Bronies: Adult Men Who Like to Watch My Little Pony

LOL. Say what you will, but it takes real balls to stand under a headline like that and look that confident.

The new MLP cartoons are meant for toddlers, is that what these dudes are watching?! The first MLP movie (Rescue at Midnight Castle from 1984) was very dark, not at all like the new cartoons.

Interesting how all of a sudden My Little Pony is all popular again. I see avatars and signatures for this show even on sports forums.

I love this show, and even my teenage brothers consider themselves "bronies".

I'm in my late 40's and I like to watch some episodes of Ed Edd and Eddy. Parts of it remind me of my neighborhood growing up.
I have a coworker older than me that walked past me at work one day singing the Spongebob theme.

I think it's awesome that these men are breaking gender stereotypes.

And I have to admit that I've seen bits and pieces of the show and it's surprisingly good.

The new cartoons are very well written, nicely animated, and have solid characters. I love it but I'm also an animation fan. I'm female so I suppose it's not as earth shattering for me to enjoy it, but to be fair I preferred Ninja Turtles over MLP when I was a kid.

I'm gonna have to watch this show.

Horses where domesticated for hard manual labor, war, and exploration. To think that a show about ponies, with the core demographic being little girls is, quite frankly, absurd. CUPCAKES!!!!!!!!!

It's showtime, Synergy

I love my bronies!

I like how they're basically depicting the whole fandom as fat, lonely 30-40 year old men, when most of range from 17-24. I give this article a 10/10 in trolling; anti ponyfans at its finest. Wired sure knew how to define us as the embodiment of autism, I was almost convinced.

Please tell me this is some kinda code for old virgins who like horse porn... somehow that would be less creepy.

Steve - Best laugh I've had all week, Thanks!

I watch MLP with my 3-year old and always get a kick out of it. Very funny show.

I'm a proud brony. I love you Rarity! You're my favorite. :3

What a panzy. I would not allow this guy around my kids.

In a future article we're going to hear this guy's neighbors describe him as "A quiet man, polite enough but kept to himself. Never did see him with a woman. But, I'm not really surprised police found 37 bodies under his porch and a pony costume sewn from human skin"

My girlfriend has been selling MLP buttons and both guys and girls are buying them.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/75114556/set-of-6-my-little-pony-friendship-is?ref=pr_shop

I did a podcast on this very subject. http://loureads.com/2011/03/31/lou-reads-a-forum-for-adults-who-love-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic/

Sure, this article doesn't scream "pedophile" at all.

Its /b/ronies. It stands for /b/tards who love ponies...

Iree, yeahno. It started in /co/ way before /b/ got a hold of it.

After 23 comments I'd have expected to see something like; these men are insecure and seek the comfort of fantasy, in particular childish fantasy directed at girls which is generally more fantastical and childish than that directed at boys (where boys are exposed to violence, betrayal, hate, etc...). And so, for these men My Little Pony is a kind of medication for their existential psychological problems, those that they are unaware of from years of repression. And so MLP is a form of self-medicant for them. I guess that was mentioned in the OP...

I'm a 28 male that watched all 26 eps of the new MLP although I wouldn't consider myself a brony since I don't feel the need to watch it again. I've watched a lot of anime, intended for all ages, and appreciate that for a change something animated in NA is well written with in-depth jokes and references, legitimate character development, has beautiful animation, and can appeal to a larger audience than just children.

Wow, some of you commenters are judgmental dicks. Personally, I don't watch the show. But the things some of you are saying are straight up ignorant. Like if he watches it he must be a lonely loser virgin. First, nowhere in the article does it mention his sexual experience. Second, only in the West is it actually considered a sin to be a virgin; something one should be ashamed of. You're the loser for hating what you don't understand, and if you think someone's a loser for being a virgin then you're probably a slut. Then come the comments about serial killers, pedophiles, and autistic people. Srsly, WTF happens to people to make them such judgmental assholes. He watches a cartoon show and now he's a virgin pedophile autistic serial killer who keeps to himself because he's so fucked up in the head. You realize there's nothing wrong with being autistic right? And that sociopaths are typically great socializers. Have you ever seen a Pixar cartoon, are you a pedophile now because of it? Is that how it works? Good Lord, people are dumb.

i`ll stick to bugs bunny & friends, tom & jerry, old M G M ones, b &w Popeye

Never has the phrase "Haters Gonna Hate" been more appropriate.

I smile whenever I see someone raging about us bronies. I laugh when they call us faggots, pedophiles, losers, autistic, whatever. Because I know immediately and forever that those that say hateful comments about us are ignorant and to be pitied at best. Best to just pat them on the head and say "You poor, pitiful creature."

Dear lord just stop. Grown men into something created for and marketed to young children. You think that doesn't speak to their state of mind? Collecting these little things and watching the show every day when you're 5 is one thing. When you talk about adults doing it, it's just creepy and raises all sorts of red flags in a mature adults head. Seek help. Figure out what's missing from your life then move on, you're a big boy now.

They should call these guys, "bronads".

@Steve... I kind of agree, although I have to say, being a 44 yo male, I'm probably not the demographic that Britney Spears was shooting for. I guess I could be characterized as a fan, tho, albeit not in the conventional sense (she's a singer of some kind? is that correct?) I think its just part of the human condition that some people have to go overboard with everything. For instance, I liked the Lord of the Rings movies. I don't dress up in a burlap sack and try and cast spells on people in the grocery store or anything. I just kinda liked those movies.

You said it @Nix.

Hated the 80's cartoons, but was recently re-introduced through the Neatorama post on the physics of MLP. I agree it can be awesome.

Sometimes I watch a barbie cartoon as it is can be about building relationships, accepting appearances, managing your ego.

It feeds my feminine psyche.

@Ryan S - self-medicant? was that in chapter 12 or 13?

I fully agree with HereListen. Just because somebody watches a show not intended for their age doesn't make them a virgin, pedophile, or autistic. In fact why are you ranters bashing these people in the first place. Shouldn't you guys be doing something better with your lives.

what, nopony has said "I'm going to love and understand the $#!% out of you" yet? disappoint, veeeery disappoint.

This makes me violently ill..especially in the aformentioned comments of the cockbags specifically bringing up people with disorders, and sick people in general...you should be ashamed of yourself and you shouldn't personally attack people whom you don't understand or agree with, very true indeed. However.....you are entitled to your opinion wholly in fact, just do so without being an idiotic schmo making yourself look predjudice against people with disabilities and disorders, etc that most of them cannot help or control.

Personally, I think it is a little disturbing but not harmful to themselves or the general public. Would I date a man who watched MLP...probably not, but I would lend an ear on to why it peaked his curiosity before completely shutting him down. Yes, it is odd...lol and makes for a good bit of peculiar pondering....

I am 28 and grew up on the generation of great cartoons, one bing My Little Pony. The same is happening where they bring back Xmen, Transformers, Thundercats, etc. Its a great nostalgia and this is an actually decent take off the original. There is nothing sexual about this at all, and for people to say so is ignorant and intolerant. I am 28 years old, have an MBA, play sports, do comedic improv and work out 6 times a week. I get laid often and appreciate cartoons.

While many of you knock those who enjoy shows like these, you are quite busy destorying your minds in reality tv, etc. Each person has the right to enjoy what they like without having any horrible connotations associated that would make these people less human or dangerous to society. Shame you insecure guys who can't look past a beer, ESPN and The League, to see that there can be animated programs that reach audiences further than anticipated.

I'm 14 years old and I love this show. Does that make me a mentally ill freak?

Why is it bad for an adult to enjoy something intended for a child?
Do none of you have children?
It's wrong to read your kid a children's book and enjoy it yourself?
Oh, you have to be better than that and think it's stupid and immature and naive, while you're reading it, or else you're not a man, right?

I'm a 26 year old public servant and I enjoy watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic with my daughter. I like the show. It's cute, it's funny, and my daughter and I both enjoy it as a TV show and as a way to share and connect with each other.

If you want to judge people for watching kids cartoons, maybe you need to reconsider. "Growing up" is not learning to reject innocence, fun, silliness, or laughter. Stop being so cynical and jaded.

O M G Duuudddeee- an early memory from my childhood was seeing how cool this fortress/mansion for the My Little Pony was and wanting to play with the group of girls who were playing with the Ponies on it. They got very cross w/ me and kicked me out of the group because I was a boy.
I remeber crying afterward, and being very upset.
http://www.intothesea.com/MyLittlePony/NewPony/2009_NewbornCPinkiePiesPlayhouse2.jpg

Nick Lang is a brony and a BAMF

What the hell? Why would grown-ups be watching th-

Holy shit, this is amazing.

Tolerance Pony is absolutely right.

Little story here: I run invention sessions at work. Hardest thing for me to do is to get participants to be playful with their ideas so they can actually invent something new and useful rather than toss out lots of little tiny unimaginative changes. Even when we are fire fighting an urgent problem a bit of playful curiosity is really helpful to asking the right questions and understanding the situations. Being able to think and play like a kid is a gift and has nothing to do with mental deficits or aberrant behavior.

Personaly i find it avesome to see not only male watchers but even adults becoming fans of this show. I admit at first I hated the whole pony thing, but after seeing the show, I became a big fan of it myself :D

It sounds so lame and stereotypical reading all those hate comments from ppl who grew on muscle men destroying shit and then fail at social life. You can perfectly see that in the way they talk and see things.

It is also fascinating how they still dont realize that all the shows,even for babies are actualy made by adults and that means alot.

This show is extremely awesome! I love it and I'm 20. I'm a girl so it's not as weird. I do watch it with my 23 year old brother and we both are fans.