Equestria is a world full of colourful images, ponies and unicorns — a world full of friendship, love and tolerance.
This is the land of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic — a world that seems perfectly tailored to the dreams of young girls.
Yet, this magical realm of ponies has also attracted a different kind of viewer: the Brony.
“Brony” is a term used to describe a man, usually in his mid-teens to 30s, who is a fan of My Little Pony. Bronies, who are becoming one of the Internet’s biggest subcultures, are much more common than some might think.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a cartoon series that first aired in October 2010. It’s based off the original My Little Pony series of dolls and shows created in the 1980s. Like most children’s shows, it teaches lessons about the value of friendship and caring for one another.
These lessons, along with the various characters, have attracted an audience the show’s creators never intended. The size of the Brony community is overwhelming.
Some of the biggest communities on the Internet, including 4chan and Reddit, are home to large Brony communities.
For example, on Reddit and 4chan, the Brony communities grew so large that both of those websites had to create new sub-boards just for the Bronies because they were overwhelming other boards. They’ve even created their own social networks such as Brony Square and the Rainbowdash Network.
While many online fanbases can be hostile and exclusive, the Brony community seems to embrace the values taught by the show.
Simply signing up for Brony Square will get you a handful of friend requests and warm welcome messages.
It was this welcoming, friendly community that drew Chris Boyd, a 23-year-old Brony from Ottawa, to the show.
Boyd says he admires the way the community is bringing people together, and how so many people around the world can come together simply to share their love of My Little Pony.
Adam Pachulski, also 23, is another Ottawa-based Brony. Like so many others, the second-year Carleton aerospace engineering student has become a passionate fan of the show.
“It’s the closest and most open community I’ve seen online,” he says.
True to the show’s values of spreading friendship, love, and happiness, Pachulski says becoming a Brony has “made [him] a happier person.”
While the show’s messages aren’t uncommon, it’s the way in which they’re delivered that has created such a following from the Brony community.
Many first-time viewers of the show are often swept away by the cuteness of the characters, plot lines and the art style. This was the case for Boyd.
The show also allows people to “get in touch with their feminine side,” Boyd says, which is something he thinks more people should do.
On top of the cuteness, there’s also an atmosphere around it that Pachulski likened to Looney Tunes. It has the same kind of magic that makes it appealing to adults and kids alike, he says.
Within the Brony community, culture and fan art thrives. Both Pachulski and Boyd have used My Little Pony as a tool of expression through music and art, and this is common within the community.
Fan-made ponies, stories, drawings and music can easily be found anywhere on the Internet.
Unlike other collectors, thousands of Bronies are coming together around one common passion and creating a subculture that truly is one of a kind.
