John Zeitler

Important Service Note: The links in this week’s Link Wednesday are not referrals.

Before I begin: I don’t want to hear any giggling in the cheap seats over the fact that I’m linking to a site about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Really, if you’re even still reading this, you should know by now my proclivities and fondness for all things cute, and while in the past MLP has fallen into the glurge-tastic side of things, the most recent series– which wrapped up a rather epic second season last month– has both earned and deserved every bit of praise that’s been heaped upon it.

So yeah. Ponies are cool. Deal with it.

Equestria Daily takes more or less the same tactic towards being a fan of the series. Unashamed, unafraid, and at times completely unhinged in its enthusiasm, the site’s coverage of all things pony has been nothing short of unbelievable. In what is probably a testament to how the fandom sees itself and wants to be portrayed, the bloggers running it have almost never run a negative story in the history of the site, and what criticism they do have is often gentle but firm. Even the commenters– oftentimes the worst part of any site offering open-mic-style feedback– are generally pleasant and supportive.

This is mostly helped by two things particular to the show itself. The first, and probably most important, is that the show really is that damn good. Very seldom does animation on either side of the Pacific really “get it right” when developing a kid’s show that adults can, if not enjoy, then at least tolerate. But MLP manages it with this run simply because what’s aimed at the adults is still accessible to the kids (well, except maybe the Big Lebowski reference) and what’s aimed at the kids is genuinely funny and clever without being smarmy or condescending. Yeah, a grown-up can get more than a little self-conscious watching it all by their lonesome, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing– you just have to overcome that.

The second is that, because the show is so good (a factor of its lineage; the creator, Lauren Faust, has worked on breakout shows before) it’s attracted a considerable fanbase which– against all expectations– has taken the core message of the show to heart. You could be forgiven for believing that the message was to sell toys (which, admittedly, it is a little), but the ideals of friendship and adventure that are in every episode are woven into the slapstick, parody, and drama so well that you don’t realize until much later on that it’s trying to teach people to be nicer and to work together. And every fan-based work promoted on EQD just proves that a good message wrapped in a great story can lead a lot of people to do some extraordinary things for each other.

To wit: a charity drive started by fans looking to raise $10,000 for a clinic in Uganda hit its goal within three days.

That’s why I like the show so much, and the fanbase just as well. If it’s hard for a show to get popular with viewers of all ages, doing so while promoting a positive message is just about as rare as a griffon’s feather. I make no secret that I believe the meaning of life to be to make life easier for everyone else, so it might just be me that finds My Little Pony to be a show worth celebrating and promoting.

But then again, looking at the tremendous amount of people who put their effort into making each other and the people around them smile just a little bit… maybe it’s not just me.