Visit our brony timeline for an even more detailed look at early bronydom!

Around the time Friendship is Magic was prepared to air, discussions about modern children’s cartoons being little more than glorified toy commercials was a common topic in online spaces. Despite any commercial intentions from Hasbro, the creative team behind the show was determined to produce something of genuine quality. Their efforts paid off, as Friendship is Magic quickly captured the attention of an audience far beyond its intended demographic.

Many users of 4Chan, a controversial anonymous image board known for being the birthplace of various internet trends, latched onto the show during this time. Users began to excitedly post thread after thread of endless pony pictures. Some of it was for the sake of ironic humor, while some users found themselves genuinely enjoying the show and looking for other cartoon enthusiasts to discuss it with. At one point, posts about ponies were banned from the site due to the sheer amount of pony spam. A number of people rose up against the show expressing hatred toward those who even mention something pony related, likely because of fans' proclivity to sometimes share pony content in places where it was not wanted.

It's not a stretch to say it was the "anti-pony movement" which made bronies what they are today. The more something is opposed, the higher the supporters must rise up, and rise up they did. Bronies soon began to create their own websites. After seeing so much opposition on 4Chan, bronies moved on to create PonyChan, an image board just for My Little Pony related content. During this initial boom of pony popularity countless blogs, image boards, and other websites were created along with the use of virtually every popular social media website on the internet. As the brony community grew and expanded into the rest of the internet, 4Chan created a brand new /mlp/ board just for ponies.

By this time ponies had already begun to take over the internet... and the world.

As with many memes spawned from 4chan, ponies rapidly spread around the world; but this time was different. While plenty of memes gain popularity from a simple sharable image macro, ponies represented an actively airing television show where each new episode introduced new phrases or other memorable moments. Fans found themselves drawn to the minimal yet expressive nature of the characters, the lore-filled depth of the world they lived in, and of course the humorously ironic nature of a bunch of grown adults and teenagers enjoying a show originally intended for seven year-old girls.

The early My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes were enjoyable for what they are, but as bronies became an inescapable phenomenon the creators of the show quickly joined in on the fun. Staff interactions with the fandom became regular online and at events, and soon references intended for the older fans made their way into the show itself. The quality of the show and the attention it received by early fans was already a powerful force, but it became evermore potent once the show started to recognize bronies. 

Not even the internet could contain the excitement and passion of the bronies. Fandom organizers created the first brony convention in 2011 with the first big convention to see thousands of attendees taking place the next year in 2012. This convention was aptly named "BronyCon" and as years went by their annual attendance grew from a couple hundred fans to over ten-thousand. Not only that, but other brony conventions unrelated to BronyCon also took place all around the world. Ponies reached every continent, and even the international space station.

Many long-time fans remember this period of time as the height of bronydom, as it felt like everyone was taking part in the pony party in some way. Musicians created iconic remixes, popular YouTubers made references, people's profile pictures became ponies, and everywhere you looked on the internet there was a pony to be found. 

However, this "meme status" of the show was only the beginning as fans settled in for the long haul.

The explosive popularity of bronies was viewed by many as a fad; a silly meme which couldn't possibly persist. Even most bronies were surprised as the show continued to announce new seasons, spin-offs, and other official media. Comparisons could be made to other long-lasting communities such as Trekkies or Furries, but the brony community is truly unique because of its unbelievably passionate following and incredible amount of fan-made media all for a single cartoon. The colorful cast of ponies, both main characters and background ponies alike, were just that compelling.

Anything and everything can be ponified. The simple, unified design of ponies made it easy to ponify brands and figures. Anyone could have a pony OC. Any piece of media can crossover and be combined with the world of Friendship is magic. That, combined with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic quickly becoming one of the longest-running modern cartoons gave the community immense staying power. Even as the meme-status wore off, the news stopped reporting, and casual fans moved onto other things, dedicated bronies continued to produce creative works and discuss all things pony on a daily basis.

Hiatuses between seasons of the show were both despised for being arduous and celebrated as a time for the fandom's creativity to shine, however, the looming threat of an "eternal hiatus" always made fans uneasy. This show had to end eventually...

In August of 2019, a trailer for the final season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic released on the very same day as the final BronyCon. In stark contrast to the show ending, this BronyCon event was the largest brony gathering ever with more than ten thousand attendees and $100,000 raised for charity. Soon after, the emotional final episode of Friendship is Magic aired in the US October 12th 2019 just two days after an impressive nine year anniversary.

Despite the challenges faced by bronydom at this time, such as the final BronyCon and a worldwide pandemic cancelling most events for a year and a half, bronies continued to create content, share their passion, and celebrate the series just as they had since the beginning. Virtual pony events and meetups erupted online in greater numbers than previously seen due to the pandemic. Interactive experiences like PonyTown provided a place for bronies to meet and enjoy virtual concerts together. Convention organizers pivoted from in-person conventions to online panels and digital vendor halls. Since bronies were already a predominantly internet-based community, pony activity only continued to increase as more and more people found themselves quarantining at home. A whole new group of bronies, many who had previously never been to a pony convention, were experiencing a small slice of it for the first time. This led to even more excitement as physical pony cons planned their grand re-openings as the pandemic restrictions began to lift. Everfree Northwest celebrates its 10 year anniversary during their 2022 event in the wake of BronyCon's conclusion. HarmonyCon as well as other younger pony conventions see a steady rise in attendance.

The brony phenomenon may not be an internet-wide meme anymore, and the mainline show may have concluded, but that hasn't stopped bronies from passionately enjoying the show all the same. It also hasn't it stopped Hasbro from introducing spin-offs and new generations of My Little Pony...

With the release of My Little Pony: A New Generation in 2021, Hasbro introduced a fresh start for the franchise's fifth generation. The movie paved the way for a flood of new pony media the following year, including Netflix’s Make Your Mark series and Tell Your Tale shorts on YouTube. Hasbro finds itself in a sweet spot of nostalgic appeal, as the age gap between fans is broader and more diverse than ever. This latest wave of official content introduced My Little Pony to a generation raised on streaming platforms, creating a unique entry point into the brony fandom which was already far ahead of the curve when it comes to internet-based fandom. As these new fans delve deeper, they often find themselves drawn into the rich history of Friendship is Magic and the more than a decade's worth of expansive brony fanworks. Fanworks which continue to be produced every day!

During this time, Hasbro loosens their grip on licensing and an explosion of pony merchandise takes the world by storm. Friendship is Magic trading cards take over China, Symbiote Studios is flooded with orders for pony plushies after a decade-long drought of official merch caused fanmade plushies to flourish, and collectibles catering to both nostalgia and new fans flood the market.

The brony community itself remains as vibrant as ever. Bronies excitedly discuss leaks and rumors as a mysterious "G6" approaches. Pony conventions compete to break BronyCon 2019's charity record with both the longtime Ponyville Ciderfest and the newcomer Mare Fair also reaching six figures at each of their charity auctions. Ten-year NDAs expire as people who worked on Friendship is Magic now freely share behind-the-scenes information much to fans' delight.

The future of bronydom remains an exciting one; new fans are frequently joining and discovering the huge catalog of fanmade media, new and old pony conventions thrive across the globe, and Hasbro always has some form of new official pony content on the horizon.

It's never too late to join the herd! /)