Having been reminded unceremoniously of its existence by a domain name renewal invoice, I’ve decided this poor old blog has lain dormant LONG ENOUGH. It’s time to get back in the blogging saddle.

Of course I’m still blogging rather more regularly for the excellent Bad Reputation but for my not obviously feminist interests it’s time to revive Applejackson.

On the subject of which: My Little Pony is back! Whoah. And for once my diamond hard 80s cartoon nostalgia has melted away: the new version is roughly a billionty times better than the original. For anyone who hasn’t seen it (really, what have you been doing?) It’s very much in the Powerpuff Girls mode – bright, fast, squeaky, witty – which is no surprise as they were both created by the same person, Lauren Faust.

Applejack was always my favourite because she was the tomboy pony (tompony?) But now my world has been spun on its axis because in the series reshod there are TWO TOMPONYS! Applejack and the rather brilliant Rainbow Dash. AND there’s a bookworm pony in the form of academic Twilight Sparkle. Friends of mine have produced excellent blog posts about the feminism of MLP, and the way it reflects the experiences of current twentysomethings.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (to give it its full title) has also pleasingly plundered a compendium of mythical beasts for its adversaries – in the second episode the pony friends fight a manticore! And later some giant ghostly star bears: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Although to be fair the original had some good baddies too. In one the ponies got turned into spiny dragon-creatures, that was quite disturbing. And anyone else remember Katrina the magic junkie witchcat and her shape-shifting lizard lover? They tried to turn all the ponies into slaves when their existing slaves (kind of a hybrid between tribbles and the M&M advert characters) escaped. Katrina appears about at about 2.30 in this clip:

Watching it again it’s all a terrible indictment of female ambition and aggression as Katrina is rewarded with the love of her lizard and social acceptance by the ponies when she gives up her power and becomes gentle and demure.

Another thing I appreciate about the new version is that it explores the implications of the presence of Spike the baby dragon. I can’t remember his exact role in 80s Pony lore, he was just sort of hanging around, but I always found it troubling. What about when he grows up? Are there other dragons around? Do they eat the ponies? In the new version he’s the friend/pet/slave of academic pony Twilight Sparkle, and there’s a whole episode dedicated to answering these urgent questions.

Of course there are new questions in their place: do the earth ponies ever get resentful at the unicorn ruling elite? Is Equestria a feudal state? Why are there so few male ponies? Why does the pony princess Celestia travel in a chariot *drawn by ponies*? Are they slaves? Do they have language too? And the one that bothers me most of all: why would a farm in Ponyville have pigs on it? I can’t stop imagining a My Little Pony Abattoir play set.

But I love it anyway, and although the sharing and fluffiness occasionally gets a bit revolting, I approve of its central message, because, well, friendship is magic. The 80s My Little Pony message was basically just “buy me!” so this is a significant improvement.

We visited one of those fantastic ‘attractions’ which consist of two or three entirely disparate items, plus a shop and a cafe. These places have a special place in my heart as they were everywhere in Cornwall when I was growing up and the king of the all is Flambards Theme Park near Helston, which has the following delights available in one place:

• Replica Victorian Village (in fairness, this is awesome)
• ‘Britain in the Blitz’ Experience
• Exploratorium Science Dome
• Aerodrome – plane and helicopter museum
• 3D Cinema
• Garden centre
• The Hornet rollercoaster and other rides
• Gus Honeybun exhibition (you will only know who he is if you were a child in Cornwall in the 80s)

There’s probably more stuff now, who knows. It’s also the only place I have ever seen to open a Santa’s Grotto in August.

Waiting for a train in the rabbit village

Anyway, we found a smaller specimen of this type in Llanbrynmair, Powys, in the form of Machinations which has a small collection of automata, a playbarn and a rabbit village. Yes, that’s tiny stone houses (and one castle!) with rabbits frolicking among them like giant disinterested furry Godzillas. It is utterly wonderful.

However, I dragged my companion all the way to Llanbrynmair from our base at Dolgellau *almost* as much for the automata as for the rabbits. Regular readers will know I am in love with the uncanny and have a thing for robots of all kinds. The kind of automata on display at Machinations were mostly contemporary rather than historical, and artistic and whimsical rather than rotted and creepy, which is my preferred type, but that’s where the interest comes from. Here’s a short video of some of the collection in action, with some fabulously grating creative commons piano roll music:

A Selection of Automata from Machinations Museum, Wales from Sarah Jackson on Vimeo.

There were a few examples from UK artists I was already familiar with, namely Paul Spooner and Keith Newstead of the smashing Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (which originated in Cornwall), but also some who were completely new to me and were very finely made. The silly music in the video doesn’t really suit the intelligence and wit that characterise these contraptions.

Some of them are gently uncanny, particularly the series of people absorbed in their work, I think – in the video there are clips of a potter at his wheel and a woman rolling out some dough. What I like best about these (apart from the carving and the detail in the clothes and settings) was the absolute absence of any sense of performance. The way that the figures are quietly getting on with their daily tasks and seem to be unaware of their audience creates a feeling of a private or intimate space and hints at the internal life of the figure. What is going through their mind as they perform these repetitive motions? The uncertainty of the presence of that internal life is at the heart of the uncanny.

Naturally I forgot to note down the name of the person who made them and now I can’t find it anywhere. If these are your creations, please claim them!

If you’d like to know more about automata here’s a brief history, and for the more robotty end I would recommend Gaby Wood’s book Living Dolls, which looks at the cultural and historical context of (mostly human-like) automata and takes in drawing room curiosities to scientific endeavours to create mechanical life. Spooky stuff.

Anyway. It all started when I watched a cute documentary on 4oD about the people who build and buy doll’s houses. They are all – you may not be surprised to hear – gently eccentric. It’s lovely, anyway: ‘Hello Dollies’

Which reminded me of three things, as well as delivering a crushing desire to get myself a proper doll’s house rather than the fugly beige plastic 70s disaster I actually had as a child.

1. Phoebe’s excellent DIY doll’s house in Friends, which beats Monica’s posh one hands down. Here’s the clip, with Spanish subtitles for your amusement and education.
2. The wonderful and rather godlike fact that you can buy small bags of trees and shrubs from any good hobby shop. Why don’t I have them all over my flat?
3. A website of modded, one-of-a-kind fantasy / celebrity Barbies which are Quite Something to look at. Here’s my favourite – vampire pirate Barbie.

That is all from me on dolls for now. Over and out.