My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

[Sparky]

Anyone watching this My Little Pony reboot that's taken the Interwebs somewhat by storm?  Didn't see it in the 80s for fear of cooties but I'm really digging the remake.  It's made by the lady behind Powerpuff Girls and other shit I've never heard of.  Watching episodes back to back has been linked to cute induced diabetes.

Also, Pinkie Pie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLBDEsDOZs4

You can find episodes on the Hub network: http://www.hubworld.com/channel-locator

Or for non-US people pensivepony's youtube channel is semi-official.

Episode 1 pt 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfMmtpl1fO0
Episode 1 pt 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUslPdYlmE0

Episode 2 pt 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odiiLqTLg3Q
Epsiode 2 pt 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqpMtgKSUIE

One more Pinkie Pie moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7PGKcikaGY

[Oban]

Nice find, possibly something new for my daughter to watch.

[EWSpider]

Hey, thanks!  I was looking for these recently.  I got my daughter (2.5 yrs) one of the new style pony sets for Christmas and it came with a book about the first two episodes.  After reading the book 247 times since Christmas I was desperate to find the movie/show.  She loves the new style ponies and went bananas when we watched these.  I don't know if I searched for them before they were posted or if my Google-Fu failed me.  Anyhow, thanks again!   

[Simond]

There is a, no joke, close to fifty page thread on the SA forums about this show. The second thread about it.
Oh, and at least two dozen MLP avatars.  (And this: http://ponytar.imgur.com/avatars )
And a banner ad.

...

There's some serious periphery demographic thingy going on here.

[pants]

There is a, no joke, close to fifty page thread on the SA forums about this show. The second thread about it.
Oh, and at least two dozen MLP avatars.  (And this: http://ponytar.imgur.com/avatars )
And a banner ad.

...

There's some serious periphery demographic thingy going on here.

I don't dare go anywhere near that SA thread for fear of Rule 34 leaping out at me...

[Bzalthek]

I would but I'm lazy.  I fear nothing on the internet!

[Simond]

SA thread update: coming up on 120 pages, well over one hundred avatars (at $5 per). Wow.




E: Thread gassed, no more MLP threads allowed. Guess the reports to the mods finally outweighed the money from all the avatars

[Sparky]

E: Thread gassed, no more MLP threads allowed. Guess the reports to the mods finally outweighed the money from all the avatars

Another victory for the patriarchy

[bhodi]

There are... SO MANY avatars now.

[Tarami]

E: Thread gassed, no more MLP threads allowed. Guess the reports to the mods finally outweighed the money from all the avatars

Another victory for the patriarchy

Oh no, you.

[Rendakor]

For those of you upset about the loss of the SA thread, there are still TONS of MLP threads over on /b/.

[Sparky]

I draw the line at /b/.

MLP Arena it is! 

[Stormwaltz]

Oh hey. Someone had some fun with the audio to the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim trailer.

Epic score makes ponies epic.

[Slyfeind]

 

[Samprimary]

I've already seen multiple episodes with two girls who are in absolute incomparable rapture while the show's on. It's actually a great show which tears down a lot of the bullshit which typically straightjackets 'shows for girls.' It's like their favorite thing ever. It evokes like this unstoppable amazing incomparable happiness and joy with life, the universe, and everything. I'm amazed. This show is a good thing.

[Samprimary]

Here's the creator talking about the show:

I have been a lifelong feminist, and as an artist working in the animation industry for more than 16 years I have striven to do right by women and girls in the animated projects I have been part of. I try to bring sincerity and depth to the female characters I’ve animated and have fought in development and story meetings to make female characters more than just the typical girlfriend, Mom or sex symbol. I’ve even fought to see that there was more than just one girl character in whatever project I was working on. Sometimes I swayed my coworkers (often it was easy, to their credit) and sometimes I lost. My goal, as an artist and as a storyteller, was to one day have a show of my own for and about girls.

After years and years of pitching original animation for girls to studios and networks and always hearing “This is great, but animated shows for girls don’t get ratings,” or “Girls don’t watch cartoons,” I finally got the opportunity to have my own show. It’s called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

I was extremely skeptical at first about taking the job. Shows based on girls’ toys always left a bad taste in my mouth, even when I was a child. They did not reflect the way I played with my toys. I assigned my ponies and my Strawberry Shortcake dolls distinctive personalities and sent them on epic adventures to save the world. On TV, though, I couldn’t tell one girl character from another and they just had endless tea parties, giggled over nothing and defeated villains by either sharing with them or crying–which miraculously inspired the villain to turn nice. Even to my 7-year-old self, these shows made no sense and couldn’t keep my interest. No wonder the boys at school laughed at my Rainbow Unicorn Trapper Keeper.

From what I’ve seen since I’ve grown up, little has changed. To look at the quality of most girls’ cartoons, it would seem that not one artist really cared about them. Not one designer, not one background painter, not one animator. Some of the more well-meaning, more expensive animated productions for girl audiences may look better, but the female characters have been so homogenized with old-fashioned “niceness” that they have no flaws and are unrelatable. They are so pretty, polite and perfect; there is no legitimate conflict and nothing exciting ever happens. In short, animated shows for little girls come across as boring. Stupid. Lame.

This perception, more than anything, is what I am trying to change with My Little Pony.

...

The messages I’m really trying to get across with the show are these:

* There are lots of different ways to be a girl. You can be sweet and shy, or bold and physical. You can be silly and friendly, or reserved and studious. You can be strong and hard working, or artistic and beautiful. This show is wonderfully free of “token girl” syndrome, so there is no pressure to shove all the ideals of what we want our daughters to be into one package. There is a diversity of personalities, ambitions, talents, strengths and even flaws in our characters–it’s not an army of cookie-cutter nice-girls or cookie-cutter beauty queens like you see in most shows for girls.
* Find out what makes you you. Follow your passions and ambitions, not what others expect of you. For instance, if you like sports don’t let someone’s suggestion that that is unfeminine stop you from doing what you love. Be considerate of others’ feelings, but not at the expense of your own goals and dreams.
* You can be friends with people who are vastly different from you. And even though all friendships have their share of disagreements and moments when you don’t get along, that does not mean that your friendship has to end.
* Cartoons for girls don’t have to be a puddle of smooshy, cutesy-wootsy, goody-two-shoeness. Girls like stories with real conflict; girls are smart enough to understand complex plots; girls aren’t as easily frightened as everyone seems to think. Girls are complex human beings, and they can be brave, strong, kind and independent–but they can also be uncertain, awkward, silly, arrogant or stubborn. They shouldn’t have to succumb to pressure to be perfect.

Yes, My Little Pony is riddled with pink, the leader is a Princess instead of a Queen and there probably aren’t enough boys around to portray a realistic society. These decisions were not entirely up to me. It has been a challenge to balance my personal ideals with my bosses’ needs for toy sales and good ratings. I do my best to incorporate their needs in an acceptable way, so when we are asked to portray a certain toy or playset, my team and I work to put it in a place that makes sense within the story. There is also a need to incorporate fashion play into the show, but only one character is interested in it and she is not a trend follower but a designer who sells her own creations from her own store. We portray her not as a shopaholic but as an artist.

I never expected to work on a show based on a toy line, but I accepted the project based on my sincere childhood love of the toy and Hasbro’s desire to create an entertaining show that is not just a long toy commercial. When I took the job, I braced myself for criticism, expecting many people–without even watching the show–to instantly label it girly, stupid, cheap, for babies or an evil corporate commercial. I encourage skeptics like this to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic with an open mind. If I’m doing my job right, I think you’ll be surprised.

[Mosesandstick]

I actually want to see an episode now, just to see what its like.

[Merusk]

I actually want to see an episode now, just to see what its like.

It's amazingly good.  I checked it out based on all the brouhaha and wish it had been out just a bit earlier for my daughter.  She's too "Cool" for nice and happy things, now.   Me, on the other hand... well it's on the DVR and I'll watch an episode here or there when I'm feeling down now.   

It reminds me a lot of the old Care Bears cartoon (we had to trade shows in my house, one for the girls then one for the boys.) but they're all female.   I thought that the 89's Strawberrry Shortcake and MLP show were doing the same thing, but her statement says otherwise.   The conflict resolution is definitely beyond any of those shows though, where it was just "be nice or cry and things work out!"

[Samprimary]

I actually want to see an episode now, just to see what its like.

I will unabashedly say this: I am happy for the show and it's really a good thing and girls deserve it and I am behind it 100%. And I love how the internet has mysteriously jumped on top of this and made it the new thing. And it gave me such a laff that I'd proudly just have watched it on my own. If you have to trade in your man card to enjoy My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, then a man card isn't worth having.

[bhodi]

Oh god. I watched it. It was good. What have I become?!

[Slyfeind]

A "bronie".  

I'm trying to find a link to give that term more authenticity, but for the life of me, I can't. 

[Simond]

Oh god. I watched it. It was good. What have I become?!

[Azazel]

Here's the creator talking about the show:

Link to that interview please?

[Mosesandstick]

Watched the first episode, seemed interesting. Think I need an excuse to watch more episodes though, and I don't have a daughter. Advice?

[schild]

Watched the first episode, seemed interesting. Think I need an excuse to watch more episodes though, and I don't have a daughter. Advice?

Watch it anyway, you pussy.

[K9]

Oh god. I watched it. It was good. What have I become?!

[Merusk]

Watched the first episode, seemed interesting. Think I need an excuse to watch more episodes though, and I don't have a daughter. Advice?

Are you worried the jocks are going to find out and beat you up after school?

No?

Then what Schild said.

[Mosesandstick]

I'm not being serious about it, hard to transmit sarcasm on the internet.

[Chimpy]

I'm not being serious about it, hard to transmit sarcasm on the internet.

Like that.

[Tebonas]

Really? The consensus here is I have to see it?

Well, you people haven't led me astray yet, so I'll watch it, possibly waiting so I can do it back to back with the next Season of Spartacus. What a double feature 

[UnSub]

Watched the first episode, seemed interesting. Think I need an excuse to watch more episodes though, and I don't have a daughter. Advice?

Borrow a small girl from your local child care facility. Promise you'll return her right after you've seen the magic ponies.

[Trouble]

Borrow a small girl from your local child care facility. Promise you'll return her right after you've seen the magic ponies.

That sounds horribly illegal and awful in every voice my brain can come up to read it in (Patrick Stewart's voice tends to be much more dirty than his tenure on the Enterprise would portent).

[Merusk]

(Patrick Stewart's voice tends to be much more dirty than his tenure on the Enterprise would portent).

All you have to do to realize that is watch any episode of American Dad involving his character and Haley.

[WindupAtheist]

I noticed that the other day. Patrick Stewart's dignified voice somehow makes any mildy questionable line ten times dirtier.

[Slyfeind]

All you have to do to realize that is watch any episode of American Dad involving his character and Haley.

Or when he did the voice of Joe's baby daughter when Meg was trying to breastfeed her. "This feels right, but it tastes like a dirty penny!"