2010–2011: Early development 's earliest
Internet memes, that spawned the use of the term
plot to refer to a fictional character's perceived attractive physical attributes.
Bronyspeak emerged and developed as part of what Bill Ellis termed
bronylore, a distinctive form of web-based verbal and visual art created by the show's adult fanbase. For example, words like
everybody and
anyone became
everypony and
anypony. The term
brony itself was an early example of this
wordplay, created as a
portmanteau of
bro and
pony, to describe an adult fan of the show regardless of gender. The less common
pegasister (a portmanteau of
pegasus and
sister) was also coined to describe a
female adult fan of the show, though a 2021 study found that the majority of female fans of the show dislike the term and prefer to identify as a
brony over
pegasister. Words like
everypony and
brohoof became standard within the fandom's
online spaces. Fans described their communication system as
bronyspeak, conducting it almost exclusively in
English with references to the show mixed in as "just a different register, solely created online." Researchers described the incorporation of elements of oral urban slang in the fan-created language as a hybrid of official show terminology with transgressive digital communication styles. This evolution included playful use of abbreviations and
emoticons, and also vulgar and adult terminology.
2011–present: Growth, spread, and official recognition Hasbro officially recognized the brony fandom and, implicitly, their distinctive lingo on May 27, 2011, when
The Hub released a promotional video for the series called "Equestria Girls" done in the style of a
music video parodying
Katy Perry's "
California Gurls". The song features the lyrics: "Our Bronies, Hang out too, 'Cause they know we're awesome fillies" accompanied by
Spike shouting: "Come on, Bronies!" The exclusive online premiere of the video was given to
Equestria Daily a day before the promo would air on television. According to Shaun Scotellaro, the e-mail he received from The Hub claimed that the reference to Bronies was done explicitly as a "tribute to our favorite Pony fans." was published on Equestria Daily. The
New York Daily News reported on this dictionary, specifying words like
Scootabuse with the definition "You should be ashamed of yourself." and
zebra as "
Cheap racism simulator." Other words included
Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome,
neighsayer, and
horseapples. In March 2018, the suffix
-creature as a more
inclusive replacement for the suffix
-pony (e.g.
everycreature,
anycreature) was introduced in the
season 8 premiere "
School Daze". == Usage ==