“Love and tolerance.” This phrase is a rallying cry amongst the members of a curious group, or fandom, of mostly adult male fans who have an intense interest in “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” a show that normally caters to young girls and their parents. In 2010, producer Lauren Faust, who also animated shows such as “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends” and the original run of “The PowerPuff Girls,” developed the show, based on Hasbro’s popular toy line “My Little Pony.” Faust desired that the show have complex characters and storylines, unlike previous shows based on the toy line, while at the same time tying in morals. The complexity of the show and the virtues that are taught are largely responsible for the high number of adult male fans.
Being a part of this group of fans has allowed me to interact with people of varying personalities, many of whom would be deemed “eccentric” or “weird.” I often encounter people struggling with various mental illnesses ranging from depression to autism, and I sometimes cringe whenever I see the awkwardness in social interaction that goes on between some members of my fandom. I myself have Asperger’s Syndrome. However, there are others in my fandom who do not struggle with any mental illness at all. I would like to understand how prevalent mental illness is in my fandom, and also perhaps understand the distribution of mental illness based on DSM-V or ICD-10 diagnoses. I would also like to perhaps theorize, depending on the distribution, why there might be a certain distribution. I also wonder if this thesis may require something beyond what an undergraduate education can offer me.
