Meanings of minor characters' cutie marks

[ggg-2 3,552]

I've been watching the show for a while and we get a LOT of minor characters. recently I've been pondering the meaning of each minor character's cutie mark. what do you think is the meaning behind the minor characters' cutie marks? how do you think they got them? it can be any minor character. Soarin, Big Mac, Spitfire, Granny's cousin Apple Rose, Bulk Biceps, ETC.

[Ace O. Jade 122]

The meaning of Derpy/Ditzy's cutie mark has been the big one since she became popular. I've yet to hear a satisfying headcanon for what the bubbles mean.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

The meaning of Bulk Bicep's cutie mark should be exceedingly obvious.

[SweetTea 12]

I would REALLY like to hear someone try to explain Ditzy/Derpy's cutiemark, because honestly the best I can come up with is maybe it represents her bubbly personality. ...Then again, cutiemarks are really really symbolic so it could mean almost anything. I mean, if you knew nothing about Cheese Sandwich then you might guess that he's really good at making Grilled Cheese. Maybe it's similar with Derpy/Ditzy? It might have to do with the moment in which she realized her purpose in life, and it has symbolic significance to her, but to the casual observer, it's just bubbles. O:

[Pastel 7,630]

Derpy's cutie mark is very puzzling. Indeed some say it's because of her bubbly personality, I like this idea.... But then, how did she get it?

[Invincible 2,091]

Noticed how big Mac's CM is an apple split in half? I like to think it means that he appears "plain" outside, but has a lot of depth inside of him. 

[Alicorn Fluttershy 152]

Derpy idk. but a bubbly personality? i don't think so when a pony gets their cutiemark as in the cutiemark crusaders song 

 

They all say that you'll get your mark When the time is really right And you know just what you're supposed to do And your talent comes to light   how would Derpy's talent be her bubbly personality?

[ggg-2 3,552]

Ditzy Doo's Dismally Derpy Day offers a very interesting story for derpy's cutie mark. in the story, Derpy can sense even the slightest air currents, a skill very few other Pegasi have. As a filly, she'd play with bubbles, dandelion seeds, even plain old dust in the sunlight. Anything light enough to float in the air and visible enough to track. she could play for hours, experimenting with how the air made it move, and how she could move the air. Then, when she learned to fly, she was able to apply what she had learned about how the air moved almost immediately, and there was her cutie mark. 7 perfect little soap bubbles, dancing in the breeze.

[paradoxical 1,735]

They all say that you'll get your mark When the time is really right And you know just what you're supposed to do And your talent comes to light   how would Derpy's talent be her bubbly personality?

 

 

She just realized one day that by being cheerful in the face of adversity that she could help cheer up other ponies. 

 

It's like Twist one day realizing that the confections she makes are actually something special.  She had evidently made them for years, but only NOW did she realize that it was a special talent.

 

And look that's what she does in the non-crowd shots.  She's being cheerful despite the fact that she's wrecking the town hall.  She's cheerful despite Ponyville not having a chance to win!

[TeaCrumpet 27]

Ditzy Doo's Dismally Derpy Day offers a very interesting story for derpy's cutie mark. in the story, Derpy can sense even the slightest air currents, a skill very few other Pegasi have. As a filly, she'd play with bubbles, dandelion seeds, even plain old dust in the sunlight. Anything light enough to float in the air and visible enough to track. she could play for hours, experimenting with how the air made it move, and how she could move the air. Then, when she learned to fly, she was able to apply what she had learned about how the air moved almost immediately, and there was her cutie mark. 7 perfect little soap bubbles, dancing in the breeze.

I like that a lot, though I think with Derpy is really depends on your what you think her talent really is. Looking into bubble symbolism is seem bubbles can be both a positive as well as negative thing. Know what we know from playing cards other media, I think Derpy's CM could read like this.

 

Bubbles: Her talent is her ability to transcend her fragile and clumsy nature (wall eyes) and rise above the world through her positive outlook on life.

 

I think this in captures what most love about her, her happy go lucky personality is based around rising above the difficulties she has had to face in life, thus making her stronger.

[Cwanky 17,576]

Although with some characters the cutie marks have obvious meanings, the answer is actually far simpler for most background ponies:

 

Although cutie marks are supposed to be unique, background ponies' marks are often chosen at random from a set of 'stock' cutie marks. Lauren Faust, in a deviantART message, relayed that the cutie marks of background ponies are chosen at random. She jokingly referred to them as "butt symbols."^[1] Earth ponies tend to have food-related or horseshoe marks, unicorns have astrological symbols, and Pegasus ponies have weather-related symbols. Music notes are another common mark, and are present on all three types of background ponies. Occasionally, adult ponies appear without cutie marks, some instances of which have been explained by Lauren Faust as an oversight.^[2]

 

In short the cutie marks are often randomly chosen, loosely corresponding to a particular race or genre, if that.

[Seaweed-Headed Dragon 359]

Background ponies deserve respect too!

[SCS 7,537]

I sometimes wonder what a background character's cutie mark could represent. I especially love the cutie marks of the Crystal Ponies. There was one in particular that stuck out to me. I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was like a leaf or a pinecone or something surrounded by small balls of light. 
 
It's beautiful. I can only speculate as to what it might represent, but some ideas I have are nature, purity, and wonder. There are many possible meanings one could reasonably assign to it due to how nuanced sentient life is.