Ponychan

Ponychan (ponychan.co) is the primary successor and revival project of the original Ponychan.net, which was one of the most influential and historic hubs of the early “Brony” fandom.

1. Key Dates and Registration

• Original Site (ponychan.net) Launch: January 2011. It was founded as a dedicated space for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fans who were being banned or restricted on 4chan.
• Revival (ponychan.co) Context: The original .net domain suffered a long decline due to administrative friction, culminating in a major fracture in 2021. After the original site staff effectively “salted the earth” and shut down the primary archives, the community splintered into several sites. ponychan.co emerged as the most prominent surviving “lifeboat” for the community.
• Current Status: While the fandom has largely moved to sites like Derpibooru or Discord, ponychan.co remains active as a legacy space for those who prefer the traditional imageboard format.

2. What is the site?

Ponychan is an anonymous imageboard designed specifically for the My Little Pony fandom.

• The “Safe Haven” Philosophy: Unlike the often-toxic /mlp/ board on 4chan, the original Ponychan (and its successors) was founded with a much stricter focus on “love and tolerance.” It traditionally enforced “Safe for Work” (SFW) rules and prioritized community building over the aggressive shitposting typical of other chans.
• Community Features: Historically, it was famous for hosting Q&As with show creators (like Lauren Faust) and being the birthplace of many early fandom memes and fanfiction trends.
• The Current Vibe: Today, it acts as a “Small Web” project, catering to long-term fans (often called “oldfags”) who discuss the show’s legacy, new generation (G5) updates, and personal life in a “comfy” environment.

3. What does the name mean?

• Pony: Refers to the My Little Pony franchise.
• Chan: The standard suffix for imageboards, derived from 2channel and 4chan.
• Ponychan: Effectively translates to “The Imageboard for Ponies.” It was one of the first “boutique” chans to prove that a single-fandom imageboard could sustain a massive, dedicated population.

4. History and Context

Ponychan’s history is a microcosm of the Brony fandom’s trajectory: from the “Ponypocalypse” (the mass migration from 4chan in 2011) to the “Ponynanza” (peak popularity 2012–2014) and the eventual “Great Fracture” of 2021. The .co domain represents the community’s refusal to let its history die, even after the loss of their original .net home.