Too Old for Message Tees?

The other day a friend and I were discussing message tees and how she has requested that her husband move on to more suitable age appropriate attire since he is in his thirties. This sparked a whole debate on the appropriateness of message and character tees in general.

I fondly remember the days when I was in high school and I could stroll into Hot Topic and purchase a fun retro character tee (in a junior fit small, no less). Over the years, I've allocated all message and character tees to either gym wear or around the house/ quick grocery run lounge wear, and now I find myself choosing plain boring workout dry fit tops for my workouts. It isn't that I don't find message tees funny. In fact, I find myself giggling at shirts on www.80stees.com and www.welovefine.com all the time, but I just can't bring myself to make a purchase. I think that ship may have sailed.

 When we first got married, my husband bought a message tee that said "Cougar Bait" and it had a graphic image of a cougar printed on the front. We thought it was hilarious...  until we woke up one day and realized that he was now at a respectable age and no one would blink an eye if he ran off with a woman in her 40s. That shirt quickly found its way into the Goodwill pile.

Out of curiosity, I did a tee search on google images of (what else) My Little Pony tees to see if I could find a few to stash in my closet for the occasional collector outing or pony meet and I managed to find a few that I might considering wearing. First off, all FIM tees were pretty much automatically crossed off the list of contenders. Don't get me wrong, I love the FIM show, artwork and characters, but since it has become so mainstream, I find myself looking at shirts sporting Pinkie Pie the same way I look at those tacky decals people paste on their truck windows of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs peeing on a Ford or Chevy logo.

Then, I decided to look at retro pony designs and was a little saddened to only find a handful of options. Plus, most for these had some message emblazoned across the image like, "Daddy Buy Me a Pony" or "Princess" that would only be suitable if I was 12. After a little digging, I came up with the following purchasing options:

I could possibly see myself wearing this under my powder blue fleece zip up, but it is doubtful I'd wear it by itself. It is kind of intensely girly.

 I can see myself wearing this to a pony outing, or the gym with ridiculously bright neon shorts.

This is probably, my least favorite of the  bunch (because of the word "love" written on it), but I could possibly imagine myself wearing this paired with black yoga pants around the neighborhood.

 I think this one is really funny and a little more subtle than the other options (If there is anything subtle about having My Little Ponies printed across your chest.)

 I really like this one even though it resembles a shirt I had when I was 5. I might wear this around the house or to a pony meet or something.

Also, www.Zazzle.com has some Hasbro submitted retro designs that are a bit more simplistic. They have a few fan favorites including Glory, Gusty, Sundance, and a few others. I imagine I could pair these with jeans and wear one to a pony event.

What do you think about wearing message and character tees, specifically My Little Pony tees in everyday life? Do you think there is an age where you should resign yourself to being message tee free or are you the type of person who will still be sporting Rainbow Dash, "20% Cooler" proudly at  age 79?

Navigating a Brony Convention

I returned home from Seattle exactly a week ago and I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the whole experience. I had never been to a typical convention before, just the MY LITTLE PONY Fair (which I now realize is a far cry from a typical convention) and I had never experienced a "Brony" event.

Mary and I set up our booth on Friday. It was pretty simple with some Fair info, merchandise and books. At the last minute, I threw in some "unblinded" blind bags and my binder of extra FIM trading cards into my suitcase since I had some extra space. By the end of the first day of sales, Mary and I had completely sold out of our "unblinded" blind bag ponies and I had off loaded some extra FIM trading cards, but not much else. It was interesting that when Bronies came to look in the blind bag bin, they were primarily looking for the "Mane 6" ponies and didn't have much interest in any of the other characters. Collectors tend to look for the other characters first, so this was a new perspective for me.

The vendor room consisted of about 30 tables of handmade pony items. Hats, scarves, fan made plush ponies, necklaces, keychains made out of the blind bag ponies, custom tee shirts, and fan art. Official merchandise was offered by WeLoveFine and Enter-Play cards, but other than that everything else was custom/fan made. It was a little strange to be in a room full of pony stuff and none of it be toy ponies or Hasbro produced.

Since we were classified as Vendors, we didn't have to wait in the epic registration line. It seemed to go on forever, but the Bronies seemed more than happy to stand in line for hours to be admitted into the event. We found that standing in really long lines is really typical at most conventions and it isn't considered a big deal or an inconvenience. Mary joked that we would be strung up by our shoelaces if it took six hours to complete Fair registration. I guess collectors aren't as patient (myself included).

We took a little break for lunch and attended a paper pony craft panel where you could make your own paper "bwob" pony, but had to wait for about 40 minutes after the scheduled time because an organizer had misplaced the supplies and they had to go buy scissors, crayons and glue. We actually welcomed the break to sit back and relax, and it was just as well since my first foray into pony themed paper crafts resulted in an epic fail. Poor Pinkie Pie "bwob" pony found her way into the wastebasket after about 30 minutes of struggling to get her pieces to stick together with little success. The finished product that was shown by the host of the panel was really cute. Mine... not so much.

After our unsuccessful go at paper crafts we went back to manning our table. We were able to chat with several Bronies about why they feel a connection with My Little Pony, and what motivates them to band together with other Bronies. The vast majority pointed to the sense of belonging that they felt among the Brony culture. Something that was lacking in their everyday lives. A few noted the quality of the Friendship Is Magic animation originally piqued their interest, but that they identify as a Brony because of the community.

Later that evening, we attended a bit of Ponystock, a showcase of artists who create music inspired by My Little Pony (yes, this is a real thing!) We stayed for a bit listening to Brony musicians sing ballads about rainbows and friendship and some singing about more serious topics like bullying and feeling lost and forgotten, but finding solace with their friends. It was kind of heavy stuff. Then a new artist took the stage and began a version of "Baby Got Back" but with modified lyrics that paid homage to pony "flanks" and hindquarters. I'm sure it was supposed to be tongue in cheek and funny, but it was a little too much for us and we decided to call it a night. We decided to bow out of the festivities on Saturday and Sunday and instead explored Seattle (Awesome city and awesome food!) We did check out Ponystock on Saturday night and witnessed a whole room of Bronies singing "The Smile Song" and Michelle Creber (who voices the character of Apple Bloom) sing some songs from her new CD. She was adorable!

While most of the Bronies were very nice and we enjoyed our conversations with them in small groups and we had fun, the experience was a bit intense and frenzied overall. However, the Bronies seemed to embrace this atmosphere by belting out songs in the hotel elevators and mooning over voice actresses. They had a great time and that's what counts. Everfree was their event and they loved it!

I'll admit that gaining a better understanding of the Bronies was my focus of attending Everfree Northwest (Well, that and having a fun weekend getaway with a friend.) I now tend to think that the Brony phenomenon is kind of a perfect storm that could have just as easily attached itself to any other pop culture icon, Pony just happened to be the catalyst. Without the organization of the community aspect of the Bronies, I seriously doubt that these same teens and 20 something males would sit at home and spending countless hours on  Pony fan art, Pony fan fic, and Pony inspired music. Some maybe... but it definitely wouldn't have the same following.

Also, if I was even remotely interested in getting a doctorate in sociology, I'd so write my thesis on Bronies. There is a gold mine of material at these Brony conventions!

Off to Seattle!

Tomorrow I'll be Seattle bound with Mary to attend EverfreeNW over the weekend. I'll be representing the MY LITTLE PONY Fair at the event. I will also have some copies of my books on hand and am willing to sign and chat ponies with fellow pony fans! We'll have some Fair Exclusive logo trading pins, key chains, and other goodies up for grabs so come and see us at booth #2!

It should be a good time as Mary and I are bound to get into some sort of pony shenanigans.

Now off to pack... nothing like waiting until the last minute!

July Wrap-Up

Yes, I do realize that it is now August and I am way behind in my pony blogging. I'll blame it on the Olympics. Damn you beach volleyball, synchronized divers, and mesmerizing rhythmic gymnasts for distracting me with your pretty ribbons!

I attended the annual Cincinnati Pony Meet at the end of July and despite arriving almost two hours late (I was navigationally challenged that day and it didn't occur to me to use the GPS on my smart phone until AFTER I had gotten myself lost twice) I ended up having a great time. It was really nice to attend a small gathering where I had the chance to actually relax and have conversations with fellow collectors. The Cinci hostesses are a great group and since none of them made it to the MY LITTLE PONY Fair this year, it was nice to see them. Aside from the customary buying and selling, they hosted several games including a Pony version of Trivial Pursuit, Horseshoe Bingo, and a game that involved hitting a Fakie off of a tee with a baseball bat.

I sold and signed a few books, and ended up purchasing  a few accessories, some stickers and both large and small symbol versions of German Nightlight. It was nice to actually check off some ponies from my wantlist.

I remembered to bring my camera along and while I didn't get many photos, the pictures I did take will make a nice addition to my pony event scrapbook.

Pony Pursuit! This game was thought up by Sheena and was absolutely adorable. I want a copy of the questions so I can quiz myself at home!

                                   Wack a Fakie Game         Awesome scene contest entry by Nintendo Steve

Playing Bingo (with fellow pony author, Deb Birge) which I co-won with Mary. What were the odds of that happening?

 A quick Pony memory board I put together for my table including some moments that haven't  yet been added to my scrapbook.

Next pony event on the agenda-  I'll be at the KYPonymeet held in Lexington on September 15th and will most likely be bringing some collection items for display and some freebies for fellow attendees.

MY LITTLE PONY Fair Appreciation Shout Outs!

The 9th annual MY LITTLE PONY Fair happened on July 7th and 8th in Orlando, Florida and was a successful and well attended event. We had double the attendance of past events and tons of fun! The Fair staff and many volunteers worked tirelessly to bring our attendees the best Fair yet! I want to personally thank the following people for all their help:

The 501st Legion (Florida Garrison)- I simply cannot say enough good things about this group. They were amazing. They interacted with attendees, ran games, posed for pictures, and were all around great! Plus, one of their members dressed as a "Pony Trooper!" May the horse be with you 501st!

MLPWhitney- A fellow collector, MLPWhitney, ran both of our Pony Bingo sessions. She added her own pony commentary and made the game fresh and fun. Thanks Whitney!

MustBeJewel- Jewel outdid herself once again by creating an informative and entertaining presentation all about the history of MY LITTLE PONY. Despite having her power knocked out by a crazy east coast storm and subsequently loosing over half of her footage a week before the Fair, she still managed to create an amazing documentary short. Plus, she graciously offered up some copies of her documentary film, My Little Obsession for our giveaways!

PonyDad- This guy, who happens to be Jewel's dad, is seriously the unsung hero as far as supporting the pony community is concerned. He not only provided all of our sound equipment for the event and digital projector, but he also set everything up and jumped in to save the day when we had a few technical difficulties. Thanks PonyDad!

ElfPony- Offered up some pony packs from Canada for our movie night giveaways. Elfpony, you rock!

TraderTif- Sent me a stock of G1 soundtrack records from My Little Pony the movie to use as prizes. If you didn't take home a record this year, don't worry... we'll have more at future events! Thanks TraderTif!

The MLPArena- Thank you for hosting our 2012 Fair forum!

Photographer Paul- You were everywhere with your camera. I can't wait to see the photos and update the Fair website with your images. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

Snyfez- Thanks for running our contest sign ups. We couldn't have managed without your help!

Sebby and Doug- An amazing clean-up duo! Thanks for helping with the job no one wanted to do!

Jenn and Steve- Thank you for running the door and sitting at the sales desk for hours on end. So glad that Jenn volunteered you for the task and that you were such a good sport about it!

Girlbuffalo, Stevator, and Matt- Great teamwork once again and glad you could join us in the fun this year, Stevator!

Last but not least,

HASBRO- Thank you so much for supporting our event and reaching out to your MY LITTLE PONY Collector fan base. We love all that you do and thank you for creating products, characters, and a brand that we grew up loving and can now share with a new generation!

My Little Pony FIM Trading Cards

I'm into collecting ponies, and playsets, and accessories, and merchandise... and now trading cards! I really didn't need to add another subheading to my collection roster, but they are just too cute to resist! Plus, my friend Kar personally worked on them for Enterplay and I'm all about supporting my pony peeps.

Sold in packs of 5, these adorable cards cover all of Equestria including, characters, pets, favorite moments, and locations. Plus, you can collect pony character standee cards, foil cards to build puzzles, and special gold cards. On the back of each character card is a fun fact sheet and fun trivia questions can be found on the back of each favorite moment card.

I've already seen a bunch of card trading threads pop up on the collecting community boards and I have to say that it brings me back to the early days of collecting when trades were common and brings a smile to my face. In fact, I worked out my first card trade earlier today.

Let me know if you are currently collecting, or have plans to collect the FIM MLP card set. Who knows?  Maybe we can work out a trade.

My Little Pony Performance Art

Dennis Verbeke, who studies fine arts at Gerrit Reitveld University  in Amsterdam, has created a performance art  piece that he calls “Pony Performance.” It includes an original soundtrack, special lighting design, and 212 My Little Pony toys.  He sits on a lighted platform surrounded by the ponies and gingerly picks them up, examines them, and brushes their rainbow colored locks with a tiny star shaped brush.
At this point, I feel it necessary to add that I know little to nothing of performance art other than every time I have experienced it, it makes me feel utterly confused. I’m never sure how I should react.  Should I read into it to discover its deeper hidden truths or should I giggle at its absurdity?...( I usually remove myself from its proximity as soon as possible lest the giggling wins out and I look like a judgmental ass.)  

So I’m watching this clip of “Pony Performance” trying to keep an open mind and I’m wondering, “Should I ponder the greater meaning of the pony selection?” and “Does the direction and frequency of the brushing of the pony hair actually have some significance?”  I continue to watch the full four minute clip and am kind of impressed by the thought and effort that went into this piece. Upon reading a few of Mr. Verbeke’s blog entries it becomes evident that he did not amass a sizable collection for use solely in his performance, but that his performance was instead inspired by his collection.

If I told you I understood what was at the heart of “Pony Performance” I’d be lying, but I do think it is pretty great that this artist was able to create something out of something he loves.

Dennis Verbeke is raising money through a crowd fundraising website to help cover his costs to perform his “Pony Performance” in August 2012 in Stockholm.