Has the brony craze hit its peak?

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

There's a reason why I'm asking this.  While My Little Pony is about to be given its fifth season, three more Hub channel shows were cancelled on their third seasons, including Pound Puppies, Dan Vs., and Transformers Prime.  The MLP craze has also been around for four years, which means that, at that point, it should hit its peak and die down, probably making way for Generation Five, which will probably be a repeat of Generation 3's saccharine themes and lack of any conflict.

 

But for me, I'd rather believe that the brony craze is still alive and kicking, even if it will hit its inevitable end, just like the aforementioned Pound Puppies, Dan Vs., and Transformers Prime.  The reason is because MLP is currently Hasbro's highest selling franchise since Transformers, but mostly because us bronies have the most disposable income being spent on their toys and merchandise compared to the real intended audience, little girls.

 

MLP is also proof that anything for girls can still be enjoyed by boys of any age, even adulthood, so long as it's done well, rather than badly like Generation Three proved.  And, if Welcome to Care-a-Lot and Strawberry Shortcake had writing and character-development as clever as MLP's, neither of them nor Pound Puppies would be cancelled.

 

The only downside to this is Equestria Girls, which was mostly designed to compete with Monster High, even if it meant stripping MLP of its core essence to do so, albeit as a couple of movies rather than 13-to-26 episode-long seasons.  The whole point of MLP is that it's a magical, medieval fairy tale, and that a modern-day high-school setting with humans detracts from that point.  But even with EqG, especially the upcoming Rainbow Rocks, MLP is still surviving.

 

Does anyone else think the MLP craze is still alive?  Or is it dying away?

[RWB 229]

"magical, medieval fairy tale"

 

Uh, no.

 

It's early modern age with twists and turns because magic.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

All of the evidence I need is here.

 

Critics panned Rainbow Falls, and for good reason; the episode was pretty far off from being an objectively good episode, even though I found some enjoyment in it Not as much as other episodes, of course.

 

ANYWAY, this episode was blasted, with only one episode that I'm aware of receiving more hate ("Mysterious Mare Do Well"). Look at the poll, though.

 

Despite the critics extreme amount of disapproval, this episode received 158 votes claiming "I LOVED IT!!" and 91 claiming "I liked it!", far morew than any other category available.

 

This is considered to be one of the worst episodes in the series, people, and the fandom still praised it.

 

I think the craze is still going at the moment. While it isn't a full force, I believe we're currently stabilizing as a fandom and will soon have our place in history alongside the Trekkies, the Whovians, the Star Wars folks, etc. 

We had a rather violent inception that spread like a virus in a cramped area; right now, though, I believe that we're becoming concrete and ready for the long run, and while the craze will inevitably die down, I think that the fandom is here to stay, even past the end of G4  

 

I think MLP will leave a legacy similar to Star Trek, in a way; while the main series will die down eventually, it will carry on

Edited May 9, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Mayhaps.

It's definitively plateaued. The community is still very active, but nothing like it was during Season 2.

 

I'm okay with that.

Edited May 9, 2014 by Dattebayo

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

It's definitively plateaued. The community is still very active, but nothing like it was during Season 2.

Or, you can say everything I wall of texted about in a single sentence

 

That's cool too

Edited May 9, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Or, you can say everything I wall of texted about in a single sentence

 

That's cool too

You know what they say...All toasters toast toast

Edited May 9, 2014 by Dattebayo

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

We have reached a plateau in terms of member growth. Outside of loosing a few members (in such small numbers they do not make any real statistical difference), we have reached the top, and are now slowly but surely settling into the same numbers that the Star Wars or weaboo fandoms carry. No longer experiencing exponential growth, and settling into its place on the internet we will take a quiet background seat next to the other large fandoms. To compound this, modern tv series and animations are now beginning to "spoof" the brony fandom, and these types of shows are known for satirizing something that has a concrete place and is no longer exploding in growth as making light of a fad that grows too quickly and fades is a loss of money.

[Magic Man 221]

It's not "dying away" as such, it's certainly cemented its place on the internet, but unlike some shortlived fandoms (remember the Horton Hears a Who Jojo fangirls?), this show is successful enough and has enough substance to bring people back to it, even after it ends. So while it will likely slow down and maybe stagnate (though G5 will hopefully inject new blood after G4), it is secure enough to last a very long time, hopefully pushing it near the ranks of Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, etc.

[Pastel 7,627]

Maybe. It's impossible to know, really.

Maybe the next seasons will be rubbish and then yes, or maybe they'll be far better than the 4 first seasons (it's possible), and then no.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Blobulle

[Commander_PonyShep 349]

Here's another piece of evidence proving that the brony craze will barely die down, no matter what:

 

The original G1 Transformers lasted for only three seasons, plus a three-part series premiere, a movie that killed off Optimus Prime, and a three-part series finale.  Two other Transformers shows that lasted only three seasons included Beast Wars and Transformers Prime, both CGI-animated cartoons.

 

Technically, the Transformers series had more incarnations than My Little Pony, but those same incarnations only lasted between one and three seasons each.  But Friendship is Magic is about to hit its fifth season, compared to Pound Puppies, Dan Vs., Transformers Prime, G.I. Joe Renegades, Welcome to Care-a-Lot, and Strawberry Shortcake, also lasting one-to-three seasons each before being cancelled themselves.

 

G4 MLP will last for another five years.  But with us bronies around to purchase their merchandise more often than little girls, it'll probably last even longer, because Hasbro wouldn't be so quick as to end their fastest-selling franchise just to make way for a fifth generation, which would probably repeat the mistakes made in Generation Three, such as unnecessarily saccharine themes and a complete lack of conflict.

[Jeric 46,836]

The show is still on the air and still churning out quality episodes, so you do have some new fans coming in, like me even though I'm an outlier.

 

I do have some thoughts about the long term health of the fandom. its really still in its infancy and there are so many unique aspects to the Brony community that it's hard to really predict.

 

I do believe that even if Hasbro misses the mark in the future, the G4 fandom will not die out. It may have a natuaral attrition with less conventions and fan content, but it will continue for a long time in that worst case scenario.

 

The test is going to be with the teen and college age group when the enter the work force, have families, etc. Passions change or get toned down. Maybe the long term future is a less vocal community, but still there.

 

This thread is making me pissed at myself for dismissing the show a few years ago. I missed quite a ride already, and I'm already talking about the ride slowing down.

[Scootalove 10,684]

It is far from hitting its peak, due to the show's extension of another five years the brony craze is not going to end anytime soon. With the art, merchandise, and the anticipation of another season on the horizon, I can honestly say that it is not over yet.

[GlowingFlask 2,356]

We had a rather violent inception that spread like a virus in a cramped area; right now, though, I believe that we're becoming concrete and ready for the long run, and while the craze will inevitably die down, I think that the fandom is here to stay, even past the end of G4  

 

I think MLP will leave a legacy similar to Star Trek, in a way; while the main series will die down eventually, it will carry on

 

As long as it still have Rarity in G5, right? 

 

As for my own opinion, bronies are in a low growing somewhat stabilized curve. We gain more than we lose, but not has much as it did before. MLP G4 is good for more than season 5, I hope.

[Adorkable 2,737]

I believe that the Brony "craze" has plenty of time left, and it has yet to reach its full potential. ^^

[LED Dasher 228]

Since people all over the world are learning about the show's existence, I would say no. 

[Pastel 7,627]

Mmh, seeing how good today's episode was, I'd rather say "No" than "Yes".

[Bendy 1,819]

No, I don' think it has. THINK

 

Sure the fandom may grow, but so will the hate fandom of My Little Pony.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Rush

[Blackened 512]

I thought it peaked in 2012, but nowadays I'd say that it hasn't quite peaked yet, but it's getting there!

[Moss 95]

For me it peaked once season 2 ended.Its been a slow decline in the quality of the show for me.