Art of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom

{{Short description|Art subculture of My Little Pony fans}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:Art of the ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' fandom}} [[File:Wiki Hooves.png|thumb|Wiki Hooves, Wikipedia's unofficial ponysona, and an example of ponification]] {{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic sidebar}} The ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' fandom (also known as the ''brony fandom'') has generated a vast body of fan work, including fan art.<ref>{{cite journal|last = Kirkland|first =Ewan|title =My Little Pony: A transcultural phenomenon| journal = The Journal of Popular Television|volume = 3|issue = 1|year = 2015|pages =93–97|doi =10.1386/jptv.3.1.93_7}}</ref> Fans began creating fan art of ''Friendship Is Magic'' shortly after the show's premiere. As the brony community grew in prominence in the early 2010s, fan art production increased dramatically. Various art styles and themes emerged within the fandom, such as "humanized" versions of pony characters,<ref name="Ellis-2015">{{cite journal |last=Ellis |first=Bill |title=What Bronies See When They Brohoof: Queering Animation on the Dark and Evil Internet |journal=Journal of American Folklore |volume=128 |issue=509 |pages=298–314 |year=2015 |doi=10.5406/jamerfolk.128.509.0298 }}</ref> crossovers with other franchises,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.konami.com/games/eu/en/topics/4798/|title=Metal Gear Pony|website=Konami|date=2016-03-22|access-date=2025-04-16}}</ref> and original character (OC) creations known as ''ponysonas''.<ref name="Connelly-2017"/> A practice known as '''ponification''', where artists transform non-pony characters, people, or objects into pony form, is popular among fan artists.<ref name="Pickett-2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.actionfigureinsider.com/my-little-pony-word-ponify-added-to-open-source-webster-dictionary/|first=Daniel|last=Pickett|title=My Little Pony Word 'Ponify' Added to Open Source Webster Dictionary|website=Action Figure Insider|date=2017-07-08|access-date=2025-04-21}}</ref><ref name="Edwards-2019"/> The show itself is not the only source of inspiration for fan art; many brony fan works have also subsequently inspired fan art.<ref name="Connelly-2017">{{Cite book|last=Connelly|first=Sherilyn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXRPDgAAQBAJ&q=fallout|title=Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016|date=2017-03-21|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-2686-4|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Leppänen|first1=Sirpa|last2=Tapionkaski|first2=Sanna|chapter=Doing Gender and Sexuality Intersectionally in Multimodal Social Media Practices|editor1-last=Angouri|editor1-first=Jo|editor2-last=Baxter|editor2-first=Judith|title=The Routledge Handbook of Language, Gender, and Sexuality|publisher=Routledge|year=2021}}</ref><ref name="Kosnac-2016">{{cite book |last=Kosnáč |first=Pavol|title=Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality: From Popular Culture to Religion |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2016 |isbn=9781317135494 |pages=79–97}}</ref> Physical prints, custom plushies, art commissions, stickers, keychains, T-shirts, and other pony-themed merchandise are frequently sold at ''My Little Pony'' fan conventions.<ref name="Edwards-2019"/>

Despite the conclusion of the television series in 2019, the fandom continues to produce new content. {{As of|November 2025}}, Derpibooru—the largest and most popular ''My Little Pony'' imageboard<ref name="Alter-2020"/>—hosts over 3.2 million images (excluding deleted and duplicate images) and over 520,000 registered users.<ref name="Statistics">{{cite web|url=https://derpibooru.org/pages/stats|title=Statistics|website=Derpibooru|access-date=2025-08-01}}</ref>

== Fan works == {{See also|List of fan works of the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom}} === Fan films and fan animations === Fan-made videos incorporating footage from the show are regularly posted on YouTube, including music videos, parodies, and remakes of movie and video game trailers.<ref name="wired brony"/><ref name="escapist videos">{{cite magazine| url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109875-In-the-Grim-Darkness-of-the-Future-There-Are-Only-Ponies| title=In the Grim Darkness of the Future, There Are Only Ponies| first=John| last=Funk| magazine=The Escapist| date=2011-05-09| access-date=2011-10-07| archive-date=March 14, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314195129/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109875-In-the-Grim-Darkness-of-the-Future-There-Are-Only-Ponies| url-status=dead}}</ref> One notable early video that attracted media attention was created by high school student Stephen Thomas, who used scientific principles to analyze physical impossibilities in the show as part of a class presentation in 2011.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/jun/02/1 | title = Physical impossibilities in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic | work = The Guardian | date = 2011-06-02 | access-date = 2011-06-10 | author = GrrlScientist | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://boingboing.net/2011/05/25/impossible-physics-w.html | title = Impossible physics: Why My Little Pony can't really fly | first = Cory | last = Doctorow | date = 2011-05-25 | access-date = 2011-06-10 | publisher = Boing Boing }}</ref> This video was later featured on the Comedy Central show ''Tosh.0''.<ref name="wired brony"/><ref name="latimes bronies">{{cite news | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/04/bronies-let-their-my-little-pony-flag-fly.html | title = A Brony gathering: SoCal men let their 'My Little Pony' flag fly | first = T.L. | last = Stanley | date = 2012-04-19 | access-date = 2012-04-19 | work = Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

In 2011, filmmaker Edgar Wright featured pony versions of the trailers for ''Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' and ''Hot Fuzz'' on his blog.<ref name="escapist videos"/> ''Top Gear'' also recognized a video using clips of their show that featured pony characters.<ref>{{cite magazine | title = My Little Pony does Top Gear | magazine = Top Gear | publisher = BBC Worldwide Ltd. | date = September 2011 | asin = B00CCV5R4O | asin-tld = co.uk }}</ref> In 2012, a fan-created pony version of "Gangnam Style" was featured as a "must-see video" on ''The Wall Street Journal''.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2012/08/22/5-must-see-gangnam-style-response-videos/ | title = 5 Must-See 'Gangnam Style' Response Videos | date = 2012-08-22 | access-date = 2012-08-24 | work = The Wall Street Journal }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/12819/20120819/pony-dances-gangnam-style-too.htm | title = Pony Dances 'Gangnam Style' Too | publisher = KPopStarz | date = 2012-08-23 | access-date = 2012-08-24 | archive-date = 2013-10-14 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131014131936/http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/12819/20120819/pony-dances-gangnam-style-too.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> In 2013, fan Zachary Rich created a full-length fan film titled "Double Rainboom" for his college coursework.<ref name="alicorn drama">{{cite magazine| url = http://family-room.ew.com/2013/01/31/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-bronies-princess-twilight/ | title = 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic': A Brony explains why fans say 'neigh' to Princess Twilight | first = Hiliary | last = Busis | date = 2013-01-31 | access-date = 2013-05-30 | magazine = Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Pony-based parodies of "Weird Al" Yankovic's songs that Yankovic featured on his Twitter account led to discussions between him and the show's directors, and resulted in guest appearances by Yankovic in the fourth season episode "Pinkie Pride" and the ninth season episode "The Last Laugh".<ref>{{Cite news | url =https://www.usatoday.com/story/popcandy/2014/01/15/weird-al-my-little-pony/4490001/ | title = Exclusive: 'Weird Al' Yankovic graces 'My Little Pony' | work = USA Today | date = 2014-01-15 | access-date = 2014-01-15 | first = Whitney | last = Matheson }}</ref>

=== Fan games === Fans have developed fan games based on ''Friendship Is Magic'', such as the fighting game ''My Little Pony: Fighting Is Magic'', which was eventually renamed to ''Them's Fightin' Herds'' after a cease and desist notice from Hasbro.<ref name="Connelly-2017"/> The upcoming indie shooter ''Get Your Tentacles Off My Waifu!'' is another fan game inspired by ''Friendship Is Magic''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/all-the-games-featured-in-the-2024-indieio-showcase|title=All the Games Featured in the 2024 indie.io Showcase|date=2024-06-08|access-date=2025-10-15|website=IGN}}</ref> Other fan works include mods of existing games such as ''Team Fortress 2'' and ''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ченцов |first=Илья |date=2011-07-28 |url=http://www.gameland.ru/magstorage/si/324/si_324.pdf |script-title=ru:Большие Безобразия маленьких пони |trans-title=Big Hijinks of Little Ponies |journal=Страна Игр |issue=324 |pages=62–70 |location=Russia |publisher=Gameland|language=ru |id=EAN-13 4607157100056 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506015801/http://gameland.ru/magstorage/si/324/si_324.pdf |archive-date=May 6, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-19-skyrim-mod-replaces-dragons-with-my-little-pony | title = Skyrim mod replaces dragons with My Little Pony | first = Tom | last = Phillips | date = 2012-01-19 | access-date = 2012-01-19 | website = Eurogamer }}</ref> Fans have also created crossovers between ''My Little Pony'' and other franchises,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/video-game-character-or-my-little-pony-yes-5892605 | title = Video Game Character or My Little Pony? Yes. | first = Mike | last = Fahey | date = 2012-03-12 | access-date = 2012-03-12 | website = Kotaku }}</ref> such as "Turnabout Storm," a crossover with the ''Ace Attorney'' series.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.equestriadaily.com/2023/07/lets-talk-about-my-little-pony-ace.html | title = Let's Talk About: The ''My Little Pony Ace Attorney'' Crossover Turnabout Storm - Review | author = DigiKate | date = 2023-07-19 | access-date = 2023-07-19 | website = Equestria Daily }}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eqGdf1wn68 | title=''The Bizarre World of'' Ace Attorney ''Crossovers'' | date=July 1, 2024 | access-date=July 1, 2024 | via=YouTube | work=Barbieronpa }}</ref> Some web applications allow fans to create their own pony original characters<ref>{{cite journal | url = https://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/01/make-your-own-little-pony/ | title = Make Your Own Little Pony (Because the Intenet Needs More Ponies) | first = Angela | last = Wattercutter | journal = Wired | date = 2012-01-06 | access-date = 2012-01-06 }}</ref> known as ''ponysonas''.<ref name="Kosnac-2016"/>

=== Fan art === Various ''My Little Pony'' fan art has been created over the years, which depicts either the characters from the show or original characters (OCs).<ref name="Ellis-2015" />

==== Ponification ==== [[File:Star Spangler The AMERICAN Pony.png|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Fan art of a ponification of the United States]] ''Ponification'' is the practice of transforming non-pony characters, people, objects, or events into pony form.<ref name="Ellis-2015"/> The term was officially recognized in the open-source Webster dictionary in 2017, defined as "bestowing the harmonious qualities relating to the magic of friendship upon a person, creature, fictional figure, or inanimate object by converting into the likeness of an animated ''My Little Pony'' character."<ref name="Pickett-2017"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Ponify - Open Dictionary|website=Merriam-Webster|url=http://nws.merriam-webster.com/opendictionary/newword_search.php|access-date=2025-04-21}}</ref> Ponification is not limited to the fandom, as the show itself has featured ponified versions of pop-culture personalities.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Busis |first1=Hillary |title='My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic': Homages to Star Wars, Bond, more |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/02/14/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-big-lebowski-star-wars/ |website=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=29 January 2026 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mufson |first1=Beckett |title=Rick and Morty Made a Bizarre Appearance on 'My Little Pony' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rick-and-morty-my-little-pony-cameo-crossover-reddit-vgtrn/ |website=VICE |access-date=29 January 2026 |date=16 April 2018}}</ref> A ''ponysona'' is a ponification of one's self.<ref name="Kosnac-2016"/>

==== Artificial intelligence art ==== thumb|An example of an AI generated image of an MLP pony''My Little Pony'' fan art has been used in the development of AI art. Pony Diffusion is a specialized diffusion model based on Stable Diffusion XL that is popular for generating cartoon-style images.<ref>{{cite arXiv |last1=Park |first1=J |last2=Owens |first2=A |title=Community Forensics: Using Thousands of Generators to Train Fake Image Detectors |date=2024 |class=cs.CV |eprint=2411.04125}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/209/4209874/|title=危機的状況の画像生成AI「Stable Diffusion 3」立て直しへ|first=Arata|last=Kiyoshi|date=2024-07-15|access-date=2025-04-18}}</ref> Pony Diffusion has been cited in academic publications and preprints.<ref>{{cite arXiv |last1=Yang |first1=Z |last2=Lyu |first2=L |last3=Chang |first3=X |last4=He |first4=D |last5=Li |first5=YU |title=SWA-LDM: Toward Stealthy Watermarks for Latent Diffusion Models |date=2025 |class=cs.CR |eprint=2502.10495}}</ref><ref>{{cite arXiv |last1=Passananti |first1=J |last2=Wu |first2=S |last3=Shan |first3=S |last4=Zheng |first4=H |title=Disrupting style mimicry attacks on video imagery |date=2024 |class=cs.CV |eprint=2405.06865}}</ref> The use of AI to generate or edit artwork in the fandom is controversial as some believe it takes away jobs of real people, as part of the wider issue of AI in the arts in general. There are also concerns about copyright infringement due to AI web sweeping, meaning that an AI can generate images in the style of real artists. However, some fans see it as another way to explore creativity. === Physical merchandise === [[File:BronyCon 2014 (14662187680).jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|The vendor hall of BronyCon 2014 at the Baltimore Convention Center.]] Merchandise of ''My Little Pony'' fan art (colloquially called '''brony swag''') is sold at vendor halls at brony conventions like Everfree Northwest or Ponyville Ciderfest.<ref name="conbook-2023">{{cite book|url=https://ponyvilleciderfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PVCF23-Con-Book-Final_Optimized.pdf|title=Ponyville Ciderfest 2023 Con Book|year=2023}}</ref><ref name="conbook-2024">{{cite book|url=https://2024.everfreenw.com/images/home/2024conbook.pdf|title=Everfree Northwest 2024|year=2024}}</ref> Types of commonly purchased merchandise include clothing items like T-shirts, socks, and backpacks, as well as commissioned artwork, physical prints, and posters. Other common merchandise forms include figurines, plushies, accessories like mousepads and glassware, lunchboxes, stickers, DVDs, and games.<ref name="Edwards-2019">{{cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=Patrick |last2=Chadborn |first2=Daniel P. |last3=Plante |first3=Courtney N. |last4=Reysen |first4=Stephen |last5=Redden |first5=Marsha Howze |title=Meet the Bronies: The Psychology of the Adult My Little Pony Fandom |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |location=United States |isbn=9781476663715 |pages=291 |date=September 11, 2019}}</ref>

=== Clop === {{Main|Clop (erotic fan art)}}

Clop is erotic or pornographic art, films, video games or other fan works based on the ''My Little Pony'' franchise. The term "clop" is an onomatopoeia for hoofbeat and masturbation. == Platforms == === Derpibooru === {{Main|Derpibooru}}

'''Derpibooru''' (a portmanteau of Derpy Hooves and the suffix ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/booru#English -booru]'', a reborrowing from Japanese ''bōru'', meaning "board") is an imageboard dedicated to hosting and archiving ''My Little Pony'' fan art. It is the largest and most popular ''My Little Pony'' imageboard.<ref name="Alter-2020">{{cite web|last=Alter|first=Rebecca|date=2020-06-23|title=The Largest My Little Pony Fan Site Bans Your Horse-Crap Racist Fan Art|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/the-largest-my-little-pony-fan-site-bans-racist-fan-art.html|access-date=2025-09-27|website=Vulture}}</ref><ref name="Tiffany-2020">{{cite web|last=Tiffany|first=Kaitlyn|date=2020-06-23|title='My Little Pony' Fans Are Ready to Admit They Have a Nazi Problem|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/06/my-little-pony-nazi-4chan-black-lives-matter/613348/|access-date=2025-09-27|website=The Atlantic}}</ref><ref name="Bajor-2017">{{cite journal|last=Bajor|first=Jan|title=Erotyka i pornografia w fandomie internetowym - przypadek społeczności My Little Pony|trans-title=Eroticism and Pornography in Internet Fandom - The Case of the My Little Pony Community|lang=pl|year=2017|pages=257–274|journal=Media i Społeczeństwo|url=https://mediaispoleczenstwo.ubb.edu.pl/angular-api/file/download/606510/2484313.pdf|volume=7|issue=1}}</ref>

=== DeviantArt === {{Main|DeviantArt}}

DeviantArt has attracted a large community of bronies.<ref name="wired brony">{{cite journal | url = https://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/06/bronies-my-little-ponys/ | title = My Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as 'Bronies' | first= Angela| last = Watchcutter | date = 2011-06-09 | access-date = 2011-06-09 | journal = Wired}}</ref> By June 2012, DeviantArt hosted more than 500,000 pieces of ''Friendship Is Magic'' artwork.<ref name="pittsburg gazette summer12">{{cite news | url = http://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2012/06/29/Pittsburgh-guys-profess-love-for-My-Little-Pony/stories/201206290240 | title = Pittsburgh guys profess love for My Little Pony | work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | first = Rob | last = Wennemer | date = 2012-06-29 | access-date = 2012-06-29 }}</ref> The website is used to publish fan art and fan fiction, rate and comment on others' work, follow exchange gifts with artists, and join user-created groups.<ref name="Bajor-2015">{{cite thesis |last=Bajor |first=Jan |title=Między bajką a perwersją – pornografia i erotyka fanowska w środowisku internetowym na przykładzie fandomu My Little Pony: Przyjaźń to Magia |trans-title=Between fairy tale and perversion - fan pornography and erotica in the internet environment using the example of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom |type=Master's thesis |publisher=University of Warsaw |location=Warsaw |date=June 2015 |department=Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology |language=pl}}</ref><ref name="Bajor-2017"/>

== Popularity == According to a 2018 study, bronies owned approximately $1,050 worth of pony merchandise on average; 73% of bronies reported watching ''My Little Pony'' fan videos almost daily, 12% reported that they frequently created fan art of the show, and 5% reported that they frequently created fan collectible merchandise. The study found that bronies tend to consume fan-created content and fandom news more than they watch the show itself.<ref name="Edwards-2019" />

{{As of|September 2025}}, Derpibooru hosts over 3.2 million images (excluding deleted and duplicate images) and over 520,000 registered users.<ref name="Statistics"/>

== Controversies == Some fan content has been deemed racist, such as a white pony original character named Aryanne (derived from "aryan") who has a swastika for a cutie mark.<ref name="Tiffany-2020"/><ref name="Dickson-2021">{{cite magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/brony-fed-ex-shooting-fandom-nazis-1157758/|title=Do Bronies Have a 'Nazi Problem'? FedEx Shooting Shines Light on Faction of Subculture|first=EJ|last=Dickson|date=2021-04-19|access-date=2025-04-16}}</ref><ref name="Dellinger-2024">{{Cite web|last=Dellinger|first=A. J.|title=An online battle is raging between Nazis and 'My Little Pony' fans|url=https://www.mic.com/p/online-battle-is-raging-between-nazis-my-little-pony-fans-23624699|access-date=2021-06-04|website=Mic|date=June 23, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> During the George Floyd protests, ''The Atlantic'' reported that some :/mlp/ users mocked the protests by upvoting racist fan art on Derpibooru and downvoting pro-Black Lives Matter artwork. This led to Derpibooru's first major policy change that permitted moderators to ban images uploaded solely to incite controversy.<ref name="Tiffany-2020"/><ref name="Alter-2020"/>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.deviantart.com/ DeviantArt] * [https://derpibooru.org/ Derpibooru]

Category:Brony fandom Category:Fan labor