My Little Pony Fandom

Over the years, My Little Pony has gained a very large following. This is a YMMV heavy page, with Real Life In-Universe examples. Please be civil when editing this page.

My Little Pony Fandom contains examples of:

 * Adaptation Expansion: Several Fan Works of franchise do this to either the basics presented from the toyline, itself, or to the various Animated Adaptations that have been made over the years.
 * Alternate DVD Commentary: With the advent of Friendship Is Magic, just about all the MLP incarnations are getting this treatment from both fans and non-fans alike. Some examples include:
 * The Otaku Ascended, Brony Comms, and Let It Riff.
 * Big Name Fan: See Promoted Fanboy.
 * Broken Base: Always existed to a small degree, but became very noticeable after the release of Friendship is Magic, since most FIM-fans are mostly disinterested in all previous incarnations of the franchise.
 * Darker and Edgier: A surprising amount of fanfiction and such MUCKs as "Beyond Dream Castle" stick with the "Ponyland is periodically threatened by Ultimate Evil" theme from the very first TV Special and go to town with it. (Specifically, towns where Tirac's friends invaded and trashed everything and now all the Ponies are mutants.)
 * Fan Art: Not only drawings and Fanfic, but also toy customization. There are vast online communities dedicated to the art of stripping toy Ponies down and giving them new paint, hair, and whatever sculpted/carved/knitted add-ons strike the customizer's fancy. Fan Dumb does not even begin to describe the outrage this provokes in some collectors. The fact that most Custom Ponies are made from toys who have seen happier days and that some of them are amazing doesn't seem to matter, nor does the simple fact of how some ponies will never have a toy any other way (the only toys we'll see for, say, Derpy are probably going to be ones we make ourselves).
 * To be fair, most collectors are only outraged if people acquire and kitbash *rare* ponies. Most of the G3's are fair game. G1's usually need to be "bait" (badly enough damaged), and even then, if you manage to acquire (for instance) a "Mimic", we would appreciate if you attempt to restore her instead.
 * Fandom Rivalry: Yes.
 * To elaborate, flame wars are frequent between fans of the franchise, whethere it's fan of the TV specials vs. fans of MLP 'n' Friends, or fans of all the 80s cartoons vs. fans of everything else. Or fans of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic vs. everyone else. So far, there haven't been too may fans of G3 vs. the others, though.
 * Fanfic: The fandom has written up an extensive collection of fanmade stories about these adorable little equines, some even going as far as creating their own mythologies. The pages can be found here and here. The fan fics generally come in all varieties, from Shipping Fics, even too Massive Multiplayer Crossovers.
 * Fanwork Only Fans: Not surprising, since how entertaining the older TV series and movies are is very debatable, bordering on Love It or Hate It.
 * This is generally averted as far as My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic is concerned. In general, they are a Vocal Minority.
 * Gotta Catch Em All: To date only a few truly obsessed collectors have managed to do this.
 * And thanks to Dream Valley, you have a shot at it.
 * Lady Land: Averted both in the fandom itself and in most of the adaptations of it. While they were in the minority, there were always male fans of the franchise and the various cartoons of it. FiM just popularized it.
 * The Law of Fan Jackassery: A very mild example, but it is not uncommon to find a few that hate the the newest incarnation because it is generally well thought of.
 * Original Character: Ever so present in every aspect of the fandom. Self-inserts, ponified characters, recolors, original characters..
 * Peripheral Demographic: This set in big time with the release of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, but it always existed to some extent.
 * Promoted Fanboy: Well, promoted fangirl. Lauren Faust, creator of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic loved the toys when she was a little girl.
 * FiM's success has even garnered previous incarnations bigger male fanbases than ever before as well.
 * Serious Business: Some aspects of the collectors market, bordering on Fan Dumb at times.
 * Then there are the debates of which cartoon or which pairing is the best.
 * Shipping: Rare in the older generations, but popping up more recently.
 * Unpleasable Fanbase: generally averted, but mixed responses for Season 2 episodes of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic shows some shades of this.
 * Yuri Fan: G4's fandom loves shipping the mane six.