I've said this elsewhere, I think it's a serendipitous case of half good show half popular new meme material. The fact that Lauren Faust, the creator of the show actually interacted with 4Chan (which led others from the show to do the same) which is practically unheard of and a first in Television, helped it's popularity. I think the fact that it was My Little Pony, the epitome of girly girlishness, being so surprisingly good and enjoyable sparked more and more people to defend it.

The general consensus I've seen is the non-cynical innocence that's completely missing in today's TV shows. The reason there's so many older fans like me, is that it can be surprisingly therapeutic and refreshing at the end of a hectic day. I've seen stories from bronies who were on hard times, in therapy, depressed, suicidal who were greatly inspired by the show. Eurobeat Brony, who made some AWESOME remixes based off the show was one such person. Speaking of which, MLP has sparked one of the most creative fandoms I've EVER seen ESPECIALLY in such a short while.

Me? Well I'm not suicidal, but I sure haven't been so chipper in a long while. The characters are just so likable, it's beautifully animated, it's got great voice acting and well, the best fanbase I've ever come across.

Anyway, if you watch the show Lavos, I'd only say that the two part pilot isn't really indicative of the show as a whole. It's a rushed Sailor Moon-esque plot that was stripped down because of last minute circumstances and changes. Keep that in mind. It really starts picking up with the third episode and gets better and better after that. Hell, you're really not missing a lot by starting with the third episode (uness you HAVE to see the characters properly introduced)