Hundreds of “My Little Pony” fans ‒ many from across the country ‒ gathered in Milwaukee for the 12th annual Ponyville Ciderfest convention on Nov. 22 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The convention is a three-day celebration of the community built around the show, its charming and relatable characters, complex storytelling, signature art style and foundational theme of friendship that so many fans love.
It’s just like any other fandom, with creative merchandise, infectious enthusiasm and deep appreciation for the source material that brought them together.
Most people at the convention became fans through the “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series, which aired from 2010 to 2019. The show was first created for young girls, but it is appreciated by people of all ages and walks of life, including adults, often known as “bronies.”
Among other activities, this year’s convention featured lots of live music, games, karaoke, trivia a cosplay competition, a table reading with some of the show’s voice actors and dozens of vendors, including a tattoo station and a plushie shop.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to several attendees, including the conventions’ owners, about what the show means to them and why it has ignited such a strong community over the years.
For many “bronies,” the show is a wholesome escape and a reflection of personal resilience
Both Danielle Krug and Steven Thompson first watched the show around 2012 and have been sporadically attending “My Little Pony” conventions for several years. They both traveled from out of town for the convention, Krug from Montana and Thompson from Colorado.
They first met at a previous Ponyville Ciderfest convention and became fast friends. Combined, they’ve been to around 45 My Little Pony conventions. Both have multiple My Little Pony tattoos and got new, custom tattoos at this year’s convention.
Thompson first started watching the show after his therapist recommended it to cope with from depression and post traumatic stress disorder.
“It seems like the world’s just getting darker every year. This is just a good, wholesome show with a strong storyline, a very in depth world, complex concepts and good artwork,” Thompson said. “It checked all the boxes that I look for in a good series.”
Krug is a vendor at many conventions, selling handmade My Little Pony plushies. She first heard about the show through a coworker. One of the first episodes of the first season deals with navigating sadness and exclusion.
It resonated deeply with Krug: “You can be completely happy and expressive on the outside, but on the inside you can feel the opposite.”
“My Little Pony” community built on acceptance and kindness across generations
Sheila Gragg and her son Josh attended the convention all the way from North Carolina. Josh and his sister used to watch the first few iterations of the show, but it was the “Friendship is Magic” series that kickstarted a deeper enthusiasm.
And that series’ introduction of the character Goldie Delicious that drew their mother in. Goldie Delicious is a stubborn, knowledgeable, cat-loving pony, who Sheila sees herself in, she said. At the many conventions Sheila has attended with her family members since 2014, she’s always dressed as Goldie Delicious.
“The thing I really love about these conventions is everybody is accepted. It doesn’t matter if you’re one year or 70 years old. You’re accepted. And that’s, that’s just the greatest thing.”
“And how many 71 year olds can come out and dress up like this?” she said.
Josh said he was especially a fan of the “Friendship is Magic” series creator, Lauren Faust, a cartoonist who made the show’s storytelling, themes, art and humor relatable to much broader audiences.
“It kicked off an internet fire storm at the time,” he said.
Fans see themselves represented in the show’s wide cast of characters
One of Lasone Nathan’s favorite parts about the community is its cosplayers.
This convention marked Nathan’s eighth year attending the Ponyville Ciderfest in Milwaukee, and over the years, she’s made new friends and learned much from other cosplayers, including how to sew and build her own looks.
This year, she dressed as Autumn Blaze in the hopes of possibly reclaiming the top spot at the costume contest. She won it previously, dressed as Zecora, who is Nathan’s favorite character due to her wisdom and clearly African-inspired representation.
“When I first saw her, I was so excited because we don’t have too many black female cosplayer opportunities for this convention. It was someone that I could really make a character for.”
Milwaukee convention helps strengthen a community of fans who sometimes don’t feel like they belong elswhere
The Milwaukee convention is organized by owners Michelle Worthley and her husband Charlie, who is especially entrenched in the fandom. Around ten years ago, the two attended the convention for the first time and fell in love with the community.
Charlie started volunteering and eventually chairing the convention. Around 2019, the previous owners decided to sell the convention to the Worthleys.
The duo created a nonprofit called Worthwhile events, which has raised over $295,000 for local Milwaukee charities, including the Wisconsin Humane Society.
“Something about this show speaks to people who sometimes don’t really feel like they belong in other communities,” Michelle said. “The mantras and the themes of friendship spoke to so many people and brought them together.”
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Meet 7 ‘My Little Pony’ megafans who came to Milwaukee for the annual convention
Reporting by Claudia Levens, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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