal Optimus when I was a kid. Trick is, I had to pay for my own toys Parents made me work for my cash.)

Edited September 10, 2013 by GrimCW

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

Capitalism, mate. FiM is doing magnificently, and Hasbro has already started slapping it on everything imaginable, including official comics, a manga, a spin-off movie, various foreign language versions, and more merchandise than your little heart can comprehend.

 

Regardless of whether this is due to the target audience or not, Hasbro has no reason to cut their success short. Of course they're going to keep the train running for as long as conceivably possible.

[DippyOryan 6]

Personally I feel that there will be a possible 5th and 6th season, this is mostly because there is so much that can be established upon the series. Another reason is that Hasbro is making bank off of their comics, merchandise, show, etc. There is just to much potential for them to abruptly have the show ended.

 

But these are just opinions, I mean at times Hasbro is just sporadic. But I think the show has the potential to make it to a 6th season. But only time will tell my friend.

[Fluttershutter 2,120]

It all depends on whether they think it will be profitable.TV shows can be cancelled at any time so we just have to take it season by season.

I'm justglad we're getting another full 26 episodes soon.

[Venomshank 120]

Before the show-- gulp --ends... I would love to see a character that doesn't believe in magic. I think that would be funny... Like an atheist in a church

[Forlong 1,725]

Both.  It is currently under consideration.  The production team will get confirmation some time near the end of S4 production.  With how popular the show is, a 5th season is pretty much in the bag.

[King Sejong 858]

   I'm a huge fan of Mystery Science Theatre 3000, and I was so glad to see Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax, where our favourite riffers are back at work mocking weak and bad movies. The fans of MST3K kept the love of the show, manage to make the new riffing inspired shows a success, so I believe My Little Pony will go on, a new generation is inevitable in the future, but Friendship is Magic already has exceeded expectations, so it's legacy will last even as the show ends. The internet can also extend the life of MLP too, the fan videos, music and art can keep the show alive, and as the phenomenon continues to rise the imagination of the bronies and pegasisters will indeed preserve MLP.

[Sectus 246]

I think the important part when judging the future success of the show is to take realistic boundries into consideration. Sure, the show has a massive following for one of its kind, but it isn't really a repeat of Star Trek in its fanbase. It just doesn't have that element required for it to become something that is molded into nerd history.

 

The crippling part is that almost every guy can relate in some way to things like Star Wars or Star Trek. My Little Pony is a show that requires a very specific type of person to become a fan. Not everyone is willing to admit that the show is well designed; mainly for fear of being judged by their peers.

 

Personally, I predict the show will go on for at least one more season (season four), possibly one after that, before it is retired. There will inevitably be someone that makes a spin off, or a generation five, in an attempt to revive the hype that this series had, but it will be devastatingly unsuccessful in this attempt.

 

-Sec

[Brave Hooves 113]

I predict or rather hope that the series will make it to season 6. The end of a series is like the ultimate test of a fanbase to see if it will go on or not. Things like DBZ may be over but their fanbase still lives on in artwork and stuff. Just like DBZ, FiM may get specials released many years later or even a big game like Ducktales got. We will see eventually. It's a shame that the whole manlyness, pink=girly/gay/hand over your man card bullshit is still so deeply ingrained in society's head.

[Jamesblorg39welsh 125]

I predict fim will have 5 or six seasons then have g5 next year after season five however it won't be a new art style it just won't be fim

[NobodyHere 23]

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a very good show to me. It teaches us morals and the power of friendship. There is more to My Little Pony than just the show. There are people of all ages kids, teens, and adults who watch the show. Some of the teens and adults are Bronies. A Brony is a male fan of My Little Pony Pony Friendship is magic. The other half the girls are Pegasisters. Bronies and Pegasisters are very creative and make fan art, music, PMV's, and animations. I think that this is a wonderful thing and I think that all of that will go on for a very long time. The My Little Pony fandom has lasted for three years and we gain many Pegasisters and Bronies every year. I think the fandom and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic will last a very long time. We donate alot of money to charity and I am also proud of that.

The dedication to the show is just amazing and those are my thoughts of the Brony community.

[*Rarity 123]

Uhm, okay, I don't really know what to reply to this, is there even any discussion material in this thread?

Yeah, the fandom rocks, and we all know what a brony or pegasister is, or else we would probably not be here... Maybe 1% of the members have never heard of the word "brony" or "pegasister" but... nah.

Also, there are so many people "involved" in the fandom, that it's a bit, prejudical to say that "we donate a lot to charity". There are all types of bronies and pegasisters, there are those who donate to charity, there are those who do nothing, there are those who play NSFW games... Ya can't put us all in a box, just like you can't put all the ponies in a box, since they all have different personalities, but they all work together

[Scootalove 10,684]

I've got to agree with you, since this community is pretty great and the show shows how friendship and teamwork. I'm pretty proud to be in this community.

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,189]

Yeah, I have to say, it is the best fandom I've ever been in. The Doctor Who and Star Trek fandoms just feel... different. I feel so welcome here, it's wonderful. I love the show, and I love the fan-made material.

 

The amount of fan-made material actually astounds me. Freaking musicians, artists, and animators, plus probably a bunch of different kinds of people that I don't know. I love being able to watch all of the fan stuff even when the actual show is on hiatus. It keeps me pumped for the new season, and is really cool.

 

I also love how people have websites like this dedicated to the show. There are so many websites, and just think of all the people it takes to run each!

 

So yeah. Best fandom evar.

[~/XC- BRONY\~ 310]

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a very good show to me. It teaches us morals and the power of friendship. There is more to My Little Pony than just the show. There are people of all ages kids, teens, and adults who watch the show. Some of the teens and adults are Bronies. A Brony is a male fan of My Little Pony Pony Friendship is magic. The other half the girls are Pegasisters. Bronies and Pegasisters are very creative and make fan art, music, PMV's, and animations. I think that this is a wonderful thing and I think that all of that will go on for a very long time. The My Little Pony fandom has lasted for three years and we gain many Pegasisters and Bronies every year. I think the fandom and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic will last a very long time. We donate alot of money to charity and I am also proud of that.

The dedication to the show is just amazing and those are my thoughts of the Brony community.

I agree with you a lot on this!

 

On a side note, maybe next time make this into a Blog post instead of a Forum post, because this is more of a blog post than a discussion post just so the mods dont have to get you in trouble.

[Sunny Fox 5,930]

This thread appears to be related to the My Little Pony franchise and/or the Bronydom in general. Thus, it has been sentenced to Sugarcube Corner.

 

This is an automatically generated message, by the way.

[Dddrgn 450]

The fandom is inspiring, welcoming, and full of loving, kind people. I honestly believe that the Brony fandom will last for an extremely long time, many fans will fall away after enough time, as it is with any group of people, but i do believe that we will continue to grow for years to come. there will be a day when we die off, but that is not anytime soon.

[CloudSeeker 23]

okay, so first of all i am nearly sure that there had to be such a topic in all those years,

but i couldnt find it, i have no idea where the searchtool is. im sorry.

 

if there never has been such a topic (which i highly doubt)

 

then, well thats the question that really bugs me..

 

what do you think will happen to us bronies, once the show ends for good?

will we make it or will we just last a few years?

in my personal opinion, theres very much fanart, i mean, we have comics,

music, short animations, stuff like that. i think this community is very creative,

hence i really hope we could stand a chance against time.

on the other hoof im afraid the number of bronies could crumble (but isnt that

the case in every fandom? sometimes people just lose interest in something )

 

 

but i would like to hear what everypony else thinks about that?

are we "doomed" or not?

 

 

if somepony would find to happen a similiar topic, then please redirect me

or something

[Rift enchanted 378]

Well first that's not gonna happen in a long period of time. Seeing how successful hasbro is they can get to, like, season 7. In 3 years at least.

 

But by then people will start complaining, starting riots but some bronies will just stay the same.

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

I'm forseeing a Star Trek like future for this fandom. It will continue to exist and possibly re-surge in popularity with quality follow ups in the coming generations of MLP (Gen 5 for The Next Generation pls), and even in periods of down time it will still have a fairly faithful following with all the stuff like cons and brony weddings still going strong. It's a cultural phenomenon that I think has grown into something more, considering the amount of people that continue to join despite the meme long having died.