Splashee
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Would Season 1 of FIM had been enough to create the fandom we had?
I am trying to think of some key examples of episodes that stand out and make FIM more than average, by just looking at Season 1 episodes, and of course, we all have different ideas what makes a cartoon series good.
Here are a few things that really stood out for me:
- Winter Wrap Up (mostly the song)
- Party of One (insanely clever)
- The Cutie Mark Chronicles (backstory that matters)
- The Show Stoppers (almost getting their "supposedly real" cutie marks early on)
- Dragonshy (cool ponies, not just for girls!)
Of course there are more, like the one time Fall Weather Friends, the unique Swarm of the Century, the awesome Rarity song in Suited for Success, the awesome Rainbow Dash episode Sonic Rainboom.
But would that be enough for the fandom? All we had was an animation error to make Derpy a thing, a few pony puns (everypony instead of everyone), and a lot of "needs to be 20% cooler" jokes.
No Discord yet. Was he the thing that made MLP big then?
Just look at the stiff animation and blank expressions of the ponies in Season 1, and ask yourself, is that the pony I fell in love with? (obviously, those expressions made them interesting in the first place, not saying they are bad!)I think (myself) I needed the entire Season 2, including the Reed it and Weep episode and the two parter Wedding episodes to actually become the fan I am today. Season 2 had somehow picked up an understanding of its fanbase, to make the show more grown up, and stick out from the crowd. Season 1 alone, I don't know!
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I agree with you about three episodes: Party of One, Dragonshy, and The Cutie Mark Chronicles. They stand really stand out from the rest of the episodes of season 1.
- Party of One - Not only it introduces Pinkie's 'insanity' when her friends began 'ignoring' her, but it also created a creepypasta. Surprise birthdays can lead you anywhere?
- Dragonshy - It reminds of me Adventure Time and the consequences of failing their mission can be fatal to all of Equestria
- The Cutie Mark Chronicles - It focuses in the stories of the past: how did the Main six got their cutie mark? Well, it seems they owe a BIG ONE to Rainbow Dash.
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@Windy Breeze Exactly.
Those three episodes also have the recipe to catch another audience, that are a little bit more mature. Originally, the show was for little girls, and the most important thing was colorful, cute, and catchy. Almost with zero coolness to it. That didn't interest boys much. Boys need cool things to get interested.
But for Party of One, you get psychology mixed in there. You get to see a breakdown of a "supposed to always be happy" character, and not as a joke! It is a valuable lesson for young people, but it is also very interesting to see for us older fans.
The Cutie Mark Chronicles addresses the other problem, which I thought was too big to overcome in a TV-series for toddlers: History/backstory of the main characters. I don't think 8 year olds would care much about what happened to characters in the past, as long as you can braid their hair with the latest toy. But for modern cartoons, and darker cartoons, that is completely normal to have. And MLP needed that to take off.
@Califorum Kirins were introduced way too late (not many Bronies left at the end of Season 8, to know the lyrics "I'd rather siiing!"). And yet, they became one of the most popular species. Still, the school of friendship and the Student 6 stole a lot of the time from the more interesting stories and songs, which is kinda what @Megas hints at.
Celebrity actors... So many cool and interesting characters were made, to have expensive voices that wouldn't return. That made Kirins, Tempest, Pear Butter, Rara, and many others (including Discord, we were only lucky de Lancie wanted to exploit the fanbase for his own goals = documentaries etc).
