Meet the Bronies: Military men gather as fans of My Little Pony



A group of U.S. servicemen are coming together to share a passion for a television show based off of the popular My Little Pony toy.

These military men call themselves 'Bronies' as they wear patches on their uniforms identifying themselves as fans of the show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

The phenomenon recently came to light as men in uniform joined the 4,000 fans of the show geared toward young girls gathered at Secaucus, New Jersey earlier this month for the 2012 BronyCon.

Passion: These military men call themselves 'Bronies' as they wear patches on their uniforms identifying themselves as fans of the show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The show's fanbase among members of the military began about two years ago when the show first began to air.

Now, more than 1,800 people have 'liked' a Facebook page called 'Military Bronies.'

The page highlights various members of the military in patrol situations while wearing the My Little Pony patch.

There are variations of the patch that typically include a cloud with a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt.

'Worth protecting': The show geared toward young girls has had a fanbase among members of the military, which started about two years ago when the show first began to air

The design symbolizes a 'rainbow dash,' which is used on the show.



Administrators of the Facebook page said today that they do not advocate for servicemen to use the patches, especially if it goes against the rules of the military.

On the Facebook page, an administrator said: 'Regardless of how easy it is for others to claim this, we DO NOT promote wearing of unauthorized patches, badges or insignia on your uniform.

'We do not recommend you do ANYTHING that goes against the regulations of your branch of service.'

Together: The phenomenon recently came to light as men in uniform joined the 4,000 fans gathered at Secaucus, New Jersey earlier this month for the 2012 BronyCon

A spokeswoman for the Pentagon told FoxNews.com that the military does not support unauthorized patches on uniforms.

One soldier, Ken 'Derpy' Catlin, defended the fanbase and its connection to the military.



He said: ;You, the bronies, have taught me that there are things and people worth protecting; things bigger and more important than myself.'

A National Guard member named Darius told Buzzfeed.com that he was amazed to see how welcoming other fans were at the recent convention.

'We barely made it up to the top steps and everyone outside was cheering for us,' he said. ' I started clapping because I figured if everyone else was clapping I’d do it too. Then my friend was like, "no dude, they’re clapping for us."'

'Cheering': Military members have said that their passion for My Little Pony has been received with great acceptance by others and has strengthened their beliefs in the military

Ongoing: My Little Pony has been around longer than the start of its current show as Hasbro released the first toys in 1983, leading to television specials, a movie and a TV series

The first BronyCon held a little more than a year ago attracted only about 100 people who trickled into some meeting rooms in Manhattan. Now, the show boasts thousands of fans nationwide.

At this year's event, stuffed ponies, pony accessories, pony signs, pony hats and other equestrian paraphernalia were flying off the shelves. Actors who do the show's voices signed autographs and spoke at the event.

In 1983, Hasbro released the first My Little Pony toys, which became popular among young girls, leading to television specials, a movie and the first TV series that ran from 1986 to 1987.

The brand stuck around through the years, languishing in relative anonymity. But all that changed when Hasbro hired animator Lauren Faust, who breathed new life into the My Little Pony concept by creating the Friendship is Magic series.