Parents' Guide to

My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Sweet tales of friendship have great messages for kids.

TV Discovery Family Channel Kids' Animation 2010
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 89 parent reviews

Ingrid O
Ingrid O Adult
January 12, 2022
age 10+

Ponies are rude

This seems more like a show geared toward tweens. Compare the way the ponies treat each other with, say, the Octonauts, or Oona and Baba on Puffin Rock, or really any other characters from shows for preschoolers. On those other shows, characters are always supportive and kind. In contrast, the ponies are sarcastic, annoyed with each other, dismissive, and just plain rude. They laugh at each other for making mistakes. They try to mess each other up (e.g. the rainbow one has almost beaten her own record at bouncing a ball on her nose, and the butterfly one roars to make her drop the ball. Then everyone laughs. WTF.) Skip this. Watch a show like Gaby's Dollhouse, Ridley Jones, True and the Rainbow Kingdom, anything else where the characters *actually* model friendship.
5 people found this helpful.
Bestsmileswin
Bestsmileswin Adult
May 28, 2020
age 5+

Best times ever

This is the best cartoon. We definitely have a great time watching. I don't need to worry about the content and the life lessons are great. Yes there is episodes of bullies but at the end there is apologies, love and laughter. That's life. We learn life lessons from this shows and sometimes we have the most interesting discussions on what we learn. At the end of it all life magic of friendship and love always wins. I have 2 daughters 16 and 9. We been watching this forever and it never fails to give us the best girls nights.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 89 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC, a magical unicorn pony named Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong) learns about friendship from her new Ponyville pals Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Rarity (Tabitha St. Germain), Fluttershy (Andrea Libman), Rainbow Dash (Ball again), and Pinkie Pie (Libman again). Though she's grown used to the quiet, studious life in the magical world of Equestria with her faithful friend Spike (Cathy Weseluck), a trip to the ponies' home introduces Twilight to new relationships, which she's surprised to discover are full of wonderful benefits she never expected.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (89 ):
Kids say (307 ):

This sweet series brings to light some of the uncertainty preschoolers might feel in building their own social relationships. Twilight's experiences with her new pals show kids the benefit of working through the rough patches to reap the rewards of friendship. The characters don't let their diverse personalities keep them from forging relationships, and this theme has good messages about tolerance and respect for kids as well.



There's little to nitpick in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic itself, but parents may be wary of the unavoidable influence the characters might have on their kids' desires, since it's rooted in a well-known product line of books, toys, and just about everything in between.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about friendship in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. How can you tell the ponies are friends? In what ways do they rely on their friends to help them out of jams? What qualities do you like most in your friends?

  • Kids: Do you like the characters in this show? Have you seen these same characters on toys, books, or clothing? Does watching a TV show like this one make you more tempted to want items like these?

  • What qualities set you apart from other people? What are your special talents or skills? How do you use those talents?

  • How do the characters in My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic demonstrate compassion? Why is that an important character strength?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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