The end of the fandom

[Starfox64x]

So, I talked to one of my friends after a long time of hearing nothign from him, he was the one who introduced me to MLP and got me hooked. I started to try and talk to him about the new episodes and he told me he hadnt seen them. he told me he was over it and that it was a fad... I tried to get more out of him but he had to leave...

So i got to thinking... what am i gonna do when the fandom starts to die out? I like the show, but i also like the creative awesome stuff the fanbase does... so if the fanbase starts to dwindle, will i still enjoy the show? all this effort i'm trying to put in on making an impression in the fandom will be for nothing if the fandom suddenly dies out...

I dunno, maybe i'm freaking out... I understand i shouldnt be intimidated about me enjoying the show just because other people dont, but i like the fanbase just as much if not moreso. they're so creative and awesome, but if they start to flake off and leave, than i'll have nothing to enjoy...

[JasonTheHuman]

As far as I'm concerned, I've made some awesome friends through this show. I'm in my freshman year at college and just about everyone I'm friends with is through ponies, so... yeah. That won't go away even if ponies fade out.

But really, I think that I've had such good times with the fandom that I'll always hang on to my pony stuff and look back on it fondly. It'll be sad if the huge creative force we have in the fandom stops producing so much, though... There's never been anything quite like this.

[knight]

Honestly, I think ponies have the same affect as...like...Pokemon. You loved it when it was a fad, and you still appreciate it now, and it never really 'dies' no matter how terrible the anime gets, how ridiculous the pokemon are, or how crazy the games get. Pokemon is eternal.

For me..so are ponies. I don't think I'll ever get over them, even when the show is no longer on TV....or it gets into it's 12th season and totally SUCKS (like pokemon) I'd still have mah pony toys desplayed proudly. Still have my brony friends. Still cruise websites....

*sigh* Now I feel bad for deserting my Jurassic Park site for ponies. JP is timeless...I love JP....why did I leave..? *sobs*

[ChancellorPuddinghead]

The only thing constant in life is change.

[Angie Cakes]

I've thought about this a lot too. I would type out my opinion, but knight said it a lot better than I ever could

[Conor Colton]

I tend not to really think about it, but I'm sure the impression the show left on me will last regardless of what happens

I know I won't forget it anyway

[weesh]

Personally I'm not worried. I got tired of SG-1 well before the die-hard fans quit. The community was alive and healthy when I started looking for something else.

[Ashton]

In time soemthing else will come along. Again I'm going to draw a parralel with the old StH fandom - For many years it was "the next big thing" and everywhere you looked you'd see sprites, rom-hacks, art, stories, etc. Unfortunately, over time as more and more of the source faded away, it crumbled. While it still exists, it's a pale shadow of what it once was.

This is what will happen to the bronies unless we invoke Death of the Author and take over production ourselves. One of the failures of the StH fandom was limitation on computer power and lack of animation ability. Today, with some preliminary work, almost anyone can throw together a MLP Episode, provided they can do the voices or get people to VA for them. I can see a group or two might undertake this, and it would prolong the life of the fandom for some time, possibly a few years, but ultimately as people left and fewer and fewer entered, we'd fade into the internet archives and those of use that remain will simply be absorbed by the furry fandom like fans of other non-childrens-kids-programs like Gargoyles. I think that we weill ALWAYS see new artwork show up now and then, and a few cosplayers here and there, but ultimately...

Now, that being said, Hasbro is a complete fool if it throws the franchise to the wolves now. Fad or no, right now MLP is BIG. I'm still a little concerned about how long it will last but now that hasbro is starting to recognize they have an audeince of more than kids, I think it will last atleast another (read 4th) season. One of my favorite series from my childhood that was also not 100% childish (Disney's DuckTales) lasted for 200 episodes and even then continued with comics for another year or more. Unless something comes out that overshadows FiM, I dont see it dieing right away (though I wouldnt be suprised if they change the cast for marketing sake - i.e. retire the Mane 6 to background/mentor status and promote a new 'genneration' to main stars (such as the CMC) to sell more toys)

In short:

Depending on just how dedicated we are, I think we could last a couple years after the series ends, but ultimately we'll fade back and be absorbed into Furry like most other similar fandoms. But I also think that it's unlikely the series will end right away.

[Mojo]

This is a legitimate concern among bronies.

Talking to some brony friends last night, they expressed their concern about the quality of episodes in Season 2 and how the series may not keep interest unless there is a 'consistant villain' that rises up. My guess is, the 'MLP FiM Fandom' will live on for many years after the show gets canceled.

The thing to keep in mind is, Hasbro is, at it's core, a TOY company. The main motivating force behind the cartoon IS to sell more of the toys. Hasbro now is dealing with the unique problem of the 'advertising' being more popular than the 'product.'

This situation has similar parallels to McDonald's "Mac Tonight" crisis of the 80's. In America long ago, McDonalds started a TV advertising campaign featuring a crescent moon headed crooner character called Mac Tonight. The message of the commercials was fairly simple: Eat dinner at McD's! The problem the company found was the 'character' Mac Tonight became far more popular than his 'message'. So, in spite of Mac Tonight's rising fame, the advertising campaign was shut down months after it began.

Could this similar situation be occuring at Hasbro Corporate HQ as we speak? It's obvious the company's not trying very hard to 'cash in' on the fame of the cartoon (notice no complete Season 1 DVD set for sale now) and the first DVD offering they DID make was a short 2 episode DVD that came in a package sold with the FiM toys themselves. Is it possible that Hasbro has no clue how to handle the surprising popularity of the cartoon?

This is why my guess is the show won't see a Season 4. The fame of the show is not really translating into a sharp increase with the sales of the toys themselves. That's the way the Hasbro boardroom will see it so that's why, in the end, they'll 'pull the plug' after the 13 ordered episodes for Season 3.

[Guest PlatinumRarity]

Sadly nothing is eternal, at least as far as merchandising and toys go. The feelings and community that were inspired by this show? A different story entirely. I for one doubt that havens such as this site and others like Equestria Daily would shut down simply because Hasbro stopped putting out new episodes. This fandom has taken on a life of its own, and the only things needed to keep it alive are the fans, the teachings the show provides, and the limitless creativity that our community has.

Once you take something into your heart, it never truly dies.

[Hippo]

I really could care less if some people stop liking the show and premise. I still really enjoy it, and that's all that matters to me. And if there are others that continue to love it with me, then that's a bonus. I'm not about to gauge the status of the fandom and let it decide my involvement.

[Guest PlatinumRarity]

I really could care less if some people stop liking the show and premise. I still really enjoy it, and that's all that matters to me. And if there are others that continue to love it with me, then that's a bonus. I'm not about to gauge the status of the fandom and let it decide my involvement.

That's the spirit

[weesh]

Talking to some brony friends last night, they expressed their concern about the quality of episodes in Season 2 and how the series may not keep interest unless there is a 'consistant villain' that rises up.

Honestly if someone is looking for a villain, why are they here? The show is so much better than its occasional forays into exciting action. And other shows do it way better. I won't regret the loss of those kinds of fans. Much. Ok I will, but I think they are missing out on the best that the show has to offer.

Also, I've been rating the episodes on iTunes on my second pass through the two seasons, and my season two average is slightly higher than my season one average. At first I thought I liked the premier season more, but I think that was an illusion created by watching the entire first season in a few sittings, and the second season episodes one at a time.

[Astalakio]

It's a worry that's passed over my mind too, so it's at least nice to hear somepony else thinking the same thing. I have to go with the excellent points of

Sadly nothing is eternal, at least as far as merchandising and toys go. The feelings and community that were inspired by this show? A different story entirely. I for one doubt that havens such as this site and others like Equestria Daily would shut down simply because Hasbro stopped putting out new episodes. This fandom has taken on a life of its own, and the only things needed to keep it alive are the fans, the teachings the show provides, and the limitless creativity that our community has.

Once you take something into your heart, it never truly dies.

and

I really could care less if some people stop liking the show and premise. I still really enjoy it, and that's all that matters to me. And if there are others that continue to love it with me, then that's a bonus. I'm not about to gauge the status of the fandom and let it decide my involvement.

if I think of it that way, it really doesn't worry me at all. Hasbro can finally realise how to cash in on the show, and in turn end up putting out further seasons, or they could let it wither and die, but we'll always have what's already been created, and what is being created as we speak, and we can all appreciate and love that for as long as we feel we need or want to.

[Ashton]

Could this similar situation be occuring at Hasbro Corporate HQ as we speak? It's obvious the company's not trying very hard to 'cash in' on the fame of the cartoon (notice no complete Season 1 DVD set for sale now) and the first DVD offering they DID make was a short 2 episode DVD that came in a package sold with the FiM toys themselves. Is it possible that Hasbro has no clue how to handle the surprising popularity of the cartoon?

I question this. Hasbro recently hired a new marketing manager SPECIFICALLY STATING it was for the "pop culture impact of My LIttle Pony: Friendship is Magic" and they have also suddenly started putting out toys that are series-accurate. There are rumors about more DVDs in the pipeline, and there is still iTunes, much as many of us hate apple (not to mention other 'adult' MLP content such as the billboards, the "bronies" download of the comicon poster, and the mention of "bronies" in the MLP song "equestria Girls"), so I'm not so sure that Hasbro hasnt realized that there is an untapped market, I just wonder if they will be able to tap it before the executives stop authorizing new episodes.

[ChancellorPuddinghead]

I think we're focused on the wrong aspect of this community. Instead of fearing the inevitable - we should embrace it! To every thing - There is a time. When that time is up - it's just up. Do you wake up every morning and worry the rest of the day about the fact there's going to be a sunset? Do you spend the entire day wondering about how the sunset will look and how you will handle it?

No. You have a good day and enjoy the sunset when it happens. You go about each day without much thought about how the day will end - Enjoy this moment - and this time while you have it. We all know it's a fad - but wow - it's been a heck of a ride thus far and I don't think we've reached our peak just yet!

and if we have then let's say it was when Derpy was waving through the curtains - because I really enjoyed that! lol

[weesh]

Well said chancellor. We are living in a golden age of both high quality modern programming and songs that are more accessible than anything was 10 years ago. While there is only one show (house) that I enjoy more than MLP, I have no doubts that when it has run its course there will be other replacements. Until then, suck the marrow from the bones!

[Guest PlatinumRarity]

Oh CPH, always so optimistic

[Tenkan]

How I see it, all things come to an end.

That's the unfortunate truth. But we shouldn't let that worry get in our way of enjoying the moment.

I usually don't enjoy to type that much, but I'm hoping this post gives off what I feel about the subject.

[ZeroHero]

Well, for a fandom that's probably comprised mostly of people drug in by other people who were drug in by other people, most of the fanbase is into the fanbase more than the show itself anyway. A lot of people probably will just decide they don't like FiM anymore because they were probably in it because too many people that they knew liked it, or they couldn't escape it otherwise, and just got tired of being a part of the fandom because it didn't genuinely hook them in the first place. Or they find something they genuinely like about the show and get hooked in some point in time after they originally became a fan.

This is just my speculation anyway. For example, FiM was everywhere I went on the internet, so I couldn't exactly escape it. I decided to check it out, but it took several episodes before I decided to lower my guard against liking the show. Did this mean I kinda "forced" myself to like the show? Possibly. Over time I found myself appreciating the character designs more and more and now I like to wear any T-shirts I can find that portray them and draw them often. However, I don't feel like more of a fan of the show now than I did when I first decided to watch it about three months ago, even though I found a sort of niche in the fandom. Heck, when discussing episodes, I seem to be against the general opinion, lol.

So yeah, tl;dr - As just about everyone above said, the fanbase will keep itself alive without the show so long as the people find creative outlets in it, I guess.

[weesh]

Yes the fanbase is enjoyable, but I caught up to the most recent episode before I purposefully sought out the community. I plan to follow the series to the end with or without the other fans.

The exception is if the series loses its appeal of course, but according to my iTunes ratings, season 2 is on track to outperform season 1 in my ratings. It is actually a complicated formula, because one great episode and two bad ones is preferable to three average ones.

[RarityDash]

As I see it, as many people as might be moving away from ponies, the series is still attracting new people to it. This site grows steadily pretty much everyday. Other sites grow and attract new fans.

I can't ever see a time when something great like ponies won't have a fanbase on the internet. It might not always be the same exact set of people. But as long as there are new people to stumble upon it and fall in love with what they see, I think the fandom will continue to flourish.

[BrownclownMC]

Yes the fanbase is enjoyable, but I caught up to the most recent episode before I purposefully sought out the community. I plan to follow the series to the end with or without the other fans.

The exception is if the series loses its appeal of course, but according to my iTunes ratings, season 2 is on track to outperform season 1 in my ratings. It is actually a complicated formula, because one great episode and two bad ones is preferable to three average ones.

I did exactly the same thing, I watched every episode before searched for forms, fan art etc. I too will watch the show to the end and until I found out that the s2 production team was different I hadn't noticed a difference on the other hand, now that I have found this forum in particular and fan arts I have really come to love the fan following especially the friendlyness of this forum. This is very good for me because when the show ends, I hope not some time in the future. The fan following will still be here

This took me ages to write on my phone

Thank you for reading my opinion on the subject

[Guest HipsterRarity]

And thus we have a happy Brownclown

As was stated earlier, there's still a rabid Pokemon fanbase. Maybe not what it once was, but the fad has long since passed. What remains are those who found something lasting in that world, something upon which to hold. I for one was drawn in by the fact that this show taught morals, something I hadn't seen in, well, ages! The characters are intriguing, the animation is fantastic, and the community by far is what will keep me a fan and brony long into the future. Ever since I've strove to better myself day by day, to become as friendly and endearing as the brony philosophies entail.

(Yes, this is Platinum Apparently this incarnation has more friends and is more popular. Who knew?)

[TenthSpeedWriter]

I'mma get philosophical for a second.

Worrying about the lifespan of a fandom is about as futile as worrying about your own. Fixating on the end of something keeps you from enjoying something to its fullest; it just leads to hypochondria and needless stress.