Would you still watch the show if there was no fandom?

[TwilizzleFoShizzle 95]

I think I would continue to watch the show if the entire fandom suddenly disappeared, however if it were not for the fandom I don't think I would've watched that first episode that actually got me involved in this. Also, were it not for the bronies I may not have been able to find the episodes as easily on youtube. I think it would've been weird for me to watch the show the first time if there was no fandom, but im already an antisocial freak to the extent that after the first couple episodes I would continue watching.

[Nature's Spell 526]

Yes, I watched the show before I became a brony, but I can't say what I'll do once the show ends and/or my kids stop watching the show.

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

Like many people here, I have two answers for this, too.

 

Quite honestly, if it weren't for the fandom advertising the show like crazy via word-of-mouth promotion, YouTube clips, and memes, I wouldn't have discovered the show in the first place. Despite knowing that the My Little Pony franchise existed in the form of commercials, it was barely promoted in the New York City toy stores. Until I discovered the fandom, I had no idea Friendship Is Magic even existed. If it weren't for the fandom, I doubt I would've discovered this show and community even today.

 

Now, if the fandom were to disappear off the face of the earth, would I continue to watch it? Definitely. Both fandoms go hand in hand, but regardless of the fandom's size, the show itself is very good, too. I'll continue to watch it even if it was no longer around. (Nonetheless, I'd still miss the brony fandom. )

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

When I was introduced to the show, I was still unaware of the following it was building. Back in May of 2011 the fanbase was nowhere near as big as it is now. My first exposure to the show was when a single guy strolled into another forum I was on and made a thread about how awesome the new My Little Pony show is. A bunch of us who gave it a chance and liked it formed a small brony community there, and that was the entirety of the fandom as far as I was concerned at the time. Even that didn't happen until several of us fell in love with the show on our own. So yes, I would still watch the show if there was no fandom. It didn't take a fandom to get me into it, so I don't need one to keep me interested.

 

You know, there was a time before internet fandoms of any sort. I do realize some people here may be too young to remember that. I loved live-action shows and cartoons in the 90s when I had nobody else to share them with and I can still get by on my own if necessary, though I'd rather have some great people to enjoy these things with me.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Artemis

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Well, i started watching the show without knowing of the fanbase, it wasn't until a month later that i did find out,  i watched all of season one (in random order, based on what episode sounded the best xD)

 

I was bored at home, commercials, colors, checked when the nearest episode would air, liked it, watched another one 8 hours later, soon watched all the episodes on youtube :U

[hawkflame 3,308]

Depends on how you define fandom.  With more and more people watching online these days, it's harder to just stumble onto a show yourself while switching channels.  So inevitably, it's going to come from word of mouth to some degree.  I heard the show was good from others my age, and figured it had the same cross generational appeal of shows like Powerpuff Girls, Spongebob, and Dexter's Laboratory.  Without that feedback,I probably wouldn't have given it a shot. 

 

But that kind of feedback came from people who didn't really identify themselves a s bronies; sure they were aware of what the fandom was, but they weren't super invested in it.  So I think that liking the show is certainly independent of being part of the brony fandom.

[Bardock 139]

I'd probably still watch it, sure. It'll be sad if there was no fandom, though. MLP probably has the best fandom out of the ones I've been involved in, and I really enjoy a lot of the fan-made stuff out there.

[DwarfEmo13 34]

Most definitely, I mean sure if bronies didn't exist I'd have no idea the show even existed, but had I known beforehand I don't think the fandom really matters as far as how much I watch MLP. Would probably miss the fan-generated content though.... 

[Keylise<3 488]

I don't think so. I wouldn't even have heard about it in the first place. The fandom is better than the show itself, in my opinion.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

That's hard to say. The fandom and it's significant presence online is what drew many of us to the show in the first place. I first checked out the show because of fan art and a news article about 'bronies.' Once I started watching, I wanted to share the experience with you guys too.

 

So the truth is very close to what Night Light and Dr. Nefarious said. If the fandom didn't exist, I wouldn't be a fan--or if I was it would've taken longer. But at the same time I love the show in my own way, regardless of what other bronies do.

Edited April 12, 2013 by TailsIsNotAlone

[Limey 524]

If it wasn't for the fandom, I wouldn't even know about the show in the first place. So if there was no fandom, then I'm afraid I wouldn't be a fan (my sister's G3 DVD scarred me enough.)

[Shanks 10,811]

It is very unlikely that I would have given the show a chance in the first place if I hadn't already heard about the brony fandom, I got into the show because my curiosity over exactly what so many teenagers and adults especially teenage and adult men see in the show. If for some reason I did manage to give the show a chance I probably would have watched it fandom or no fandom because I don't make my decisions on what shows I watch or don't watch based on how popular or unpopular they are.

[dashian500 194]

when i started watching it was cuz of my bby sis lost the remote i spent a year thinking i was the only one that liked that was my age but i was rong  even if there wasnt a fandom i  would still watch cuz i love the show the story line all of it

[Fanboy_Of_Things 7]

Its hard for me to say if I would watch mlp if the fandom never existed. As it would mean that I would not have be inclined to watch the show via hearsay of its overall quality. 

If I were to speculate further I would as assume the following.

 

The appeal of the background characters would not be the same

The show would likly stick to its original target demographic

we would not have all these sites, music, visual art and media sources to keep ourselves entertained between seasons.

 

as numerous other possible changes could have occurred, which I beleive would have been or become something of lesser quality

if not overally forgetable. I love both the fandom and the show, if one or the other ever went away, the other would suffer.

As we the audience are just as important to MLP as the ones whom work on it.

 

In the end I would still watch the show if the fandom died, but I fear for the show and prospect that something could destroy the community around it.

[Sir Cal Stonehoof 596]

Maybe, I'm not sure. I would consider my entrance into the fandom due to the existing fandom (if that makes sense). It was also in part to where I finally got to the point where I didn't care what people thought of me for watching MLP:FiM. I'm glad I made that choice, it's a great show, with lovable, memorable characters. The fandom is amazing, even "Cupcakes" (in its own, creepy, gruesome way), and "Princess Molestia"(Mindless Gonzo's tumblr dubs are hilarious , and the other darker aspects of the fandom. Even those have their place in the fandom.

 

 

 

 

The song ends around the 2:10 mark, the only reason I posted the video is because the animations are awesome. DFTBA! And yes I do have my favorite ponies. Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, but I like all of them really, but those two really stand out among the rest.

 

Edited April 12, 2013 by Caledonian

[Celtore 2,769]

The fandom was what interested me to begin with, but if the fandom spontaneously died, I would continue to watch the show. It would be a big loss and I would definitely miss it, but I enjoy the characters and art design too much to stop watching

[Thrashy 2,799]

I usually watch things based on recommendations, so if there were no brony fandom, I'd still have watched it provided someone recommended it to me...of course, the chances of me even getting such a recommendation would probably have been nil without a supporting fandom. So yeah, if I'd never heard of bronies before, and I just saw MLP previews on a commercial or something, I'd have probably disregarded it.

[GrooveBroove 680]

That was a I interesting article for EQD to post.

Thinking about it is have to say no. Without the fandom I wouldn't have even given the show a gander. Not to mention it wouldn't have turned out quite the way it did. Seasons 2 and later probably would have delved into being more for the actual demographic.

[Radiance64 7,051]

Hm, good question...

As much as I love a good cartoon, I don't know if I would have discovered MLP: FiM if their wasn't any sort of fandom surrounding it, in fact if I hadn't have seen that other guys watched it I definitely wouldn't have considered watching it. So yeah, I probably wouldn't have considered it if a fanbase wasn't already established, but then again when I actually saw the show it was love at first sight, so maybe if I happened to catch it on the Hub I would have liked it, but I don't know.

[WarGrowlmon1990 94]

I was watching the show before I even knew about the fandom. I was actually a little worried that I was the only adult who enjoyed MLP. 

[RollingPony 100]

I would watch it but the only problem is that I recognized the show only because of it's fandom so if there were no bronies I wouldn't even have discovered the show 

[Odangohead 6]

Hmm, I generally like stuff that I'm too old for, so I'd probably still watch and enjoy it, but probably be as into it as I am into "Life in the Dreamhouse", which doesn't have nearly as huge a fanbase as bronies but is still enjoyable. I definitely wouldn't be as obsessed with MLP, and I wouldn't have so many askblogs, OCs, and fanfic ideas.

[Thundershock 310]

Course i would still watch the show.The show would still be the exact same without a fandom,just a little boring,but i would still watch it .

[angrysalamence 49]

I started watching MLP because if Transformers, before I even knew about the fandom. So, yes I probably would carry on watching even without a fandom to go along. 

[garrenn 74]

I actually mostly had haters as friends to be honest! They weren't the ones that just seeked out the bad side of the fandom (as there i swith any fandom) ((though she DID seek out the bad she also seeked out the bad that haters did to bronies who had the audacity to have a pony avatar and not remotely say anything pony related, so she was fair)), and it was their talking abut it that made me want to check out the show and see if it was as bad as they said.

 

And it wasn't!