My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is produced by Hasbro Studios in Burbank, California and DHX Media in Vancouver, British Columbia.
They're not canon if that's what you mean. In most cases such fan-made videos violate copyright law as they make use of trademarked characters and brands.
A huge number do, actually. The show's fanbase is made up of both boys and girls.
As of November 19, 2013 no mention has been made as to whether Princess Skyla will make any appearance.
Never. This character was just made up from Hasbro like many of the other ponies they've designed for dolls only.
Princess Cadance will apear in Episode 10 "Three's a Crowd" on January 25. No mention has been made of Shining Armor.
You enjoy MY Little Pony Friendship is Magic because the characters are well made. The animations are awesome. The soundtrack sounds great. The community behind it are friendly and welcoming. And it is perhaps one of the coolest cartoons you have ever seen. Perhaps, even 20% cooler than most cartoons you have ever seen.
No mention of Shinging Armor has been made as of January 22, 2014. However, the January 25 episode will include Princess Cadance, which suggests the possibility that Shyining Armor will make an appearance.
There is no known backstory for Queen Chrysalis as of yet, and it has not been confirmed if she was or wasn't Princess Papillon. Princess Papillion appears to have been a fan-made version of Chrysalis and so is not a cannon character. It is unlikely that Chrysalis has any connection with the Rainbow Kingdom.
The first my little pony wasn't a my little pony at all, but a prototype called My Pretty Pony. It was a brown pony with a white stripe going down it's nose and on the front of each of it's legs, and a blonde mane and tail. It came with a couple accessories, which were a cowboy hat, a brush & comb, a ribbon, and a saddle blanket/coat. She was sold in 1981. There was a second version, which was called My Little Pony & Beautiful Baby, and included an actual My Little Pony, that looked very much like Butterscotch.
The My Little Pony design was created in 1982 and marketed in 1983.
It has believable characters with personality and flaws, references to things younger children wouldn't understand, and overall has a good storyline and animation, especially compared to the previous generations. Also, fluttershy.
The original line of My Little Pony began with the Earth Ponies in 1982. The Earth Ponies were later followed by Pegasus Ponies, Unicorn Ponies, Flutter Ponies and Sea Ponies. Flutter Ponies were smaller and thinner than Pegasus Ponies, and had fluttering wings. Windy Wing and the Summer Wing Ponies were smaller than the Flutter Ponies and were proportioned in a similar way, with larger, butterfly-like wings. The Sea Ponies resembled seahorses, and were produced as both adults and babies. There were also male ponies called 'Big Brother Ponies', which had slightly larger bodies and feathered hooves resembling those of Clydesdale horses.