Young Bronie Gets to Keep His School Bag

What do we do about a boy who
likes pretty pastel ponies? Well, what do we do about the thousands
of boys (and men!) who like pretty pastel ponies?

It’s time to talk about bronies! For those who don’t know who
they are, bronies are male fans of the show My Little
Pony: Friendship is Magic, a reboot launched in 2010 of the
popular cartoon/toy from the 1980s. Despite ostensibly being
girl-centric, the show has garnered a significant cult following
among guys—not just boys but men. There’s even a documentary about them, and they
have their own conventions.

Bronies ended up in the news this week as 9-year-old Grayson
Bruce found himself bullied for carrying his backpack emblazoned
with flying pony Rainbow Dash at his elementary school in Buncombe
County, N.C. The school initially responded to the bullying by
banning
the kid from carrying the bag, saying it “triggered” bullying,
granting his schoolmates a heckler’s veto rather than dealing with
inappropriate behavior. His mother responded by yanking Grayson out
of school and homeschooling him.

The school got a lot of negative publicity over the decision and
now
they’re backing off. According to USA Today, the
school will let Grayson bring his bag to school and work on
initiatives to address bullying.

So why are bronies, anyway? When the phenomenon
developed, I hunted down the first two episodes of My Little
Pony: Friendship is Magic on YouTube. I didn’t find the
show compelling enough to start watching but it definitely had
decent depth, characterization, and humor. If there’s one thing I’m
envious of millennials (and the generation after them) for it’s how
much better cartoons have gotten, starting around the mid-1990s. My
god, cartoons during the Gen X-era were so awful. I think the
current animation renaissance is in part created by Gen-Xers who
didn’t want their kids to have to sit through the same mindless
crap.

But that doesn’t really answer the bronie question, does it? I
think bronies are a reflection of a show that acknowledges that
girls like girly things and objects (like ponies) but that doesn’t
mean girls aren’t interested in interesting stories, adventure,
danger, and fun. I recall watching a number of girl-oriented
cartoons and found them to be dreadful, unfunny affairs. They all
felt like they were being written by Marge
Simpson. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic presents
the idea of a show targeting girls that can also be funny, zany,
and adventurous.

The press coverage of bronies seems to suggest a generation of

young men who are just more sensitive and care more and face
criticism for it. While that may be true, I think such an argument
downplays the idea that perhaps entertainment that targets girls is
improving, and because the show treats girls like they also enjoy
adventures and fun, it’s naturally going to start drawing in guys
as well. It’s probably an important lesson for everybody working in
entertainment.