# Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy

The Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy was the brony fandom's uproar over leaks that Twilight Sparkle, the lead character in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, would be turned into a winged unicorn, or 'alicorn.' Rumors kicked off with toy and licensing slip-ups in late 2012 and ended with head writer Meghan McCarthy confirming the change in a January 2013 Entertainment Weekly interview, setting off months of polls, Photoshop threads, and 'Twilacorn' discourse across pony fansites.

## Origin
On September 30, 2012, plushie maker Funrise put up a Facebook photo of an office setup with several My Little Pony plushies, one of which was a Twilight Sparkle plush wearing wings, the first public hint that Hasbro was prepping the character change[5]. Three weeks later, on October 17, 2012, the Brand Licensing Europe convention tweeted a poster showing a winged Twilight Sparkle[2], which Redditor Lusht crossposted to /r/mylittlepony the same day, pulling more than 490 upvotes and 200 comments over the next three months[3].

Hasbro and the show's producers kept quiet until January 29, 2013, when Entertainment Weekly ran an interview with Friendship is Magic head writer Meghan McCarthy that confirmed the alicorn transformation, with McCarthy saying Twilight 'was set up from the very beginning to be on an important journey'[1]. Equestria Daily reblogged the confirmation the same day[4].

- **Platform:** Facebook / Reddit (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2012

## Overview
In the show's canon, alicorns are winged unicorns slotted into royal or deity roles with powers above regular ponies, which is why fans read Twilight's possible promotion as a huge character shift rather than a cosmetic tweak[5]. A big chunk of the fandom argued that giving Twilight Sparkle both wings and a horn would shove her toward Mary Sue territory and undo the student arc that drove the show.

Arguments bounced through Equestria Daily, DeviantArt, Ponychan, the /r/mylittlepony subreddit, and MLP Forums, where a speculation poll pulled majority disapproval[6]. Writer M.A. Larson, who scripted the transformation episode, turned into the fandom's lightning rod, with 'I Believe In M.A. Larson' avatar badges and 'Thanks, M.A. Larson!' photo edits riffing on the 'Thanks, Obama!' format making the rounds on pony boards[5].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy?
It was the brony fandom backlash over the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic plot twist that turned Twilight Sparkle into a winged unicorn, or alicorn, with fans fearing it would push her into Mary Sue territory[5].

### Where did Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy come from?
The first leak was a September 30, 2012 Funrise Facebook photo showing a winged Twilight Sparkle plush, followed by an October 17, 2012 Brand Licensing Europe poster that Reddit's /r/mylittlepony picked up[2][3].

### What does Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy mean?
It names the fandom argument about whether Hasbro's choice to give Twilight wings and keep her horn would wreck her character arc, with alicorns being the show's royalty tier[5].

### How do you use Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy?
Fans typically reference it through 'Twilacorn' slang, 'Thanks, M.A. Larson!' Photoshops riffing on 'Thanks, Obama!' GIFs, and 'I Believe In M.A. Larson' avatar badges from DeviantArt user PixelKitties[5].

### Is Twilight Sparkle Alicorn Controversy still popular?
The debate was most active between late 2012 and early 2013 around the Entertainment Weekly reveal of Meghan McCarthy's plans, and is still cited as a defining brony fandom moment of that era[1].

## References
1. [http://family-room.ew.com/2013/01/29/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-exclusive-twilight-princess/](<http://family-room.ew.com/2013/01/29/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-exclusive-twilight-princess/>)
2. [https://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/10/brand-licensing-in-europes-twilight.html](<https://www.equestriadaily.com/2012/10/brand-licensing-in-europes-twilight.html>)
3. [https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/11n9xg/so_twilight_alicorn_is_a_canon_now_that_or_hasbro/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/11n9xg/so_twilight_alicorn_is_a_canon_now_that_or_hasbro/>)
4. [https://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/01/ia-ia-twilight-fhtagn.html](<https://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/01/ia-ia-twilight-fhtagn.html>)
5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/twilight-sparkle-alicorn-controversy](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/twilight-sparkle-alicorn-controversy>)
6. [https://mlpforums.com/topic/37744-twilight-sparkle-alicornprincess-speculation-spoilers/](<https://mlpforums.com/topic/37744-twilight-sparkle-alicornprincess-speculation-spoilers/>)
7. [http://www.derpyhoovesnews.com/alicorn-twilight-toys-officially-announced/](<http://www.derpyhoovesnews.com/alicorn-twilight-toys-officially-announced/>)

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