My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria (Johnsonverse)
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My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria is an American-Canadian-Irish animated series based on the 2010 relaunch of the My Little Pony franchise by Hasbro. It focuses on various background characters who were fan-favorites on parent show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-2020), particularly among the show's brony community, and is aimed at teenage audiences.
First announced in 2014 in response to the success of the 100th episode of Friendship is Magic, "Slice of Life", which aired in its fourth season, the series began airing on Netflix in 2015, and since then, it has received universal acclaim. Reruns have aired on The Hub and Cartoon Network's daily schedule since 2017 and 2018, respectively. The sixth season was released on November 6, 2020, and it was confirmed that the seventh season, set for release in November 2021, will be the final season due to that year being set for a fifth-generation release.
Premise
The series focuses on several background characters from the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Each episode focuses on a specific pony or group of ponies.
Characters
Main
- Derpy Hooves (Tabitha St. Germain, speaking voice; Shannon Chan-Kent, singing voice) is the protagonist of the series. She is a clumsy but well-meaning mailmare who also sells muffins on the side, which she is surprisingly knowledgeable about,
- Octavia Melody (Kazumi Evans) is a musician. She likes to play classical music.
- Vinyl Scratch a.k.a. "DJ Pon-3" (Jesse Nowack) is a DJ. She is a laid-back, smooth-talking pony who loves to
- Dr. Hooves (David Tennant, speaking voice; Peter New, singing voice) is Derpy's husband. He is a Time Lord from Gallifrey stuck in a pony's body and sent to Equestria after an encounter with The Master; this fact is not revealed in the series.
- Lyra Heartstrings (Ashleigh Ball) is the owner of a bakery.
- Sweetie Drops a.k.a. "Bon Bon" (Chantal Strand) is a secret agent from Canterlot posing as
- Berry Punch (Lauren Emily Jackson) is a
- Cherry Berry (Cathy Weseluck) is a
- Minuette (Rebecca Husain) is an old friend of Twilight Sparkle.
Recurring
- Dinky Doo (Caitlin Carmichael) is Derpy and Dr. Hooves' daughter.
- Golden Harvest a.k.a. "Carrot Top" (Cathy Weseluck) is a
- Roseluck (Kazumi Evans) is a
- Amethyst Star (Brenda Crichlow) is a
- Flower Wishes (Ashleigh Ball) is a
- Steven Magnet (Lee Tockar) is a sea serpent who is a
Also recurring in Friendship is Magic
- Discord (John de Lancie) is a semi-reformed draconequus who is the lord of chaos. He is also a
- Trixie (Kathleen Barr) is a blue unicorn who constantly refers to herself in the third-person.
- Big McIntosh a.k.a. "Big Mac" (Peter New) is a stallion who usually only says "Eeyup", with a deep, masculine voice.
- Cheerilee (Nicole Oliver) is a teacher for
- Cranky Doodle Donkey (Richard Newman) is a cranky donkey.
- Matilda (Brenda M. Crichlow) is Cranky Doodle's wife.
- Bulk Biceps (Michael Dobson) is a muscular Pegasus.
Production
Development
In 2013, it was announced that the television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic would receive a spin-off. Rumors that it would focus on fan-favorite background characters circulated heavily.
Casting
Many of the actors from the parent show reprise their roles. The
Writing
The
Animation
The animation is provided by Boulder Media, Johnson's Irish animation studio, in collaboration with CinarDHX Media, Johnson's Canadian animation studio.
Seasons
| Season | Release date | Episode count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 6, 2015 | 26 |
| 2 | November 6, 2016 | 26 |
| 3 | November 3, 2017 | 26 |
| 4 | November 2, 2018 | 26 |
| 5 | November 1, 2019 | 26 |
| 6 | November 6, 2020 | 26 |
Broadcast history
My Little Pony: The Ponies of Equestria was first released on Netflix on November 6, 2015. It became one of the highest-watched series on the platform. It was renewed in December of that year, and the second season was released on November 6, 2016. The third season
Reception
The series was critically acclaimed for its premise, its animation and voice acting, and its storytelling. Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 100% rating, its critic consensus stating,
Accolades
Controversy
The series received some controversy for the fourth-season episode "The Wedding of Lyra and Bon-Bon", which depicts the characters Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon getting married. Several groups such as One Million Moms attempted to get the episode banned, and countries such as Russia and Kenya, among other countries with anti-homosexuality laws, banned the episode from broadcast.
Another episode, "Bring On Mexicolt", received controversy for featuring a somewhat unflattering pony caricature of then-president Donald Trump named Gold Bar (voiced by Peter New).
Gallery
Promotional artwork of the Background Nine.
A 3D model of Gold Bar.
Gold Bar's cutie mark.
