My Little Pony

My Little Pony (MLP) is a toyline and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature colorful bodies and manes, with a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks; recent incarnations refer to such symbols as "cutie marks". My Little Pony has been revamped several times with new and more modern looks to continue its appeal to the market, with each new look called a "generation" by the show's collectors and fans. The franchise is mainly targeted at young girls and their parents, although in the 2010s, it gained a cult following among adult men. Following the original My Pretty Pony introduced in 1981, the first My Little Pony toy line launched 1982 and ran until 1992 in the United States and 1995 globally. The success of the toys led to several animated adaptations, including two TV specials, a feature-length film, and two television series. Despite selling 150 million pony toys throughout the decade, Hasbro discontinued the toy line due to increased competition. My Little Pony was revived in 1997, but the new toys proved unpopular and were discontinued in 1999. The brand saw a more popular revival in 2003, with toys more closely resembling the original toy line; approximately 100 million toys were sold globally by 2010. Hasbro launched the fourth incarnation of the franchise in 2010, centered around the animated series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The brand grossed over $650 million in retail sales in 2013, and over $1 billion annually in retail sales in 2014 and 2015. A fifth incarnation launched in 2021 with the animated film My Little Pony: A New Generation, but was discontinued in 2024 due to low product sales and mixed-to-negative reviews. A live-action adaptation of the franchise by Amazon MGM Studios and Hasbro Entertainment was announced in July 2025.