Clop
An example of a clop of a fan-made My Little Pony–inspired character in a sexually suggestive pose.
Years active2012–present
CountryWorldwide, but especially popular in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic[1]
InfluencesMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Clop is fan-made pornography or erotic art, fan fiction, fan films, fangames, and other fan labor based on the animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls and further generations of said franchise.

It includes art, fan fiction, and games. The term "clop," based on the onomatopoeic hoofbeat sound, also means masturbation in this context. Clop content emerged on the web around 2012 and typically focuses more on character romance. A study suggests about 19% of bronies (My Little Pony fans) have engaged in "clopping". Although the fan base is primarily in the US and UK, most clop content is consumed in Slavic Europe. Critics view it as a problematic aspect of the fandom, fearing it might taint the fandom's reputation.

Etymology

The word "clop" itself is a pun or wordplay based on the slang word "fap"; both are onomatopoeia, 'clop' referring to hoofbeats.[2][3] The word is also used as a verb, to refer to masturbating as "clopping". Other related terms include clop-fic for erotic fiction/slash fiction centered around My Little Pony characters, and clopper for a person who enjoys this type of material.[4][5]

History

Clop is considered to be either a subset of brony fandom, furry fandom, or both,[6][7] When compared to other fandoms' fan art, the Friendship Is Magic fan art more prominently features homosexual ships.[8] The topic has received scholarly attention.[9][10][11][12][13] To some in the fandom, "clopping" (masturbating to clop) is frowned upon.[6] On the other hand, in 2015, The Guardian reported that in the Brony community on 4chan, having sex with a real person was seen as a negative, and not clopping as a form of heresy.[14] The most popular character in My Little Pony–related pornography is Rainbow Dash, followed by Rarity and Pinkie Pie.[1]

Demographics and geography

According to internal studies,[which?] 19.05% of bronies have engaged in clopping, but it is assumed that the percentage is actually larger.[6] A different survey by Pornhub revealed that most participants are millennials aging from 16 to 24 years old and that men are 37% more likely to search for My Little Pony–related pornography than women.[1][15]

Most My Little Pony–related pornography is watched in Slavic Europe, with Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic being the top four.[1]

Reception

Baltimore Sun journalist Gianna Decarlo condemned erotic art as one of the problems of the My Little Pony fandom, as it became an "unstoppable force of sexual deviancy" and that "not even a simple Google search is safe."[16] EJ Dickson of the Daily Dot wrote that enjoyers of the erotic art are "black sheep in the community," meaning that the rest of the brony fandom fears that cloppers will give the whole fandom a bad name.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Fellizar, Kristine. "Millennials Are Masturbating To 'My Little Pony' Porn, Says New Survey, And Rainbow Dash Is The Fan Favorite". Bustle. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  2. ^ Dark, Stephen (June 15, 2016). "State of Brony". Salt Lake City Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022. A Booming Fringe Community of Utah Youth Finds acceptance through My Little Pony
  3. ^ Notopoulos, Katie (November 21, 2013). "The Terrifyingly Violent New Genre Of "My Little Pony Fan" Art". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. ^ Mullis, J. (2017). Boyle, Jan; Wan-chuan, Kao (eds.). "'All the Pretty Little Ponies': Bronies, Desire, and Cuteness" (PDF). The Retrovision of Cuteness. Goleta: Punctum Books: 88. ISBN 978-1-947447-28-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  5. ^ Jones, Bethan (1 April 2015). "My Little Pony, tolerance is magic: Gender policing and Brony anti-fandom". The Journal of Popular Television. 3 (1): 119–125. doi:10.1386/jptv.3.1.119_1.
  6. ^ a b c Raethel, Thomas (8 September 2013). "The Mysterious World of Bronies". Critic - Te Arohi. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  7. ^ Dickson, E.J. (24 April 2021). "Nel mondo dei fan nazisti di My Little Pony". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ^ Bridges, Rose (30 May 2012). "My Little Pony: Lesbianism is Magic". Autostraddle. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  9. ^ Silverstein, Andrew. "My Little Brony: Connecting Gender Blurring and Discursive Formations" (PDF). Colloquy. 9 (Fall 2013): 98–117. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  10. ^ Schimpf, Kaitlyn Elizabeth (22 October 2015). "Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A Case Study on the Adult Male Fans of My Little Pony". MacEwan University Student eJournal. MacEwan University. 2 (1). doi:10.31542/j.muse.192.
  11. ^ Robertson, Venetia Laura Delano (January 2014). "Of ponies and men: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Brony fandom". International Journal of Cultural Studies. SAGE Publishing. 17 (1): 21–37. doi:10.1177/1367877912464368. S2CID 146577717.
  12. ^ Burdfield, Claire (1 April 2015). "Finding Bronies – The accidental audience of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". The Journal of Popular Television. 3 (1): 127–134. doi:10.1386/jptv.3.1.127_1.
  13. ^ Bailey, John; Harvey, Brenna (April 2017). "'That pony is real sexy': My Little Pony fans, sexual abjection, and the politics of masculinity online". Men and Masculinities. 20 (1): 27–48. doi:10.1177/1097184X15613831. S2CID 147019683.
  14. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (12 March 2015). "What a masculinity conference taught me about the state of men". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  15. ^ Sophie Kleeman (July 23, 2015). "Why Millennials Are Masturbating to "My Little Pony" Porn". Mic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  16. ^ DeCarlo, Gianna. "The problem with bronies: a look at the corruption of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"". Baltimore Sun. baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  17. ^ EJ Dickson (February 23, 2014). "How do bronies feel about the first My Little Pony porn?". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
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