My Little Pony: The Elements of Harmony: Friendship is Magic: The Official Guidebook
Page 10
Little Pony serves as a teaching tool for families to use at home
when illustrating important life lessons. As Twilight Sparkle learns
the importance of sharing and friendship, parents can use her
experiences to educate their children
and pass along these valuable
messages. Musical numbers like
the “Sharing/Caring Song” are
designed to engage kids by
making the message fun,
energetic, and relatable.
Nostalgia often plays
a part in popular culture,
and many parents have
welcomed My Little
Pony into their homes
because they grew up
with it. Moms share their
childhood love of the brand,
which helps them relate to the
“I was on vacation in Austin,
Texas, during a record-breaking
heat wave, and while walking along
the sidewalk near my hotel in South
Congress, I saw in the distance what looked
to be a person in a large pink mascot costume.
Initially, I dismissed it as someone on their way
to a sporting event of some kind and continued
chatting with my friends, but as we passed the
pink mascot, I noticed a balloon cutie mark on
the hip of the costume. This was Pinkie Pie!
Someone was dressed head to toe in this
fuzzy costume in 110-degree heat! Now
that’s dedication!”
—Devon Cody, producer
“As a parent, I’ve had to sit
through my share of shows with my kids so
I understand how great it is to find ones that we enjoy
watching together, and that have a positive impact on them.
I had a mom come up to me and tell me that when her sons start
to argue, she just has to say, ‘What would Pinkie Pie do?’ and instead
of continuing to fight, they try to calmly resolve their
differences. One of the many joys of working on this show
is knowing that I’m not just getting to write funny stories,
but that I’m putting something with a really positive
message out into the world.”
—Meghan McCarthy, story editor
kids in the process. Instead of stagnating, My Little Pony has
evolved to include modern attitudes toward family, community,
and acceptance. The characters and their
continued evolution serve to reignite a
fondness felt by parents, which they, in
turn, pass along to the next generation.
It can be argued that younger
generations have become desensitized
to violence because of the deluge
of images shown to them on
television and the Internet, and in
the news media. Though My Little
Pony rests comfortably in the
realm of fantasy, parents can rest
assured that even the most perilous
situations that the characters may find
themselves in can always be solved
“One
day I received
a package hand-
delivered by some fans
from out of town. It was
an incredible My Little Pony
poster that they had custom-
designed and signed by all the
prominent musicians in the fan
community at the time. It’s a
beautiful piece of work and a
very touching gesture from the
community. I had it framed,
and it hangs in my studio
today.”
—Daniel Ingram,
song composer
“It’s a
good feeling
knowing that
kids are not only
enjoying the show for
its entertainment value,
but that they are getting
something deeper out
of it as well. ”
—Ridd Sorensen,
art director
by a nonviolent resolution. The solutions
are always clear, clever, and positive.
My Little Pony may be aimed
squarely at younger audiences, but the
universal appeal of the series for all
ages is recognized by the show’s creator,
Lauren Faust, as one of the secrets to its
success. But what keeps teen and adult
fans engaged in a show meant for kids? The
message of Friendship is Magic is a universal
one, and fans of all ages connect deeply to
the show’s sense of camaraderie and fellowship.
“A fan I spoke to told me that Cindy
Morrow’s episode ‘Griffon the Brush Off’ really
had a strong effect on him. This fan always felt that
he needed to please everyone in order to have friends. He
would even change his personality to do this. But in watching
this episode, he learned that he just needed to be himself like
Pinkie was. If someone liked him, great! If not, then they
weren’t his friend to begin with.”
—Amy Keating Rogers, writer