Sometimes I am embarrassed by the Brony fandom.
This post was supposed to be my Musings of a New Brony as I open declared myself at rainfurrest 2012 I am a Brony but a recent post on Equestria daily has almost made me to rethink if I really want to associate with the fandom. My issue was the response to a post on Hasbro’s earnings conference call. A storm arose on Equestria daily over comment on what Hub is going to a 13 episode:
Q: Felicia R. Hendrix – Barclays Capital, Research Division
Right. But you’ve also been reducing your program production cash spend.
A: Brian D. Goldner – Chief Executive Officer, President, Director and Member of Executive Committee
Okay, yes, and the cash spend really has to do with when you have successful TV series. In fact, Hasbro Studios TV shows outperformed other TV shows on The Hub by 74% in ratings. We’re 4 of the top 10 shows on the network right now. So as you look at great performance of TV shows, you’re able to produce fewer episodes and subsequent series than you needed to produce in the earlier series. If you’re — you know kids love watching the episodes over and over again, but you have to add an element of newness. But you don’t need to spend to produce the entire new series again. You can add 13 episodes or 26 episodes to a pool of 52 already produced episodes. So therefore, you’re able to, with successful TV series, produce fewer in out-years.
Q: Felicia R. Hendrix – Barclays Capital, Research Division
Okay. You’re obviously not thinking about the parents who have to watch with the kids.
A: Brian D. Goldner – Chief Executive Officer, President, Director and Member of Executive Committee
Well, but I think it’s also important to note so that there’s no concern. Overall, the Hasbro Studios has greenlit over 800 half hours of programming, and we still have several hundred half hours of programming that we’re currently producing for the network for new shows. So it’s not that we’re not producing, we’re just both producing more efficiently and also looking at where there are successful TV series, we obviously then spend less per new series because we’re able to produce fewer shows.
This interchange, taken on a storm in the comment section with plenty of F-bomb spiked post as if we bronies are entitled to 26 episode season three. It is this type of fan boy behavior is why I often have many problems with fandom. Already Bronies are on thin ice with me. The biggest problem is not My Little Pony as much as Millennial Generation. They spend a large amount online isolating themselves to their own little peer group particularly though social networking; as such the millennial generation lack many mature social skills including dealing with anybody outside their peer group. They have very bad narcissistic attitude couple with an obnoxious sense of entitlement. I seen them having a temper tantrum like if a parent told them they have to bring their younger sibling with them. I had put on my “I am the adult hat” and chide anime fans, and furries for the same bad attitude. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a show for young girls between five and ten years old, we Bronies older and are the unexpected guest.
Now lets counter the narcissism in the in the brony by say Hasbro is under no obligation to serve the Brony fandom. It clear by the conference call Hasbro has no issue with the Brony fandom, but it is not the market they choose to be in. It is simply a business decision. I can surmise Hasbro only wants in the toy business not the collectable business. There is a good reason, fan or craze generate collectable markets are very volatile and very short term; ask Tops (sport cards) and Ty (beanie babies) both nearly went bankrupt when the craze crashed. Second the just do not have the resources.
More of a concern is our love for My Little Pony is harming the show. Let go back Hasbro create a show and Hub distributes My Little Pony to sell advertizing and for Hasbro to market its full girl’s toy line, not just selling My Little Pony but marketing other toys during ad breaks. Now if the obnoxious Brony fan drives away the primary demographic: no market equal no ads, no ads no sales and eventually no show. We should have a vested interest to first be on our best behavior and encourage the younger fans less Hasbro decides the show ran its course and end production.
It time we start acting like adults stop this silliness of flying off the handle every them the Hub makes a change of a charter name a la Derpy or Hasbro ignore your whiny entitlement tirades. You’re not the center of the world. Just enjoy the My Little Pony Friendship as the great show. If you want a company that markets to little girls and young women but would love to have a foothold in the men’s market, my suggest become a fans and have in interest in Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. I do no say this flippantly but as a male fan of Hello Kitty.