The first half of this post was originally posted at The Comfy Couch of Confusion on 13 June 2013.
Links to this article on Slate:The Daily Beast/Women in the World wrote:MY LITTLE HO-NY
Hasbro Sexes Up ‘My Little Pony’
Turn toy horses into humans in new film.
As the saying goes, “Save a horse, ride a … pony.” Hasbro is turning the ponies of My Little Pony into sexy human characters—in case you were in the market to be disturbed today. My Little Pony: Equestrian Girls opens in theaters Friday, and some mothers are upset because the teenage girls are sexified - with miniskirts and knee-high boots - and wonder what it will do for girls’ body images. Though “Bronies,” male My Little Pony fans, may fall in love with the idea. Bronies have expressed interest in seeing the ponies in sexy, human versions, and there’s even porn to go along with it.
Triumph of the Bronies: Hasbro Turning My Little Ponies Into Sexy Human Characters. Neigh.
Final grafs:
=============================But what if the change wasn't about little girls at all? What if there was another audience—an older, male, and kind of off-putting audience—that also loves the Ponies and wants nothing more than imagery of them as humans to appeal to their less-than-innocent fantasies about really getting personal with their favorite toys? If there was such an audience, they have a little bit more disposable income than little girls, and selling to them, even if you alienate parents of little girls, might end up being quite profitable indeed.
And lookie here, there is such an audience. They're called Bronies, and they're grown men who love all things My Little Pony and they don't have moms around to tell them no if they want to rush out and buy all the Ponies, even the very expensive, oversized, and collector's item ones, as well as all their accessories. My Little Pony didn't set out to capture that cherished 18-45 male demographic when they started making cute little TV programs about pony friendship, but now that they have that demo, I suspect they're going to do everything in their power to keep it.
Bronies have expressed a strong interest in seeing the Ponies in sexy, humanized forms—if you doubt this, I dare you to search for "my little pony porn" on Google—and it seems Hasbro has given them exactly what they want. If there was any danger of the Brony trend dying off any time soon, turning the Ponies into imitation sexy anime characters delayed that potential decline. A few mad moms is an easy price to pay when you consider the huge profits Hasbro will rake in with this move.
...and the media litany rolls on...
From Pony To Person: The Disturbing Evolution Of My Little Pony, In Photos
(While the above is the full article, i linked the page for the slideshow at the bottom that supposedly proves how the ponies' transformation over the years is a deliberate plot to corrupt and degrade our precious girl-children...)Jessica Samakow/The Huffington Post wrote: Despite valiant efforts made by parents, toy creators and even kids themselves to convince brands to produce gender-neutral toys, the divide between "boy" and "girl" products remains vast.
Blue stuff and action figures get relegated to boy land, pink stuff and dolls are in the girl aisle and, more often than not, the dolls are increasingly feminized. They are thin, have large eyes, long lashes and are dressed provocatively. As we've pointed out before, however, these characters (some iconic), weren't always so sassy. Once upon a time, Strawberry Shortcake was a round-faced little girl with freckles, long sleeves and bloomers. Trolls used to be, well, just trolls, not "Trollz," their sexy, slim, smooth-haired doppelgängers.
Perhaps the most shocking transformation is that of My Little Pony, a toy that was introduced in 1983 and has been revamped several times. Most recently, Hasbro introduced "Equestria Girls," dolls that are pony-girl hybrids (think "goth" Barbies with blue or green skin and a colorful ponytail) along with a special DVD to be released in August. Per a press release, the humanized figures are supposed to represent My Little Pony characters as teenage girls in high school.
The release goes on to describe these characters with words like "glamour," "stylish," "ultra-chic," and it is noted that each doll features her own signature "cutie splash," an individual design that is similar to the "cutie mark" on her pony alter ego.
But, did the beloved Little Pony really need to become all of these things? John A. Frascotti, Hasbro’s chief marketing officer, says yes. “We are responding to the desire by our fans to experience the brand in more ways,” he told the New York Times.
Author Peggy Orenstein (whose book, "Cinderella Ate My Daughter," sparked a national conversation about how "princess culture" affects young girls), has a different answer. Orenstein pointed out, in an e-mail to The Huffington Post, that the Equestria Girls are necessary from a business perspective if Hasbro wants to compete with similar toys in the market. However, she says:
It's up to parents and those who give a hang about girls actual development and well-being to say absolutely neigh.
You want a sexualized, self-objectifying girl? Give her sexualized, objectified dolls. You don't? Have some conversations with the other parents in your community about the potential impact of self-sexualization and self-objectification on girls' development -- including negative body image, eating disorders, depression, low self-esteem, poor sexual choices, etc. -- and choose from the many other toy options that are rising up in response to this inappropriate trend.
I have to concede that the "Equestria Girl" doll in the photo they print is kind of tacky. I don't think it's worthy of this much opprobrium
and 2- The idea Hasbro would go through the trouble of producing a whole movie to satisfy a part of the fanbase they regularly ignore is rediculous. They haven't even done something as easy as offer blu-ray releases of the series.
My 
CRASH