TheMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom (also known as thebrony fandom) has developed a distinctivevernacular language andfanspeak, often referred to asbronyspeak, since theshow's premiere in 2010.
The vocabulary draws heavily from the show's content, character names, and fictional universe ofEquestria, and speakers often adapt standard English words with pony-themed prefixes or creatingportmanteaus that blend pony-related terms with existing concepts. Notable examples includeponysona (a personalized pony character representing the creator),ponification (transforming non-pony entities into pony form), and music terms likedubtrot (a brony version ofdubstep). Bronyspeak emerged as part of what researchers termbronylore, which builds upon the show's officialponyspeak where human phrases were recast in equine terms. The language encompasses direct adoptions from show dialogue (e.g.everypony as a substitution foreverybody), portmanteaus, andsnowclone variations of popular quotes from the show itself or from itsderivative works.
Hasbro officially acknowledged the fandom and its distinctive language in 2011 through promotional materials referencing bronies directly. The vernacular has since attracted academic attention as an example ofInternet-enabledfolk culture; researchers have noted its functions in creating communitybelonging, establishing behavioral boundaries, and enforcing codes of niceness that preventsocial rejection within the fandom. Studies have identified bronyspeak as both agatekeeping mechanism requiring learning for full community membership and a continuous performance ofgroup identity inonline spaces. Researchers have also noted that bronyspeak extends outside ofInternet communities, often pervading into real life viabrony conventions ormeetups.
Bronyspeak emerged and developed as part of what Bill Ellis termedbronylore, a distinctive form of web-based verbal and visual art created by the show's adult fanbase.[2] Thefanspeak built upon the show's officialponyspeak, where human social phrases were recast in equine terms within the series itself.[3] For example, words likeeverybody andanyone becameeverypony andanypony.[4] The termbrony itself was an early example of thiswordplay, created as aportmanteau ofbro andpony, to describe an adult fan of the show regardless of gender.[2][5] The less commonpegasister (a portmanteau ofpegasus andsister) was also coined to describe afemale adult fan of the show, though a 2021 study found that the majority of female fans of the show dislike the term and prefer to identify as abrony overpegasister.[5]
Bronies also coined the termbrohoof to describe a ponified version of high-fiving (a portmanteau ofbrofist andhoof), where characters touched their hooves together in greeting.[6] Words likeeverypony andbrohoof became standard within the fandom'sonline spaces.[2][1]
Fans described their communication system asbronyspeak, conducting it almost exclusively inEnglish with references to the show mixed in as "just a different register, solely created online."[7] Researchers described the incorporation of elements of oral urban slang in the fan-created language as a hybrid of official show terminology with transgressive digital communication styles. This evolution included playful use of abbreviations andemoticons, and also vulgar and adult terminology.[2]
Hasbro officially recognized the brony fandom and, implicitly, their distinctive lingo on May 27, 2011, whenThe Hub released a promotional video for the series called "Equestria Girls" done in the style of amusic video parodyingKaty Perry's "California Gurls". The song features the lyrics: "Our Bronies, Hang out too, 'Cause they know we're awesome fillies" accompanied bySpike shouting: "Come on, Bronies!" The exclusive online premiere of the video was given toEquestria Daily a day before the promo would air on television. According to Shaun Scotellaro, the e-mail he received from The Hub claimed that the reference to Bronies was done explicitly as a "tribute to our favorite Pony fans."[8]
In July 2011, a 26-page long bronyspeak dictionary calledMareiam-Websteed Dictionary[note 1] was published on Equestria Daily.[9] TheNew York Daily News reported on this dictionary, specifying words likeScootabuse with the definition "You should be ashamed of yourself." andzebra as "Cheap racism simulator." Other words includedCutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome,neighsayer, andhorseapples.[10]
In March 2018, the suffix-creature as a moreinclusive replacement for the suffix-pony (e.g.everycreature,anycreature) was introduced in theseason 8 premiere "School Daze".[note 2]
Some words in bronyspeak are terms adopted directly from the show, which tend to be equine versions of human terms.
Some terms areportmanteaus of a pony-related term and a non-pony-related term.
Some aresnowclones, often derived from quotes from the show.
| Term | Definition | Etymology/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| everypony | everybody | Direct adoption from show dialogue |
| anypony | anybody | Direct adoption from show dialogue |
| somepony | somebody | Direct adoption from show dialogue |
| nopony | nobody | Direct adoption from show dialogue |
| fillies and gentlecolts | ladies and gentlemen | Direct adoption from show dialogue |
| hoofmade | handmade | [11] |
| what the hay | what the heck,what the fuck | [11] |
| /) (\ or /] [\ | hoofbump | Representsemoticons of two hooves[11] |
| cutie mark | symbol representing a pony's special talent | Direct adoption from show dialogue; aplay onbeauty mark |
| brony | adult fan ofMy Little Pony | Portmanteau ofbro andpony |
| pegasister | adult female fan ofMy Little Pony | Combination ofpegasus andsister |
| brohoof | fandom greeting gesture | Portmanteau ofbrofist andhoof |
| ponysona | personalized pony character representing the creator | Portmanteau ofpony andpersona |
| ponification | process of transforming non-pony entities into pony form | Combination ofpony and suffix-ification |
| clop / clopping | masturbation | Onomatopoeia referencing hoof sounds |
| dubtrot | ponyelectronic dance music genre | Combination ofdubstep andtrot[12] |
| 20% cooler | expression of approval | Reference toRainbow Dash's catchphrase |
| buck | fuck | Minced oath referencingbucking |
| plot | hindquarters | Reference to "I watch it for the plot"[13] |
Bronyspeak has gained academic attention as an example of internet-enabledvernacular culture. Folklore researchers recognized it as a distinctiveemic folk speech that simultaneously expressedinstitutional culture while seeking to be distinct from it,[14] which they identified as the hybrid nature of digital vernacular traditions that both drew from and challenged mainstream cultural norms.[2]
According to Ellis, the anonymous nature of Internet communication platforms facilitated bronyspeak's development, as participants usedpseudonyms andonline handles rather than their real identities. This encouraged rule-bending and aggressive linguistic play, which allowed the community to create increasingly transgressive terminology, for example, in words likeclopping (a bronyspeak word formasturbation).[2]
Justin Mullis observed in his 2015 study of the brony fandom that its lingo represented part of what could be understood as "recreational religious activity".[8]
Venetia Robertson, in her study of the brony fandom, wrote that the use of brony slang by members of the community functions as signs ofbelonging and behavioral boundaries for members of the fandom. Robertson noted that bronies createdcatchphrases andsnowclones from the lines of dialogue of the show, invented new terms likebrohoof, and popularized "love and tolerance" as the fandom's motto.[1]
Nicolai Hansen of theCopenhagen Business School wrote that the specialized language functions as a continuous performance of membership that is "embodied and continuously exercised". He also noted that the lingo serves as a gatekeeping mechanism, in which the dialect must be learned to fully belong to the community. Hansen also compared the lingo to that ofBeliebers—fans ofpop iconJustin Bieber—and characterized it as less sophisticated, describing Belieber language as "fangirl-language" and "chatter language" defined primarily by its deficiencies in punctuation, verb tenses, capitalization, and syntax, rather than as a creative linguistic innovation.[11]
According to Jon Coumes ofThe American Prospect, brony communities developed their distinctive language alongside "codes of community-enforced niceness" designed to ensure that "nopony" would experience social rejection.[15]
