Hasbro has made a back-to-school video for My Little Pony, and if you're a parent, it's a real tearjerker.

To underline the brand's tagline, "Friendship is Magic," it invited parents of kids at a New York elementary school to a meeting to hear about how their child was doing -- only the teacher wasn't in the room when they walked in. Instead, their child's best friend sat there ready to talk to them about their kid. Parents were moved to tears hearing about their children's friendships and the qualities that their friends admired.

The campaign, by Grey New York, follows the "social experiment" style of advertising so beloved of brands at the moment, and although some of the kids do sound a little rehearsed, some are adorably sincere, and the parents' reactions are genuinely moving. There's also additional cuteness at the end when the best friends themselves walk into the room. And surprisingly, there isn't a pony toy in sight throughout. Floyd Russ of Tool directed the video.

Grey New York deputy chief creative officer Rob Lenois says in a statement: "We wanted to show parents a side of their child they have never seen before. Through the eyes of their best friend. We hope this social experiment will remind parents around the world how impactful friendship is in their child's life. Now and into the future".