Bronies, come answer my questions!

[Cool.Breeze]

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.

A: A friend asked me out of the blue in May of 2010 if I was a 'brony'. After asking for an explanation of the term (she said it meant "adult MLP fan), I replied "I suppose I am, I just finished gathering up some old MLP episodes and MLP Tales for nostalgia!" as I'd been on an old-school toon kick at that time, anyway. My friend then told me about MLP:FiM. I was intruiged, gave it a watch, and have been re-hooked on ponies ever since

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?

A: In a relationship of 5+ years with the man I intend to marry. No children for us yet, but that's something we wouldn't visit until we tie the knot and have a larger home. He's not a pony fan, but he thinks my love for ponies is adorable (thankfully!), and he watches the new episodes with me when they come out.


3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?

A: I've always been a toy nut, but also a big animation enthusiast, so I'd have to say both the toys and show are equally responsible for my intense love of the new G4 line. The show got me hooked on the characters and made me care about them, and I think that played a big factor in my wanting to collect the toy line as well. Not to mention the toys are irresistibly cute!!


4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?

A: Definitely- I was an early 80's kid, so ponies were my favourite thing as a little girl. I honestly can't remember when or why I decided to 'outgrow' them. Just before I discovered FiM, I re-watched 'Escape from Catrina', "Rescue at Midnight Castle" (shoo be doo! Shoo shoo be doo!) and MLP Tales just for nostalgia sake. Then giving FiM a watch right afterwards, I became smitten entirely by the pony bug, as if I were a little girl again. At the time I watched FiM I was pretty broke, so I'd begun my pony collection with G3's I'd find at second hand shops, and I'm definitely a fan of G3's, now. After my part time hours picked up, my G4's built up pretty quick (I still have more G3 than G4, though) I've even managed to find 8 G1's second hand since re-starting my pony collection. I have every intention of collecting all of the G1 wingers one day

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!

A: This is a difficult question for me to answer, because much like DrM, I hate labels of any sort- they are harmful in the sense that it causes people to put you in a 'box', and peg you as something without really knowing you. I think the term 'brony' means something different to everyone who feels the need to carry it. I've observed that a person who calls themselves a brony can be anything from a person who is just a general fan of the FiM toys and show, to exuberant, bordering on obnoxious fanatics who can once in a while take things too far (in a variety of directions, for example, GravitationalTim mentioned a more perverse love of ponies, which is a type of fandom I personally feel nauseated by). All in all, I think the term 'brony' started as something fun and cute, but because every person is so different in their specific interests in ponies, the title got dragged through the mud a bit and is now coated in controversy. ETA: That said, I have playfully referred to my own self as a brony because of how I ended up loving ponies again after FiM. I personally like to see the term as describing a person who is simply really enthusiastic about the toys and cartoon, but unfortunately the Internet has assisted in making the term 'brony' ugly in some respects.

[StarLite]

I know you asked for only bronies, but I'm just going to leave a tidbit here:

That all depends on your personal interpretation of the word 'brony'. In my opinion, if you like the show FiM, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, etc., etc., you're a 'brony'. And I know several people who would agree.

I love both FiM and the G4 ponies and I am certainly not a brony.  It's not that I have a problem with them, but I was a collector before bronies existed and liking FiM was a natural thing for me, as a pony fan.  The main reason I don't call myself a brony is because I don't associate with the fandom at all, since there are some sketchy bits that I don't care for at all.

Sorry if I offended you. I don't mean to imply that everyone should consider themselves a brony if they like the show, I only mean that in my mind, I consider you a brony. Feel free to call yourself whatever you like.

[Dragonflitter]

A bit off topic here but you know, this thread reminds me a lot of the anime fandom. There's some female anime fans that are happy to call themselves fangirls (meaning they are fans of Japanese anime, and they are female, and that is it). Others will take offense if you call them a fangirl because it implies you're crazy like some of those obsessive fans out there who are kinda scary...

I myself never minded the label until a close friend called me a 'fangirl' in the same tone of voice you would use for the scum you scrape off the bottom of your shoe. -.-

"Bad apples spoil the whole barrel" as the saying goes, eh?

[hyenacub]

I will answer this as a 35 year old man who likes classic MLPs.  lol

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it. - I don't remember how--I was too young to remember what initially got me into it.  I only remember loving them.  I liked them because they weren't the boring realitic looking horses.  They were soft vinyl, they had pegasi and unicorns, and cool colors.  (And I've always been a sucker for rainbows.  Still am!)  I liked looking at them and making up stories about them.  I still like making up stories, but don't generally use toys anymore.    I graduted into writing and roleplaying.

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms? - Single, and assexual.  lol  So...not a dad of course.  Aromantic too.  : P

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss? - I collect mostly.  I watch an episode here and there though.  I like the first generation of MLP the best though I do hve s few G3s.

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?  Haha see above answer.    Though I've seen some G4 customs that I like...and some of the unicorns looks okay.  but for the most part I don't care for the G4 toys.

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about! - No clue.  There are too many definitions lol

[Taxel]

I used to identify as a brony so I guess I'll answer too.

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.
My best friend, a collector of MLP before FiM, talked to me about the show a lot. How she was excited for it, how Zecora was cool, etc. I'm on Reddit and dA a lot, and with my friend's love of the show (we have extremely similar tastes, almost identical) and how popular it was I decided to watch an episode or two. I was immediately hooked. How familiar it felt to the cartoons of my childhood (Powerpuff Girls and Foster's of course, as well as others) was awesome. It was one of very few recent shows I'd allow my children to watch. The characters are fun and although Rainbow's technically not a lesbian or anything of the sort, seeing a positive character LGBT kids could identify with was just too awesome.

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?
I'm in a serious relationship, we just celebrated our third anniversary earlier this month. We have a son but I'm not sure I'd fit in the "mom" category for this, as he was adopted. Lol.

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?
When I identified as a brony I only really watched the show and discussed it with my friend, but was interested in collecting the figures with molded hair (that one set and blind bags). That was because as a photographer and collector of dolls from a very windy place I've grown to really hate dealing with photographing things with hair. Its so annoying. xD However I have since begun collecting G4s, but I still try and avoid them as much as possible because I dislike supporting Hasbroken and their show about dismissing gender stereotypes and their toys about enforcing them.

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?
I did, and that was one of the reasons I no longer identify as a brony. I fell in love with G1 and after buying my first one I was hooked. I'm now a collector of all generations although I mostly have G1s and G4s at this point.

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!
Personally, I do not ever wish to be called a brony. In my eyes, calling me a brony would be an insult (bolded 'me' because it just relates to only me, anyone can call each other/themselves bronies and I won't care, how others choose to identify themselves is their business. However I do know other people that consider being called a brony an insult). I was very active in the brony communities of Reddit and dA for quite some time, however the communities degraded more and more as time went on. They started out as wonderful communities, full of giveaways, kindness, and fun (of course there are always bad apples though). But that didn't last long. When I left the brony community and stopped identifying as one they were not happy places. They were full of rude, judgmental people as well as heaps of scammers (I've got my own horror stories about brony artists on dA and have heard plenty of others). Not to mention the not-safe-for-kids parts of the community/fandom growing like wildfire and no longer being "that awful thing you know is there but try not to think about" and instead being "that thing you cannot avoid and run into 10+ times a day in these communities". I also am very against the brony bashing of anything pre-G4 on dA. I've seen bronies jump on artists drawing in a G3 style and telling them "they're doing it wrong" and the only way to get views/feedback is to draw G4. The artist cried and deactivated their account it got so bad. Heck, even when my artist comments (basically a description) on pre-G4 pony photos state very clearly that the ponies are not G4 bronies still get their panties in a bunch and whine about how wrong they are.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, I don't have anything against bronies that are good people. The issue I have is with the brony community as a whole based on my experiences. I don't know if the specific brony communities I mentioned have gotten better or worse, but I do not wish to find out. I've never run into a rude brony here on MLPArena, heck I've only ever run into one rude person period, so obviously I am not talking about the bronies here, but the bronies in the communities I've mentioned. And if anyone decides to quote me out of context and try to say I hate all FiM fans or something and make me look like some awful person, prepare for extreme fakie grenades. XP

[kmlv23]

I prefer the term 'pegasister' but technically, I still fall under the heading of 'brony' oddly enough.

Tell me...
1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.
I saw the hoopla on the internet over FiM and decided to see what the fuss was about. Ended up watching nearly the entire first season in a night, and it was all downhill from there.
2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?
Single/open relationship. lol I'm only 21. Not planning on becoming married or a mother anytime soon.
3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?
Both. A friend got me a FS Pinkie Pie, and I felt the need to get the mane 6 as FS ponies, and I got it into my head that maybe I should get some of the others too. Which led to a Goodwill trip that ended in a bag of ponies and...well now I'm here. haha.
4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?
A bit. I don't really know the stories behind them, and seem to only really enjoy the G1 babies, but I'm not really a fan of the G4 toys either, apart from the FS and the blind bags. I've also taken to collect purple G3's, as purple is my favorite color, and I recently rediscovered that I had a G2 as a child, and have begun attempting to hunt her down as well.
5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!
I really don't think, apart from a few trolls, that the bronies are really as bad as they're made out to be. The brony phenomena DID start on some other site after all, but I see the bronies as being harbingers for a kinder, gentler internet, when they're doing it right and not trolling for the sake of trolling. Don't let a few bad apples ruin the bunch, you know? Oh, and men are bronies, women are pegasisters.


EDIT: I know the term comes with a LOT of controversy, but I'm proud to be a brony/pegasister/whatever. I wasn't around for whatever went down with the bronies that people allude to, but I'm of the opinion that I can be a pegasister and NOT be interested in the sketchy aspects, like the NSFW fanfic and pictures. People get their jollies out of whatever these days, and you know what? That's fine, just please please please leave me out of it. I read a few of the sketchier fanfics and try to pretend like I didn't because I was so disturbed. People are sick, and you're going to get sickos no matter WHAT fandom you're in. Discriminating against bronies is the same as them trolling the heck out of you, in my mind. I've been feeling a fair amount of hostility on a few of the boards, though likely I'm going to get shouted down about that, but I'm still going to stand on the nearest rooftop and yell at the stars that I'm a pegasister and I'm proud of it, dammit. I really honestly don't understand the hatred between the factions or whatever. If it bothers you, don't look at it! You know? Maybe I'm insane. That's entirely likely. But I just don't get it.

[ZettaMomo]

I am a 17 year old girl and I call myself a brony. Not all FiM fans feel the need to call themselves bronies or care to be grouped into that. I call myself it not because I feel like it makes me feel 'better' because I collect and play with toys intended for little girls. People know that I do and I don't really care if they have a problem with it.

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.
I don't remember having a childhood pony outside of a fakie that I loved, but mom said I had a few when I was pretty young.
I got into FiM because I was curious to see what the big deal with it was and I feel in love instantly. I love the animation style. Just the way the cartoon is it reminds me of the cartoons I used to watch as a kid. I think some of the character's personalities are easily relatable for some viewers (I find myself relating to Fluttershy because I am a shy person, but when it comes down to it I am not afraid to stick up for my friends.)

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?
I'm not married, but I have a boyfriend. I don't think he really considers himself a brony because he is not as into the show as I am, but he is more than happy to watch the show with me when I offer.
I still live with my mom and dad. Mom doesn't watch FiM with me, but she will buy ponies for me off the internet if I earned it. xD And dad watches it with me sometimes. He even picked out AppleJack as his favorite pony and he has a couple AppleJack figures I got him on his nightstand.

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?
I do both! I have ponies on my desk that I brush and take care of. I also will discuss it with my few 'brony' friends in real life and on my Tumblr blog.

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?
Yes! The arena has really helped that, too. I have a buddy on GaiaOnline who I was getting some art of my ponysona from and she suggested that I come here to get help with starting up a collection. I have one pony of every gen (except Gen 3.5 I honestly do not really care for how the ponies look in that gen)

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!
I really feel like you should know that the word 'brony' can get a bad reputation because there are some bronies out there who do not love and tolerate other fans or even people who do not like the show. There are some 'trolls' among the community, but that is not a big part of it. Some people think all bronies are trolls because they some that are and these trolls can ruin the reputation of the rest of the community.
There are certain parts of the community you do not want to ruin into or associate yourself with... but just about every brony I talk to is very nice and just like everyone else.

Also, the above poster did mentions that boys are bronies and girls are pegasisters, but not all girls like to be called pegasisters. I personally like bronies. I do not feel like just because you are a girls does not mean you cannot use the 'male term'. I don't like feeling like I must be something separate because I am a girl.
Just my opinion at least. :3 If somepony wants to be called a pegasister I am more than happy to call them that and not a brony.

[kmlv23]

Also, the above poster did mentions that boys are bronies and girls are pegasisters, but not all girls like to be called pegasisters. I personally like bronies. I do not feel like just because you are a girls does not mean you cannot use the 'male term'. I don't like feeling like I must be something separate because I am a girl.
Just my opinion at least. :3 If somepony wants to be called a pegasister I am more than happy to call them that and not a brony.

Fair point, I was over generalizing. Sorry!

[Snapdragon]

Heh, I might not be the type of Brony you want to answer your survey, since I'm sort of an old-school fan who likes the new show and originally identified as a Brony but now dislikes the direction the Brony movement is taking and wouldn't want to be called a Brony in Brony-only spaces but still feel the title sort of concerns her because she likes the new show and a lot of the creativity surrounding it despite the problematic elements ... SO... feel free to disregard my post if you so please.

Tell me... I SHALL!
1. How you got into MLP and why you like it. I grew up with MLP, obviously, but I got into the G4 show more so because it was 'the latest pony thing' and I wanted to see if it was good. Not really out of any desire to watch it BECAUSE it was a good show, but more because it was Pony. I was told by my brother, of all people (not a Brony himself) that a lot of people were talking about the show before it even started, so I went and checked out some online spaces for it and got into the Brony swing of things!
2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms? Single! I'm one of the prototypical mid-twenties collectors who had ponies as a kid and is hunting down the nostalgia.
3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss? I collect and watch the show! Lately, I restrict my discussion to here, the TP, and another community because I just don't like the direction things take at Brony-only spaces. :/ Slurs against female characters, and the like. Fleur-de-Lis ... didn't have a very nice name at first, thanks to Bronies.
4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations? I've always had an interest in the other generations, since I grew up with them! But I have noticed a lot of Bronies who initially start out liking G4, then branch out into G1 and G3! Two female Bronies I hung out with got into G2, very much so!
5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about! Well, a lot of them hold offensive views, so be aware that people who like the G4 show and "Bronies" are often divided into two groups. Bronies tend to be younger, and a lot less worldly, so they sometimes hold some offensive views that they think are okay because it's "just the internet."


slight edit for content ~ashes

[ZettaMomo]

Also, the above poster did mentions that boys are bronies and girls are pegasisters, but not all girls like to be called pegasisters. I personally like bronies. I do not feel like just because you are a girls does not mean you cannot use the 'male term'. I don't like feeling like I must be something separate because I am a girl.
Just my opinion at least. :3 If somepony wants to be called a pegasister I am more than happy to call them that and not a brony.

Fair point, I was over generalizing. Sorry!

No need to apologize! I just saw you say that and thought that I should point out that not all girls are pegasisters just like all boys who like FiM is not a brony~

[Shelltoon]

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.
Well, My Little Pony was one of those things through my childhood I really didn't care about. Most people would go "ewwww, girly toys!" I just didn't really care. Now that we've gotten that out of the way and established I had very little interest in My Little Pony, let's get to FiM. Back in late 2010 when I was on /co/ happily discussing Adventure Time, Regular Show, and SymBionic Titan, one day I stumbled upon a huge thread that was discussing My Little Pony. The first thing going through my mind was "this can't possibly be real, it has to be a massive trolling effort." When Lauren Faust's name popped up, I went to her DA and watched the first episode on YouTube. Needless to say, my mind was blown. How could something associated with girly, frilly, frou frou nonsense be so good? Needless to say, I decided to just stick with the show, and before I knew it, I was hooked. What is it about this show that got me hooked? Several factors. The stylish, cartoony animation allows the animators to really break free and create some wacky facial expressions. Maybe it's the writing, how it manages to be family friendly, and never talk down to kids. Perhaps it's the characters having distinct personalities that makes them likeable. Maybe it's the world these colorful ponies live in. It's full of little details, and well defined that we can immerse ourselves into it. For me, it's every little aspect of this show coming together to actually spark a certain magic that so many cartoons just can't create. If magic is real, this show is proof.

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?
I have a family consisting of a brother, mother, and father. They all think it's silly that I'm into ponies, but they are just as curious as I was when I got into the fandom. I'm very single, and struggling to find a decent relationship.

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?
I do both. Honestly, for me it started out as I had no intention of buying pony toys. I was just a fan of the show, nothing more. Then I bought the gift set and said to myself, "this is all I'm getting. Nothing more." Soon the brushables were making their way into the states and I had decided "I'm only buying Twilight Sparkle, no more." That one didn't last as I ended up getting her along with Rainbow Dash. Again, telling myself that was it, I suddenly caved and started buying ponies like no tomorrow. I think the toys had a certain alluring charm that sucked me in. This doesn't mean I collect all of the toys. The So Soft Newborns I won't collect, not because ewwww hideous monstrosities, but rather those are baby dolls, and that's something I could never get into. Yet I got into colorful, brushable equines... go figure!

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?
I used to be one of those bronies who would be all "ewwww, previous gen?! KILL IT WITH FIRE! DIEEEEEEEEE!!!! MY EYES!!! OH THE HUMANITY!!!... equinity?.." However, that was to be expected. I had no real knowledge of the previous generations, and I didn't care for it. One day, out of boredom, I decided to try stuff from the previous generations. As far as G1 was concerned, G1 had a great world, and Rescue at Midnight Castle seemed to be a great place to build a My Little Pony cartoon, but from there on it becomes difficult to watch because I'm struggling to endure the voice acting. Tales I can't really relate to anymore because I'm not in high school, but I do respect their efforts for trying to give the ponies some distinct personalities. G3 had A Very Minty Christmas, which I will defend to the death as the best thing to come out of G3 animated, otherwise it's just been a dull and pointless mess for me. One time in Wal*Mart, when looking for new FiM toys, I somehow found a G3 Golden Delicious just sitting on the shelf and had to buy it. Since then, I've been sucked in by the older toys, and have developed something of an interest in certain ponies from previous generations.

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!
Just be careful if you associate yourself as a brony, because for some people "brony" means horsef[censors!!!!], or a social degenerate. You'll more than likely be lumped into this group, no matter how much you try to defend yourself. However, every fandom is guaranteed to have its bad apples, and yes, it's hard to get away from these bad apples, but that doesn't mean go all hipster.

[Jocelyn]

By my own definition, I don't consider myself a brony. I don't want to connect myself with the whole fandom side of things - I just want to like what I like without it being a label But my interest in MLP was rekindled by FiM, so by definition I'm a brony (but not male! ).

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.
In February, my brother told me to watch FiM, which I really did not expect from (before I'd learned about bronies). It's sincere and a pretty good show, and it reminds me of the shows I loved as a kid and the ponies I used to have. And I'm a sucker for cute, nostalgic things.

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?
I'm in a relationship, not married or no kids.

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?
I used to just watch the show, now I collect. Heck, I mostly just collect now. If I discuss, it's probably mostly about collecting rather than the show :')

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?
Oh, yes. Far more than G4 now! I've gotten really into G1s, which is what I used to have as a kid. At first, I thought they were a little strange, but there was one moment where it just 'clicked', and suddenly I couldn't stop trying to get them! I have several G3s too, but mostly because I find them in thrift stores. I only actively search for G1s and specific G4s now.

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!
It seems like the most obnoxious and annoying ones are always the ones people hear about most and base their opinions on. Not all pony fans that came through FiM are like them

[ElleDatura]

19yr old girl who likes collecting and occasionally playing with cute plastic ponies, of the toy variety. =P I duno if I should be considered a Brony or not. Some people have been called bronies because they collect MLP, regardless of generation or if they watch the show.

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.

Long story short, I heard about it when I was a girl and couldn't get any. About 14 my mum sent me some at boarding school, I was having a tough time and fantasy-type things cheer me up. Years later I dug my small G4 heard out and cleaned them up. I have since added some G 3.5s but am dying to get my hands on some G1's.

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?

Mum and Step-dad. Single forever.

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?

I looked at the show and thought it was fine. I take ages for me to sit down and watch/read anything though as I tend to pull giant marathons of whatever it is I'm watching/reading. So I may actually get around to seeing all of it one day. But really, I'm just here for the toys.

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?

My main interest has always been in the G1's. My prefernce list for pony style/art is pretty much: G1, G3, G2, G4, G3.5.

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!

I admit to being a little sour to the FiM fandom... I try not to spread hate nor will I be rude (I hope). The person isn't the fandom after all. The biggest deal for me though is the obnoxious hate of older gens SOME (some not all I understand this concept) have. Is it really hard to admit Gen 4 wasn't here first? Is it really that bad that Rainbow Dash wasn't always the brash tomboy we all know and love? I guess I don't understand.

EDIT: Okay.. I sounded a bit angry there but Taxel's post reminded me of some stuff. It also made me nervous about a small project I had been planning. But what I seriously meant, being over emotional aside; They are all just ponies. Some pony lines were less liked then others. Some shows were. And to be brutally honest the show is and has always really been a comercial for the pre-existing toyline. FiM just managed to take it a step further.

So does that make anyone who likes ponies a potential "Brony" or is it just the show? Is that extended to the Gen 4 toyline? I'm now interested in how to define a brony, other then personal labels, LOL.

[Taxel]

"Some people have been called bronies because they collect MLP, regardless of generation or if they watch the show."

Bronies are FiM fans, and only FiM fans. It is not a blanket term for MLP collectors.

[terabithianprince]

1. How you got into MLP and why you like it.
I used to have ponies as a kid and then I found out about the new show and started watching. Helped my friend open her blind bags and became addicted to collecting them and watching MLP: Friendship is magic.

2. Single? Married? Any dads? Any moms?
Single

3. Do you collect or just watch the show and discuss?
Both. I like the older G1 ponies the best though but I do enjoy the show. I prefer to chat here or with fellow pony collectors on trademe through my e-mail rather than hit the brony fan sites.

4. Have you developed an interest in the other pony generations?
I like all generations of my little pony but G1 is the best. Especially trying to collect all my grails!

5. Any other pertinent facts I should know in order to truly understand what bronies are about!
I think people think bronies are all the same and try to lump them altogether based on their reactions or the bronies they have met. I think that being a guy and liking my little pony people bring up all sorts of old-school gender issues but if I'm a guy and like my little pony then that's my choice right? Lol.