If the name Twilight Sparkle or Princess Celestia holds any significance in your everyday pop culture palate, you may very well be a brony.
Brony is the title given to adult enthusiasts of the children’s animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Spawned in the depths of the internet, bronies endure the stigma of their fandom through interpersonal relationships with other bronies in closely-knit virtual communities.
Members of the website ncbronies.com gathered in Talley Student Center Saturday for a non-pony-brony meet-up.
“We’re meeting today to keep our community involved and help our fellow bronies to find new passions while the show is on hiatus,” Dennis Crenshaw, founder and moderator of the NC Bronies website, said.
The bronies experimented in expanding their tastes by collectively watching new television shows like AMC’s The Walking Dead and The Disney Channel’s Gravity Falls. Snacks and confectionary provisions were abundant as the bronies gathered and partook in the rituals of fraternal bonding.
Concerning the show’s ability to assimilate large, usually unrepresented audiences, Crenshaw noted that, “My Little Pony is a show about learning and friendship that has the ability to bring people together on a large scale.”
Approximately 30 North Carolina bronies attended the meet-up on Saturday, though Crenshaw noted the community regularly has 60 members or more at most events and an online presence of more than 200 members.
Crenshaw went on to acknowledge the event could not have taken place without the help of N.C. State’s Brony Club, Bronies of North Carolina-Raleigh, who reserved the room for Saturday’s shindig.
N.C. State student and B.O.N.C. club member “Shirley” mentioned his discovery of the brony phenomenon occurred after exposure to My Little Pony memes on the notorious imageboard website 4chan.
“It comes with a stigma,” Shirley said. “But through this forum I’ve met a lot of normal, cool people who are undeserving of such a stereotype.”
Though the bond of bronies remains strong in opposition to internet trolls and critics, a feud exists within the group. According to Crenshaw, “Best pony” a phrase concerning a brony’s favoritism towards a particular character, is guaranteed to spark debate and controversy within the community.
Controversy also arises between platonically enthusiastic factions of the community and those whose penchants for the show diverge into sexual fetishism.
Many of the bronies in attendance Saturday spoke of their affinity for the show’s pop culture references and praised the show’s creator Lauren Faust. Outside the world of magical ponies, Faust is more notably known for her animation on The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary friends.
“The show is really hit or miss with people,” N.C. State student David Johnson said.
Though initially surprised at the show’s humor, Johnson’s fandom developed into a podcast with a fellow brony suitably titled The Brohoof Podcast. Last summer, Johnson and his podcast hosted a panel at a Brony Convention in Austin, Texas.
Primarily a domestic phenomenon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic expects to extend its brony fandom overseas, Crenshaw said. Syndication to Japanese audiences is expected in the near future, which according to Crenshaw is an elusive indicator of My Little Pony’s staying power.
Those interested in immersing themselves in My Little Pony or pursuing the brony lifestyle should check out equestriadaily.com for more information on magical ponies.
