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They call themselves bronies. They're adults mainly males
and they're crazy about these little pastel-coloured horses called "My Little Pony"
who had their time in the sun back in the 80s.
Now they're back, thanks to a new show called "Friendship is Magic".
There's been huge revival on the web, and people from all over the world are gathering in various communities.
Andreas Spovfelt, André Dahlström, you love everything pony-related, don't you?
Yes, absolutely.
I can see that! You're even wearing pony t-shirts!
You know it.
But what is a brony? Care to explain?
Well, a brony is a man, or woman, who isn't part of the target audience that the show was initially made for
a.k.a little girls. People who aren't part of this age group and like the show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic".
Just how big is this phenomenon?
Well, it's getting bigger and bigger all the time. It's not that big in Sweden, but huge in America.
There was a convention there recently with 4000 participants. All kinds of things happened there.
How did you get into My Little Pony, then?
>>ANDREAS: Well, everyone really has their own story there...
Tell us!
Personally, I started watching a ton of fan-made youtube videos
where they took clips from the show and added sounds from video game trailers and music videos
I thought they were funny, so I decided to have a look at the show. I got hooked straight away.
What's the show about? I recall watching it sometime when I was little.
It's about Twilight Sparkle...
The purple one with the horn?
...Exactly. As you can see, she's a unicorn. She gets sent to Ponyville, as it's called
by her teacher, who is also the princess, to study the magic of friendship.
The rest of the ponies are her friends.
It almost sounds like Harry Potter!
There are Harry Potter fans in the community, so sure...
But how does the environment react to your hobby? It is rather odd after all.
That varies from place to place. A lot of bronies also like other 'nerdy' things, like anime and manga and such
It really depends on what kind of community you were part of before.
There have been cases where people admitted they like ponies in completely different environments where they don't like anything 'nerdy'
by suddenly saying "Hey, I like ponies."
These people often get a pretty negative reaction, since it's easy to think of it as childish and silly.
Have you experienced any such reactions? Where people think it's weird?
Yes, definitely. It's everywhere really. Especially on the internet.
How did it MLP manage to make a leap like that? It was made for little girls, right?
I had a bunch of these back in the 80s! I combed their manes...
It's got a lot to do with the new show, "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". That's what all this is about.
That's why we're fans, really. It's just so incredibly well-made.
The voice acting is superb, and to be honest that's more than enough to justify watching it.
It feels genuine. That's the most important thing.
Is it mostly for kids, or are there adult references as well?
Absolutely. The creators wanted to make a show that parents could enjoy together with their kids,
so there are tons of adult references. "The Big Lebowski" is an example.
"Star Wars" is another, so there are definitely references made for older viewers.
What's that other thing called? "I Love Lucy"?
Yes!
It's an old TV show in black and white. They had a reference to that as well.
Is it this kind of stuff that you like to talk about on the forums?
Oh, we talk about all kinds of stuff. A lot of it is pony-related, but not everything.
We get to know each other thanks to our common interest, but then we discover that we have much more in common.
Are you supposed to have a favourite pony?
Most people do.
Which ones are yours, then? Any of these right here?
These ponies are the so-called "Mane Six", the six main characters. And, well, my favourite is this one, Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie?
She's just such a wonderful character. She's so exciting and full of life.
You never know what she's gonna do next. She has a lot of funny lines as well.
I don't actually have a favourite among the Mane Six. One of my favourites is this custom made pony right here.
It does appear in the show, but only in one episode. Her name is Trixie.
Did you make it?
No, a brony friend of mine made it. He then gave it to me.
How fun! Maybe we should start watching this show as well?
We'll give it a chance, at least.
I like horses, so this might be for me. Thanks for coming!
Thanks for having us.
Very exciting indeed!
This was kind of a *** Nyhetsmorgon.
All virginities must be taken! We did it with a threeway and everything.
I think we have to wrap this up now. We can't keep going like this.