These videos are all over YouTube. Fan-made pictures are all over the art sites. There’s an entire movement of pony-themed political posters, which I believe started on a DeviantArt site. And I shouldn’t even mention what has happened to the porn sites. These ponies are everywhere. It’s like the internet has gone insane in a bright and happy way.

The really crazy thing – the thing that a friend of mine, who doesn’t watch the show, said that he loved about it nonetheless – is that it has essentially turned several of the worst places on the Internet (4chan, I’m looking at you) into hotbeds of unironic adulation for a rainbow-colored show about ponies. Who would have expected it?

And, of course, a couple of other noteworthy points: Hasbro has taken notice of this fandom, explicitly shouting out to older fans by parodying a song whose original version is in no way age-appropriate for the show’s younger target audience (Katy Perry’s sex-drenched “California Gurls”) in its latest promo spot – and dropping a couple of fandom-coined terms during it. Rather than trying to ignore the nontraditional fandom and make it something more meant only for little girls, as they might have done in the past, the company seems to be embracing it. (Of course, when you think about it, it makes sense – if they can sell stuff to older fans as well as little girls, why wouldn’t they want to make more money?)

And as the article linked above notes, the widespread adoption of the show by older male fans has proven so noteworthy in and of itself, attracting so much attention across the Internet, that it’s not uncommon to see female viewers speaking up and protesting, “Hey, girls like My Little Pony too!” And that’s something I never thought I would hear anybody actually have to say.

Hopefully the show’s creative staff will be able to keep the quality level high, and ward off executive meddling as much is possible, even after the departure of Lauren Faust. We’ll just have to wait and see what the second season brings.

For anyone still wondering, it really is a good show. The fandom is quite interesting as well (the Wired article is better than most, but still lacking.) They’re fiercely nice. “I’m going to Love and Tolerate the shit out you!” is a common response to trolls.

This MeFi thread is a good collection of links for the curious.

…as I am of the bronies.

Keep the sick twisted peace love & friendship memes coming, folks!

At first I was enraged at this malignancy which began contaminating and diluting my CP & gore. Then, I realized it was the greatest troll-meme ever. Their persistent love & acceptance no-matter..their refusal to rise to an insult…their paramount bromance and friendliness.

I believe the bronie movement is fascinating in that it is possibly the first meme which trolled via love.

Dumbledore, are you listening?

it is now simply frowned upon to post them elsewhere on 4chan

Having said that, there have been plenty of good cartoons that satisfy both kids and adults if you’re willing to give them a try. For example, ignoring the movie, Avatar the last airbender was an excellent series. Adventure Time is a good one that’s running currently.

I haven’t had a chance to check this one out yet, but if it’s made by the same people that made powerpuff girls, then it’s probably decent.

I mean, how many cartoons spoof the Big Lebowski? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxINUu8AvMo

The “bronies” phenomenon … I don’t want to read that this is somehow related to water fluoridation. I really don’t.

I’m old (which, nowadays, means not in my 20′s). I’ve lived a hard life. No higher education; all blue-collar, hard-ass work. Yada yada – I know it’s a common situation for a lot of people. But my point is, no matter how crap-ass my life might seem now and again, there are a few little things that shoot right through it all like sunshine on a rainy day. Rays of sunshine are as common as your eyes are willing to see them (or your skin is able to feel them). And for me, one of those nice little warm rays of light is this cartoon.

It isn’t life-changing, it isn’t anything otherwise astounding. But I have to admit that it’s really nice to just sit back, hit the Play button and watch the pony girls go through their relatively mundane adventures together in their magical, guilt-free, mostly pain-free world.