Natasha Perkins

November 17, 2013

Unique Clubs: My Little Pony Fandom at NAU
A calm shuffle of fandom discussion quickly turns into a debate of who is the
best pony, which leads to Sherlock, club chair member and non-student, making a
stern comment and stopping the debate before people get offended. Conversations
turn back to a soft roar as Jessica Williams, freshman secondary math education
major, pulls out her three, pink plush toys resembling the character Pinky Pies as
well as a coloring book based on My Little Pony.
The second Netflix finishes loading the Wonderbolts Academy episode from
season three, the room turns silent and all fifteen people present turn their full
attention to the screen. Its between noon and two on a Saturday afternoon in the
Sycamore room above the union, the normal meeting time of the Bronies; the My
Little Pony fandom-based club at Northern Arizona University.
The Bronies was formed by four male students two years ago and since then
has grown to have roughly 25 to 30 members. We kind of went on a whim with the
club; woke up one day and saw a lot of meet up groups out there, its a global thing,
and it kind of stuck in our heads that we can do something like that; do a weekly
thing and make a club. We figured theres gotta be more people on campus, Tim
Wright, co-chair of the club and a junior mechanical engineering student, tells me
with a soft chuckle. Only needing five to six people to form a club, Tim and his three
friends proposed the idea to ASNAU and got it approved, making the club officially
recognized on campus.
Six colorful ponies bounce on the screen and begin a giggling dialogue at a
picnic, causing the room to laugh in unison. In this episode, Rainbow Dash is off to a
boot camp for ponies wanting to fly. Luke Wilkerson, a sophomore math with
statistics major, is enjoying his second year active with the club; The atmosphere
of the bronie community is really friendly and loving so its just really cool to get
together with a bunch of other bronies here.

Though the club emanates happiness and innocence, causing one to

reminisce on watching Saturday morning cartoons as a child, it is no stranger to
controversy and judgment. Theres been a couple people Ive told who have been
really unaccepting of this and I still hang out with them but I just dont talk about it
because the second I bring it up they go off, so its a real relief and feels great to be
accepted, Sherlock shares of the safety he feels while being in the club.
Whenever you see it on the news it has a negative connotation because a
lot of people have been looking at it like why? Why would people like this? and a
lot of that negative connotation goes into oh these people are sexual deviants and
until you meet anyone from here you realize they are normal guys, they just have a
really weird interest. Its an uncommon interest, Wright says going off of Sherlocks
comment.
Being that its off season, the club is re-watching old episodes in preparation
for the premiere of season four next week, after having just attended a convention
in Dallas last weekend. Though its a cartoon Saturday, the club partakes in a lot of
events that appeal to the My Little Pony Fandom; from karaoke nights, Relay for Life
involvement, Halloween costume competitions, conventions, and game nights, the
club does a lot more than just watch episodes of the show. Its very fun if you want
it to be fun, Williams light-heartedly says.
The club is not about making a profit, but instead about bringing a group of
people together with a common interest. We dont ask for money from ASNAU, but
we would like more people to join the club anyways. It would be nice to have a
larger club because it would sort of lend more credibility to it, Alejandro Silva, the
Vice President of the club and a junior French/German/Spanish major, says with the
hopes of spreading the word about the Bronies to the NAU student body.
After the Wonderbolts Academy episode has finished, the moral of the story
becomes apparent; work hard and have determination while being courteous to
others and you will be rewarded. The satisfaction of a well-created story falls over
the crowd as the show slides into another light-hearted episode.
Though the club reaches out to a specific audience, the Bronies board
encourages people to give the club, as well as My Little Pony, a chance. Rob

Wilkinson, the President of the club and a junior Electronic Media and Film major,
likes that the Bronies has a good sense of community, and expresses that the club
is open to everyone.
Not a single person has come in just to insult us or troll us; the only people
who have come in just want to be accepted and have fun. Its just a safe and
accepting place; no one has to worry about anything else, Sherlock says calmly.