Pony's are, in fact, horses that have been bred so that they are smaller than standard ones. Originally the name referred to a baby horse, but the modern word for this is actually foal. If you happen upon a tiny horse that looks decently old enough to be considered an adult, you may call it a pony with a clear conscience.
Size-wise, a pony MUST be less than 58 inches high at it's withers. I know you probably have no idea what their withers are. An equine's withers refers to a ridge between its shoulder blades. The height of the equine's head never counts for anything officially. In contrast to horses, ponies tend to have thicker necks and fur, and they also have a heavier bone structure. If you ever heard someone talking about a "fat pony," there may actually be a precedent to that. They do tend to come out a bit chunkier than normal horses, and that can sometimes be part of the appeal.
Ponies have many uses. They can be used for riding, driving, and pulling small carts. They can also be bread for showing. There are some ponies that are made up to be excessively fluffy and flowery so that they catch the eye. There are also miniature breeds of ponies that are usually groomed for show. These tiny things are usually no taller than 38 inches. Children usually enjoy riding them, but they can often be seen groomed up in especially frilly ways to delight the hearts of little girls.
Speaking of girls, did you know that girls like ponies? It's true! I am so glad that I can finally reveal this little bit of top secret information. Yes, indeed, I can clearly say now that girls love ponies. I'm sure it will be all over the news tomorrow. Hopefully obvious sarcasm aside, ponies have been the big animal fantasy of little girls since people first brought them into the spotlight--not this spotlight, mind you.
In 1981, Hasbro brought out a new set of pony dolls under the name "My Pretty Pony." They were incredibly popular with girls... and perhaps... maybe, 3 weird boys that had to share their sister's toys. Either way, it was a hit, and it was followed up in 1982 with a new series called "My Little Pony," and they have been called that unto this very day. The actual TV show did not occur until 1986, and it only lasted one year; however, the toy line never ceased in its sales.
Over time, the My Little Pony franchise had been reproduced in no less than 4 very different generations. Each generation had its own television and/or movie adaptation. Up until 2010, My Little Pony had been exclusively for little girls, but then... something... weird happened. A new TV show developed by "Powerpuff Girls" animator Lauren Faust was brought forth into our humble world. It was entitled "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." The show was still intended for little girls and their love for everything pony, but somehow, a lot of boys... and even grown men... fell in love with the show. It became such a phenomenon that it seemed that Hasbro did not really know what to do about it for a while.
To give you an idea how popular this show was, there has been a number of annual conventions held in honor of this show. Conventions like this are more known to happen for comic book and scifi fans, but there have been many My Little Pony conventions around the world since that show has come out. The developers of the show have since come to understand their unexpected demographic and have done wonderful things to promote it. They have even gone so far as to allow them to create their own My Little Pony merchandise and make a profit off of it. Such a thing is more or less unheard of in this world.
I personally love the show. I have always been amazed at how much the show respects their viewership. While the main characters are quite well-developed, there are a number of background characters and extras that have been developed with much love by the fans, and the developers have embraced their vision. I know this may sound ridiculous on the surface, but I actually consider "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" to be one of the greatest creations brought into our world, and it all happened because the people in charge actually decided to relax and let the people who love it express themselves. Indeed, the whole reason I even wanted to write this spotlight was to tell you this story, and I hope you see past the goofiness of it and understand the truly great thing that has happened here.
When it comes down to it, ponies are just small horses, but the animal was made into something wonderful by a crew of people who cared enough to support their fans. You would be surprised by how many companies cannot grasp this very simple and productive way of thinking. Because of what they did, they not only inspired masses of people to create and even sometimes make a meager living off of it, but their own franchise has the potential to last for a very long time--if not forever.
Thank you for reading this blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Neigh.
Ponies are funny creatures. They look like shrunken horses. If you fall off one, you do not have far to fall.
ReplyDeleteGood for the kiddies.
DeleteIt's so awesome that MLP's creators support their fans so much and even encourage people to create their own products. That's such a breath of fresh air after all the lawsuits and greedy decisions that get thrown around as of late. You can really tell the difference when something is created out of love.
ReplyDeleteA breath of fresh air is what this world needs. We got too many people in the world putting out oppressive smog.
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