Fan bases of movies, television shows and video games have been around as long as the sources of entertainment themselves. “Star Trek” fans are known as “trekkies,” “Glee” fans are “gleeks,” but one fandom that came about just over a year ago is called a “brony.” The following explanation of the term may be a bit surreal, but it is completely true. Brony is the fusion of the terms “bro” and “pony,” which came about from the adult male fans of the television show “My Little Pony.” This fan movement, very visible on websites such as Equestria Daily, came about in 2010 with the revival of the Hasbro TV show aimed toward young girls. In the United States, the Hub Network is home to the happy bunch of ponies, led by the popular cartoonist Lauren Faust. Faust was the writer and director of the very popular “Powerpuff Girls,” as well as the writer and producer of “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.” The view of “My Little Pony” was drastically changed with Faust taking the position of writer and producer, changing it from the girly, frilly, colorful ponies of the ‘80s to the 2000s to a show packed full of adventure, humor and gripping plots. An adult being drawn into cartoons is nothing new. “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” are not the only cartoons with a regular adult audience. “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Adventure Time,” and “Regular Show” are all popular with adults. Trinity chemistry teacher Mr. John Saliga is a regular viewer of “Regular Show.” He says it was the distinctive look and style of the show that made it worth watching and got him interested in the first place. His favorite aspects of the show are “the characters and personalities, story plot, sense of humor, voice acting, music, and overall creativity the writers pour into it.” Saliga said that word of mouth promotes shows like “Regular Show,” and many fans also simply stumble onto the shows. Saliga said he knows about 15 people who are fans of the show. Trinity students Robert Espinueva and Greg Atchison are both bronies. The thought of a teenage male being a fan of a show like “My Little Pony” may at first seem strange. Saliga, Atchison, and Espinueva agree that the views of cartoon fans may be biased. “It comes down to an individual’s own personality,” Saliga said, “that personality being that they see a bigger distinction between adult and child interests, despite the fact that more cartoons are being geared toward adults and children.” Espinueva said that with “My Little Pony,” specifically, people view the male fans as odd because of the stereotype that the show is geared only toward females. Atchison agreed with Saliga. He said, “(People) still have a misconception that it’s a show for little children, females specifically, and it’s odd to be interested.” Espinueva’s and Atchison’s first impressions were probably the same as most. Espinueva said he was originally “creeped out” by the fans, but he saw the characters and appreciated them. Initially Atchison also saw the male fans as odd. He said, “I thought they were annoying, overenthusiastic, and honestly, girly.” The attraction to “My Little Pony” can be directly tied to the show’s producer and her distinct style. “It’s pretty entertaining. Lauren Faust has never let me down,” Atchison said. Her presentation of characters and storyline is appealing to many. Espinueva said his favorite aspects of the show are “the character development, the ponies, the animation, voice acting, music, and the fandom.” Atchison said he only knew four other people who shared his appreciation for the show, but Espinueva claimed to know lots of fans. The stories of becoming a brony are far and wide. Espinueva’s induction into the fandom was fairly simple. He said, “I was just browsing Tumblr and I saw a pony joke. That got me interested.” Atchison’s was more complicated. He said, “A friend tried to explain it to me. He showed me clips and explained that it was Lauren Faust’s creation and not Hasbro’s marketing ploy. The fact that it’s still able to draw young girls while providing Cartoon Network entertainment and the signature Faust appearance is most appealing.” Another major theme of the show is love and tolerance of everyone, which Atchison also finds appealing. The crux of Espenueva’s interest is the humor in every episode. To any skeptic, this could all be tough to swallow, but Espinueva and Atchison both suggest the same thing: Just try watching. All three interviewed agreed that no matter what cartoon, many people could become fans if they would just put bias aside and try to watch the shows with an open mind. A man by the name of Walt Disney once said something that applies to Faust’s work and the work of cartoonists everywhere: “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or 60.”