hel GOTUre

Laura Mooney
Arts Editor

ho would have

thought that a show about
colorful horses teaching lessons about
tolerance and love, targeted for
girls under ten, would find it's home
amongst boys ranging from their teens
all the way up to their thirties. Well, My
little Pony: Friendship is Magic seems
to have filled this once untapped niche
quiet nicely.

Although first created in the early
1990's, the My Little Pony being
aired today was rebooted in 2010
with a new image to appeal fo the
next generations. With the ponies
now appearing as though they came
straight from an anime, ponies like
Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and
Fluttershy, aim to teach lessons about
making friends, dealing with being
different, acceptance, tolerance, and
standing up for what you believe in.

On August 25th, in Richmond, B.C,
the first annual Canadian Brony
convention, aptly named BronyCAN,
was held to celebrate all things
associated with the successful
television show. BronyCAN featured
musical artists, special guests, including
voice actors from the show, and even
action figures exclusively
designed for the
convention. Hundreds
of fans gathered,
many of them
being men and
self proclaimed
“Bronies’,
donned in full
costume to declare
their allegiance to
the show and express
their support. Of
course, those of the
Brony community who
attended the convention
are aware that their
odd obsession is
usually met with
trepidation, but in

response to
those who
may call their
show of choice
strange, most of
the men respond
with, “you have to see
it for yourself”.

So in order to fully understand the
hypnotic pull of the ponies, | grabbed
my fuzzy blanket, regressed back to
childhood, and watched the show.

In an episode entitled “Griffon the
Brush-Off”, the ponies are dealt the
difficult situation of figuring out what to
do when you not only don't get along
with your own best friend's BFF, but
when said BFF is, (to use Pinky Pie's
phrasing) “a big mean grumpy mean
meanie pants’. After the neon ponies
had performed their

Over The Edge

parade across my laptop
screen, and the end credits
began to roll, | couldn't help
but feel a sense of emptiness,
like there was something they had left
out.

Then it hit me. While most television
shows, children’s TV included, revolve
around central conflict, here was this
little cartoon with no devious villain, no
fighting, no troubles, nothing. Essentially
the only conflict in the show was
resolved through calm discussions, and
was usually dealt with within seconds
of the conflict arising. By the end of
the episode, these hooved creatures
had managed to teach me valuable
life lessons like knowing when a joke
has gone to far, what to do when

you see someone commit a crime,

and how to stand up to your friends
when necessary, all with much conflict.
What | had just experienced was a
calm, tender show about
how friendship, unity, and
being kind to those
around you can solve
even the largest

of problems. Suddenly the world didn't
seem so dreary, the biggest problems
didn't seem so big, and | knew that
with the power of friendship | could
do anything! Whoa..maybe the show

really is hypnotic. | need to go play
some Grand Theft Auto.

So although why this show is a hit
with the younger crowd, even after
sitting through one sickeningly sweet
episode the question of why grown
men are willingly watching it, and even
flocking to conventions so celebrate it,
still remains. Perhaps it is the flashing
bright colors and simple animation
that draws them in like moths to the
flame. Or maybe the quirkiness of the
characters tickles the funny bones of
men in particular. Or perhaps it is just
nice to watch a show, even if it is about
ponies, where people (or ponies)
are genuinely nice to one another.
Whatever it may be, My Little Pony:
Friendship is Magic can thank the
Brony community for aiding their
success, and can only hope that

these peculiar conventions will
continue on for years to
come.