THE SCHOOL OF FRIENDSHIP IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!

SEASON EIGHT OF "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC" PREMIERES SATURDAY, MARCH 24 ON DISCOVERY FAMILY

- Season Eight of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" Picks Up Following the Events of "My Little Pony: The Movie" with New Characters and Songs Throughout 26 Magical Episodes Beginning Saturday, March 24 at 11:30a/10:30c -

(Miami, FL) - Calling everypony (and creature) in Equestria -- Twilight Sparkle's School of Friendship is in session! On Saturday, March 24 at 11:30a/10:30c, Discovery Family premieres the eighth season of MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC with 26 half-hour episodes complete with seven original songs, new characters and tons of friendship! New episodes of the Hasbro Studios' produced animated series will also stream live and on demand on Discovery Family GO, the network's TV Everywhere app.

Following the events of "My Little Pony: The Movie," in the back-to-back season premiere episodes titled "School Daze Part 1" and "School Daze Part 2," the Mane 6 discovers that the Friendship Map has expanded to show the world outside Equestria. Through two exciting original songs, Twilight Sparkle learns that friendship needs to spread beyond the limits of the kingdom and decides to open her very own School of Friendship. But things come to a head when the new non-pony students ditch class on Friends and Family day, putting the entire school in jeopardy!

This season, viewers will witness major milestones featuring the introduction of Starlight Glimmer's parents and Princess Celestia's big acting debut. Additionally, the Mane 6's Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are accompanied by six new creatures including Ocellus the Changeling, Silverstream the Hippogriff/Seapony, Smolder the Dragon, Gallus the Griffin, Yona the Yak and Sandbar the Pony, joining them on epic adventures throughout new and familiar lands such as Mount Aris, Everfree Forest, Las Pegasus and more. Fan-favorite characters Maud Pie, Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Queen Chrysalis and Discord return with exciting storylines and a whole lot of magic!

Leading up to the season eight premiere, Discovery Family celebrates all things pony by binging the most magical episodes from the past seven seasons during the PONY PALOOZA takeover beginning bright and early at 6a/5c on Saturday, March 17 and running all week long during the day up to the season premiere on Saturday, March 24 at 11:30a/10:30c. Revisit legendary moments throughout the series including the royal wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, the crowning of Twilight Sparkle as a princess, the birth and "Crystalling" of Baby Flurry Heart, the origin of the Mane 6 cutie marks and classic guest appearances from "Weird Al" Yankovic as Cheese Sandwich, Patton Oswalt as Daring Do super fan Quibble Pants and William Shatner as Grand Pear.

Launched in 2010, MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC follows the magical Princess Twilight Sparkle and her trusted assistant Spike, who live in Ponyville in the enchanted land of Equestria, along with her colorful pony friends - honest Applejack, generous Rarity, kind Fluttershy, loyal Rainbow Dash and fun-loving Pinkie Pie. Together, they teach one another valuable lessons about the most powerful magic of all - the magic of friendship.

MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC is produced by Hasbro Studios for Discovery Family. Stephen Davis is the executive producer for Hasbro Studios. To learn more, go to www.discoveryfamilychannel.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DiscFamily and on Twitter @DiscoveryFamily.

About Discovery Family

The leading television destination for families in the United States, Discovery Family is available in more than 57 million U.S. homes and is a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro. Discovery Family is programmed with an inspirational mix of family-friendly series and movies and Hasbro Studios' popular animation franchises, including MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC, LITTLEST PET SHOP and the Emmy-winning TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS. Families can enjoy their favorite shows anytime, anywhere through Discovery Family GO - the network's first TV Everywhere app offering live and on demand access to your favorite Discovery Family series and specials. For 2018-to-date, Discovery Family ranks as the #1 most co-viewed kid's network among Kids 2-11 watching with an Adult 18-49 in Total Day and Prime.

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands, including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, LITTLEST PET SHOP and MAGIC: THE GATHERING, as well as premier partner brands. The Company's Hasbro Studios and its film label, Allspark Pictures, are building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. Through its commitment to corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to make the world a better place for children and their families. Hasbro ranked No. 1 on the 2017 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by CR Magazine, and has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies(R) by Ethisphere Institute for the past six years. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).