BronyCon holding its last convention in 2019
I'm posting this as a text post so I can give some additional background.
For those not in the loop, BronyCon is an annual convention hosted in the Baltimore Convention Center organized by fans of TV show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It started in 2011 and it peaked in attendance in 2015 with 10,011 present. This year was the 10th BronyCon, and they had 5,465 attendees. That's nothing to sneeze at, but it's a far cry from 2015, and it would be expected to go down further as Bronies continue to go on in life and become less involved with the community. In addition, the show is expected to end with either season 9 or 10, which would shrink the community even further.
Rather than attempt to convert into a general entertainment convention (and try to compete with the likes of Comic-Con) or become a small convention like they started out, the organizers have decided to make 2019 the last BronyCon, and to make it a 4-day event (August 1-4) to go out with a bang.
There are other MLP conventions (you can find a list of those that have/will happen here), but BronyCon was the original convention for fans of Friendship is Magic, and none are as big as it.
With all this being said, you can see the announcement on the website, and in the video from the closing ceremony. I was there, and it was a huge shock. The lower-level staff were not told either, so as to prevent the news from leaking early.
So, what are your thoughts? To any current or former Bronies, do you plan on attending? For those who never cared for or watched the show, have any similar things happened to TV shows/movies/etc you are a fan of?
Not a brony, never been a brony, didn't understand the appeal, but that's not the point. There's lots of things I don't understand the appeal about and there's things I'm into that others won't understand.
Either way if it's your thing and doesn't harm anyone else then go for it and let your flag fly. Hope those that still want a place to come together find one.
I love your way of thinking about this.
If only more people were respectful of people's choices, even if they didn't share them.
I've never been to bronycon or any other MLP convention either, but I have been in and out of the fandom for a long time. This seems a little bittersweet to me, because it makes the ending of the show like...even more real if that makes sense. But honestly, I would be happy for the convention to end along with the show. I think it would get stale really quick, unless it morphed into something centered solely around fan content which is probably better suited for an arts fair instead of something strictly for MLP.
Although it is sad to me to see the numbers dwindling. I remember back in the day when it was such a lively, growing fandom. It felt so massive and inclusive and like being part of SOMETHING. It still feels that way to an extent, but I mean, life moves on right? Nothing sticks around forever, shows can't just continue indefinitely. So, it will be a little sad to say bye to all my favorite characters and see the fan content start to slow down too...but at the same time its a little bit of peace too.
That got oddly off topic. Sorry. Lol :)
It does. I think the writing has been on the wall since Hasbro hasn't renewed the show yet, and the show definitely isn't as popular as it used to be, but it never really hit home until now.
Definitely. I'm sure it could survive as a small convention (just look at the long breaks Star Trek fans have survived in the past, and they didn't have the Internet to organize on so easily), but it wouldn't be the same, and would make for a much slower death. Conventions that have not had show writers and voice actors in the past could probably keep going even with the show cancelled, but bigger conventions like BronyCon would see a massive hit.
Yeah, I came into the fandom during season 2 (I think it was the first half, in 2011), ironically because someone challenged me to watch the show before making fun of others for watching it. It really was amazing being part of such a wholesome community that had so much creative talent. It certainly still does, but Equestria Daily doesn't seem to have the same volume of content, and some large artists have moved on (Fluffle Puff comes to mind).
Definitely. And maybe it's just nostalgia, but I feel that the quality of the show has gone down. Twilight's Castle, for instance, doesn't feel very homey. It certainly makes sense for a princess to have a castle, but the Treehouse Library seemed comfier and more appropriate for Twilight, who has often discounted her own abilities because she's so humble. The castle almost felt designed to be a toy set for Hasbro to market.
Some of the supporting characters they introduced certainly have been great (I think Sunburst is a brilliant character with a unique design), but others have been poorly executed (considering how big the reveal of Twilight's School of Friendship was, I would have thought the Young 6 would be more than just supporting characters).
The show is still consistently good, but it feels not as good as it used to be. There certainly are some gems (A Royal Problem comes to mind), but I think the expanding cast makes it harder to focus on the ponies that drew us in since our interests are spread out more. Of course, this is not all the writers' fault - MA Larson read some rejected episodes at BronyCon this year that sounded really cool, but they have to get approved by DHX, Hasbro, and The Hub/Discovery Family, and they always have concerns about petty details, want more backstory so you can watch episodes out of order without getting confused, and give contradictory requests, so it can be difficult to really think outside the box.
Indeed. I kinda hope the show ends on an event like The Best Night Ever, rather than an epic battle. Reformations and magic fights are cool, but I think something more ceremonious would be appropriate. Especially if Hasbro intends for the Young 6 to become the stars of gen 5 (whenever that rolls around), a changing of the guard would be nice to show, and would give some closure. Kinda like how Calvin and Hobbes ended.
No worries.
Edit: Added C&H comic link.
Definitely agree with everything you said. Glad to know I am not alone! And that comic was very very fitting. Thanks for sharing!
As a furry, this hits close to home. I've never actually seen an episode of MLP (just one of those things on my ever-growing todo list), but several of my close friends are/were bronies. Seeing this very similar fandom slowly fall breaks my heart. I guess it's always been expected with how dependent it is on a TV show that's going to end at some point, but it actually happening is still sad.
I mean, who is the furry fandom supposed to make fun of now? There aren't many morally and legally justifiable things that are on a similar level of degeneracy as furries.