7 yr old Boy who likes My Little Pony and is embarrassed about it

Hi guys, first post here, looking for some advice.I have a 7yr old boy who really likes My Little Pony. This in itself isn’t a problem, I’ve taught him he can enjoy anything he likes and he shouldn’t be embarrassed. He wanted to wear his Rainbow Dash hat to school last year and I let him do it, but he got some negative comments from other kids about it being “for girls” and he stopped watching the show and playing with his Pony toys. I felt sad for him but being a kid he bounced back no problem.Anyway a week or two ago he found his old Pony toys that I’d put away and started playing with them again, but now he is acutely aware that he will be teased for liking Pony stuff and is very embarrassed about it. He constantly checks with me if it’s ok to play with “girls toys” and I tell him that My Little Pony is for anyone to enjoy. But if he goes on FaceTime with my parents he makes sure to hide all his Pony stuff first in case it’s seen in the background. He even made me delete a photo on my phone where there was a Pony in the background. He went for a walk with his Mum today and took a Pony toy with him, and apparently freaked out when he saw a friend from school out and about and wanted to take a detour to avoid being seen with his Pony.I don’t want him to get bullied for liking My Little Pony but I won’t tell him he can’t play with his toys/watch the show either. How can I boost his confidence and show him it’s ok to like what he likes? Or is it better to gently encourage him to play with more “boy” stuff instead? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2xPGvFm