Friendship is Magic

"Friendship is Magic"

     What do wealthy businessmen, average young adults, military men from various countries and 4 to 6 year-old girls have in common? Hasbro's new series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLP:FIM), has enchanted hundreds of fans from all of these demographics and more. That a show aimed at young girls could interest teenagers and adults may be a little hard to believe, but in the case of MLP:FIM, there is much more to this witty, entertaining series than meets the eye. While the very idea of enjoying a children's show about ponies may tempt you to judge a book by its cover, don't. These candy-colored ponies may seem juvenile and too girly for your average male viewer on the surface, but beneath the flowers and frills lies an enchanting rainbow of personalties and a rich tale of magic and friendship spiced with fun, humor and adventure.

     Many fans of MLP:FIM came to the series completely surprised by their enjoyment of the show. Whether coaxed by a friend or drawn in by chance, older audiences did not typically expect to fall in love with a show based on colorful ponies that was created for young girls. When a friend insisted to me that the new MLP show was actually rather amusing and entertaining, I regrettably called her “lame” and laughed. After she convinced me to agree to watching just one episode, I was still sure I would not care for anything to do with My Little Pony. An hour later, I was hooked, impressed beyond belief and eagerly hunting down the next episode. Like most fans, what really captured my attention was the characters. The mane cast is comprised of six friends, each possessing a special virtue, one of the six Elements of Harmony; Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, and Magic. Each of the Mane 6 (as they are called by fans) exhibits their special virtue in ways both obvious and subtle throughout the show. Some episodes particularly focus upon one pony's virtues while others focus on the group or some other aspect of the ponies' personalities. Regardless, each episode contains an important moral based on the virtues of the Elements of Harmony and friendship in general.

     Twilight Sparkle is the pony who bears the Element of Magic in her heart and is a personal student of the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. As the show begins, Twilight Sparkle reads a story from an ancient tome about how Princess Celestia's younger sister, Princess Luna was once the ruler of the night as Celestia rules the day but was banished when she allowed bitterness toward her sister to consume her because the ponies played in the day and slept through her beautiful night. Consumed by her bitterness, Luna became the wicked Nightmare Moon. Celestia banished Luna from Equestria and trapped her in the moon, but Nightmare Moon threatened to return after 1000 years and blanket the world in eternal night. Twilight believes the story and wishes to find the Elements of Harmony to ensure the prophecy does not come true, however, Celestia sends Twilight away from her home at the magic school in Canterlot to the small village of Ponyville, encouraging her to make some friends and seeming unconcerned with the world's impending doom. Twilight ends up befriending the other 5 ponies who would be her best friends from then onward and it turns out that together, these six ponies are able to summon the Elements of Harmony since they each hold one of them in their hearts. The story sounds somewhat corny and cliche on the surface, but it is the unique wit, depth of character and masterful storytelling that sets this tale aside and leads the viewer into a magical world of friendship.

     After this opening story has set the stage and introduced the mane cast, each episode consists of some adventure or problem which the Mane 6 must overcome, learning a lesson about friendship each time. Each episode ends with Twilight Sparkle sending a letter to Princess Celestia, reporting to her what she has learned about friendship, the one magic that has the power to protect Equestria against any foe. With each story including an interesting plot, unexpected wit and boundless creativity, the viewer can not help being drawn in and wanting more. A surprising addition to this excellent formula has been the sprinklings of Faust's personal philosophy into the main cast of the show.

     "There are many ways to be a girl," Faust explained in an article about her current project, Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls, "and it encourages girls to be their own unique selves while proving that being girly isn't a synonym for being lame."(Faust) This same philosophy has been recognized by fans of MLP:FIM as having made it into the Mane 6 as well. Each of the Mane 6 is a girl, and yet, they are all very different and exhibit their own unique traits from prim-and-proper Rarity to tomboyish Rainbow Dash. The characters manage to show off traits that make girls who they are in a way that even the male audiences consider awesome.

Another thing that has legitimately drawn in lots of interest for MLP:FIM has been the depth of the show's themes. "I literally wrote the characters with their “good traits” and “bad traits” described in their introduction." says Faust in an interview with the number one pony fansite, Equestria Daily. (Faust) She goes on to explain how some aspects of the show's themes had to be fought for as Hasbro had been concerned that they were not acceptable for a show for young girls. Industry leaders involved in creating children's programming were concerned over such simple factors as promoting a pony associated with darkness and night as a good character, or Rainbow Dash calling Twilight Sparkle an "egghead" before realizing that wasn't very nice. After hearing these concerns from Faust, the fans theorized that it had been exactly these sorts of elements that had helped the show to stand out from what Faust calls "the typical dribble" that makes up shows marketed to little girls.

     Combining excellent episodic stories with interesting, well-rounded characters, epic adventures, refreshingly catchy songs, and zany antics, the show manages to deliver exactly what Faust had intended: a show girls could watch with their parents, including male parents. As Faust pointed out on her Deviantart.com account, "It only stands to reason that adult animation fans without children may like it too."(Faust) So don't let appearances keep you from experiencing an excellent creation and possibly the best television show ever created for girls. Just as many girls enjoy shows created mainly for boys, MLP:FIM is full of entertainment for girls and boys, young and old alike. If you watch a few episodes, you're sure to find yourself laughing at the unexpected boundless humor and falling in love with the excellent characters and animation. Check it out and you'll see that Faust's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has made television programming for girls 20% cooler than ever before.

Works Cited:

Faust, Lauren. "My Little NON-Homophobic, NON-Racist, NON-Smart-Shaming Pony: A Rebuttal."Mrs. Magazine Blog. N.p., 12 24 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/24/my-little-non-homophobic- non-racist-non-smart-shaming-pony-a-rebuttal/>.

Faust, Lauren. (as fyre-flye) Date Unknown. DeviantArt.com, Online Posting to Junkie121. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/knightsofnodd/The Word of Faust/130328793222.png>.

Faust , Lauren. E-mail Interview. 16 08 2011. <http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/exclusive-season-1- retrospective.html>