Pop Culture References in FIM

[Dark Qiviut 22,510]

Since the pilot, Friendship Is Magic hasn't been shy about their usage of pop culture references. There are so many known in and out of the fandom, including:

1. Rarity's bags with the logo parodying Chanel.
2. The Grumpy Cat cutie mark.
3. Art of the Dress and At the Gala are tributes to two famous songs composed by Stephen Sondheim.
4. Fluttershy using "I'm late for a very important date" from Alice in Wonderland.
5. All of the "Batman" references in Bats! (the winged bat in the background during the song and light in the night sky).
6. The comedian references by Discord in Make Friends, along with a reference to The Shining.
7. The "Who's On First?" parody from Tanks for the Memories.
8. A second-by-second, frame-by-frame parody of A Star Wars IV's resolution to conclude The Return of Harmony.
9. An A-Team reference during the CMCs' assembly of their booby trap.
10. The Big Lebowski stallions from The Cutie Pox and Slice of Life.

You get the picture. Pop culture is a fixture in children's and family TV. There are several reasons why they appear, including plugging them for the fun of doing so, adding them in as Easter Eggs for older audiences, tributes to pop culture when the writers and developers themselves were little kids, and so on. Sometimes, pop culture stems from Americana dating back to early in the twentieth century, like slipping on a banana peel (which was a social commentary because littering was a custom in the big cities).

 

At the same time, pop culture references in general can be hit or miss. A lot of the references are comedic, but part of the lore is being able to able to understand the references. Some of FIM's pop cultural humor relies on understanding the reference to make you laugh. The type of pop culture reference that works the best is when they're very versatile: You shouldn't have to get the reference to laugh. Secondly, a lot of pop culture references today rely a lot on timed cycles: What may be funny today may sound very corny in the future. Consequently, the pop culture reference feels stilted and not timeless a few years later. Most of the pop culture references in FIM is difficult to gauge in timelessness now because:

• The show's still on the air and producing new material.
• It'll be several years before believing if the jokes are still as effective.

So, what are your thoughts on pop culture references in the show? Do they work, don't, or a mix?

[Jeric 46,869]

I'm not sure I'm in the majority or not, but I appreciate the Pop Culture references in older WB shorts that are obviously dated. (Warner Bros. are probably the father of Animated pop culture references).

 

The memeish Pony ones will likely get stale (grumpy cat). Subtle ones like Snake Plisken may not be noticed but fit seamlessly with the story, and even classics like Who's On First and I Love Lucy will still be recognizable.

[Guest]

The problem is that pop culture references or memes are just stale in general, not that the show is using dated or stale ones, they are just ALL stale because the internet has become overcrowded with memes and people spamming memes and references. Every two minutes someone is uttering a meme thinking it's cool. Memes used to be like sort of a secret password that only people who were deep internet users got, or rather people who did more than just Facebook. Now it's like memes are so universal that they are unfunny. To top that off, people are doing tons of forced memes like John Cena.

[Yamato 1,348]

The subtle references are pretty much the only reason I even try to watch the show anymore. What can I say? I just love the feeling of picking up on a hidden joke.

[ponylaces 1,870]

I rarely even understand pop culture references in the show. The references aren't really affecting or ruining the enjoyment of the episode, so I'm fine with it.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Much of the stuff MLP references is relatively safe. They're not often doing flavor-of-the-month stuff like Miley Cyrus and Donald Trump, but usually referencing works that have been in the cultural canon for quite a while, and are either timeless or lasting period pieces in and of themselves.

 

If a work you're referencing is "timeless", as in appealing across generations without feeling the slightest bit dated, it works out finely. I watch Spaceballs today, not having been around in the late 70s when the blockbuster trend was just starting, or when the original Star Wars came out, but Star Wars turned into such a gargantuan marketing juggernaut that continues to haul the big stuff to this day, and the blockbuster trend became not a fad but a fact of life in the movie industry. Consequentially, Spaceballs is probably every bit as funny today as it was back when it came out. That's where MLP's references to works like Sondheim, Disney, and The Big Lebowski work.

 

A work can also function as a sort of "period piece" if it references popular trends of the time, but tying a work too heavily to the climate against which it comes out makes future long-term appeal a huge variable. Even if it's executed well it could still come off as dated to many people. That is the sort of case with something like Animaniacs. Although it had plenty of cartoon humor and pop culture references of the "timeless" variety, it was also notably heavy with in-jokes and was particularly in tune with the 90s climate against which it came out. Hence, there are references to Barney, The Lion King, and La Macarena. The mileage you can get out of that last one truly varies; maybe someone born in the mid-late 2000s who has never heard of La Macarena before will appreciate the animation and great display of diverse character personalities, but only someone who is fully aware of the cultural trend behind it would appreciate the parody aspect as well. To me, the "Macadamia Nut" song is a fantastic period piece, but just happens to also show how amazing the Animaniacs characters were because of how well it was done. It's dated, but that doesn't cost its charm.

 

MLP seems to avoid flavor-of-the-month references for the most part (excepting stuff like GrumpyCat and the Mad Men ponies). Like I said, how audiences react to that is a variable, but if it's done well enough (MLP has been rightfully subtle about it), it will be a sort of charming reminder of the 2010s for future viewers rather than corny antiquity.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Wind Chaser

[Singe 2,111]

 

Anime/manga references in Season 5 Episode 21.

 

[FlootahBabby 265]

I'm alright with references. But they're not why I watch the show.

[RainbowPastel 185]

They are not the whole reason why I watch the show but I love jumping out of my seat when I recognize a reference in the show.

 

Example:

I feel like I'm the only one who is pointing this out.

 

 

It's Charlie Brown!!

I screamed, paused the show, ran to the tv and pointed for this one.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2015 by RainbowPastel

[El Duderino 879]

The pop culture references is actually what first caught my attention about the show. I saw online that there was a pony based off Doctor Who, and became curious. My favorite is the Big Lebowski background characters.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

The references are one of the big reasons I first started watching the show.

[Singe 2,111]

Here is a list of a lot of stuff.

http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_allusions

[Kivil 1,721]

If anyone hasn't noticed yet in Discord's song, Glass of Water, there are so many pop culture references! My favorite was Harry Potter

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Actually, the pop culture references are one feature of the show I can do without. I don't hate them, but I'm always very conscious of the passage of time and how quickly things can change. 

 

Many shows use pop culture references poorly. Family Guy, in my opinion, is a case in point. Their references are pretty much worthless, contributing little to the plot of an episode and serving only to fill a few more minutes. The "_______ Movie" movies are the nadir, in which the references are assumed by the filmmakers to be hilarious simply because the audience recognizes them. And even when they are done correctly, as is usually the case in MLP, they run the risk of dating the show because the jokes age badly or the object of the jokes is no longer relevant. Tiny Toon Adventures is one great cartoon that has suffered from this--it was a wonderful children's program in every respect, but the plot-driven segments were padded with jokes about Madonna and Cher and the New Kids on the Block that don't work anymore.

 

The risk is greatest when resorting to online pop culture references, because Internet trends can change on a dime and today's mild amusement is tomorrow's eye-rolling embarrassment. (Remember Fred Figglehorn? "Arrow to the knee"? If you don't, you're lucky.) Simply put: if your program is going to be recorded in digital form for posterity, and you expect or want anyone to care about it six months after its production, avoid Internet gags.

 

Stuff like "Manehattan" and "Saddle Arabia" is relatively harmless, but it's never been a draw for me either.

[Miles 2,513]

I love the references, no matter what kind they are.  To me, I think having only "timeless" ones is a bit too insensitive.  I like some of the more dated references mixed in with timeless ones.  I think it allows for a wider audience to enjoy the show.  References are just that - references.  They aren't meant to be the main focus of the show.  So if you're bothered by a reference so much that it makes it hard to focus on the rest of the episode, you're doing it wrong.  

---

@, I loved that reference.  Plus the expression on Twi's face was hilarious!

~ Miles