My Little Pony: 5-Minute Stories: Includes 10 Pony Tales! Hardcover – Illustrated, 23 February 2021

As a parent and someone deeply aware of how stories shape young minds, I appreciate the imaginative world of My Little Pony and the positive messages around friendship and courage. However, my six-year-old recently raised a concern and it deserves serious reflectionHe noticed that the only “bad” pony was black and had what he described as an “African-sounding” name—King Sombra. He pointed out that the good ponies were mostly pink or brightly colored and asked, “Why does the bad pony look like he’s from Africa and the good ones look white?”At just six, he was able to pick up on something many adults overlook: the troubling pattern of associating dark colours with evil and light or pastel colours with goodness. This isn’t just about ponies — it’s about the messages we pass down to our children, intentionally or not. The lack of diverse and positively represented characters of colour, even in animated form, is a missed opportunity.I urge publishers and creators to reflect more deeply on the implications of character design and naming. Representation matters, and it should not reinforce old stereotypes or unconscious bias. Future editions would benefit greatly from more thoughtful diversity in both heroes and villains — across a broader spectrum of colour, culture, and character traits.Children are watching, listening, and learning. Let’s do better for them.