My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Characters/Background Ponies

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The other Mane Six.[1]

"Lyra, Heartstrings or Incidental Unicorn #2...When I first started working on the show, I never expected people to latch on to the background ponies like they have. It's nice to see."

The most popular characters in the show.[2] Seriously these mostly nameless extras are pretty much why My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has its own Ensemble Darkhorse page. Perhaps it's the unique art style that gives them a little more personality, or the memorable gag scenes they feature in. Whatever the reason, the fans can't get enough of them. Below are listed the most popular background ponies.

"Background pony" is a somewhat misleading term (they're called incidental characters by the show's staff), its more of a catch-all term used by the fanbase to refer to all the show's Recurring Extras and One-Scene Wonder ponies that aren't really a part of the Supporting Cast (like Big Macintosh and Zecora). You'll notice most of the characters listed here have been front and center of the camera at least once.

We should note that not many of the ponies on this page have been named within the show (and even those that have been named have mostly only been named once in conversation, so it's unknown if their in-show names are their full and/or real names). A mostly European toyline has produced ponies of similar appearance (see the main Analysis page for details), so some more names are taken from there. Almost all of the others only have Fan Nicknames, and a small number of them don't even have that.

For fanon trivia go to the Background Ponies Analysis page.

Return to the character index here


Tropes shared by many of them

A pack of bunnies races towards town? Run and hide.

A non-pony creature enters town, acting strange? Run and hide.

A swarm of cute cuddly creatures starts eating the entire town? Run and hide.

A once-malevolent near-god attempts to makes friends with everypony? Run and hide.

A filly gets a case of a strange, long-gone disease right in the middle of town? Run and hide, and don oddly-adorable Hazmat Suits.

Resident baby dragon gets growth spurt and starts grabbing everything in sight? Sound the sirens! It's time to run and hide!

  • Depending on the Animator:
  • Expy:
  • Fandom Nod: The animation staff, The Hub and Hasbro are all too aware of the fandom's fondness of background ponies so Fandom Nods can be seen from time to time from the show itself[7] to other branches of the MLP franchise such as advertisements,[8] official websites[9] and merchandise.[10]
  • Fanpony: In "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" several of them are shown to be members of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club (or at least fans of her) and some later become fans of Mare Do Well, including Bon Bon, Daisy, Ruby Pinch, and Dinky.
  • Funny Background Event: Many of the background ponies are used for Funny Background Events, most prominently Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, and Bon Bon. In one shot in the episode "Secret of My Excess", Spike is walking in Ponyville with Lyra and Bon Bon talking in the background, then Derpy pops up between them. From the inside of a well.
  • Hive Mind: When they appear multiple times in the same scene, you'll sometimes see things like all the copies of a certain pony blinking at the exact same time.
  • Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Ponies looking just like them appear in flashbacks to different times, making them either this, Older Than They Look, or Uncanny Family Resemblance.
  • Multicolored Hair:
    • The "too silly" stallion from "Hearts and Hooves Day" has a multicolored mane and tail.
    • Holly Dash from "Swarm of the Century" has tri-colored hair.
    • Quite a few background ponies have two-tone manes and tails—mostly different shades of the same or similar colors, but there are ponies with truly Multicolored Hair, such as Minuette, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, Screwball, and Blossomforth.
    • Bruce Mane's mane and tail are both solid colors, but they're different shades of dark gray. Similar effects using completely different colors happen with a few other background ponies for individual shots in "Winter Wrap Up" and "The Best Night Ever".
  • Nice Hat:
    • Most of the Appleloosa and Dodge Junction ponies are either Applejack's relatives from the pilot or regular Ponyville ponies with cowboy hats, top hats, or bonnets.
    • Some high society ponies also have nice hats.
    • Most of the Ponyville ponies have a Nice Hat to go with their Nightmare Night costumes in "Luna Eclipsed".
  • No Name Given: Leading to plenty of Fan Nicknames. The ones that do have in-show names (excluding the Mane Cast's relatives and the Wonderbolts) are Rose,[11] Daisy,[12] Caramel,[13] Mr. Breezy, Sunny Daze, Peachy Pie, Hayseed Turnip Truck, Lickety Split, Junebug, Stinkin' Rich, Derpy,[14] Mr. Waddle, Mr. Greenhooves, Thunderlane, Flitter, Cloudchaser, Silverspeed, Blossomforth, and Rumble; some more have All There in the Script names (listed under that trope above). Moondancer, Bumpkin,[15] Ditzy Doo,[16] Pete, Mr. Kingpin, Wild Bull Hickok, Calamity Mane, Thornhoof, and Namby-Pamby have been mentioned but not shown.
  • Non-Standard Character Design:
    • This goes for any elderly pony who appears in the show (a couple of elderly mares have the same build as Granny Smith). Besides Mr. Greenhooves and Mr. Waddle, we've seen an elderly pegasus mare working at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory during "Sonic Rainboom" and more elderly ponies appear during the second opening in the Friendship Express Train's Ice Cream Train Car and during the show proper in "The Cutie Pox", "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", "Putting Your Hoof Down", "Ponyville Confidential", "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1", and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2".
    • Several of the "high society" ponies seen in Manehattan, Canterlot and Fluttershy's model shows have unique designs and fewer Palette Swaps.
    • This is true for just about any pony that appears for a brief visual gag like the restaurant pony and store owners and even DJ Pon-3 mentioned below.
    • Most fillies have circular eyes but there are a few (most of them unicorns) who have ovoid eyes like adult ponies do.
    • Pokey Pierce sometimes has an unusually long and sharp horn.
    • Candy Mane/Bacon n' Eggs, the only recurring background pony with a mohawk and very few Palette Swaps. She's also so far not been shown with a cutie mark, making her one of the few adult blank flanks.
    • Archer, an earth pony Palette Swap of Scootaloo seen in Apple Bloom's class at the beginning of "Call of the Cutie" and playing an arcade game in "Hearts and Hooves Day", has a blue tongue. (It's most likely just an animation error but unlike other tongue discoloration animation errors, her tongue is blue every time we see it.)
    • Several ponies with unique hairstyles can be glimpsed at the beginning of Rarity's first fashion show in "Suited For Success" (most of them behind Spike's silhouette).
    • Boxy Brown, the huge, gruffy and bulky stallion who appears as a Pegasus during "Feeling Pinkie Keen" and "Putting Your Hoof Down" and as an Earth pony during "The Mysterious Mare Do Well". (He's bigger than Big Macintosh, probably bigger than Celestia herself and even had beard stubble!)
    • Ace, the super manly tennis player stallion who appears during "Call of the Cutie" and "Luna Eclipsed". Besides his 70s hair, beard and Porn Stache, his fur coat is drawn to look like a hairy chest.
    • The spa masseuse from "Green Isn't Your Color" and "Ponyville Confidential".
    • Some ponies are tall and thin (a few having the same build as Mr. Cake), including the saloon keeper pony from "Over a Barrel", Allie Way, Jesus and Donny from "The Cutie Pox", the doctor from "Secret of My Excess", and the mailpony from "The Last Roundup" and "Putting Your Hoof Down".
    • Screwball has swirls instead of pupils (might just be Wingding Eyes though).
    • Some ponies have the same chubby build as Rarity's mom and Mrs. Cake, including Big Wig from "The Cutie Pox", the two tourist mares from "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", and Nurse Sweetheart from "Read It and Weep".
    • The young earth pony who gets a bowling cutie mark at the beginning of "The Cutie Pox" and Lickety Split from "Secret of My Excess" are either the only female ponies with heads shaped like male ponies' or the only male ponies with (visible) eyelashes.
      • Those are far from the only possible explanations- these two ponies could be the only two intersex ponies in the show. Either that, or they're transgender- or maybe one is intersex and the other is transgender. Or maybe they could have some other sort of non-binary gender identity- whatever it is, their appearance seems to indicate some cross between male and female.
    • The two mares in the out-of-control carriage during "The Mysterious Mare Do Well".
    • Hayseed Turnip Truck is one of the few ponies to have such large, messed up teeth.
    • Fleur de Lis's model is a modified version of Luna's. She is the first regular pony to appear that resembles the Princesses in build.
    • Truffle SHUFFLE! from "Family Appreciation Day", "Hearts and Hooves Day", and "Ponyville Confidential" has the same build as Snips.
    • The short stallion and tall stallion from "Hearts and Hooves Day".
    • The nerdy pony from "Putting Your Hoof Down".
    • The buff muscular white stallion in "Hurricane Fluttershy". He screams out "YEAH!!" at various points and his design is more akin to John Kricfalusi than the rest of the show.
    • Rumble from "Hurricane Fluttershy" is a colt, but his head is shaped like a filly's.
    • So far, only Junebug possess the mane style that she sports.
  • OC Stand-In: Every single one of them. Most of the things that you've heard about them were probably conceived by the fans themselves. The common background ponies are more susceptible to this trope than the special background ponies as they have little to no canon personality trait to speak of thus giving the fandom Blank Slates to expand and speculate upon.
  • Off-Model: Since they have a lower priority than other, more important characters, some interesting animation errors have occurred with them.
  • Older Than They Look: Ponies looking just like them appear in flashbacks to different times, making them either this, Inexplicably Identical Individuals or Uncanny Family Resemblance.
  • Only Six Faces: Animators would often reuse parts (or create new ones) and swap them in different combinations a la Character Customization to create new characters. This is often utilized in creating background extras. Here are just some of the background ponies who share character models:
    • Common mare model designs:
      • Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, etc. (who also have the same tail style as Golden Harvest, Daisy, etc.) A more simplistic design compared to the other swirly haired ponies.
      • Minuette, Sea Swirl, etc. Hair is solid and basic.
      • Lyra Heartstrings, Amethyst Star, Rose, Silverspeed, etc.
      • Berry Punch, Cherry Berry, etc. An interesting characteristic of this model is its hair style, which "ends" in small bulby clumps of hair which makes it resemble bunches of grapes.
      • Bon Bon, Shoeshine, etc. Each of the model's streaks of hair terminate in a single swirl of hair.
      • Golden Harvest, Daisy, etc. (who also have the same tail style as Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, etc.) The edges of their hair contain smaller swirls and are clumped closely together.
      • Lightning Bolt, Medley, etc. Their hair uses a simplified hair design for curly haired folks that's commonly used in western animation since its early days (i.e. the "looping" outlines).
      • Cloud Kicker, Merry May, Lily, etc. A basic and simplistic design, neat and clean looking with the bangs sweeping inwards.
      • Derpy Hooves, Raindrops, etc. Another basic and simplistic design.
      • Rainbowshine, Dizzy Twister, etc.
      • Sassaflash, Parasol/Showers, etc.
    • Common stallion model designs:
      • Ponet, Pokey, etc.
      • Doctor Whooves, Meadow Song, Lucky, etc. Messy brush upped mane, short but similarly messy hair.
      • Coconut, Goldengrape, Noteworthy, etc. Messy mane, short but similarly messy hair.
      • Cherry Cola, Caramel, Ace the Tennis Pony, Royal Riff, etc. Smooth and neatly groomed mane and tail.
    • Common foal model designs:
      • Piña Colada, Half Note, Noi/Sweet Wheat, Sunny Daze, etc. (who also have the same tail style as Shady Daze, etc.) Almost all background Earth pony fillies use this character design.
      • Ruby Pinch, Dinky, Tootsie Flute, etc. Almost all background unicorn fillies use this character design.
      • Tornado Bolt, Cotton Cloudy, Alula, etc. Almost all background Pegasus fillies use this character design.
      • Shady Daze, etc. Almost all background Earth pony colts use this character design.
    • Uncommon model designs:
  • Palette Swap: Often in conjunction with Only Six Faces, the show's animators would also reuse the same combination of parts and recolor them to make another background pony.
    • One of the major examples of this are the background ponies themselves. See the Only Six Faces trope above to see the various palette swaps.
    • Various other extra animals and creatures are also palette swapped.
      • The various rabbit extras are all palette swaps of each other.[17] They usually come in brown, yellow, white and grey.
      • The different colors and patterns of cows though some of them have different hairdos which also makes them Only Six Faces.
      • Some groups[18] of birds which come in almost as many different colors as the ponies do.
      • The different shades of brown tribe buffaloes as seen from Over the Barrel.
      • Some groups of dragons from Dragon Quest.
      • The parasprites.
      • Grey and brown bats.
    • Sometimes they even recolor non-background ponies to make new background ponies.
      • One of Caramel's variations, seen in the first opening and in the show proper during "Green Isn't Your Color", "Lesson Zero" and "Putting Your Hoof Down", is a Big Macintosh recolor.
      • Two Trixie recolors are seen in a shot near the end of "Bridle Gossip". One of them is seen again when part of the shot is reused at the beginning of "The Return of Harmony Part 1", and makes a few appearances during "A Friend in Deed" using two different generic background pony designs.
      • Holly Dash from "Swarm of the Century" is a freckled unicorn recolor of Rainbow Dash, though she has only been seen in a pony galloping animation loop so far so we don't know what her mane and tail normally looks like in an idle stance. Ponies with the Lyra Heartstrings/Amethyst Star model tend to use Rainbow Dash's running animation when they gallop, specifically how the mane and tail are drawn, so it's possible that she would most likely look like them when she's not running.
      • An Earth Pony recolor of Scootaloo has appeared twice: sitting in the front row of Cheerilee's class during "Call of the Cutie" and playing an arcade game during "Hearts and Hooves Day".
      • "Call of the Cutie" also includes one recolor each of Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The Sweetie Belle recolor appears in the front row of Cheerilee's class and due to an animation error is replaced by Sweetie Belle herself during two different shots. The Diamond Tiara recolor appears at the cuteceañera, walking alongside Twist during one shot. The Silver Spoon recolor also appears at the cuteceañera, wearing a Nice Hat which Apple Bloom tries to hide behind during one shot.
      • In "Green Isn't Your Color", Tootsie Flute becomes a Scootaloo recolor for one shot, losing her horn as a result.
      • "Over a Barrel" has a half-example: a strange variation of Cherry Berry can be seen bucking trees when the citizens of Appleloosa are frantically harvesting apples before the buffalo attack. Her back half has her usual design, but her front half is a recolor of Applejack's, minus the tied-up bit of hair at the end of her mane. She also wears a duplicate of Applejack's hat at one point and reuses one of Applejack's tree bucking animation sequences from "Applebuck Season".
      • The cast of the play in Rarity's Flash Back during "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" includes a pair of fillies who are recolors of Pinkie Pie and Applejack. The Pinkie Pie recolor is dressed as a piece of cake and the Applejack recolor is dressed as a bunch of fruit with a hat made to look like a bowl of fruit.
      • The crowd during the final shot of "The Return of Harmony Part 2" includes a few recolors, including a Fluttershy recolor who appears a couple of times and at least one Twilight Sparkle recolor.
      • The bellhop from "Sweet and Elite" is a recolor of Snails.
      • The nurse filly from "Read It and Weep" is a recolor of Twist, only differing in mane color and cutie mark (and with a nurse cap instead of glasses).
      • The pegasus colt from "A Friend in Deed" is a recolor of Dumb-Bell.
  • Promotion to Opening Titles: The second opening includes more of them than the first opening does though not all of the ponies from the first opening return.
  • Recurring Extra: They show up everywhere! Lyra Heartstrings holds the unique distinction of appearing in nearly every town that's been shown so far, only absent from Manehattan and Dodge Junction. They tend to be dressed up while in Appleloosa, Dodge Junction or some parts of Canterlot which may indicate that they're actually Identical Strangers.
  • Running Gag: Background ponies often have completely different voices between episodes. It might be unintentional as voice actors aren't normally shown any art, much less for unnamed incidental characters.[19] Intentional or not, the fact remains that their voices keep changing, and it's hilarious in Bon Bon's case.
  • She's a Man In Japan: All of the background stallions who appear in the Blind Bags. Apparently some of the foreign language translations on their collector cards call them female. But seeing as Big Macintosh's and the Canon Foreigner stallions' cards apparently do the same thing, it almost certainly wasn't intentional and most likely isn't indicative of those languages' dubs of the show.
  • Ship Tease: While "Hearts and Hooves Day" does show at least one background pony Official Couple (Caramel with Sassaflash, plus a few more heavily implied couples), the episode has many more pairs of background ponies simply standing beside other in aerial shots of Ponyville, including Derpy Hooves with Doctor Whooves X and Mr. Waddle with the light purple elderly earth pony mare. One of these aerial shots is reused a couple of times in "Ponyville Confidential", strengthening the Ship Teases in said shot.
  • Stock Costume Traits: All the ponies with defined careers are dressed like this to make them stand out from the rest of the herd.
  • Toyless Toyline Character: Most of them started off this way as most of the toyline characters outside of the main cast are God-Created Canon Foreigners, which is sort of odd as you would think Hasbro would want them to be the show's background ponies, though this is slowly being remedied as more background ponies are getting toys and one of the toy ponies (Blossomforth) has made the jump to the show.
    • Within the flower trio, Daisy and Rose have had mini-figure toys (Flower Wishes and Roseluck) since the first wave of Blind Bags and Daisy's even getting a re-release of her mini-figure (in the upcoming Friendship Celebration Collection) as well as a brand-new brushable toy, yet Lily has no toys whatsoever.
  • Uncanny Family Resemblance: Ponies looking just like them appear in flashbacks to different times, making them either this, Inexplicably Identical Individuals or Older Than They Look.
  • Vague Age: Like the mane characters, the exact age of background ponies are unknown beyond "child", "teen/adult" and "elderly".
  • You All Look Familiar:
    • They often appear multiple times in the same scene.
    • Cutie marks aside, Goldengrape and Golden Harvest look exactly the same as Apple family members Red Delicious and Caramel Apple respectively.
  • You Are Number Six: Not in-universe but since the majority of them are unnamed, the animation studio gives them this treatment. Lyra Heartstrings for example is called "Incidental Unicorn #2" (as neither half of her All There in the Script name is used by the animation studio). Not all of them necessarily have numbers, though, particularly the ones with Non-Standard Character Design such as Mr. Greenhooves (who was known only as "Hayseed Pony" prior to "Putting Your Hoof Down") and Ace (who is known only as "Tennis Pony").
  • You Don't Look Like You: In the toys and their art, nearly all of the background ponies who appear in the toy line are reduced to Palette Swaps of other ponies, and a few of them have color differences of various degrees. The only known exceptions are Cherry Berry and Sunny Rays' Pony Wedding brushable toys as well as the Ponyville Schoolhouse toy (which has a picture that uses the original designs of Sunny Daze and the filly who was dressed as a flower for the play in Rarity's Flash Back during "The Cutie Mark Chronicles").
    • Earth ponies Sunny Daze, Peachy Pie, and Junebug look very different. On top of all three of them having different coat and mane/tail colors to various degrees, Sunny Daze becomes a Pegasus, Peachy Pie becomes a young adult with a different-looking cutie mark (an updated version of her G3 cutie mark; her in-show cutie mark is similar to Applejack's but with peaches and the "point" of the triangle formed by the fruit facing the opposite direction), and Junebug becomes a unicorn.
    • A few ponies have different-looking cutie marks: Golden Harvest (two carrots instead of three), Noteworthy (three eighth notes instead of two beamed notes), Merry May (sun-colored flowers instead of suns, but still in the same pattern), Peachy Pie (detailed above), Rainbowshine (the Rainbow Lite's top arc being purple instead of blue), and Royal Riff (only slightly).
    • The Blind Bag toys and collector cards' colors don't always match each other. This has happened in different ways to Lyra Heartstrings, Royal Riff, and Sassaflash. Judging by the Wave 3 Blind Bags' packaging, that wave's artwork for Lyra Heartstrings was colored to match a prototype toy rather than the final toy.

Derpy

The face that started it all.

"I just don't know what went wrong!"

First Appearance (Background): "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "The Last Roundup"

Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain (original version)[20]

Derpy Hooves is a grey Pegasus with a cluster of bubbles as her cutie mark. She is, quite simply, the ultimate darkhorse pony in a series overflowing with them. Derpy was "born" when she was drawn making a face in the background of the first episode.[21] Her unusual expression proved phenomenally popular with the brony fans who nicknamed her "Derpy Hooves" and quickly turned her into a meme. The animators started giving her own scripted scenes in Season 2, and the episode "The Last Roundup" gave her lines and (in the original version) referred to her on-screen as "Derpy."

She's also known as "Ditzy Doo" by a lot of fans (and, very rarely, by Mighty Fine's online store WeLoveFine), after a character mentioned in "Winter Wrap Up", who Lauren Faust had considered using Derpy's design for. In fact, according to Amy Keating Rogers, the first draft of "The Last Roundup" did in fact use the name "Ditzy Doo" until she was asked to change it to "Derpy" as a Fandom Nod.

Regardless of her name or how she's depicted by fans, for better or worse she's become the mascot of the brony community.

More analysis on Derpy is available on the analysis page.

Common Mares

The most common and popular Recurring Extras in the show. They make up the majority of the population in a crowd scene more than foals and stallions and are often pulled into gag scenes and other background character roles. You will often see them jumping from one scene to the next as if they are teleporting or two (or more) of the same pony in the same scene sometimes appearing with slight variations in design such as being of a different race or a different cutie mark that they usually possess.

Common Earth Pony Mares

Berry Punch

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

AKA the Overly Protective Parent Pony. An Earth Pony[23] famous for her scene in "Call of the Cutie" as the pony who drank directly from the punch bowl and for whisking a unicorn filly (who is presumed to be her daughter named "Ruby Pinch") into her house as Zecora wanders around Ponyville in "Bridle Gossip". She's a popular pick for gag scenes and Funny Background Events for the show's crew...especially storyboard artist Sabrina "Sibsy" Alberghetti, who's responsible for her "Call of the Cutie" scene.

An analysis on Berry Punch is available on the analysis page.

Cherry Berry

|

"Showpony business is tough..."

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Luna Eclipsed", "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", and "Putting Your Hoof Down"

A pink Earth pony with a yellow mane, purple eyes, and a cutie mark of a pair of cherries. According to her collector card, she "is so cheerful."

Golden Harvest

A simple mare living simple dreams.

"We couldn't fit it all in..."

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Boast Busters", "Swarm of the Century", "Green Isn't Your Color", and "A Friend in Deed"

An Earth Pony[24] with (usually) an orange mane and carrot[25] cutie mark. Fans may recognize her from several pieces of fan art featuring her as Derpy's roommate/best friend, usually with her fridge being emptied. While the two have been seen alongside each other in the show a few times, it's unknown if they really are friends or emptied fridges are involved. According to her collector card, she "loves sharing treats!" Before Golden Harvest's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Carrot Top (by the fandom as well as by one of the show's animators, as coincidence would have it).

An analysis on Golden "Carrot Top" Harvest is available on the analysis page.

  • Action Mare: In "Over a Barrel" she jumps out of the second story of a building, lands on a buffalo and rides him rodeo style all with a big grin on her face!
  • Cool Big Sis: She's shown to be sisters with Noi in "Sisterhooves Social" and they enter the competition together. They're shown together again in "Putting Your Hoof Down".
  • Dye Hard: Her hair is briefly green in "Boast Busters" as part of a gag and goes back to orange right afterwards.

Rarity: No! Green hair? Not green hair! Such an awful color!
Golden Harvest: ...Well...I never!

Bon Bon

Lyra Heartstrings's right-hoof-mare.

"Go ahead, try one of your jokes out on me. I laugh at everything."

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Call of the Cutie",[27] "Green Isn't Your Color",[28] "Lesson Zero",[29] "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000",[30] and "Putting Your Hoof Down"

An earth pony with a cream coat, mixed purple/pink mane and tail with three pieces of candy as her cutie mark. Has become a bit infamous for her several speaking apperances and as with other background ponies, her voice does not stay the same in any of these appearances. Is often seen alongside Lyra Heartstrings.

  • Alliterative Name
  • Blue Eyes
  • Cast Herd: With Lyra Heartstrings, in the show as well as on the Comic-Con 2011 poster/desktop background and the There's A Pony For That shirt and art print.
  • Jerkass: Vaguely implied in Bon Bon's first spoken scene. Apple Bloom dumps some apples into her bag in an attempt to sell them. As an apology for Apple Bloom's rudeness, Applejack is forced to satisfy the one customer by giving her the baskets full of apples on and under the cart, free of charge. Bon Bon leaves with what may be a smug look or a nervous smile due to the uncomfortable situation.
    • Also implied in her second spoken appearance. She comes into Rarity's store right after the then-famous Fluttershy busts in and bluntly tells Rarity she's never heard of her in a rather smug voice. What drives this home even more is that she must know of Rarity, so she's just being pretentious.
    • "Putting Your Hoof Down" shows her jerkass nature again. Granted, everyone was being one in that episode, though, she might of been one of the ponies who threw Fluttershy from the front row all the way to the back.
  • Large Ham: Her five voices so far have been over the top in cartoonishness: French, Valley Girl and Jewish Mother, among others.
  • Those Two Girls: Almost always seen alongside Lyra.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: In "Over a Barrel", she wears a masculine top hat while Lyra Heartstrings (as a red-eyed earth pony) wears a feminine bonnet (also seen briefly in "Luna Eclipsed"). However in "Green Isn't Your Color", Bon Bon is the one that becomes a fangirl of a fashion model.
  • Vocal Dissonance: Her voice is surprisingly deep in "Call of the Cutie" but it's a lot higher (and sounds more like a Valley Girl) in "Green Isn't Your Color". It changes once again in "Lesson Zero", this time sounding kinda like Olive Oyl. As of "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", it's even deeper than her first appearance. "Putting Your Hoof Down" goes back to her Valley Girl voice from "Green Isn't Your Color".

Shoeshine

|

"We get it! Move on!"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "The Ticket Master", "Green Isn't Your Color", "Hearth's Warming Eve", and "Putting Your Hoof Down"

A blue Earth pony with a periwinkle mane, magenta eyes, and a cutie mark of a pair of horseshoes. According to her collector card, she "is so understanding!" Before Shoeshine's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Linky.

The Flower Trio

[[File:The_flower_trio_1771.png|frame|That scroll bar is horrifying![31]

"The horror! The horror!"

Daisy's Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Lily and Rose's Debut: "Applebuck Season"

Speaking Appearance: (All Three) "Applebuck Season", "Bridle Gossip", "The Cutie Pox", and "A Friend in Deed"; (Daisy) "The Ticket Master", "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", and ""Family Appreciation Day"

Voiced by Andrea Libman (Daisy in "The Mysterious Mare Do Well")[32]

Daisy, Rose, and "Lily", a trio of flower-themed earth ponies who tend to overreact to tragedies such as Zecora coming into town and a stampede of bunnies. The toy line gives Daisy the name Flower Wishes and Rose the name Roseluck. According to their collector cards, Daisy "has a beautiful garden. She grows flowers in every color of the rainbow!" and Rose "loves to pick pretty flowers and wear them in her hair!" According to the Friendship Celebration Collection's box, Daisy and Blossomforth "have a tea party for two!"

  • Adaptation Name Change:
    • The toy line refers to Daisy as Flower Wishes; the show has only referred to her as Daisy once while the toys have continued to refer to her as Flower Wishes, and Flower Wishes is also the name of a G3 pony, so it's very possible that Daisy's correct name is Flower Wishes.
    • The Blind Bags refer to Rose as Roseluck; while the show has continued to refer to her as Rose, this could easily be short for Roseluck, or Roseluck could be an In-Series Nickname for Rose.
  • Ascended Extra: Daisy will be getting a Toys "R" Us exclusive brushable toy.
  • Cast Herd: One of the more common ones in the show. Daisy also shows up alongside male earth pony Goldengrape ala Lyra Heartstrings & Bon Bon. They even go to the Grand Galloping Gala together!
  • Catch Phrase: "The Horror! THE HORROR!", shouted out thus far by Lily & Rose but not Daisy.
    • Subverted in their appearance in "The Cutie Pox". They get all worked up and panic but none of them say the line.
  • Curtains Match the Window: Lily.
  • Eyes of Gold: Lily
  • Green Eyes: Daisy and Rose have different shades of these.
  • Floral Theme Naming
  • Flower in her Mane:
  • Flower Motifs: Each of them are themed after a specific kind of flower.
  • No Name Given: Lily is the only pony of the three who doesn't have an official name yet.
  • Only Six Faces: Their models are generic ones that are also used for background ponies.
  • Running Gag: They will each say something about the unfolding tragedy one by one then start panicking which causes everypony around them to gallop away and hide inside their houses as well.
  • Rose Haired Pony: Rose unsurprisingly has a pink and red mane.
  • Theme Naming: Named for their flower cutie marks. They even lament the loss of their flower gardens in "Applebuck Season"
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: This trope is their Running Gag. Subverted in the Comic-Con 2011 poster/desktop background, where they look quite concerned by the fact that there's a cockatrice right there in front of them.


Common Unicorn Mares

Lemon Hearts

|

"I'll give you two bits for that cherry."

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Green Isn't Your Color" and "Putting Your Hoof Down"

A yellow unicorn with a blue mane, raspberry-colored eyes, and a cutie mark of three hearts. She's notably the very first background pony to appear in the series (outside of the opening). According to her collector card, she "is loving and kind! She always takes time to show her friends how much she cares." According to the Friendship Celebration Collection's box, she and Pepperdance "play together in a band!"

  • Ascended Extra: She's had a toy since Blind Bag Wave 1 (long before toys of background ponies became the norm) despite being nowhere near as prominent as Daisy or Rose (the other two background ponies in Wave 1). It's unknown whether this has anything to do with her being the first background pony to appear in the show proper.
  • Color-Coded Wizardry: Her magic aura is shown as light green in "Hearth's Warming Eve" and as light blue in "Putting Your Hoof Down".

Twinkleshine

|

"Moondancer is having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come?"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Friendship is Magic, part 1", "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1", and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2"

An off-white unicorn with a pink mane, blue eyes, and a cutie mark of three five-pointed stars. She's notably the first background pony to speak in the series, inviting Twilight to a get-together in the pilot episode. According to her brushable toy's box and her collector card, she "dreams about being a famous movie star. Drama. Comedy. Action. She loves it all!" and "loves playing games!" Before Twinkleshine's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Twinkle.

Minuette

BRUSH YOUR TEETH

"Me too!"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1" and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2"

A blue unicorn[33] with a half-white/half-dark blue mane and an hourglass cutie mark. She was part of the trio of ponies that invited Twilight to a party in the pilot, making her one of the first background ponies to appear in the series and the Ensemble Darkhorse of that little group. While she didn't speak then, she eventually got a few lines in the Season 2 finale. According to her collector card, she "is always on time!" Before Minuette's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given multiple Fan Nicknames, including Colgate (due to her mane's resemblance to striped toothpaste) and Romana (due to her cutie mark sparking speculation that she might be a Time Lord like Doctor Whooves or possibly one of his companions[34]).

Lyra Heartstrings

She's excited to see so many tropes!

"I love them!"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1" and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2"

A mint-green unicorn[36] with a lyre cutie mark, and arguably the second most famous background mare, next to Derpy. She seems to have been made with Funny Background Events in mind. She's been spotted happily waving hi to Twilight early in the pilot episode, jumping up and down excitedly, mugging for the camera, and sitting on a bench like a human being among other things. Is often seen alongside Bon Bon. According to her collector cards, she "sings all day!" and "loves to play!"

An analysis on Lyra Heartstrings is available on the analysis page.

Amethyst Star

[1]

"Aren't you milking this a bit?"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "The Mysterious Mare Do Well"

Voiced by Cathy Weseluck[37]

A purple unicorn with a tri-diamond cutie mark, she made her first appearance alongside Lyra Heartstrings in the pilot episode. She had a notable appearance as captain of the animal team in "Winter Wrap Up" but other than that fans didn't really notice her much until "Sisterhooves Social" which showed her as the sister of popular background unicorn filly Dinky. (This means several fans consider her Derpy Hooves' other daughter, usually adopted to explain their narrow age difference.) She even gets her own scene in "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" in which she has a picnic with background unicorn filly Tootsie Flute and Rainbow Dash attempts to help her open a peanut butter jar but ends up needing her assistance to open it. According to her collector card, she "loves to dance!" Before Amethyst Star's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Sparkler (after the similar-looking G1 pony who was the basis for an early design of Rarity).

Sea Swirl

"Cool! A bowling cutie mark!"


Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "The Cutie Pox"

A pale pink unicorn with a blue mane, rose-colored eyes, and a cutie mark of a pair of dolphins. According to her collector card, she "loves the sea!" Before Sea Swirl's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Seafoam.



Common Pegasus Mares

Lightning Bolt

|

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

A white Pegasus with a blue mane, blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a dark cloud with a lightning bolt.

Cloud Kicker

|

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

A lavender Pegasus with a blonde mane, pink eyes, and a cutie mark of a sun with a white cloud.

Raindrops

[[File:raindrops_oops_1883.png|frame|...Keep falling on my head.[38]

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Derpy's most common Palette Swap. A yellow pegasus with green hair and a raindrops cutie mark, she's known for sharing quite a few scenes with Derpy in Season 1, including the famous "Feeling Pinkie Keen" scene. She also had a viking costume in "Luna Eclipsed".

Rainbowshine

|

"Ditzy Doo accidentally went north to get the southern birds!"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Winter Wrap Up" and "Sonic Rainboom"

A purple Pegasus with a pink mane, pink eyes, and a cutie mark of a three-colored rainbow. She's best known as the pony who gave us the name Ditzy Doo (Derpy's alternate name). According to her collector card, she "loves to leap." Before Rainbowshine's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Rainbow Day.

Sassaflash
"His girlfriend sure thinks so."
—Scootaloo, in response to Sweetie Belle pointing out that Caramel "seems alright" during their search for a special somepony for Cheerilee in "Hearts and Hooves Day"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

A turquoise Pegasus with a cream-colored mane, orange eyes, and a cutie mark of a pair of lightning bolts. According to her collector card, she "loves watching clouds!" Before Sassaflash's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Wind Whistler (after the similar-looking G1 pony).

Parasol/Showers

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

A yellow Pegasus with a pink mane, orange eyes, and a cutie mark of a trio of umbrellas.

Dizzy Twister

|

"They're fighting over that doll!"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: "Lesson Zero"

A yellow Pegasus with a pink mane, rose-colored eyes, and a cutie mark of a trio of tornadoes.

Medley

|

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

A greenish-blue Pegasus with a teal mane, blue eyes, and a cutie mark of a white cloud with rain. She is Fan Nicknamed after a G1 pony of the same name due to their similarities in color scheme and race.[39]

Merry May

|

Debut: "The Ticket Master"

A green Pegasus with a pink mane, pink eyes, and a cutie mark of a trio of suns. According to her collector card, she "loves all flowers!" Before Merry May's official All There in the Script name was revealed, she was given the Fan Nickname Flora.

Common Stallions

Being a show catering to young girls, a larger population of female characters is to be expected. However, unlike previous incarnation of My Little Pony, there is a much larger stable of stallions in the show compared to previous cartoons. They function the same way as the mares and foals, filling crowd scenes and playing background character roles. They are often used in more masculine roles such as cart pullers, sports, and construction workers among other things. The second season saw an increase in the number of stallions.

Doctor Whooves

The Sole Survivor of Gallopfrey.[40]

"If I buy some apples, will you leave me alone?!?"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

Speaking Appearance: (Normal Version) "Call of the Cutie"; (Pegasus Version) "Sonic Rainboom"

A brown earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark and one of the few recurring male background ponies to appear as early as the first season. He helped out at Sweet Apple Acres during Winter Wrap Up, bought an apple from Apple Bloom in "Call of the Cutie" (then promptly ran away in fear), may or may not have a Pegasus relative,[41] and may or may not play the banjo and/or the violin.[42] However fans swear up and down he is in fact the Doctor regenerated as a pony, leading to countless crossover fan creations. In "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", he gets a very noticeable scene in which he seems to be a time keeper for the apple competition of the Flim Flam Brothers and Apple family. While wearing a tie. This was later confirmed as a nod purposely included by one of the cartoon's directors, and the team actually use the name "Doctor Whooves" internally.

An analysis on Doctor Whooves is available on the analysis page.

Scootaloo: He might do [as Cheerilee's boyfriend]!
AB & SB: If he weren't so splashy

Pokey Pierce / Perry Pierce

Yeah, dance to the beat! Stomp those hooves! Pop those balloons!.[43]

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1" ("Mare in the Moon")

A blue, white-maned unicorn with varying attributes: his eyes have been gold, amber, and blue; his cutie mark has been a safety pin and an hourglass; and his horn has been normal-sized and unusually long and sharp. His most memorable appearances have been in "Call of the Cutie" (where he happily pokes out a set of balloons Apple Bloom was hiding behind) and "Sweet and Elite" (where he wears a red jacket that gives him a resemblance to the Third Doctor, which coupled with his hourglass cutie mark has led some to believe he too is a Time Lord).

Goldengrape

Debut: "Dragonshy"

A yellow Earth pony with a blue mane and grapes cutie mark. He's mostly known for appearing several times with Daisy whenever she's not hanging out with the other flower ponies, sort of like a hetero version of Lyra & Bon Bon, though their relationship isn't entirely clear it's assumed they're a couple. While he doesn't have any speaking lines, he does growl at Twilight Sparkle during "Over a Barrel". Before Goldengrape's official All There in the Script name was revealed, he was given a couple of Fan Nicknames, Sir Colton Vines III and Green Grapes.

Noteworthy

This is what he normally looks like.

"Aww, we just switched!"

Debut: "Winter Wrap Up"

Speaking Appearance: "Over a Barrel"

A blue Earth pony[44] with a navy blue mane and music notes[45] for a cutie mark. He appears in a few scenes such as clearing the snow during "Winter Wrap Up", and has a somewhat noteworthy animation glitch in "The Best Night Ever" that gave rise to the "Donny Cyclops" meme. According to his collector card, he "is so helpful." Before Noteworthy's official All There in the Script name was revealed, he was given the Fan Nickname Blues.

Lucky

Debut: "Winter Wrap Up"

Speaking Appearance: "The Best Night Ever" and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1"

A gray Earth pony with a black mane and clover cutie mark. Like Caramel he's apparently a neighbor of Rarity and helped pull the carriage in "The Best Night Ever". He also shares a scene with Wild Fire in one of Twilight Sparkle's flashbacks in "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1".

Caramel / Chance-a-lot

"I'm not gay."[46]
"Oh good gravy, Caramel lost the grass seeds again didn't he?"
—Applejack, presented with yet another delay in "Winter Wrap Up"

Debut: "Winter Wrap Up"

Speaking Appearance: "The Best Night Ever" and "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000"

A tan Earth Pony[47] with (usually) a trio of horseshoes cutie mark and (possibly) one of the few to have an actual canon name. In "Winter Wrap Up" he loses the grass seeds (according to Applejack, this is a regular occurrence) and looks quite embarrassed by this. "The Best Night Ever" reveals he's a neighbor of Rarity's and he helps pull the girls' carriage to Canterlot. One of the more amusing things about him is that his color scheme and (usually) cutie mark have been used for at least four different ponies which has lead to a lot of jokes and speculation. The Blind Bags give him the name Chance-a-lot. According to his collector card, he "is always cheerful!"

For the unicorn pony doctor version of Caramel see the minor characters page.

An analysis on Caramel and the various versions of him is available in the analysis page.

The Master Pony

Debut: "The Best Night Ever"

A blue Earth pony with a blonde mane and (usually) hourglass cutie mark. One of the recurring high society ponies and thus appears in most episodes featuring Canterlot or high society events. Was a judge in "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" for the dessert competition with a cupcake cutie mark for a brief moment. Like every other pony with an hourglass cutie mark, fans usually tie him to Doctor Who, seeing him as either yet another incarnation of the Doctor or the Master.[48] To avoid confusion on this page, we're gonna go with the latter since this pony doesn't have any other widely used Fan Nicknames or an official name.

Bruce Mane / Neon Lights

Debut: "The Best Night Ever"

A light blue stallion with dark gray hair, blue eyes, and (usually) a cutie mark of three five-pointed stars. While his only appearance in the first season was as an Earth pony ("Bruce Mane"), the second season introduced at least two unicorn versions of him, one of whom ("Neon Lights") is a common background pony. In the fandom, "Bruce Mane" is best remembered for his vague resemblance to Bruce Wayne and "Neon Lights" is best remembered for his "high society" Canterlot outfit that he wore in "Sweet and Elite".

Orion / Star Hunter

Debut: "The Best Night Ever"

A stallion with light blue mane/tail and eye colors and a cutie mark of the Orion constellation. He first appears as an Earth pony with a white coat and dark blue cutie mark in "The Best Night Ever", and is larger than usual for one scene where he gives Twilight Sparkle a very strong hoofshake. He makes a second appearance in "Sweet and Elite", which is also the first appearance of two unicorn versions of him: one with the same neat mane style as the original Earth pony version, and one with a spiky mane style matching every version's tail style. Both of these unicorns, in turn, make their second appearances in "Hearth's Warming Eve", and the spiky-maned one makes a third appearance in "The Last Roundup". "Hearts and Hooves Day" is the first appearance of one of his two hornless spiky-maned versions with a dark blue coat and white cutie mark, these two versions being a Pegasus who appears in "Hurricane Fluttershy" and an Earth pony who appears in "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2", which is also the fourth appearance of his neat-maned Earth pony version (following "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1") and the third appearance of his neat-maned unicorn version. As for his Fan Nicknames, "Orion" has been used for all versions (but mainly the ones with a white coat and dark blue cutie mark) and "Star Hunter" has been used for the versions with a dark blue coat and white cutie mark.

Common Foals

There are also children within the background pony crowd. Almost all of them are fillies; background colts weren't introduced until Season 2, and are nowhere near as common as background fillies. Generally, they (the fillies, at least) don't have set cutie marks—most of their appearances are as blank flanks, and when they do have marks (mostly in "Call of the Cutie") they're often inconsistent. They usually appear in classrooms or any school related scenes, Cutie Mark Crusader episodes or any episode that focuses on one or two of its members. In any other scenes they are almost always seen being accompanied by an adult pony. They usually fulfill younger background roles along with being crowd fillers like their older counterparts.

Ruby Pinch (and variations)

In Pinchy we trust, one WAT]

"But Namby-Pamby was a great editor!"

Debut: "Friendship Is Magic, Part 2" ("Elements of Harmony")

Speaking Appearance: "Ponyville Confidential"

Also known by other Fan Nicknames, including Overly Protected Little Filly (OPLF), Berry Blast, Beery Pinch, and Cherry Daiquiri. A pink unicorn[49] and the supposed daughter of Berry Punch. Similar to Dinky[50] in that a lot of her popularity comes from her "mother" (only they've actually been seen together in the show).

Dinky

Cheerful little filly, ain't she?

Debut: "Winter Wrap Up"

A purple unicorn with blonde hair, little Dinky[51] made her debut in "Winter Wrap Up" cheerfully hopping along during the song. She appears again in "Call of the Cutie" as one of Apple Bloom's classmates who attended the party. Some speculation and a short fanfic later she was dubbed the daughter of Derpy Hooves due to their similar color schemes and since then she's become almost as popular as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. While she and Derpy have never been seen together, she's shown to be the sister of unicorn Amethyst Star in "Sisterhooves Social".

Tootsie Flute

Tootsie Flute with her usual cutie mark.

"Lame..."

Debut: "Winter Wrap Up"

Speaking Appearance: "The Mysterious Mare Do Well"

Yet another Dinky Palette Swap. A teal unicorn filly with a purple mane. She's the only background pony who's been present in Cheerilee's classroom every time that we've seen it, and always has a flower cutie mark on these occasions. Notable scenes include calling Rainbow Dash lame in "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" and finding out her crush likes somepony else in "Hearts and Hooves Day".


Special Ponies

These ponies are a little bit more special than the other background ponies. They are created by the animators for a specific role and usually possess a unique character design rarely or not seen in other background ponies. They rarely appear in other episodes other than scenes that require their presence such as their designated career or role, most so far only appearing only once in the show. Unlike minor characters though they still generally lack actual in-show characterization beyond their distinctive appearance. Which hasn't stopped the fans one bit of course.

The Nurse Ponies

"Where does it hurt?"[52]
"Oh thank you Twilight! We need all the help we can get!"
—Redheart, during the food poisoning incident caused by the "baked bads" in "Applebuck Season"

Debut: "Applebuck Season"

Voiced by Ashleigh Ball (one or more nurses)[53]

Multiple nurses have appeared throughout the series, all of them female earth ponies with cross-and-hearts cutie marks of various colors. Two nurses, one with a white coat and pink mane ("Nurse Redheart") and another with a blue coat and green mane ("Nurse Tenderheart") are introduced in "Applebuck Season" after everypony gets sick from Applejack's muffins. "Redheart" is later seen working at Ponyville Hospital's nursery in "Baby Cakes", telling Pinkie to quiet down while the newborns are trying to sleep. Three more nurses ("Nurse Sweetheart", "Nurse Coldheart", and "Nursery Rhyme") are introduced in "Read It and Weep", where we also see other areas of Ponyville Hospital.

Mr. Greenhooves

Greenhooves' his name. Gardening's his game.

"Let the professional handle it."

Debut: "Boast Busters"

Speaking Appearance: "The Best Night Ever" and "Putting Your Hoof Down"

An elderly Earth pony who has a goatee and wears a funny looking hat. Mr. Greenhooves has non-speaking appearances in "Boast Busters", "Bridle Gossip", "Feeling Pinkie Keen", and "The Return of Harmony Part 1".

The Spa Ponies

"How can we be of service?"[54]
"Miss Zecora, I would love to get the recipe for this bath. It's simply luxurious!"
—Lotus, after Zecora is welcomed to Ponyville in "Bridle Gossip"

Lotus's Debut: "Bridle Gossip"

Aloe's Debut: "Green Isn't Your Color"

Speaking Appearance: (Lotus) "Bridle Gossip"

Two baby-blue-and-pink ponies who work at the local spa in Ponyville. The first one ("Lotus") debuted at the end of "Bridle Gossip" asking Zecora for the bath recipe. She returns in "Green Isn't Your Color" with a twin ("Aloe"), where we also see other areas of the spa. They return once more for another spa scene in "A Friend in Deed", and Lotus appears for another spa scene in "Ponyville Confidential".

Holly Dash

Debut: "Swarm of the Century"

A freckled unicorn mare with tri-colored hair and a strawberry cutie mark seen running through Ponyville once during the parasprite infestation in "Swarm of the Century". She's based on a drawing [dead link] by crew member Holly Giesbrecht[55] of herself as a pony, and has been unofficially named Holly Dash after said Original Character (though fans who weren't aware of Holly Dash's origins initially called her by other Fan Nicknames, such as Tutti Frutti). On a side note, the Original Character she's based on has since [dead link] been [dead link] redesigned, eventually looking much more like the character in the show.

DJ Pon-3/Vinyl Scratch

WUB WUB WUB

"Break it down, DJ Pon-3!"

Debut: "Suited For Success"

An off-white unicorn with a two-tone electric blue mane, magenta eyes, and a pair of eighth notes as her cutie mark. Her two appearances to date are in "Suited For Success" and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2", both of which have her, well, act as a DJ. She's very popular for a character with less than a minute (in the first season, only a few seconds) of screentime. She shows up a lot in advertisements and official merchandise, and will even be getting a brushable toy.

An analysis on Vinyl "DJ Pon-3" Scratch is available on the analysis page.

Octavia

Our Elegant Classical Musician being stoic as usual.

Debut: "The Best Night Ever"

A classy gray earth pony with a pink treble clef cutie mark. She plays the cello as part of quartet performances at Canterlot's Grand Galloping Gala and garden party, respectively during "The Best Night Ever" and "Sweet and Elite". After her debut, fans loved her classy look and initial deadpan reaction to Pinkie Pie on stage so much that she's become one of the most popular musician ponies.

An analysis on Octavia is available on the analysis page.

Octavia's bandmates

The band as of "The Best Night Ever" and "Sweet and Elite", respectively from top to bottom.[56]

Debut: "The Best Night Ever"

Just because Octavia's the most well known doesn't mean the fans have forgotten her bandmates. In her first appearance, Octavia is seen playing with a male piano player (Frederic Horseshoepin), a female sousaphone player (Beauty Brass, Sousie Tuba or Bluenote) and a male harp player (Harpo Parish Nadermane or Strings McGee). Harpo returns with Octavia in "Sweet and Elite" alongside new bandmates: two violin players (one male and one female) though there aren't any widely accepted nicknames for them yet. The Gala band also has a country music counterpart that played in "Luna Eclipsed".

Screwball / Topsy Turvy

Sillier than Derpy. Poor pony.

Debut: "The Return of Harmony, Part 2"

A pink earth pony who briefly appears in "The Return of Harmony Part 2" floating across the screen during Discord's reign of chaos. She appeared to be more of a silly pony than dear Derpy and that's saying quite a bit. Her cutie mark is a machine screw and a baseball, leading naturally to the Fan Nickname "Screwball". Given that she showed up as a visual gag it's unknown if she'll ever show up again but a pony that makes a goofy face doesn't get away in this fandom.

Allie Way & Big Wig

Debut: "The Cutie Pox"

A tall slender pale yellow unicorn with a two-tone blue mane ("Allie Way") and a darker yellow earth pony with red hair ("Big Wig") seen in the bowling alley at the beginning of "The Cutie Pox". Their cutie marks are trios of 50s starburst patterns so bowling doesn't necessarily have to do with their special talent(s).

My Little Lebowski

Debut: "The Cutie Pox"

A set of four earth ponies ("The Dude," "Walter," "Donny" and "Jesus") seen in the bowling alley at the beginning of "The Cutie Pox".

Mr. Waddle

"Aww, shucks, Miss Pinkie, you flatterer you!"

Debut: "The Mysterious Mare Do Well"

Speaking Appearance: "Hearts and Hooves Day"

An elderly, glasses-wearing Earth pony with a Bubble Pipe cutie mark. He was first seen in the second opening[57] and first appeared in the show proper in "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" (as one of four elderly ponies Rainbow Dash saves from a collapsing balcony). He's since appeared in "Hearts and Hooves Day" (twice, first at a funeral which Sweetie Belle interrupts and later standing beside an elderly Earth pony mare), "A Friend in Deed" (in which his name is revealed when Pinkie Pie compliments him), and "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2" (attending the wedding beside the same elderly Earth pony from before).

Hayseed Turnip Truck

"It's me, Hayseed Turnip Truck! We met at the big hoedown in Ponyville last month?"

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "Sweet and Elite"

An Earth Pony with buck teeth who wears a baseball cap with a turnip on it and a dirty white T-shirt. His cutie mark is three turnips. Hayseed is an Earth Pony who works as a window washer in Canterlot in "Sweet And Elite". It seems he was born in Ponyville and either has moved or works in Canterlot now. While not the brightest, he appears to be nice, greeting and complimenting Rarity when he sees her.

Fleur de Lis / Elizabeth

*whistle* Now that's showing some leg.

"Hmm, a pony with expensive tastes, I see!"

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "Sweet and Elite"

A uniquely slender and statuesque unicorn with a white coat and light pink mane that appeared as Fancypants's companion in "Sweet and Elite". Her cutie mark is three fleur-de-lis, two purple and one golden. This pony quickly captured the viewers' attention both because of her unusual design (with coloring resembling Princess Celestia in her youth) and attention-grabbing behavior. The fandom has been unable to decide on a backstory for her and even her nickname is a point of contention with Fleur de Lis seeming the most popular choice so far. The script described her as a "lovely unicorn" and one of the show's layout artists has speculated that she was intended to look like a supermodel.

Junebug

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "Secret of My Excess"

An earth pony with yellow-orange coat and an orange mane. Spike demanded that she should give her some of her flowers in her basket because it was his birthday, but Twilight stopped him. Her cutie mark is obscured by her flower baskets, but appears on her molded toy and collector card (though given that these also change everything but her eye color and gender, this may not be her in-show cutie mark). According to her collector card, she "loves holidays!"

Truffle SHUFFLE!

"Yay!"

Debut: "Family Appreciation Day"

Speaking Appearance: "Ponyville Confidential"

A chubby gray earth pony colt introduced in Season 2, he's become something of a recurring background character in CMC episodes. Most likely introduced to show that Cheerilee's school does in fact have colts beyond Snips & Snails. Truffle Shuffle is probably his most common Fan Nickname, but others include Butterball and Chowder.

  • Big Eater: His cutie mark is a fork and knife. Either eating is his special talent, or cooking is.
  • Nice Hat: He owns a fez, apparently.
  • Ship Tease: Gets one with Twist in "Hearts & Hooves Day"

The Imperfect Stallions
"I say!"
—Persnickety, after Apple Bloom calls him "way too uptight" in "Hearts and Hooves Day"

Debut: "Hearts and Hooves Day"

A series of nine stallions who the Cutie Mark Crusaders passed over in their search for the perfect stallion to be Cheerilee's special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day. Their Fan Nicknames (and their descriptions) are Hay Fever ("clearly has a terrible cold"), Clip Clop ("too silly"), Persnickety ("way too uptight"), Hairy Tipper ("much too flashy"), Shortround ("too short"), G. Raff ("too tall"), Squeaky Clean ("too clean"), Pigpen ("too smelly"), and Hugh Jelly ("strangely obsessed with tubs of jelly"). Other ponies were also considered: Mr. Waddle, Caramel and Doctor Whooves (who've all appeared elsewhere and have their own entries on this page), as well as an unnamed colt (who later appeared in "Ponyville Confidential" and doesn't fit the same mold as these nine).

Flitter & Cloudchaser

From left to right: Cloudchaser and Flitter.

"What exactly does this machine do?"

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "Hurricane Fluttershy"

A pair of Pegasus mares with very similar color schemes.

Thunderlane & Rumble
"It wasn't me! It was Blossomforth!"
—Thunderlane, blaming Blossomforth for his coughing in "Hurricane Fluttershy"
"He's got the feather flu. He's down at Ponyville Hospital."
—Rumble, explaining Thunderlane's absence in "Hurricane Fluttershy"

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "Hurricane Fluttershy"

Two Pegasus brothers, Thunderlane a stallion and Rumble a colt. Thunderlane is a slate gray, silver-maned pony who was suffering from a cold during Ponyville's turn at providing water for Cloudsdale. Said cold eventually lands eight pegasi in the hospital. Thunderlane later attended the wedding during "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2".

  • Eyes of Gold: Thunderlane
  • Foreshadowing: Thunderlane's coughing on "Hurricane Fluttershy". Rainbow Dash thought it was an attempt at skipping the event. It was a disastrous mistake as we later learn that his coughing was real. He was infected with a contagious decease known as the feather flu and it had managed to infect a large number of participants to get sick and get sent to the hospital which cost Ponyville the record they wished to attain and almost causing the cancellation of the event itself if it weren't for Rainbow Dash's determination and Fluttershy's timely assistance.
  • Motif: His character design (black coat and a thunder cloud cutie mark) pretty much tells you that something bad's going to happen.
  • Purple Eyes: Rumble

Roid Rage / Mr. McLargehuge / Horse Power

YEAH!!!

"YEAH!!!"

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "Hurricane Fluttershy"

An enthusiastic and overly muscular Pegasus stallion with tiny wings. His cutie mark is a dumbell.

Blossomforth

Too flexible?
"A little too much flexibility, Blossomforth. Uh, somepony give Blossomforth a hoof."
—Rainbow Dash, seeing Blossomforth all tangled up in "Hurricane Fluttershy"

Debut: "Hurricane Fluttershy"

A freckled Pegasus mare. According to her brushable toy's box and her collector card, she "loves the sunshine! It's her job to push the clouds out of the sky whenever they hide the sun for too long." According to the Friendship Celebration Collection's box, she and Daisy "have a tea party for two!"

Wild Fire

"I am going for a hooficure and that is that!"

Debut & Speaking Appearance: "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1"

A cream Pegasus mare with a brown mane who appears in one of Twilight Sparkle's flashbacks during "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1", she's seen in Canterlot arguing with Lucky until Cadance gets them to stop arguing. She is in fact the Original Character of storyboard artist Sabrina "Sibsy" Alberghetti who is based on herself.

First [dead link] appeared on Sibsy's Deviant ART account and blog as a then-unnamed pony in response to the trending Internet phenomenon of making "ponysonas" or pony personas that's been occuring throughout the fandom and even within the crew themselves. Fans later dubbed her [dead link] as "Wild Fire" and Sibsy called her by that name from [dead link] then [dead link] on [dead link].

After a pony drawn in the storyboard coincidentally looked similar, Sibsy got permission from art director Ridd Sorensen for that pony to be hers, and thus, Wild Fire made her official debut within the show itself as a background pony. While the show's pairing of Wild Fire with Lucky was chosen at random, Sibsy later [dead link] sketched the two ponies together.

Other Ponies

There is a whole stable of other background ponies who recur throughout the series and have made their marks on the fanbase, if not to the extent of the above. These ponies aren't quite as "tropable" or popular as the above ponies, or we simply haven't gotten around to giving them their own entries.

To see comprehensive lists of known ponies (background and otherwise), go here or here.

Non-Ponies

These characters act and are used just like background ponies except for the simple fact that they're not ponies. Most of the species on this list currently fall into Furry Confusion territory seeing as many of them are seemingly treated as any other domesticated animal yet at the same time can talk with the ponies or act in a rather civilized manner.

The Cattle
"Oh my! Begging your pardon, Applejack, but Mooriella here saw one of those nasty snakes. And it just gave us all the willies, dontcha know."
—Daisy Jo, explaining what caused their stampede in "Applebuck Season"

Debut: "Applebuck Season"

The cows from "Applebuck Season", "Boast Busters", and "A Friend in Deed" produces Ponyville's daily supply of fresh milk, but they get spooked by snakes easily. The oxen from "Hearts and Hooves Day" are shown pulling a cart containing anvils and a length of rope.

The Mule

"None taken."

Debut: "Applebuck Season"

Voiced by James "Wootie" Wootton[58]

A polite and friendly fellow who isn't easily offended. He appears in "Applebuck Season" and "Hurricane Fluttershy".

The Buffalo Tribe

"If you say so, Spike. Catch ya later, bro."

Debut: "Over a Barrel"

Voiced by Ashleigh Ball[59]

A Buffalo tribe led by Chief Thunderhooves appears in "Over a Barrel". In "The Return of Harmony Part 2", Discord's reign of chaos includes a trio of buffalo ballet dancers who appear in and around Ponyville. The tribe is also shown on the licensed shirt Daring Do. [dead link]

For their chieftain and Little Strongheart see the minor characters page.

The Sheep

"You coulda just asked."

Debut: "Sisterhooves Social"

Woolly animals that come in black and white. "Sisterhooves Social" shows a flock of sheep presumably kept at Sweet Apple Acres for their wool. "Dragon Quest" shows a few wild sheep up in the snowy mountains, one of whom lets Spike hitch a ride on him.

The Goats

Debut: "May the Best Pet Win!"

One shows up as a pet at Fluttershy's cottage in "May the Best Pet Win!", but more appear later on as Iron Will's assistants in "Putting Your Hoof Down". They invoke Furry Confusion the most since they don't talk but are able to operate electric devices and wear ties.

  1. ↑ Clockwise from upper left: DJ Pon-3, Derpy Hooves, Bon Bon, Lyra Heartstrings, Doctor Whooves, and Octavia
  2. ↑ besides the Mane Six
  3. ↑ the toys and collector cards, a storyboard for the show, filenames on Hasbro and/or The Hub's websites, two of The Hub's commercials, the official Facebook and/or Twitter pages of My Little Pony and The Hub, Mighty Fine's officially licensed merchandise and the titles, descriptions and/or tags of said merchandise on their online store WeLoveFine, the Tumblr of WeLoveFine and an EBay auction
  4. ↑ The 10th Doctor is often seen wearing brown clothing
  5. ↑ making a connection to the Doctor's race: the Time Lords
  6. ↑ although there were a few instances but it was barely noticeable
  7. ↑ with Derpy being the most prominent...especially in Season 2
  8. ↑ The Hub's Equestria Girls commercial is a prime example
  9. ↑ such as the official Facebook and/or Twitter pages of My Little Pony and The Hub mentioning the brony fandom more than once and even using the (since canonized) background pony Fan Nickname "Derpy" a few times
  10. ↑ several of the Blind Bag ponies resemble some of the fandom's favorite background ponies
  11. ↑ called Roseluck in the Blind Bags
  12. ↑ called Flower Wishes in the toy line
  13. ↑ called Chance-a-lot in the Blind Bags
  14. ↑ possibly Ditzy Doo
  15. ↑ possibly Apple family member Apple Bumpkin
  16. ↑ possibly Derpy
  17. ↑ Angel Bunny has his own unique rabbit character design.
  18. ↑ "some groups" as they also come in many designs and some of those designs are reused and recolored.
  19. ↑ while not unnamed, this is why Derpy had a boyish voice originally
  20. ↑ according to this tweet by Jayson Thiessen
  21. ↑ (according to a layout artist, she was posed this way on purpose but meant to be hidden behind another pony; a later tweak revealed her face)
  22. ↑ sort of; the animator crossed her eyes intentionally, but they would've been obscured to the audience had a different pony not glitched during rendering
  23. ↑ also appears as a Pegasus in "Winter Wrap Up", "Fall Weather Friends", "Suited For Success", "The Best Night Ever", and "A Friend in Deed"
  24. ↑ Fluttershy's Flash Back during "Hurricane Fluttershy" additionally shows her as a Pegasus
  25. ↑ three carrots in the show; two carrots in the Blind Bags
  26. ↑ referred to using the abbreviation "Ry"; she may or may not be Rarity depending on whether the storyboard is from before or after Rarity's scenes were cut during storyboarding
  27. ↑ where Apple Bloom forces a bunch of apples on her and Doctor Whooves X
  28. ↑ where she becomes a Fluttershy fangirl and apparently doesn't know who Rarity is
  29. ↑ where she wants that incredible, amazing doll
  30. ↑ commenting on the foul taste of the Flim Flam brothers' cider
  31. ↑ From left to right: Daisy, "Lily" and Rose]]
  32. ↑ according to this comment by Andrea Libman
  33. ↑ also appears as an Earth pony in "Friendship is Magic, part 1", "Boast Busters", "Winter Wrap Up", "Fall Weather Friends", "Suited For Success", and "Green Isn't Your Color"; Twilight Sparkle's Flash Back during "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" additionally shows her as an Earth pony
  34. ↑ Romana was a companion to the Fourth Doctor as well as a Time Lord herself
  35. ↑ dentists use stethoscopes to check if the patient has any other illnesses or disease so that it won't interfere with the operation or even worse: worsen the patient's medical condition due to lack of foresight
  36. ↑ also appears as an Earth pony in "Friendship is Magic, part 1", "Applebuck Season", "Boast Busters", "Suited For Success", "The Show Stoppers", "Green Isn't Your Color" "Over a Barrel", "Luna Eclipsed", "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", and "Hearth's Warming Eve", and also appears as a Pegasus with a different hairstyle in "Sonic Rainboom"; Twilight Sparkle's Flash Back during "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" additionally shows her as an Earth pony, and Fluttershy's Flash Back during "Hurricane Fluttershy" additionally shows her as a Pegasus
  37. ↑ according to this tweet by Cathy Weseluck
  38. ↑ This is Raindrops as she appeared together with Derpy for a gag scene in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" as they accidentally drop a lot of heavy objects on Twilight Sparkle. Their boss is not amused.]]
  39. ↑ On a somewhat unrelated note, show creator Lauren Faust drew a colored sketch of said G1 pony in G4 style and posted it on her Deviant ART account.
  40. ↑ This is Doctor Whooves as seen from his latest role as a time keeper in the episode "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000".
  41. ↑ he appears as a Pegasus in "Sonic Rainboom"]], though there's a similarly looking pegasus nicknamed Papermoon with a different cutie mark and a lighter version of his color scheme
  42. ↑ the below mentioned country band and fancy band, respectively in "Luna Eclipsed" and "Sweet and Elite", includes ponies playing these instruments who share his color scheme but not his cutie mark
  43. ↑ This is Pokey Pierce as he appeared in the episode "Call of the Cutie"
  44. ↑ also appears as a Pegasus in "Sonic Rainboom"
  45. ↑ two beamed notes (♫); three eighth notes (♪) in the Blind Bags
  46. ↑ This is Caramel as he appears (minus the saddle bags) in his debut in the episode "Winter Wrap Up"
  47. ↑ also appears as a Pegasus in "Sonic Rainboom", and also appears as a unicorn with a different cutie mark in "Read It and Weep"
  48. ↑ The Doctor's rival
  49. ↑ also appears as a Pegasus in "Friendship is Magic, part 2", "The Cutie Pox", and (with a different eye color) "Ponyville Confidential", and also appears as an Earth pony with a different hairstyle in "Ponyville Confidential"; Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's flashbacks during "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" and "Hurricane Fluttershy" additionally show her as a Pegasus and (in the former episode) as an Earth pony
  50. ↑ In fact, she's a Palette Swap
  51. ↑ Doo or Hooves depending on your flavor of Derpy
  52. ↑ This is Nurse Redheart, the first nurse pony to appear in the show.
  53. ↑ according to this interview with Ashleigh Ball
  54. ↑ From left to right: Lotus and Aloe.
  55. ↑ (then Holly Suarez)
  56. ↑ The members' Fan Nicknames from top to bottom, left to right (excluding Octavia herself and already mentioned bandmates): Frederic Horseshoepin, Beauty Brass, Harpo Parish Nadermane, Symphony and Concerto.
  57. ↑ introduced in "Lesson Zero"
  58. ↑ according to this post by Jayson Thiessen and this post by James "Wootie" Wootton
  59. ↑ according to this interview with Ashleigh Ball
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_Friendship_Is_Magic/Characters/Background_Ponies?oldid=2044220"