Wednesday, June 1, 2011

On the Air: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)

While there are plenty of toys & action figures created specifically for girls, there are very few animated cartoons that are girl-centric. Kim Possible, to use a recent example, appeals to both boys & girls, specifically teenagers, because it's an action-adventure series which added a healthy dose of romance toward the end of the run.

Hasbro first introduced their My Little Pony line of toys back in the 80's, and, along with company stablemates G. I. Joe & Transformers, viewers were transported to the world of My Little Pony in an animated series during that time. Once Hasbro purchased the former Discovery Kids network, changing it into The Hub, it was a matter of time before the old favorites would return, in more ways than one. That includes My Little Pony, now in a flash-animated series subtitled, Friendship Is Magic, presently airing virtually every day on The Hub, including Saturday mornings.

Geared for young girls having outgrown Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, Friendship Is Magic is not so much a continuation of the original My Little Pony series from the late 80's, nor is it really a reboot. It stands on its own for today's little girls.

Here is the intro:



The Hub, like its competitors, shuffles its lineup regularly, so there is no consistent air time for the show. I have this vision of something Hasbro should do next, and that would be reviving & rebooting the old standby, Romper Room, and use that as an anthology series in the mornings that would include Friendship Is Magic. It would be perfect for the little girls, and there would be the revived Pound Puppies for both boys & girls.

Rating: A-.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

How come Hasbro never made a crossover movie between this show and Transformers: Prime?

hobbyfan said...

Now, there's an irresponsible thought. Transformers and GI Joe makes sense. Transformers and My Little Pony? Not so much. MLP is more likely to cross with Littlest Pet Shop, actually.