Bronycon II: A First Hoof Account of My Little Pony Fandom
Talk about growth spurts. Close to 900 people crowded into a midtown Manhattan hotel ballroom at last weekend’s Bronycon II, vs. perhaps 1/3 that number at its September predecessor. The new venue – a long corridor and ballroom at NYC’s Hotel Pennsylvania (the fading epitome of 1940’s swank) – might’ve been bigger than the Chinatown loft where the September con was held, but was nonetheless instantly overcrowded. After one made their way past the undermanned registration desk, the next bottleneck to brave was a narrow doorway leading to the ballroom. (When you have dealer’s tables, an autograph line and random attendees all trying to occupy the same space at the time, traffic can’t help but gum up a bit.)
The voice acting panel at Bronycon II.
BroNYcon I’s high-profile guest of honor was Jayson Thiessen, MLP:FiM’s supervising director. This time Nicole Oliver, Ashleigh Ball and Andrea Libman – the voices behind Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Equestria’s benevolent monarch Princess Celestia — were on hand. The three participated in a 90 minute Q&A session in the packed ballroom, while some 2200 people watched online. One highlight of the session: the audience going nuts with applause when a fans requests and Ashleigh delivers a line from a popular fan animation in the voice of palomino farmgirl Applejack, “Fergit you, I kin eat all these apples!” (“You just fed the internet,” she was informed by the session’s host.) Evidently being exposed to hundreds of rabid bronies and “pegasisters” (sorry, that one doesn’t work for me) didn’t spook the three; when asked if they’d come back for another ‘con, Nicole didn’t hesitate to answer “in a New York second.”
Then, live via Skype, appeared Daniel Ingram (no, not the 1960’s top-40 deejay), the show’s composer. Once a few audio problems were surmounted, Ingram described the process of coming up with songs for MLP:FiM’s elaborate production numbers. (And according to Ingram, the show songs “The Art of the Dress” and “At the Gala” were homages – not knock-offs – of the incredibly similar-sounding Broadway show tunes “Putting it Together” (Sunday in the Park with George) and “Into the Woods” (from that particular musical).
Ingram praised the elaborate fan remixes and dance versions of those show songs. When asked which particular song he’d like to hear redone, the interviewer warned him “whatever you say will be done – the composers are eagerly awaiting your instructions.” Ingram chose ditsy Pinkie Pie’s “Smile Song,” to which an audience member quickly shouted “I’m gonna be right on that.”
Not too shabby a day for the bronies, who are undoubtedly going to flood July’s BroNYcon (lasting two days at a new venue ten times the size of that ballroom) in even greater numbers to see MLP:FiM’s equivalent of J.K. Rowling: series creator Lauren Faust.