My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Overview
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated television series produced by Hasbro and DHX Media (now WildBrain). The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony toy line and is the fourth animated television series to feature the My Little Pony franchise. The show follows a studious unicorn pony named Twilight Sparkle as her mentor, Princess Celestia, guides her to learn about friendship in the town of Ponyville. Twilight becomes close friends with five other ponies: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Each represents a different facet of friendship, and Twilight discovers herself to be a key part of the magical artifacts known as the "Elements of Harmony". The ponies share adventures and help out other residents of Ponyville while working out the troublesome moments in their own friendships.
Production
The series was developed by Lauren Faust, who was inspired to create My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic while she was working on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Faust sought to challenge the established nature of the existing My Little Pony line, creating more in-depth characters and adventurous settings, incorporating Hasbro's suggestions for E/I ("educational and informational") content and marketing of the toy line.
Characters
The series focuses on the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, her dragon assistant Spike, and her friends in Ponyville: the industrious Applejack, the fashionable Rarity, the timid Fluttershy, the athletic Rainbow Dash, and the hyperactive Pinkie Pie. These characters, known as the "Mane Six", are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, magical artifacts which defeat the series' main antagonists.
Themes
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic focuses on character-driven stories that contain educational and moral lessons about friendship. The show's creator, Lauren Faust, wanted to create a show that parents and children could enjoy together, which led to the series' broad appeal among different age groups.
Reception
The show received positive reviews from critics and a cult following on the internet, with many male fans between the ages of 13 and 35, creating a fanbase unusual for the franchise and contributing to the series becoming a cultural phenomenon.