Brony
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Brony is a term used predominately to refer to male fans outside of the target demographic of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, though it may include older female fans too.
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Origin
The term originated on 4chan's comics and cartoons discussion board /co/ in October 2010 shortly after the board's community began discussing the show.[1][2][3] It has since made its first official appearance on a commercial for the show, dubbed Equestria Girls, where Pinkie Pie uses it to refer to male ponies.[4]
Media
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This section should be updated to reflect more recent information. |
Most media outlets have described the term as referring to the adult male fans,[5][6][7][8][9] with the moniker "pegasisters" for adult female fans.[10] Despite being formed from the masculine word "bro", the term is sometimes used to describe both male and female fans outside of the target demographic.[3]
During a phone interview on NPR's comedy radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in June 2011, former President Bill Clinton successfully answered three multiple choice questions about Friendship is Magic, leading one journalist to jokingly refer to him as a brony.[6][11] The term was used by Stephen Colbert on August 1st, 2011 broadcast of The Colbert Report.[12] Cartoon Network's skit show MAD had a crossover parody skit about War Horse and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic which mentioned the term. Pinkie Pie had baked a cake for the enemy, with the words "YAY Friends" written in frosting on the top, which changes to "Go Bronies" after a blast knocks Pinkie Pie's face into the cake.
Hasbro
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This section should be updated to reflect more recent information. |
Hasbro recognizes the brony community as "a small group of My Little Pony fans who don't necessarily fit what one might expect to be the brand's target audience", and notes that its core viewership in the older market is predominantly female.[13] Despite being a small audience, Hasbro and the Hub network chose to "salute and embrace all the viewers who have embraced our brand", according to Margaret Loesch, CEO of the Hub and former executive producer of the original My Little Pony animated series.[14] Linda Steiner, the senior vice president for Hasbro Studios, noted that while she hoped that the show would attract a "broader audience", she had "been in the business for 25 years and [had] never seen anything like this."[15] Hasbro.com added a link in December 2011 to its US site's bottom navigation menu, titled "Yo Brony!". It leads to a document containing the 2011 Comic Con poster that was designed with the older fans in mind.[16]
See also
References
- ↑ Dennis, Scott (2011-03-10). Ponies overachieving, from feminism to 4chan. The Daily Barometer. Retrieved on 2011 May 10.
- ↑ Watchcutter, Angela (2011-06-09). My Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as ‘Bronies’. Wired. Retrieved on 2011 June 9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 LaMarche, Una (2011-08-03). Pony Up Haters: How 4chan Gave Birth to the Bronies. New York Observer. Retrieved on 2011 August 3.
- ↑ Equestria Girls commercial, extended version (2011-05-27). Retrieved on 2011 December 2.
- ↑ von Hoffman, Constantine (2011-05-31). My Little Pony: the Hip New Trend Among the Geekerati. BNET. Retrieved on 2011 November 15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gibson, Megan (2011-06-27). Guess Who's A Fan? Former President Bill Clinton is a 'Brony'. Time. Retrieved on 2011 June 27.
- ↑ Ostroff, Joshua (2011-08-03). All-ages show: Hipsters love children’s programming. National Post. Retrieved on 2011 August 3.
- ↑ Ostroff, Joshua (2011-08-08), "TV for all ages", Ottawa Citizen, retrieved 2011-08-09
- ↑ House, Kelly (2011-09-17), "Meet 'bronies' -- grown men who are fans of My Little Pony", The Oregonian, retrieved 2011-09-17
- ↑ Coscarelli, Joe (2011-11-04). 4Chan-Based ‘Bronies’ Continue Their Media Takeover. New York Magazine. Retrieved on 2011 November 4.
- ↑ Saenz, Arlette (2011-06-25). President Bill Clinton Plays 'Not My Job' on Radio Quiz Show. ABC. Retrieved on 2011 June 27.
- ↑ The Colbert Report - August 1, 2011 - Brony shoutout. The Colbert Report. Retrieved on 2011 August 2.
- ↑ Vara, Vauhini (2011-11-04). Hey, Bro, That's My Little Pony! Guys' Interest Mounts in Girly TV Show. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 2011 November 4.
- ↑ Pollack, Judann (2011-11-28). 'My Little Pony: The Friendship Is Magic' Gains Unexpected Audience -- Adults. Ad Age. Retrieved on 2011 November 28.
- ↑ Griffiths, Daniel Nye (2011-08-15). Colt Success. Wired UK. Retrieved on 2011 October 10.
- ↑ Brony Shoutout On The Official My Little Pony Site - Equestria Daily, retrieved July 27, 2012.
