It’s been an exciting week for bronies…Is a sentence I never thought I’d be writing in a professional capacity when I grew up. But it has been! There’s been the announcement of a new comic book series based on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, to be published by IDW. There’s been the teaser trailer for season three of the show (viewable after the jump). And now, amongst all the revelry, the cast and a writer for the show are publicly talking about their overwhelming love for bronies and the “social phenomenon” they have wrought.
Actresses Tabitha St. Germain (who voices Rarity), Andrea Libman (Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie), Cathy Weseluck (Spike), and Tara Strong (Twilight Sparkle), along with writer Meghan McCarthy sat down with Comics Alliance and gave a pretty great interview. What we’re interested in in particular, however, was what they had to say about their large community of adult fans.
Twilight Sparkle Strong said this:
We love the bronies. They’re the best fanbase ever, they’re so hilarious and supportive and creative and giving, they give so much to charity and they’re always there for us if we’re putting silly stuff on Twitter or if we’re raising money for charity. Any panel I’ve done or anything I’ve done, they’re the most supportive and loveliest fanbase and we love them.
While Rarity St. Germain spoke to the inner children of the adult fanbase:
They have rollickingly healthy inner children, which I don’t think in years past men would have been able to express in the same way, because they lived in a much more severe sort of projection. I just love that there are so many people who are in tune with their creativity. These guys make videos and music and stories and astonishing art, and make whole worlds with it. I just think they’re awesome.
It should be noted that for a lot of people brony not only describes adult male fans (although that may have been the root of the word), but the adult fanbase in general. Spike Weseluck spoke to this a bit:
I think it’s quality all around. The storylines are fantastic, and the boys can relate as well as the girls nowadays to a sense of empowerment for the girls, but I think they can relate to the storylines and it’s not really a gender thing. It connects to all people, and it’s a kudos to the show and the excellence of it. It’s attracted an audience that’s so broad that we’ve never seen it before, and that’s including the bronies.
As did Pinkie Pie Libman:
I also think people connect to the character traits, because the characters are so well-defined, so well-developed that no matter what your gender is you can connect with being shy or being smart, and that’s why it’s so inclusive.
You can read the rest of the interview over at Comics Alliance.
It’s always nice to see the talent behind shows express their love of passionate fanbases. For My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in particular, it must have been a somewhat singular experience to watch their fandom grow from the target audience of young girls and into the behemoth of surprising adult fannish expression that it has become.
Here’s the trailer for season three:
And let’s all end this post in a reflection of our My Little Pony feelings, with this brony anthem by the one and only Hank Green:
(via Comics Alliance)
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