# Anyone else baffled by the my little pony thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299 "2011-10-20T22:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/21 "2011-10-21T04:35:48Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I watched the whole thing and I still don’t get it. It wasn’t funny, nor did the humor strike me as “aimed at adults.” > > The bunny stampede had potential, but I didn’t even snigger. Well, you gave it a fair try, so I guess its not for you. Another good introductory episode is [Suited For Success](http://www.youtube.com/user/darksaber64x#p/c/EF7C6B22A07AD3A9/13/Hq6l4q6kZoE), it’s a bit more adult and has a great musical number ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/22 "2011-10-21T07:26:33Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > I don’t spend that much time in cafe society but it seems every time I check in the my little pony thread is there. It has an incredible number of posts for a CS thread. My attempts to read or understand it have utterly failed, I read the posts and it’s like Ancient Greek to me. > > Am I alone here? Why is the thread so popular? Isn’t it a children’s cartoon? Is this a number of posters reliving their childhood? People with children forced to watch? Is it only a few people making many posts or many people making a few posts? > > I was more of a GI Joe child perhaps it’s just possible I’ll never understand. COBRA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA! I don’t watch any children’s cartoons aside from MLP although now that you’ve mentioned GI Joe, I think I’ll rewatch the movie. Part of why it’s so popular is because of just how surprisingg it is that such a good show was born of the (apparently) saccharin pap that were previous versions of MLP. I had never watched MLP before watching the new generation. Think of it like a mix of the Disney movie The Lion King and the sitcom Community (with the unacceptable-for-children jokes taken out) in a way that’s kawaii and holds interest. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/23 "2011-10-21T08:02:36Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Well, you gave it a fair try, so I guess its not for you. > > Another good introductory episode is [Suited For Success](http://www.youtube.com/user/darksaber64x#p/c/EF7C6B22A07AD3A9/13/Hq6l4q6kZoE), it’s a bit more adult and has a great musical number That was fully awesome. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/24 "2011-10-21T08:08:08Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > That was fully awesome. [http://may.latest.nuvusanswers.appspot.com/getPic?qid=10538088](http://may.latest.nuvusanswers.appspot.com/getPic?qid=10538088) ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/25 "2011-10-21T08:13:52Z")
Now I get it! It’s like the Powerpuff Girls! ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/26 "2011-10-21T09:12:38Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > That was fully awesome. Let me guess, you are a freelancer ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/27 "2011-10-21T09:31:40Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Let me guess, you are a freelancer 😕 ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/28 "2011-10-21T09:37:40Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > 😕 I think it’s because you had the time and inclination to watch a pony show in the middle of the night on a week day. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/29 "2011-10-21T09:45:16Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > 😕 I mean, I’ve heard that episode resonates with a lot of freelancers. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/30 "2011-10-21T10:46:33Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I don’t understand what is baffling. This is not the first time a show for kids has attracted adult attention. Some people enjoy the show because it has a tone they find pleasant and amusing. > [@boytyperanma](#): > > People liking a cartoon I understand just fine. Reading that thread I could barely figure out what the cartoon was. That’s how I feel. It’s not at all unusual to me that someone would like a cartoon (see any of my contributions to threads about _Phineas and Ferb_ for proof of this). I just had no idea that this whole cultural phenomenon had grown around _My Little Pony_. It was the very first I’d heard of it and that’s what had me baffled. When did this happen? It’s almost like looking around one day and going, “Hey, what’s with all these fancy phones people have? I thought phones were for making calls!” ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/31 "2011-10-21T11:05:34Z")
Well, on behalf of the adult contingent of MLP fans, I apologize for not keeping you updated on a regular basis regarding the community’s growth. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/32 "2011-10-21T12:17:45Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Well, on behalf of the adult contingent of MLP fans, I apologize for not keeping you updated on a regular basis regarding the community’s growth. 😕 I never said it was anyone else’s fault that I didn’t know about it. Just that I didn’t know. Why are you reading negative judgment into my baffledness? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/33 "2011-10-21T13:30:09Z")
I was baffled too, and a quick perusal of the thread led me to believe it was some subversive, super-adult, pornographic/psychotic version of My Little Pony. Imagine my surprise to learn here in THIS thread that it’s actually something sweet! I’ve recently allowed my 7-year-old to branch over into Cartoon Network from Disney/Nick/PBS and he’s hooked on all these weird shows with innocent-sounding names like Adventure Time with princesses and talking dogs. They all seem about the same: one level aimed at kids but with a jokey, “there’s more to it than this” undercurrent. Honestly I can barely focus on them because the animation is so repulsive. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/34 "2011-10-21T14:09:49Z")
Add me to the list of Ones Learning Something New here. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/35 "2011-10-21T15:32:57Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Am I alone here? Why is the thread so popular? Isn’t it a children’s cartoon? Is this a number of posters reliving their childhood? People with children forced to watch? Is it only a few people making many posts or many people making a few posts? > > I was more of a GI Joe child perhaps it’s just possible I’ll never understand. You’re obviously not alone in your befuddlement. The thread is so popular because it is a remarkably well-written cartoon; that is rare, and people have noticed it for that. It is a children’s cartoon, but not dumbed down, so it can be enjoyable from an adult’s or child’s perspective. There are people whose children watch it, and people without any children who watch it. (I watched one ep so I could understand who the little toys I’d gotten my niece were, and ended up watching them all). It’s quite a few people making a lot of posts, I think. I am utterly baffled that people find American Idol or X Factor or America’s Got Talent or whatever to be of any interest. But, knowing that they _do_ find them of interest, I’m not surprised that they want to start (long) threads to discuss them (which I have no interest in reading). MLP:FiM, same deal I’d think. > [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > … They all seem about the same: one level aimed at kids but with a jokey, “there’s more to it than this” undercurrent. Honestly I can barely focus on them because the animation is so repulsive. MLP:FiM actually has surprisingly good animation… but probably not in a 7yo boy’s interest, unfortunately. (more due to his probable social expectations, than due to the content) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/36 "2011-10-21T15:45:57Z")
We all have our lines in the sand, those “uncanny chasms” where we can’t wrap our brains around some collection of data and accept what it is trying to present. I have thoughtful literate friends who read deeply and just can’t wrap their brains around the possibility that a “comic book” like Watchmen can have “literary” value. I have friends who can’t imagine that some video games are not just “electronic crackpipes” but actually provide worthy benefit to the player. While I love cartoons - enjoyed watching PowerPuff Girls and Dexter’s Lab as a parent hanging out with my kids - when I saw the first MLP thread, I immediately thought “WTF?!” Now, while I clearly get the message that it apparently has qualities that translate to adult appeal, I still don’t see myself investing the time to try to get past my own chasm - and I get that it is my issue; I simply don’t have interest. So yeah, I was baffled. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/37 "2011-10-21T15:57:23Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I was baffled too, and a quick perusal of the thread led me to believe it was some subversive, super-adult, pornographic/psychotic version of My Little Pony. Imagine my surprise to learn here in THIS thread that it’s actually something sweet! Well, I haven’t gone looking, but I’m sure Rule 34 is still in effect, and shippers are going to ship. That’s not the point of the fandom, though. It’s a charming, rather intelligent show that manages to appeal to people far outside its target audience, while still being accessible to kids. It’s sweet without being saccharine, and it doesn’t treat children like idiots. The fact that all of this completely subverts expectations based on the horrible half-hour toy commercials of the 80s undoubtedly helps, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/38 "2011-10-21T16:03:53Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > It’s a charming, rather intelligent show that manages to appeal to people far outside its target audience, while still being accessible to kids. It’s sweet without being saccharine, and it doesn’t treat children like idiots. The fact that all of this completely subverts expectations based on the horrible half-hour toy commercials of the 80s undoubtedly helps, too. Yee-up. It’s not that it’s merely a good cartoon that’s given rise to the subculture, it’s that it’s also a non-cynical, good-hearted show, which is staggeringly novel to folks in their 20-30s. And there’s the fact that it’s freaking My Little Pony that causes cognitive dissonance in the guys who like it, so they seek out others for reassurance that it’s not just them. 😛 But the community is friendly and I’ve met some nice folks through it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/39 "2011-10-21T16:07:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Sir Siete** : > Now I get it! It’s like the Powerpuff Girls! From what I understand, it was created by basically the same team that did Powerpuff Girls, so the similarity is unsurprising. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299/40 "2011-10-21T16:20:20Z")
I have watched it a few times with the Celtling. It’s not my cup of tea, but I do like the basic themes. It’s not about being pretty and waiting to be rescued; these girls kick behinds and live by a code. So I’m all for her watching it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-baffled-by-the-my-little-pony-thread/600299.md?page=3)