Is it Because Their Ponies?

[RavenWolf]

I was just thinking about what makes MLPs so endearing and loved? Is it because their ponies? Is it the brushable hair?  Would they have been just as popular if they had been, say different colored dogs or cats with symbols. My Little Puppy? Or My Little Cows? or a series of different animals. What if they had been dolls with different colored brushable hair with every doll having a different name and matching tattoo..?

I know for myself I got into MLPs especially as a child because I have always loved horses, and Cute little ponies with matching symbols where the perfect toy! their colorful, brushable with a wide variety of colors and symbols that make them perfect for collecting. however I can honestly say if they had been some other animal I probably wouldn't be as obsessed with them as it was the pony part that drew me into them.

What do you think? Are MLPs as popular as they are because their ponies? or would the same formula of colorful brushable toys have been just as popular regardless of what animal was chosen?

[sabathamk]

I would have loved kittens!  But the ponies I loved because of the unicorns and pegasus... I always loved those growing up!

[LadyMoondancer]

Being ponies is definitely part of it, IMO.  Mattel's "Little Pretties" line with puppies and kitties never really took off.  I mean, sure, some people had them, but they were never the toys you HAD TO HAVE, like MLP.  Ditto with Fairy Tail Birds, which were basically MLP versions of birds.  Cute, but . . .

[daizysellers]

I had some kind of kittens and puppies that were kinda like ponies, but they weren't my favorites like the ponies were.  And this is when I was going through my "Cat"stage where everything else was about cats.  I know for me, I loved horses too, and My Little Ponies were my way of having a pony.  I loved brushing their hair and playing with them, letting them have adventures.  I moved alot when I was younger, and my ponies were my friends - and they helped me to make some friends too.   

[MoongazerThePony]

Well, y'know, EVERY little girl wants a pony!

[Cadence]

Yeah, I think they chose ponies based on the notion that "every girl wants a pony".
Yes, kids also want dogs and cats, but they are more likely to already have a domestic pet rather than a 'hard-to-care-for' horse.

Plus a plastic puppy or kitten wouldn't have fun brushable hair.

[Elfpony]

I know for myself I got into MLPs especially as a child because I have always loved horses, and Cute little ponies with matching symbols where the perfect toy! their colorful, brushable with a wide variety of colors and symbols that make them perfect for collecting. however I can honestly say if they had been some other animal I probably wouldn't be as obsessed with them as it was the pony part that drew me into them.

Exactly this for me.  As a kid I was just in love with horses and ponies, and absolutely obsessive about unicorns.  MLP was pretty much the perfect toy for me (still is...) 

Elf

[Sunset]

Yeah, I think they chose ponies based on the notion that "every girl wants a pony".
Yes, kids also want dogs and cats, but they are more likely to already have a domestic pet rather than a 'hard-to-care-for' horse.

Plus a plastic puppy or kitten wouldn't have fun brushable hair.

I agree with this.  Ponies lend themselves to having lots of hair for brushing and styling.

Plus, I think there is more to horse/pony love than that they are just exotic type pets.  First, there is the magic factor with horses/ponies being associated with unicorns and winged horses which in turn are associated with heroes and princesses.

Then there is the fact that you can *ride* a horse.  There are very few animals that can be ridden and none of the others measure up to the romance/speed of a horse.

Just for discussions sake, I will add that there is a line of toys every bit as popular as MLP that come in bright colors with symbols.. otherwise known as Care bears.  I will note though that the Care bear Cousins where never as popular as the actual bears.

[Eternia]

Yes. yes it is

[teresat]

I had MLP as a child and they appeal to me again as adult. Their hair is brushable like a doll but they're animals too. They have the added bonus of unicorns and pegasi.

[cesprins]

It had to be horses. No other animals has the same meaning or aesthetic that a horse does especially to girls. Cats and mysterious and whimsical. Rabbits are adorable and vulnerable. Dogs are friendly and energetic. Which all are nice, but lacking that epic fantasy element.

When horses come to mind symbolic characteristics I think of are elegance, maturity, nobility, beauty, freedom, and strength. Horses have a feminine quality of power and beauty that no other animals have. So girls can admire them and want them, without having to deal with body or sexuality issues that dolls can stir up. Plus you can ride them, and you in turn are majestic and powerful because you are a riding a horse.

Horses also have the added mythology of the unicorn, pegasus, and medieval princesses.... And unicorns are the protectors of young girls! It's that imaginative, fantasy element that is a huge draw. It's all about girls creating an positive identity about themselves and the world around them. These ideas about the self come out through projecting during playtime or an emotional reaction is created by the toy when its concept is contemplated/admired. Hence symbols and different themed lines.

(And as you can also see, I'm very interested in concept development and symbolism.)


So that's my answer!

[hyenacub]

Not for me.  I didin't really like horses as a kid.  I didin't dislike them but I didn't love them either.  I liked *riding* a lot, but the animals themselves just never held me in awe.  Which made it strange that I liked MLPs so much.

Dogs were my favorite animals for the longest time.

For me I'm gonna have to say that it's the colors.  I loved looking at the colors. 

[michelle53]

It had to be horses. No other animals has the same meaning or aesthetic that a horse does especially to girls. Cats and mysterious and whimsical. Rabbits are adorable and vulnerable. Dogs are friendly and energetic. Which all are nice, but lacking that epic fantasy element.

When horses come to mind symbolic characteristics I think of are elegance, maturity, nobility, beauty, freedom, and strength. Horses have a feminine quality of power and beauty that no other animals have. So girls can admire them and want them, without having to deal with body or sexuality issues that dolls can stir up. Plus you can ride them, and you in turn are majestic and powerful because you are a riding a horse.

Horses also have the added mythology of the unicorn, pegasus, and medieval princesses.... And unicorns are the protectors of young girls! It's that imaginative, fantasy element that is a huge draw. It's all about girls creating an positive identity about themselves and the world around them. These ideas about the self come out through projecting during playtime or an emotional reaction is created by the toy when its concept is contemplated/admired. Hence symbols and different themed lines.

(And as you can also see, I'm very interested in concept development and symbolism.)


So that's my answer!

Oh my lord hunny, BEAUTIFUL and incredibly well said.  I agree with all of this.  Ponies are literally a magical dream come true for little girls (me too).  Honestly, I am a 31 year old woman who still falls to pieces every single time I look at my ponies.  I even feel that way when I play with my daughter's G4 ponies;)  Really, what is not to love about ponies?? 

[gabumon]

yes, there's something about horses that are friendly, majestic, strong, "free" and beautiful.  I still love horses today and like michelle i get a little giddy about them.  I don't own horses and I don't think I ever could, but when I visit a farm or ranch I get awestruck by them and want to stand near them and pat them, and all of this in spite of my hayfever!  bring on the bennadryl!

[DoctorMowinckel]

I think it's 'cause they're brightly coloured ponies with horns and wings, sometimes both. If they were people, we'd have preconceived notions about how they look, and what they do. Even if they were cats or dogs, there's still a notion of what they do. Their colours and abilities to talk, fly, and do magic add a sense of mystery that wouldn't otherwise be there. While the ponies based on characters from the show (or vice versa) do have a personality and an appearance to which we've already been exposed, most of them don't. When you buy them, they're yours. You can style their hair however you want, and you can imagine whatever personality you want for them. There are no talking magical ponies in the real world, what you do with them is entirely your idea, it's all up to you. I think that's the draw.