My Little Pony (franchise)

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Fandom
Name: My Little Pony, My Pretty Pony
Abbreviation(s): MLP
Creator: Bonnie Zacherle, Hasbro
Date(s): 1981-current
Medium: toys, animated series and movies, comics, webseries, video games
Country of Origin: U.S.
External Links: Wikipedia:My Little Pony
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

My Little Pony started as a toy line called My Pretty Pony, which was a brown pony figurine with a long mane and tail that could be brushed. Later versions in pink and yellow included a brand or "cutie mark" on the flank. Over time, the franchise became popular outside of the intended demographic and launched animated series, movies, video games, comics and webseries.

The MLP fandom is extensive, popular with collectors and animation fans as well as children. For specifics on fandoms, see those individual articles linked below.

Canon by Generations

The development of MLP is marked by a series of "generations" by collectors.

Generation Zero (1981-1982)

The original 'My Pretty Pony' design by illustrator Bonnie Zacherle and sculptor Charles Muenchinger. It was a ten-inch tall hard plastic pony with ears that could wiggle, a tail that could swish and one eye that could wink. This was followed by 'My Pretty Pony and Beautiful Baby', which was the original pony with an extra "baby" pony. Pink and yellow versions with the precursors of the "cutie mark" on their butts were released later.

Generation 1 (1982-1992)[1]

Following the popularity of the "Generation Zero" toys, in 1982 Hasbro released six smaller versions of the toys with a wider variety of colours: Cotton Candy, Clue Belle, Butterscotch, Minty, Snuzzle and Blossom. From this beginning, Earth Ponies, Pegasus Ponies, Unicorn Ponies, Flutter Ponies, Sea Ponies, Twinkle-Eyed Ponies and Brush n' Grow Ponies, as well as others, were released under the banner "Dream Valley".

These proved highly popular and animated movies and a television series were released.

  • Films
    • My Little Pony animated special "Rescue at Midnight Castle"
    • My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina
    • My Little Pony: The Movie
  • Television Series

Generation 2 (1997-1999)

The Generation 2 ponies - aka "Friendship Garden" - were redesigned in 1997, with a more horse-like shape, jewel eyes and turning heads. These were less popular than the Generation 1 ponies and no animations were made.

  • My Little Pony: Friendship Gardens (virtual pet game)

Generation 3 (2003-2009)

These ponies were targeted to a younger audience and they are smaller and have their own playsets and accessories. At first only Earth Ponies were released - living in Ponyville - with Pegasus ponies released in 2005 and Unicorn Ponies in 2006. A number of direct-to-video releases were made to accompany the toys, some only available with purchase of the pony.

  • Direct-to-Video
    • A Charming Birthday (2003)
    • Dancing in the Clouds (2004) - released with Star Catcher.
    • Friends Are Never Far Away (2005)- released with Hidden Treasure
    • My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas (2005) - first video sold on its own, included Dancing in the Clouds as a bonus episode.
    • My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade (2006) - debut of Spike the Dragon and the Breezies, included A Charming Birthday as a bonus episode.
  • Direct-to-DVD
    • My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade (2006) - debut of Spike the Dragon and the Breezies, included A Charming Birthday as a bonus episode.
    • My Little Pony Crystal Princess: The Runaway Rainbow (2006) - DVD with the release of Rarity, included Friends Are Never Far Away as a bonus episode.
    • My Little Pony: A Very Pony Place (2007) - features Lily Lightly, Storybelle and Puzzlemint.
    • My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Special Day (2008) - released with Pinkie Pie in the same outfit as the episode.
    • My Little Pony: Meet the Ponies (2008) - featuring the "core seven" ponies: Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, StarSong, Cheerilee (formerly Cherry Blossom), and Toola-Roola (redesign of Rarity).
    • My Little Pony: Starsong and the Magic Dance Shoes (2008) - released with StarSong in the same outfit as the episode.
    • My Little Pony: Rainbow Dash's Special Day (2009) - released with Rainbow Dash in the same outfit as the episode.
    • My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure (2009)- DVD includes a feature-length movie, sing-a-longs and other bonus material
  • Other Media
    • Once Upon a My Little Pony Time (2009) - Flash web series
    • My Little Pony Live: The World's Biggest Tea Party (2006) - animated musical starring Pinkie Pie, Minty, Sweetberry, Sew-and-so, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Thistle Whistle, Zipzee, Tra La La, Tiddlywink and Wysteria.
    • My Little Pony Crystal Princess: The Runaway Rainbow (2006) and My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party (2008) - interactive software/video games

Generation 4 (2010-2021)

Although not given an official name, this generation as known as the Friendship Is Magic series, after the hugely popular television show set in Equestria. There were a number of releases of various types of toys: Playful Ponies, the Collector Series, Story Packs, Ride-Along Ponies, So-Soft Newborns, Shine Bright Ponies, Fashion Style Ponies and more[2]. The line features nine characters: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Spike the Dragon, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.

See the separate article for fandom details.

  • Animated Series
    • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010-2019) - animated series
    • My Little Pony: Pony Life (2020) - animated series
  • Specials
    • My Little Pony: Best Gift Ever (2018) - holiday special
    • My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip (2019)
  • Other Media
    • Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day (2011) - iOS application
    • Friendship Is Magic video games (2012)
    • My Little Pony comics (2012-ongoing) - published by IDW Publishing
    • My Little Pony Japanese comics (2013-2014) - by Akira Himekawa
    • My Little Pony: The Manga – A Day in the Life of Equestria (2019)
    • Friendship Is Magic series of children's books (2013-2018) - published by Little, Brown and Company

Equestria Girls

Equestria Girls is a spin-off AU from Friendship is Magic, featuring the ponies as magical pony girls. In addition to the toys, Hasbro has commissioned animated production tie-ins, including four films, eight television specials, and several series of animated shorts.

See the separate article for more details.

Generation Five (2021-ongoing)

The start of the next generation toy line - MLP: A New Generation - was announced in 2021 with a 3D CG-animated film and a follow up television series released on Netflix. This generation will expand on the world and stories introduced in Friendship Is Magic but includes a time jump and begins in a darker interpretation of Equestria, where the three pony types live apart in suspicion and distrust. It features a new "Mane Six": Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Hitch Trailblazer, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm and Misty Brightdawn.

  • Featured Film
    • My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021)
    • My Little Pony: Make Your Mark (2022) - special
  • Animated Series
    • My Little Pony: Make Your Mark (2022-2023)
    • My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale (2022-2024) - released on YouTube

Fandom

The early My Little Pony fandom - aside from the children who were the intended demographic for the toys - was primarily adult collectors.


Archives and Communities

Notable Fanworks

Note: This section should include fanworks which don't have a more specific fandom article, such as My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or My Little Pony Tales.

Fanfiction

Fanart

Zines

External Links

TVTropes - My Little Pony

References

  1. ^ wikipedia: My_Little_Pony_(1982_toyline)
  2. ^ For more details, see wikipedia:My Little Pony (2010 toyline)
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