My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Analysis/Background Ponies: Difference between revisions

{{quote| '''Note:''' If you're looking for the toy analysis, it's been moved [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Analysis|here]] so that it can cover more than just the background ponies.}}

In "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E11 Winter Wrap Up|Winter Wrap Up]]", [[All There in Thethe Script|Rainbowshine]]/[[Fan Nickname|Rainbow Day]] tells Rainbow Dash that a pony named Ditzy Doo went "north to get the ''southern'' birds". Ditzy was never on-screen during this moment. While there's [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|speculation]] on who the real Ditzy Doo is, [[Lauren Faust]] stated that they might use Derpy's design if they ever need to show Ditzy, and since then a lot of fans have adopted this as her "real" name. One [http://kreoss.deviantart.com/journal/37142876/ animator] says she was called "Ditzy", "Stoneface", and "Bubbles" in-studio before the brony phenomenon kicked off, though more recently the official storyboard sketches and "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E14 The Last Roundup|The Last Roundup]]" call her "Derpy".

She's almost always depicted as either a mailpony or delivery pony, based on her scene in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E15 Feeling Pinkie Keen|Feeling Pinkie Keen]]" where she's shown sheepishly smiling to an apparent supervisor (directly above a pile of smashed debris and smashed Twilight). In all cases she's shown as devoted. Her competence ranges from "[[The Fool|unable to fly in a straight line]]" to "[[Achievements in Ignorance|capable of the impossible]]".

This fan interpretation started in one of season 1's episodes entitled "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E12 Call of the Cutie|Call of the Cutie]]". There was a party held at Sugarcube Corner for Diamond Tiara and other fillies called Cute-ceañera: a coming of age celebration for young fillies who just earned their cutie marks.<ref>which is a pony version of a real occasion called "[[wikipedia:Quincinera|Quinceañera]]"</ref> In one scene, Apple Bloom attempted to escape the party by using a table with a punch bowl and a bunch of cups on top of it as cover. One of the adult guests noticed the punch bowl so she had no choice but to stop moving or be discovered. The pony looked around to see if anyone is looking and then proceeds to drink ''directly'' from the punch bowl instead of using one of the cups (how an earth pony could hold and use a cup or even use the ladle to scoop a punch into the cup is unknown at this point).

It's not clear how now fans jumped to the conclusion that this rather generic looking pony is [[Doctor Who|The Doctor]] but he first appeared with his cutie mark in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E11 Winter Wrap Up|Winter Wrap Up]]".<ref>he previously appeared as early the end of "Mare In The Moon", but his cutie mark wasn't visible</ref> Fans noticed he had spiky hair, a brown coat and his hourglass cutie mark meant whatever he does is time related. Who else has spiky hair, wears a brown coat and is time related? [[David Tennant]]. For whatever reason it just clicked with fans and crossover fanworks featuring him starting sprouting up everywhere.

In a storyboard released by Sibsy but later taken down that showed his scene in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E12 Call of the Cutie|Call of the Cutie]]", his lines were simply credited as "Pony." This is probably the same for any background pony with a speaking part.

More of a [[Running Gag]], but the "Lyra wants to be human" deal comes from her [[Funny Background Event]] in "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E7 Dragon Shy|Dragonshy]]", where she's seen in the background sitting (or slouching to be precise) on a bench like a human being in contrast to another pony beside her who is sitting like a normal pony would. Later in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E13 Fall Weather Friends|Fall Weather Friends]]" she's seen holding a drinking cup with her hoof when she could've easily just used her unicorn magic to hold it instead.

Most fans depict her with a [[The Rock Star|"rock star" personality]]: energetic, a bit eccentric, and likes to party all night and have fun especially at nightclubs along with other archetypal traits and personality of a DJ and/or a party goer. She's also portrayed as a "cool" character: Very outgoing, confident, likes to look cool and impress other ponies most often using her talent as a DJ and loves the attention of her fans. She has also been portrayed to like other genres of music besides her love for [[Electronic Music]] such as various forms of rock music like [[Punk Rock (Music)|Punk Rock]] and [[Heavy Metal (Music)|Heavy Metal]]. Besides her iconic turntable, she has been portrayed playing an [http://fav.me/d4g85dw electric guitar] and an [http://fav.me/d4fbash electronic piano]. When not in a club being a DJ, she is often depicted to bring along an mp3 player like an iPod with her which she listens to using [http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/list/vinyl_scratch%20headphones/1 large headphones]<ref>which is a generic accessory for a DJ character</ref> more often than earbuds.

After "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E26 The Best Night Ever|The Best Night Ever]]" aired, fans were quick to note that Octavia looked similar to [[Fan Nickname|Inkie]], one of Pinkie's sisters seen her flashback in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles|Cutie Mark Chronicles]]". Octavia's initial reaction to Pinkie appearing on stage was also noticeably different - her band mates were surprised, but Octavia just rolled her eyes, as if this has happened to her before. Despite the colors not matching exactly (even the eye colors are different shades of pink), the idea of Pinkie having an [[Elegant Classical Musician]] for a [[Sibling Yin-Yang|sister]] was too much to pass up.

This was her [[Fan Nickname]] before the show revealed Mrs. Cake's complete name is also Carrot Cake. Evidence and traces of its existence can be seen in earlier fan works like the famous [[Carrot Cake Storybook (Webcomic)|comic story]] that spawned the "I emptied your fridge" gag.

** This concept was popularized by the popular the comic series ''[[Carrot Cake Storybook (Webcomic)|"Carrot Cake Storybook"]]'' and the fan song ''[http://youtu.be/2z5eizH0u1I "Beyond Her Garden"]'' which was dedicated to her and has received many remixes.

* [[Unlikely Heroine]] / [[Weirdness Magnet]]: Carrot Top is sometimes put in weird and unusual situations in fan stories. For instance her first encounter with Derpy Hooves in the famous ''[[Carrot Cake Storybook (Webcomic)|"Carrot Cake Storybook"]]'' where she had an entire mini adventure just to deliver an injured Derpy's package and in ''[http://fav.me/d4ej3qp "The Mane Attraction"]'' comic series where she decided to not have a hair cut which proves to have unforeseen consequences as every pony around her fell madly in love with her new mane-do.

** Whoever coined and popularized "Sir Colton Vines III" for Daisy's male companion [[All There in Thethe Script|Goldengrape]] deserves a brohoof.

* [[Third Person Person|Third Person Pony]]: Before "A Canterlot Wedding" gave [[All There in Thethe Script|Twinkleshine]] more non-third-person speaking lines, some fans theorised that she was Moondancer herself. Naturally there's a fancomic of her meeting Trixie.

There is a popular fanon within the community revolving around Carrot Top and Derpy Hooves being [[Heterosexual Life Partner]] and roommates. Their friendship was popularized by [[Carrot Cake Storybook (Webcomic)|a series of story sketches]] by [http://elosande.deviantart.com/ Elosande]<ref>Elosande is also known for drawing Derpy and Carrot Top comic sketches which have also solidified the "I emptied your fridge" [[Running Gag]] meme and the notion that they live in the same house.</ref> which has also spawned the "I emptied your fridge" meme back in January of 2011. Carrot Top is usually portrayed as [[The Straight Man|the straight mare]] to Derpy's [[The Ditz|goofiness]]. As noted on the main page, they were spotted standing next to each other in some crowd scenes in Season 1. The "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E4 Luna Eclipsed|Luna Eclipsed]]" scene where Derpy accidentally drains an apple bobbing tub while Carrot looks on annoyingly at her action seems to be a [[Fandom Nod]] by the animators to this friendship.

Many fans have taking a liking to Derpy being the mother of a background filly named Dinky. The whole thing came from speculation around the time "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E12 Call of the Cutie|Call of the Cutie]]" aired. At the time, it wasn't known that Sweetie Belle was Rarity's sister, and fans speculated that all the adult ponies at Diamond Tiara's party were either the parents or older siblings of the fillies there, with the obvious exception of Pinkie & Twilight. Derpy was at the party and Dinky was noted to having similar hair. A fanfic involving the two later popularized the idea, resulting in a ton of adorable fanworks. Up until "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E5 Sisterhooves Social|Sisterhooves Social]]", they had never been seen on screen at the same time, and even then they're not standing near each other.

Who Dinky's father is is up in the air and most fans have their own interpretation. The most popular male pony to be shipped with Derpy was another background pony known as Doctor Whooves. Due to the pairing's popularity and the fact that both their last names sound the same when pronounced<ref>That is, if you [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"|actually call him "Whooves"]]</ref> has spawned the notion that he may be in fact be Dinky's father albeit an adoptive one, seeing as Doctor Whooves is an earth pony. However, with the episode "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E12 Baby Cakes|Baby Cakes]]" showcasing that ponies can have children outside their race (albeit rarely), him fathering a unicorn daughter is not impossible.

As for Dinky's biological father, most fans seem to agree it had to be a unicorn, some pairing Derpy up with Ponet<ref>the painter pony from "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E12 Call of the Cutie|Call of the Cutie]]"</ref> (who, like Dinky, is a purple unicorn with a blonde mane), Pokey Pierce (probably the most well known male background unicorn), or some [[Disappeared Dad|unknown unicorn father that's just no longer present]]. Most fanfics have Derpy as a single mother living on her own or with Carrot Top, for whatever reason.

Dinky is shown to have an older sister in "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E5 Sisterhooves Social|Sisterhooves Social]]": A lesser known background pony known as Sparkler, who first appeared alongside Lyra in the pilot episode but has never had much fanon tied to her. Inconsistencies in the episode aside<ref>Sparkler and the other big sisters are shown in the stands watching themselves race</ref>, this new piece of information has spawned numerous debates concerning Dinky's fanon status as Derpy Hooves's daughter. Numerous theories have been purposed from Derpy being much [[Older Than She Looks]]<ref>A common back up to this theory comes from the episode "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles|Cutie Mark Chronicles]]" where we see her among the crowd in a flashback where the mane cast were still fillies. Another explanation involves the Derpy Hooves/Doctor Whooves shipping fanon where it claims that Derpy doesn't age due to an incident caused by the pony Doctor.</ref>, to Sparkler being Dinky's half-sister, to Sparkler posing as Dinky's sister in a similar fashion to Sweetie Belle and Applejack, [http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/11/story-my-sweetie_22.html to Dinky being Derpy's biological daughter and Sparkler being adopted], to the entire Derpy and Dinky fanon being [[Jossed]] among other things. Already, this new fanon is beginning to spawn its [http://fav.me/d4fds9a own] [http://fav.me/d4f7jtj series] [http://fav.me/d4fczm5 of] [http://fav.me/d4f9ejx fanworks] [http://fav.me/d4fl2bz deriving] from this. Whatever Sparkler's connection to the two may be, it certainly looks like there's a new addition to Derpy's family. In "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E8 The Mysterious Mare Do Well|The Mysterious Mare Do Well]]" she is seen having a picnic with [[Fan Nickname|Tootsie Flute]] who may be her daughter.

** On a relative note, both Dinky and Tootsie Flute were seen together in the "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E11 Winter Wrap Up|Winter Wrap Up]]" song.

As mentioned, the Doctor (when he is a pony version of The Doctor) often finds himself accompanied by Derpy in fan projects (some stories have used Twilight Sparkle as a companion instead, of course). This would follow the Doctor's pattern of finding unique (yet not conventionally powerful) female companions for his travels, as well as leaving [[Main/My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Characters/The Mane Cast/Characters|the mane six]] intact for their own adventures. This can alternate with, combine with, cause, end with, or otherwise [[Timey-Wimey Ball|timey-wimey]] with whether he is the father of Dinky and/or Sparkler/Amethyst Star, by nature, adoption, or just hanging around all the time and taking care of them.

Another popular fanon pairing (even more than shipping the main characters) is two background ponies. Lyra is mentioned above. Bon Bon is a cream-coated earth pony with a blue and pink mane. Of the two, Bon Bon has had the most speaking parts (Bon Bon's parts include looking for Fluttershy in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E20 Green Isn't Your Color|Green Isn't Your Colour]]", fending off Apple Bloom's advances in "[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E12 Call of the Cutie|Call of the Cutie]]", gushing over the enchanted Smartypants doll in "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E3 Lesson Zero|Lesson Zero]]", complaining about her rotten cider in "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000|The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000]]", and wanting to hear a joke in "[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E19 Putting Your Hoof Down|Putting Your Hoof Down]]", whereas Lyra had no lines at all until [[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E25 A Canterlot Wedding Part 1|A Canterlot Wedding - PArt 1]]). The idea started when these two ponies were shown together in the background of some scenes (as background ponies tend to do), with fans liking the idea of them being in a relationship. The main reason the two ended up together in the show was more 'aesthetic reasons'. Fan reaction helped persuade the artist behind the San Diego Comic-Con poster to put them together. Looking at each other. Most fanworks, whether text or art, have them as at least good friends, with Bon Bon occasionally reacting to Lyra's human-like habits (see Lyra above). As a nod to the fans, the crew put the two of them in the background of [[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E10 Secret of My Excess|an episode]] where they appear together by a well, only to have Derpy pop out of the well and ruin their moment. Later, [[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E19 Putting Your Hoof Down|another episode]] showed Bon Bon wearing a saddlebag with a clip shaped like Lyra's cutie mark.

Caramel first appeared in the season 1 episode “[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E11 Winter Wrap Up|Winter Wrap Up]]” alongside Big Macintosh, looking rather guilty. Big Macintosh wanted to talk with Applejack but before he could explain anythingm AJ already responded with “Oh, good gravy. Caramel lost the grass seeds again, didn't he?”

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