@Conred  
Felix and Oscar were straight. In the end of the original TV show Felix’s ex wife took him back.

@Background Pony #A2B0  
Because he makes very clever references.

@Background Pony #A2B0  
Because he’s a bastard? I have no idea.

@Background Pony #A2B0  
Because Batman and the guy from Fringe.

They actually have a tag marked, “Andy, you magnificent bastard.”? Why?

@Background Pony #74F4  
they would do it if they want it. But there is no really a reason to od it. The series is a comedy with adventures. Even cartoons such as Avatar TLA and Korra did very little romance and main couple resolved in the last episode. I would imagine that this series with possibly a lot of future seasons will only use romance in a one shot episode like they did with Simple Ways and H&H day episode.
 
I can only imagine one scenario in which they would feature romance for entire season. The last season where Hasbro wants to move the story into new generation with mane6 children. Meghan then should probably set up their boyfriends early in that season or use already established friends. However i still have no idea how would they use a homosexual romance other than make an episode about tolerance. Maybe in season 10….

@Background Pony #1905  
If the majority of the primary market wants romance, and the majority of the secondary market wants romance, and the toy maker in charge wants romance, how long until the show has romance?

@Beau Skunky  
Well according to EQD polls, majority of the fandom would be okay with shipping in the show with only 15% being against it

@Background Pony #683E  
Yes, let’s just move on.

@Beau Skunky  
Well most kids aren’t into the background characters even if some are, but then I’m an adult fan and not really into them so generalizations don’t always mean much. But anyway sorry too then for posts that easily come across as argumentative, and let’s just move on.

@Background Pony #683E  
I never implied you said it, that’s not what I meant with the quotations. But I will apologize for that, and if I seemed accusational. Though, you just came off as accusational to me, when you were going off on how “I always say the same thing ad naseum,” and accusing me of bringing it up, when I wasn’t the first to mention that.
 
Also, I’m sorry, I was just saying the kids liked them to, (sorry about that) but you just made it sound like kids weren’t into the background characters, and such at all. You just didn’t word it well, no big deal.
 
Calm down, I wasn’t trying to accuse you of being the anti-christ, or anything. Yeesh.

@Beau Skunky  
Did I say “nuisance”? No so please don’t emphasize it in quotations marks as if you’re putting words in my mouth. And the reason I said something about it is because I thought you’d replied to me with the shipping comment (I see now it was the other BP) so I responded to you. I also didn’t say you shouldn’t be allowed to say it, but that I can’t understand why you’d bring up mane 6 shipping in a conversation where no one was really discussing it (and I still don’t see why but whatever).
 
I also never said that only adults knew or cared about the popular background characters like Derpy (I personally know a kid who does too) I said adult fans are the reason they’re being so prominently featured in merchandise that is clearly targeted to adults now (as you said, Hot Topic and stuff like that), the whole entire point being that Hasbro is very well aware of us now and has started to seriously take our interests in the show and characters into consideration. Nowhere did I say that kids interest in the show is no longer relevant, the opposite in fact if you pay attention to the second paragraph of my comment so again, please stop making negative assumptions about what I’m emphasizing.

@Background Pony #683E  
Just my opinion is all, and I’m just curious if any other fans feel the same way. So sorry if I have a tendency to repeat myself. Also, technically Conred brought up “shipping” first in this thread before I, or anyone else brought it up.  
So nice try.
 
If people can say the same crap over, and over again like “Now fart,” or certain jokes/memes on pics, I don’t see how my opinions are that “annoying” really. You could always just NOT read my posts, if I’m that much of “nuisance” to you.
 
Also, believe it, or not, but those background characters are quite popular with kids to. Even Katie Cook said she sees kids at Comic Conventions that wear “Derpy” or “Dr. Hooves” T-shirts. (And some li’l girls do like villains to.)  
I even saw one in a video during a Q&A session with the show’s voice cast who quoted a fan-parody during a question for them. (Which struck me as quite hilarious.)
 
Give the kids some credit. They are “fans” to.

@Background Pony #1905  
Yes, “Hasbro” is aware of shipping. They’re aware of the adult fanbase and what is popular with us, which is the entire reason characters like Derpy, Vinyl Scratch, Doctor Whooves and so on have started featuring so prominently in more merchandise, most of that of which is geared towards adults (Funko collectibles, the comic books, adult clothing etc etc). The target demographic of little girls doesn’t know/wouldn’t care about things like this yet there they are, because (it took them a while but yeah) they’ve realized we’re a very viable market just waiting to be tapped and now that they know that you can bet they’re eager to keep us as customers and appeal to us. That’s why Hasbro is licensing merchandise with companies like WeLoveFine (that sells shirts and things designed by fandom artists) and broke new ground when they started partnering with modeling fan artists to sell expensive collectible 3D prints and things that aren’t aimed at kids at all, why they’ve already showed signs of taking us into consideration with production of the new movie (the writer polling the fanbase via Equestria Daily to share some of the things we’d like to see in it) and why the comics are doing things like the villains series “Fiendship is Magic”, again something which I can pretty much guarantee little girls have no interest in. They’re well aware of us, they want our money and as a result you can bet they pay good attention to what we all like and care about. Which does include character “shipping”, because it is hugely widespread and extremely popular.
 
I’m not saying that means they’d allow or ever push (homosexual and other) shipping to appeal to us, because I’m pretty positive they’d consider that a conflict of interest in appealing to the original target demographic (and their parents who also buy merch). But again, I do think they wouldn’t be so quick to shut down the possibility of homosexual ships if it ever came up somehow in the show because they know that would alienate a ton of us, if it ever even came up which again, it has no reason to ever do and I can pretty much guarantee wouldn’t happen.
 
@Beau Skunky  
I’ve seen you say pretty much the exact same thing before, ad nauseam honestly. I don’t really see why it’s relevant here, nobody’s talking about whether or not mane six ships should be allowed or not (I definitely didn’t say anything about that) so I can’t really understand why you’re bringing it up.

@Background Pony #1905  
They already did the whole “royal pony wedding” promotion, and such. Don’t see why they’d need to do it again.
 
@Background Pony #1905  
Well, Hasbro has allowed a few fandom nods to make it in the show, (though this is more the work of the DHX staff, some are a li’l familiar with the fandom) and allowed some merch’ of the show to exist for older fans in places like Hot Topic, WeLoveFine, and such.
 
Regardless, I do agree, we aren’t the “target audience,” I’m fine with that, and nothing is going to change that soon.  
I remember one odd fan was trying to say only older fans/bronies watch the show, (a delusion some older fans have) and said hardly any kids do.  
I gladly pointed out to him, my niece like the show. (Even her little brother kinda likes it, and thinks Rainbow Dash is a boy. lol) She even knows alot about it, and the characters. (Her favorite ponies are Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Cadance.)  
So yes, little kids love the show, believe it, or not.

@Beau Skunky  
also i just wanted to point out that i don’t care about shipping but it is wrong to assume that Hasbro cater to us bronies who are like maybe a 1% of entire target demographic. We have abolutely no influence on shipping or lack of it in tv show and comics. Every new writer like Josh Haber may write a pony in love episode and no one would bat an eye. And let’s not forget that it was Meghan the head writer and show runner who wrote episode about Valentine Day, Wedding episode and pony having a crush on human

@Beau Skunky  
i think they will be more ponies having a crush in later seasons and at one poine Twilight getting married may be the status quo breaking event like the wings or castle or appearance of Cadance

@Background Pony #1905  
To be honest, I know I’ll take heat for this, but I’d rather most fan-‘shippings don’t become canon anyways. I believe they’re going to keep most of the main characters asexual/single out of the wishes of Lauren Faust, who didn’t want them to have boyfriends (or girlfriends) anyways.  
Also honestly, I’m one of the fans who honestly prefers the “Mane 6” to be “just close platonic friends” with each other. ‘Shipping the “Mane 6” with each other honestly never appealed to me. (This is just my opinion, I’m not saying nobody else is allowed to do it. I’m just saying I’d rather it stay in fanon.)
 
I also doubt “FlashLight” will become canon either, and it won’t develop any more then a mere crush between the two. (Heck, other cartoons like Doug & Patty never got together, or anything either.)
 
Despite how insanely popular “fan-shipping” is, “romance” is not a huge priority for the show, and I’d rather it stay that way.  
I did think the “Hearts & Hooves Day” episode did a good job poking fun at ‘shipping, even if it wasn’t intentional. (Seeing how it was a Season 2 episode.)
 
Still, we’re getting kinda off-topic discussing ’shipping, sexual-orientations, and what-not.

@Background Pony #683E  
Hasbro is not aware of the shipping. Especially homosexual shipping. Maybe Meghan is aware of the most popular but not the Hasbro themselves. They would never allow for Flash Sentry shipping if they cared. They do not work like japanese industry catering to anime fans. They only cater to little girls. The shipping is absent because they have no idea or reason to ship them romantically when they don’t finish the series. They will at one point going to get a boyfriend in later seasons or in Equestira Girls.

@Aharon L’anglais  
No, they’re only “clearly straight” if someone of the same gender makes advances on them and they protest, saying they don’t swing that way. Which is never going to happen because they’re obviously not going to show something like that in FIM. At most going by canon they’re not exclusively homosexual but they could still be bi, which is something that exists you know.
 
Not that that really matters either because this isn’t the kind of show that’s going to clearly define their sexualities or has any reason to. Hasbro’s unlikely to to even strongly tease a non-hetero pairing with any regular characters (but after things like Korrasami it’s not as impossible as it used to be), but they’re also unlikely to blatantly shut down the possibility because they know how hugely popular shipping is and they’re unwilling to do anything to alienate or upset the adult fanbase at this point.

@Aharon L’anglais
 
if we count comics then also Fluttershy was attracted to Sombra while Discord may have been in relationship with a female cat.

@DAPLR  
But Rarity, Spike and Twilight are the only members of the mane cast whose sexual orientations have been shown and they are all clearly straight.

@Aharon L’anglais  
Cue the trumpets…
 
BAH BA NA NA_NAAAHH

On November 15th Rarity was asked to remove herself from her place of residence. That request came from Spike. Deep down she knew he was right, but she also new that one day she would return to him. With no place else to go she appeared at the home of her friend Applejack. Sometime earlier Applejack’s husband threw her out, requesting that she never return. Can two divorced mares share a home without driving each other crazy?

@Conred  
Because of this picture?  
It’s not like The Odd Couple originally was a gay couple, you know!