by Sherilyn Connelly
3 stars
A semi-academic examination of My Little Pony, from its inception with the My Pretty Pony toy all the way through Season 5 of Friendship is Magic and the first three Equestria Girls movies.
This book covers a lot of ground, the majority of which is focused on Friendship is Magic and Equestria Girls. As an avid Friendship is Magic fan myself, I didn’t mind the amount of space dedicated to the show. The book explores the history of the franchise as pieced together from written sources such as press releases, annual reports, message board entries, and newspaper and online articles. The book provides commentary on series and episode content, merchandising, and fan and critic reactions to various developments.
While the book is presented as a study of the history and culture of My Little Pony, much of the content is based on the author’s own opinions. While there is plenty I agree with (Friendship is Magic is clearly the best generation), at times Connelly lets her opinions cloud her presentation of the information, such as her clear disdain for all things Brony-related. There are moments when her bias overshadows the presentation of events, which takes away from some of the credibility of the book.
Connelly’s tone is playful at times, but it can be difficult to tell sarcasm from reality in writing. That makes it difficult to pinpoint the audience. It’s a bit too dry for mass appeal but quite personal for an academic text.
It was definitely interesting to learn about some of the controversies and how opinions have changed (or not changed) through time. From concerns about feature-length toy commercials to gender expectation and the disapproval of girls’ interests to whether the show maintains its integrity.
Despite some of its downfalls, it was an interesting read. Impressively researched. In no way an objective history, but a cool basis for learning about My Little Pony and its cultural impact.