My Little Pony was originally created for a female child audience, with traditionally feminine visual features such as cute creatures with large, expressive eyes, vibrant pastel hues, and colourful manes. However, after its debut, My Little Pony has attracted a much broader audience than its’ creator and producer team have ever anticipated (Valiente & Rasmusson, 2015). This unexpected audience expansion resulted in the rise of dedicated fandoms, where viewers actively engage with the MLP content through fan art, online discussions, and conventions.
Its most notable resulting fandom is "Bronies" - a collective group of male fans, from teenagers through and including adult age, who appreciate the show’s story, animation, and the themes of friendship and self-expression. Some view the show on a somewhat superficial level, but for others, there is a whole world of Equestria that they live in and their fandom is seen through original pony-based creations such as artwork, music, and fan fiction (Consiglio, 2013; Robertson, 2014; Weinman, 2011). Others express their love for the franchise by freely wearing My Little Pony gear (Vara, 2011). The Bronies gained notoriety, and have a documentary dedicated to them!
My Little Pony cosplay contest held at BronyCon 2014
While it remains popular with its target audience, My Little Pony has also gained a passionate and diverse audience base of different ages and genders (Pollack, 2011). In this sense, what was once a children's show has evolved into a widespread movement, uniting fans of all ages. If you would like to discover more about the Bronies, and how their admiration of the franchise intersects with some gender-based tensions, you can learn more in our Gender-focused tour.