Eighties girls will totally remember My Little Ponies, those hugely
popular plastic horse figurines.
The first herd of candy-colored toy horses was created in 1981.
My
Pretty Ponies were significantly bigger than My Little Ponies and
were nowhere near as popular.
In 1983, Hasbro’s My Little Ponies hit the jackpot with the elementary-age
girl crowd. They were perfectly sized for little hands and little
purses. We wanted to collect the dainty pony dolls, line them up on our
shelves, and admire their sparkly pastel beauty. Our friends brought
their favorite My Little Ponies over to play when they spent the night
and we had all sorts of mild, perfectly coiffed horsey adventures with
our Pony accessories.
The ponies’ draw went beyond their cartoony-cute features and playfully
dappled rumps. My Little Ponies had that HAIR. Oh, how we loved to brush
their glossy manes and tails, over and over and over.
Which reminds me of my very favorite Dr. Seuss book, “One Fish, Two Fish,
Red Fish, Blue Fish.” It was originally published in 1960, but many of
us had a well-loved copy, right? I wanted to be the girl in this picture
so badly:
Hmmm... teeny, cute pet with glorious blue hair for girls to brush...
Coincidence?
I think NOT.
Predictably, the popularity of the dolls led to a television cartoon. We
heard that same catchy jingle at the beginning of every program:
My Little Ponies have been going strong since the eighties in cartoons,
toys, movies, clothes, and accessories. In the Friendship is Magic
series, the modern Ponies sing and play nicely and fly around. The
animation looks a little different, but the sweet, friend-centric
message is totally the same:
Back in the eighties, we’d never have predicted a whole different crop of
My Little Pony devotees. They’re adults, they dress in MLP costumes, and
they’re often dudes.
As whatisabrony.com puts it, a brony is “anyone
that enjoys ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ that is outside the
target demographic of little girls; including both males and females.”
Maybe it’s tempting to look askance at Bronies. After all, they’re
grown-ups who are dressing up as animated characters and collecting pony
dolls. However, at LT80s, we’re all about acceptance. My Little Pony is
all about friendship, playfulness, and looking fabulous – so what’s not
to love? If adults relate to Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, we
think that’s totally awesome.
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