13 episodes?

About standard nowadays.

Bad standard cartoon season lenght, why you gotta affect FiM.

It got Korra first, now FiM ;.;

Thirteen is better than zero.

I'll be optimistic and agree with Sumiki here. =P Perhaps the episodes will be an hour as opposed to thirty minutes? It would be odd for a cartoon, but it might happen.

13 = Unlucky.

Besides, cartoons are getting shorter and shorter these days. Kids aren't taught how to pay attention to one thing for a long time these days.

Actually, guys, thirteen-episode seasons are pretty common. In this case, it'll bring FiM up to 65 episodes total, typical for syndication.

cartoons are getting shorter and shorter these days

And it's not an issue with "these days." As early as the 1960s, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? has approx. 13.67 episodes per season. Within your childhood, Kids Next Door had thirteen "whole" (i.e., half-hour) episodes per season. The same is true of The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, and Invader Zim. A bunch of other cartoons had around seventeen to twenty episodes each season, and these were particularly successful productions. (Sadly, I cannot compare FiM's success with that of these other cartoons, since I can't find any data, and the prevalence of MLP merchandise might confuse the issue. I'd appreciate any information, though. )

There was a Kung Fu Panda cartoon (from last year, still running) that went the same route as FiM, and The Penguins of Madagascar (from four years ago, still running) had 22 "whole" episodes per season. There's no huge "trend" in cartoon lengths, nor in talking down to children.

You shouldn't talk so much like a millenarian or an old coot. Your frame of reference goes back around ten years. It's just silly.

Not the seasons. The length of the episodes.

Cartoon Network, Nick, all of them are making slightly shorter and shorter episodes. Kids are on the computer or on their phones when they get home, not watching TV as much.

EDIT: Sorry for not making that clear. Didn't mean to do that.

You mean eleven-minute episodes? Because those have also been around forever (e.g., Spongebob Squarepants at 11 to 12, KND at 11 to 12, Looney Tunes at 6 to 10, Phineas and Ferb--one of the more clever shows, and extremely popular with adults even--at 11 to 12; all sketch comedy is based on very short skits rather than long "episodes").

Plus, that's not what's happening with MLP.

Thirteen is better than zero.

It's also worse than 26.

@BioGio i know that that average season length has been around since forever, a lot of shows I love come in 13-episode seasons. MLPFiM isn't one of those.

@dotcom: Honestly, I've expected this for a long time, since it puts FiM at 65 episodes, perfect for syndication. Most shows go about getting to 65 through 5 13-episode seasons, but plenty chose to go FiM's route. It's too bad, but it makes sense. I, like everyone else in the comments here, wish we could get more high-quality FiM.

(Besides, I wasn't posting to you either way; that was directed at the inaccurate "cartoons are getting shorter nowadays" comment. You even said that it was standard! )

Ah. Okay. I was assuming that was directed at people in general.

65 is a considerably longer amount of episodes than most most cartoons get, but still, getting 78 episodes in three seasons would've been cool.

Let's see....this does seem like a chance for...

A FULL LENGTH FEATURE FILM!!!!!!!

But seriously, maybe there is a plan, these clips be hour long, a movie, a video game who knows! 13 is better than nothing.

Not sure what I want more, video game or movie.

Video game wouldn't be so cool because MLP doesn't actually revolve around a market of grown men.

Movie would be cool. I'd expect that to have the same quality as the show.

Also I'm cool with only 13 episodes so long as they take advantage of the shortened amount of time. Not too hard for a series like MLP, and since they've alluded to season 3 having a stronger plot, this might actually work better in a shorter season.

Video game wouldn't be so cool because MLP doesn't actually revolve around a market of grown men.

But but but but but but but but but but but

My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party on DS was fun. :<

Seriously, we need a video game.

But I'm fine with just the 13,