According to a blogger by the name of mandomommy (the mother of Andy "Mandopony" Stein, a musician known for his pony-themed songs), she recently received notice from the online store Zazzle, which allows users to upload their own content to be printed onto merchandise, that the term "Brony" was not permitted because it is a copyrighted word belonging to Hasbro, Inc.
As reported by the pop culture site
The Mary Sue the term "Brony" was actually conceived on the site 4chan two years before the moniker was officially used in the
My Little Pony song "Equestria Girls".
The terms "Brony" and "Bronies" are now synonymous with the diehard fans of
My Little Pony. Bronies have received a bad rap in recent years because of the perceived oddity of their chosen obsession, in conjunction with a faction of Bronies that sexualize
My Little Pony characters. What does this mean for the future of the pop culture subset if their identity is legally stripped from them?