My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** is an animated *My Little Pony* television series developed by Hasbro. The series first aired on October 10, 2010 in The Hub. This series takes place about 1000 years after Princess Celestia vanishes Nightmare Moon.

## Official description

*1000 years later after the story of Two Sisters, The Mane Six discovers the Elements of Harmony that turned into the stone after a thousand years after vanishing Nightmare Moon into the moon.*

## Development

Hasbro has produced several incarnations of the *My Little Pony* franchise, often labeled by collectors as "generations". With many brands, including *My Little Pony*, Hasbro uses a multigenerational plan as template. Hasbro was inspired by the company wanted to retool the *My Little Pony* franchise to appeal to the current demographic of young girls. According to Margaret Losech, CEO of The Hub, revisiting properties that had worked in the past was an important decision in televised media, which was somewhat influenced by the opinions of the network's programming executives, several of whom were once fans of such shows. Hasbro's senior vice president, Linda Steiner, stated the company "intended to have the show appeal to a larger demographic"; the network was trying to create shows that parents and children would watch together. Central themes that Hasbro sought for the show included friendship and working together, factors they determined from market research in how girls played with their toys.

Animator and writer Lauren Faust approached Hasbro to develop her girls' toys property "Galaxy Girls" into an animated series. Faust, who had previously worked on Cartoon Network's *The Powerpuff Girls* and *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends*, had been unsuccessfully pitching animation aimed at girls for years, as studios and networks considered cartoons for girls unsuccessful. When she pitched to Lisa Licht of Hasbro Studios, the latter was not very interested, but she showed Faust one of the company's recent *My Little Pony* animated works, *Princess Promenade*. Licht thought Faust's style was well suited to that line, and asked her to consider "some ideas on where to take a new version of the franchise".

Faust was initially hired by Hasbro to create a pitch bible for the show, which allowed her to get additional help with conceptualization. Faust said she was "extremely skeptical" about talking the job because she thought shows based on girls' toys were boring and unrelatable. *My Little Pony* was one of her favorite childhood toys, but she found the television shows disappointing, in which the characters, according to Faust, "just had endless tea parties, giggled over nothing and defeated villains by either sharing with them or crying". While Faust was initially unsure that Hasbro's theme of friendship meant, she felt "real friendship", which she encountered during her teenage years, was similar to magic. With the chance of work on *My Little Pony*, she hoped to prove that "cartoons for girls" don't have to be a puddle of smooshy, cutesy-wootsy, goddy-two-shoeness" like the original series. She incorporated that contradicted stereotypes types of girls, such as diverse personalities; the message that friends can be different and can get into arguments but still be friends; and the idea that girls should not be limited by what others say they can or cannot do into the characters and the show. Elements of the characters' personalities and the show's settings were based on her childhood imagination of the ponies' adventures, partly inspired by the shows that her brothers watched while growing up, such as *Transformers* and *G.I. Joe*. She considered that she was making *Friendship Is Magic* "for herself as an eight-year-old". Faust aimed for the characters to be relatable, using "icons of girliness" (such as the waif for the bookworm) to broaden the appeal for the young female audience.

Using her childhood as a guide, Faust imagined the three different types of ponies—unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies—having different cultures and living in various places. She pictured the unicorns in the mountains, pegasi in the clouds, and earth ponies, similar to real horses, on the ground. She envisioned them as realistic horses who ate hay, lived in barns, pulled carts, wore saddles, and used their mouths to pick up things—qualities which were formerly avoided.

Faust stated that as she provided Hasbro with more ideas for the show, the company's positive response to the non-traditional elements inspired her. Faust pitched the show to include "adventure stories" in a similar proportion to "relationship series"; however she trimmed on adventures and focused more on exchanges between the characters as they where deemed too daunting for the younger target demographic and the schedule did not provide time to plan them. The show incorporated creatures intended to be frightening to children, such as dragons and hydras, but placed more emphasis on the friendships among the characters, displayed with a comedic tone. When the show was approved, Faust had developed three full scripts for the series.

### Production

Faust drew concept sketches, several of which appeared on her DevaintArt page, entitled fyre-fly. These included ideas from how she envisioned the ponies of the original series—Twilight; Applejack, the cowgirl; Firefly, the "badass"; Suprise, the bubbly and enthusiastic one; Posey, the kind and shy pony who loved animals; and Sparkler, the fashion artist—which later provided the inspiration for the main cast of the show. Hasbro approved the show with Faust as executive producer and asked her to complete the pitch bible. She hired Martin Ansolabehere and Paul Rudish, who had worked on other animated shows with her. She credited Rudish for the inspiration of the pegasus ponies controlling the weather, as well as Nightmare Moon, a villain who appears in the season one premiere, "Friendship is Magic - Part 1". Afterward, she imagined the ponies as the stewards of their world who made their weather happen, flowers grow, and animals thrive. Faust also consulted her husband Craig McCraken, the creator of *The Powerpuff Girls* and *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends*. Within six weeks, she sketched more than 40 pages which rendered "the universe that had existed in her 8-year-old mind".

The visual collaboration bought a unique style to *Friendship Is Magic*. Pennsylvania Dutch design, steampunk fantasy art, European fairy tales, and Bevarian folk art served as influences for the original pony world. When designing the settings, she sent photo references to artist Dave Dunnet: for example, Ponyville was based on German cottages to capture a fairytale quality and incorporated pony elements such as horsehoe-shaped archways, hay bales, and troughs, while Canterlot was based on castles and cathedrals to convey a European feel. Faust stated she preferred Dunnet's first instinct to his later more "cartoony" drawings of Canterlot; subsequently, he went back to the way he first drew the location. Canterlot's position on a mountain and its purple-and-gold palette signified royalty and aspiration. The fantasy genre served as inspiration for many elements of the show that were modified and redesigned to fit the world, story, and target audience. After seeing the initial version of the pitch bible, Hasbro requested more character designs, and hired Dunnet and Lynne Naylor to refine the background and character styles.

After the pitch bible was completed, Hasbro and Faust looked at studios for the animation. Studio B Productions worked on Macromedia Flash-based animations and shows that featured many animals. Faust felt they would be a good selection and Studio B requested that Jayson Thiessen be the director, a choice Faust agreed with. She, Thiessen, and James Wootton, who later became a director, presented a two-minute short pitch to Hasbro, who sanctioned the full protection. Faust estimated that the time between asked to develop the show and this point was roughly one year. The foundation of the series was created in approximately two years.

### Music

The series' background music and songs were composed by William Anderson and Daniel Ingram respectively. The production team identified parts of the episodes were they wanted music cues, which allowed Anderson to create music for each episode. The score was composed after the initial animation of the episode and reviewed by Hasbro. Ingram worked alongside Anderson's compositions to create songs that meshed with the background music while filling out the show's fantasy setting. Ingram's songs usually began with a "simple structure" consisting of a piano and the basic melody. The creative team was sent the song and gave input. Non-principal voices and instrumentation were then layered before the lead singer's vocals. Lyrics and overall musical themes were sometimes suggested by the writers; two examples include songs written by Amy Keating Rogers. Music and song composition substantially preceded the broadcast of the episode; for example, songs for the show's third season, which began airing in November 10, 2012, were composed in 2011. Ingram thought the songs from previous shows of *My Little Pony* were "a little bit dated" and decided to bring more modern work to the *Friendship Is Magic* series. Changes included writing songs with more emotional depth than those typical for children's animation that could also be enjoyed outside of the episode. Ingram stated his songs had become "bigger and more epic, more Broadway and more cinematic over time", and Hasbro blessed the effort to try "something groundbreaking for daytime television". The song "The Art of Dress" in the first-season episode "Suited for Success" was inspired by "Putting it Together" from the musical *Sunday in the Park with George*, while the first season's finale's song, "At The Gala", was based on *Into the Woods*. A large musical number in "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" paid homage to the song "Ya Got Rouble" from *The Music Man*.

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Exclusive Season 1 Retrospective Interview with Lauren Faust. equestriadaily.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020.
2. ↑ According to the series The Hub was shown seasons 1 - 3 and Hub Network for season 4.
3. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Maud Pie"
4. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows"
5. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Non-Complete Clause"
6. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Sounds of Silence"
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "The Times They Are a Changeling"
8. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Not Asking For Trouble"
9. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Party Pooped"
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "A Flurry of Emotions"
11. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Shadow Play - Part 1"
12. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Princess Spike"
13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Friendship is Magic - Part 1"
14. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Once Upon a Zeppelin"
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "The Gift of the Maud Pie"
16. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Look Before You Sleep"
17. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Castle Mane-ia"
18. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Parental Glideance"
19. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Surf and/or Turf"
20. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Honest Apple"
21. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Swarm of the Century"
22. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Pinkie Apple Pie"
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Castle Sweet Castle"
24. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Horse Play"
25. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "28 Pranks Later"
26. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Dragonshy"
27. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Power Ponies"
28. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Griffon the Brush-Off"
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Campfire Tales"
30. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Feeling Pinkie Keen"
31. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Sleepless in Ponyville"
32. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Newbie Dash"
33. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "The Ticket Master"
34. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Boast Busters"
35. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "A Horse Shoe-In"
36. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Between Dark and Dawn"
37. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Buckball Season"
38. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Somepony to Watch Over Me"
39. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Flight to the Finish"
40. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "A Hearth's Warming Tail"
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Hard to Say Anthing"
42. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "The Mysterious Mare Do Well"
43. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Canterlot Boutique"
44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1"
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "The Crystalling - Part 1"
46. ↑  ***My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*** – "School Daze - Part 1"
47. ↑ Pony tale. telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014.
48. ↑ My Little Pony broke all of the 'girl toy' rules. polygon.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
49. ↑ Classic Toys Redesigned to Traverse Generations. nytimes.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020.
50. ↑ Never Too Old For *ThunderCats*?. wsj.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015.
51. ↑ Friendship is Massive – Ponies, Internet phenomena and crossover audiences. danielnyegriffiths.org. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021.
52. ↑ Hasbro, Girls Toys Become a Big Market
53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 Of Ponies and Bronies. awn.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021.
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 My Little NON-Homophobic, NON-Racist, NON-Smart Shaming Pony: A Rebuttal. msmagazine.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021.
55. ↑ "*My Little Pony*". *The Toys That Made Us*. Event occurs at 33:52. Netflix.
56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 How *My Little Pony* Became a Cult for Grown Men and Preteen Girls Alike. thecut.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021.
57. ↑ Lauren Faust on Her Favorite Childhood Toy and Pitching Animated Shows for Girls. blogs.laweekly.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012.
58. ↑ *Inside Sony Pictures Animation —Director Lauren Faust*. Event occurs at 7:25.
59. ↑ Why do These Grown Men Love *My Little Pony*?. slate.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018.
60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 60.4 60.5 60.6 60.7 60.8 60.9 Begin 2015
61. ↑ MLP News— TOY FAIR PICS!!!. deviantart.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021.
62. ↑ Lauren Faust shares her childhood My Little Pony collection on Twitter. gizmodo.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021.
63. ↑ "My Little Pony". *The Toys That Made Us*. Season 3. Episode 3. November 15, 2019. Event occurs at 33:58. Netflix.
64. ↑ Interview: Will Anderson *(Friendship Is Magic score composer)*. equestriadaily.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011.
65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 65.3 Behind the Music of Pop Culture Smash *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*. rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018.
66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 Interview: Daniel Ingram, Songwriter for *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*. blogs.sfweekly.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012.
67. ↑ A Decade of Pony (documentary). Discovery Family. October 11, 2019. Event occurs at 14:35.
68. ↑ *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* Comic-Con panel: Twilightlicious. ew.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 *My Little Pony*s Emmy-Winning Daniel Ingram on Scoring for Kids of All Ages. comicbook.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013.
70. ↑ Colt Success. wired.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 21, 2011.
71. ↑ Ponies Do Sondheim. macleans.ca. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011.

## External links

* *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* on Wikipedia
* My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic at the Internet Movie Database