Sunday, May 26, 2013

Bonus Blog: Not My Little Ponies

It’s official.  What I thought a week ago was just an animation by a fan turns out to be a franchise move by Hasbro to gain money by ruining one of its best franchises. 

It’s no surprise to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the last few years that My Little Pony is a huge hit with a wide variety of demographics.  Why is a subject of many debates that are best to stay out of.  Everywhere there are dolls, comics, books, compendiums, coloring books, blankets, towels, T-shirts, and everything else conceivable to market the show.  Who would be surprised that Hasbro would intend to make a movie out of such a huge seller?

But what is surprising is what they do with the idea.  First, the main cast turns into humans…sort of.  They still seem to be colorful, and the poster features Twilight Sparkle with wings.  The girls—who all have jobs and most live alone and unsupervised—are now in an earth high school.  The Dragon who had a boyish crush on one of them —and has been the center of episodes about discovering self-identity and the deeper aspects of love- becomes a dog.  The main quest—according to the trailer—is to get the prom queen crown, which is actually equestrian artifact and holds immense power.

The movie is slated to come out next month, leaving all non-perverted fans—a sad side effect of any show these days—with a lot of questions.  Why does no one notice these girls have no parents?  Why does no one notice they are strangely colored?  Why does no one question their pony ears? Why does no one question their names?  Why does no one wonder where six new students came from?  Why does no one question why they all transferred at the same time?  Is there magic on earth now?  Why? Depending on the school, the crown is either kept year to year and taken back after prom, or bought each year, so what exactly is the plan once they get it?


Lastly, who cares?  What exactly is Hasbro attempting to accomplish with this?   The movie is not advertised conventionally—giant billboards or signs on bus stations or even movie posters—and yet, it’s coming to theatres in June.  Beyond that, by putting the movie in theatres and not on television or streaming, they are invited furries, older men who make up the brony fandom, adults who are extravagantly into cosplay, and the main and originally intended audience—little girls—into one room.  Imagine: a girl about six and the man who claims to be Twilight Sparkle’s fiancé, and someone dressed as Rainbow Dash sitting next to each other in a dark room.  If you’re uncomfortable, you’re smarter than Hasbro.

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