My Little pony Friendship is Magic is associated with the 2010 relaunch of My Little pony toy line, having figurines and play-sets based on it[13] and vice versa; the toon primarily exists in order to help market the toy line.[14][15] Hasbro, the company that owns the brand, has come to see My Little pony as a "lifestyle" brand, with over 200 licenses in 15 categories of products. The brand grossed one billion USD in retail sales in 2014[16][17] and 650 million USD in retail sales in 2013.[18] The Friendship is Magic toy line receives new iterations approximately every year. The first toys were sold under the Ponyville title​[​citation needed​]​ like their G3 predecessors, followed door pony Wedding, Crystal Empire, Crystal Princess Celebration, regenboog Power, Cutie Mark Magic, and Explore Equestria.

The series was developed door Lauren Faust for Hasbro as a reboot of the My Little pony franchise. Faust was pitching her own Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls toy line and animated televisie series to Hasbro Studios' executive Lisa Licht, when Licht asked her to come up with a new version of the My Little pony franchise.[1] Development started in 2008, with production of the first season spanning through 2009.[2][3] Jayson Thiessen storyboarded and animated a two-minute short for the approval of Faust and Hasbro.[4] In the animated short used during early development, Tara Strong voiced Pinkie Pie.[5] The show's primary audience is girls 4-12 years old,[6][7][8] and Faust designed the toon so parents can enjoy watching it with their daughters.[9] The series has generated a cult following among adults. Fiscal reports door DHX Media suggest that DHX Media received around 6 million Canadian dollars a jaar for the production of the first three seasons of the show.[10][11][12]