Carly Kroll's My Little Ponies Will Make You a Kid Again

There are just some classic cartoons that will never, ever seem dated, or, when they do, they'll get rebooted and refreshed, and a whole new generation will be exposed to their wonder. Care Bears, Alvin and the Chipmunks, JEM, He-Man... There are some tales that are just so a part of the Western imagination, they'll live on forever, in our hearts, on our clothing, and on our bodies.

When My Little Ponies was rebooted and remade into My Little Ponies Friendship Is Magic, fans old and new crawled out of the woodwork to celebrate. It gave rise to, or perhaps simply revealed, the culture of Bronies (boys who like My Little Ponies), and renewed a franchise that had origins in a market that rested its laurels primarily on tons, and tons, and tons of cute, sparkly pony toys.

Tattooist Carly Kroll specializes in all things cute. Inspired by cartoons and anime, Kroll's work is adorable, deeply embedded in nerd culture, and bright as can be. Her Ponies range from classic to new to her own unique spin.

Medley, My Little Pony from the 1986 Classic Series, by Carly Kroll


Cupcake, My Little Pony from the 1986 Classic Series, by Carly Kroll


My Little Ponies Friendship Is Magic Pony, by Carly Kroll

We've said it before and we'll say it again: being able to capture the nature of someone else's line and color work is a talent all on its own. The ability to capture the likeness of a well-regarded, popular character is really difficult — it will be abundantly obvious if you misstep. Kroll's ponies are utterly perfect. It's like someone took an animation cell from the show, and plopped it onto her client's skin.

Pony in a snow globe, by Carly Kroll


My Little Pony from the 1986 Classic Series, by Carly Kroll


Zombie My Little Pony, by Carly Kroll

Get more of Carly Kroll's adorable work over at her Instagram @carlykroll. Shoot her an email to learn how to get tattooed by her, at carlykroll@outlook.com