My Little Pony is a product predominately aimed at young girls. Recently, however, males ranging from 15-45 years of age have begun getting involved in the tie-in show based on the popular toy line, entitled My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

 The show first received attention through an article posted on the popular cartoon web site Cartoon Brew titled “The End of the Creator-Driven Era in TV Animation.” The article expressed concern that talent such as Lauren Faust, the critically acclaimed producer and writer of Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, and The Powerpuff Girls, should be assigned to a toy tie-in T. V. show. Readers decided to watch the show to decide for themselves, and soon discovered that the show was fantastic.

Calling themselves “Bronies,” fans of the show swept through the Internet, spreading the word and gathering fans on their way.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic contains themes older audiences enjoy and also references popular shows like The Benny Hill Show, X-Men and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Some fans credit Faust as the reason for the show’s explosive popularity. As an animator on The Iron Giant, Faust was able to provide My Little Pony with a rich Adobe Flash animated style. Many viewers have been drawn to the show through the strong characterization the show posesses, a trait usually rare in children’s cartoons.

From the show, a tight knit community of fans have formed. Fan-made content is posted hourly, and Web sites such as Equestria Daily have been set up to act as boards for fans to share their thought and information about the latest episodes.

The fandom of My Little Pony extends even to De Soto High School with girls and boys.

“I saw it on T. V. It’s really funny and it has a good plot-line. You think it’s going to be for 3 year old’s, but it’s not,” senior KayKay Knapp said.

But the show has not only captured the interests of girls.

“I’ve been watching the show ever since it started. I was on the Internet one day, when someone called somebody else a “brony” and I looked into it and discovered the show, and my life has forever been changed,” said freshman Connor Kennard.

Overall, the show has exceeded expectations and surprised many viewers, especially the older crowd. The second season of the show currently airs at 9 A.M. on The Hub.