In an increasingly topsy-turvy world, the ''brony'' may be the game changer who makes it all right for men to enjoy things that were designed for little girls.

The brony is so way cool he likes My Little Pony, a toy that has attracted a large internet tribe of devotees who until now kept their fandom a secret.

But up to 1000 Australian bronies are expected to attend the first convention for My Little Pony lovers, PonyCon AU, which starts on Saturday at the University of NSW.

Julian Blair, the convention president and a commerce student at the university, said bronies represented a paradigm shift that allowed for a unisex audience to enjoy things that had once been forbidden.