“My Little Pony” is Worth Watching. There. I Said It.
While watching the first episode of My Little Pony, my reaction was something like “really? that? um, no.” It just seemed a bit… goofy. But, my daughter wanted to see a second episode, and I let her. I’m glad. It’s actually a really good show, as much as I feel a bit embarrassed saying that. My daughter enjoys watching it, and I, as an adult who isn’t into the brony world, also enjoy it. My Little Pony is worth watching and is of surprisingly high quality.
The show promotes positive themes, including “ kindness, loyalty, honesty, generosity, laughter and magic.” And the episodes really do explore those concepts quite nicely. The characters are goofy but lovable. A great breakdown of the characters is noted on “Why I Am a Brony.” No character is perfect. They all have quirks and seem real, characters that even I as an adult can relate to.
Differences among the ponies allow for early discussion about more mature topics like race, gender, disability, and anything else that makes us humans different from one another. When children see the ridiculousness of segregating based on who has a horn vs. wings vs. none, I hope it makes the color of one’s skin a similarly odd thing for children to consider as a reason to treat anyone differently.
The show promotes not just learning but reflection on lessons learned. Of course I love that the pony central to the plot at least in the first season is so into books. But, her book learning isn’t enough for everything and isn’t perfect anyway. She has to consider real-world learning that she discovers for herself and reflect on the lessons learned by writing to her mentor, the princess, each week. Just reading isn’t enough to learn; you can experience learning in a variety of ways, and reflecting on the things you encounter allows for a deeper understanding of the issues and yourself. That is a magical message!
These are just some of the positive messages that come through in the show. The episodes seem to exude a sort of calm and reflection even in some of the wilder episodes. I don’t worry about my daughter being so wound up after watching these that she won’t be able to get ready for bed.
If you’re interested in watching, the full series is on Netflix. If you don’t have access to that, there are clips (not full episodes) on the official My Little Pony website. Full episodes are listed as $1.99 on YouTube.
Books That Promote Positive Perspectives on Friendship
The Berenstain Bears’ New Neighbors by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Recommended ages: 3–8
It’s very thinly veiled that Papa Bear has a racist reaction to the new neighbors, who are pandas. Without speaking to them, he watches what they do and makes negative judgments. While he does come around and ends up liking them, it can be an uncomfortable book to read with children if you’re worried about the conversation around race and differences. This book does promote understanding and respect for others despite their differences in a similar way to My Little Pony.
The Monsters’ Monster by Patrick McDonnell
Recommended ages: 2–9
The people we think should behave one way don’t always conform to our expectations. And that can be a good thing. The three little monsters who create the big monster in this book are so cranky and intent on being monstrous that they aren’t sure what to make of the sweet monster they create. He teaches them how to stop being nasty and enjoy the little things in life, find happiness in the small moments and be kind to one another.
My Friends by Taro Gomi
Recommended ages: 0–3
The little girl learns something from each of her friends, animal and human friends. Everyone has special talents and something to offer regardless of their differences. We can each do something well, perhaps something that others around us aren’t very good at, and we can offer our talents to the world.
