Of ponies and men: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Brony fandom

Abstract

The newest incarnation of the My Little Pony franchise, the children’s cartoon program My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has attracted a sizeable viewership among an unexpected demographic: adolescent men. This article looks at this group, known as Bronies, and assesses how the geek subculture that this fandom exists within frames the fan’s understanding of the show, its pony protagonists, and their own self-reflection. Focusing on the role of anthropomorphic animals, this discussion will explicate how normative notions of gender, attitude and behavior are challenged by interaction with this text. This study aims to highlight the significance of fictional animals as tools for personal meaning-making.

Keywords

anthropomorphic animals Brony fandom geeks identity

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