Remixed in size and color after the 1981 My Pretty Pony fell short in inspiring young buyers, the My Little Pony brand took off with the release of some Gen1 ponies in 1983, followed by TV specials, shorts and animated series bearing the toy line’s titular name. By the mid- to late ’80s, the ponies had become a fixture of the children’s media and toy industry. The book tells of a place called Ponyland and features simplistic descriptions of the ponies who lived there, including Butterscotch, Snuzzle, Blue Belle, Minty, Cotton Candy, and Blossom. The book also features illustrations of Dream Valley and its grand Dream Castle, and mentions various creatures like Flutter Ponies, Sea Ponies, Grundles, and Bushwoolies. There’s just so much hooky, zanny, specific stuff in a lot of those that it feels almost like AI couldn’t lyrically or musically match the distinctiveness of these themes. Do you think it’s possible for artificial intelligence to match the work of humans in the work you do? The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Vaughn, who is a singer-songwriter in her own right, about crafting music that not only captures My Little Pony’s steadfast themes of friendship and magic, but pays tribute to its distinctive eras. She also discusses making music for brands in the social media age, creating music for young audiences, and how Web3 technologies and AI are reshaping the modern music industry. It features the unnamed G1 ponies referred to by collectors as Princess Royal Purple and Princess Royal Pink

My Little Pony is arguably one of pop culture’s most enduring brands, and in 2023, it’s celebrating 40 years of friendship and magic. Suddenly, Julie wakes up, her entire magical adventure having been just a dream; she and her friends are still split apart, and the barn is still in danger of being sold. Julie is about to talk to her mother about this, but Julie's mother enters with positive news: the barn owners have decided not to sell. What's more, Julie's mother has brought over Melanie, Kelly, and Tiffany so they and Julie can have a sleepover and celebrate their precious barn being saved. Their friendship rekindled, the girls take this chance to start over and face the hardships of middle school together.

There’s always a certain amount of finesse, intelligence and silliness. Just like any TV show theme or anything that accompanies music-to-picture, you really have to think about whether this supports the narrative. To me, that feels like a paint by number situation. Be fun within the lines. When I wrote the original theme for Littlest Pet Shop, that was for a little bit of an older audience — similar to My Little Pony. I had such a blast doing that, because some of the references were Fitz and the Tantrums. But how do you take Fitz and the Tantrums and make it also universal for kids, for the families that are watching? Story 1 is "set in the decade that gave birth to the Pony phenomenon: the 1980s. In it, four young girls (plus their G1 Ponies) must bond together and use their imaginations if they're going to save their local stable from closing."

You were clearly trying to tap into the generational diversity of the My Little Pony fan base. How did you find the right sound to represent those generations? Unable to get the ponies to do his bidding, Hugh tells the girls to command the ponies to reopen the portal to Equestria so that he can finish what he started; in return, he agrees to let the girls go and leave the barn alone. The girls refuse Hugh's offer and set the ponies free from his clutches, and after defeating him and his henchmen, the girls and ponies trap Hugh inside his own spell book. During the comic's reveal in late March 2023, there were some confusion in the fandom about whether 40th Anniversary Celebration and 40th Anniversary Special were the same book or different books.

Now, MLP superfans Sam Maggs and Keisha Okafor are joining forces to craft a story about the children who bought the original My Little Ponies, in a tale full of friendship, magic, and toys! Plus, bonus stories by My Little Pony legends Tony Fleecs and Jeremy Whitley." Synopsis from GamesRadar [ ]

Forty years ago, Butterscotch, Blue Belle, Minty, Snuzzle, Cotton Candy, and Blossom galloped onto the shelves and became an instant hit! The first story takes place in 1984; elementary school girls Julie, Melanie, Kelly, and Tiffany are best friends that share a mutual love for My Little Pony. During the summer before they start middle school, they regularly visit a nearby barn so they can play with the horses in the stable. While grooming the horses one day, the girls overhear a phone conversation between barn owner Mr. Pine and land developer Hugh Mann; Hugh is offering to buy the barn and surrounding land to build a shopping mall. My Little Pony has played a role in the lives of countless kids since the toy line first appeared in 1983, and each fan has their own favorite generation of characters. It’s never going to be the same. For example, I love working with Hasbro because Equestria Girls and My Little Pony, those resonate with all genders, but as a young woman growing up, it obviously spoke to me. So it’s easy for me to pull from within myself when I’m creating for those brands. It feels real, because it is. AI and anything Web3-related —I don’t think anyone’s trying to avoid it, but it should be used as a tool to enhance the creators’ experience in a way that will help them resonate with their audience, or create a better allocation of time. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a replacement of what they do because then we miss out on true art that connects to people. I feel like everything you do should be an extension of your humanity. Everything should come from an authentic place, or else what are we really doing it all for.My Little Pony: Camp Bighoof #1 • My Little Pony: Camp Bighoof #2 • My Little Pony: Camp Bighoof #3 • My Little Pony: Camp Bighoof #4 • My Little Pony: Camp Bighoof #5 My Little Pony debuted in a time when toy lines were frequently adapted into TV shows,and before there were more restrictions around marketing to children through the TV. Which is probably why those theme songs feel so catchy —they weren’t just themes, they were toy jingles. Do you feel like the My Little Pony theme embodies jingle elements that make it memorable? If so, what are they? As the ponies read more about Dream Valley, Sunny begins to believe they are just stories of fiction. Since Pegasi are also said to have lived in Dream Valley, Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch deduce that there may be more information about it in the Zephyr Heights library. They seek out their Pegasus friends Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm and their mother Queen Haven to find out more.

My Little Pony #1 • My Little Pony #2 • My Little Pony #3 • My Little Pony #4 • My Little Pony #5 • My Little Pony #6 • My Little Pony #7 • My Little Pony #8 • My Little Pony #9 • My Little Pony #10 • My Little Pony #11 • My Little Pony #12 • My Little Pony #13 • My Little Pony #14 • My Little Pony #15 • My Little Pony #16 • My Little Pony #17 • My Little Pony #18 • My Little Pony #19 • My Little Pony #20Beyond your work with Hasbro and other networks and shows, you are attached to a nonprofit focused on Web3 technologies. AI isn’t Web3 exactly, but it is an increasingly discussed topic in terms of how it’s used in relation to artists and their rights. In what ways has AI impacted your work? Do you use it at all in your process? What would you say makes the My Little Pony theme distinctive? A nd what elements of the original were you willing to play with? What might you have not wanted to change? When Julie wakes up hours later, she comes up with an idea to save the barn. She races to the barn, locates a magic book under a pile of hay, and reads a spell incantation from it. Nothing happens at first, but when Julie wakes up the following morning, she discovers her pony toys have come to life and grown to the size of actual horses. Julie calls her friends and tells them to come to the barn right away, but they are unable to drop what they are doing to come by. As soon as Julie hangs up the phone, someone off-panel catches her.