Meet the Bronies

by Patrick Edwards

"In 2010, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic premiered on television. A large, avid fandom soon emerged-not the pre-teen female demographic earlier versions of the franchise had been created for, but a roughly 80 percent male audience, most of them age 14-24. With this came questions about the nature of the audience who would come to call themselves "bronies." Brony Studies was born. Approaching the fandom from a perspective of clinical, social and experimental psychology, this study presents eight years of research, written for academics and fans alike. An understanding of the brony fan...