What are the least expected references you saw in the show?

[Oleks 1,983]

MLP sure does have a lot of cool references, and we already expect each new episode to have some bits of classic or pop culture hidden somewhere. But one still can find many surprising allusions that you hardly expect to see in such a show. Post them here!
 

So, for me some of those are:
 

Pulp Fiction reference – definitely didn’t expect to see it in MLP:

 

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reference – a really nice one, I thought everybody forgot about that show:

 

Grumpy Cat reference – right out of the blue. Probably, the animators thought “why the hell not?”

[GrimGrimoire 4,970]

 

Horror movie anyone? This one kind of came out of the blue recently.

[cmarston1 5,954]

Those pillows in Stranger Than Fanfiction comes to mind pretty quickly.

[Megas 27,172]

Daring Daki and Metal Gear Discord, and the Bioshock Infinite Twins

[AriaTheLovely 578]

The big Mac

predator reference in everything little thing she does. Season 6 episode 21.

[Ganondorf8 11,149]

I wasn't expecting the ponified version of Charlie Brown to show up during "Made in Manehatten" along with Rarity parodying Lucy by having her own stall and saying "Good grief".

[Luminance 2,182]

Scootaloo's the "dark side" Star Wars reference caught me off guard.

[TheLeastEvil 50]

That reference to body pillows was awkward to say the least when I noticed it in stranger than fan-fiction. It really caught me off guard to see that kind of thing so blatantly used without being a movie reference.

[Guest]

I certainly didn't expect Big Mac to apparently give AJ the famous Spider-Man line as advice.

[Castle Bleck 19,209]

Slender Man in Pinkie Apple Pie.

 

The MGS Alert in Make New Friends But Keep Discord.

 

The cardboard anime Ponies in Scare Master.

 

And the dakimakura pillows in Stranger Than Fan Fiction.

Edited November 22, 2016 by A.V.

[Steve Piranha 29,195]

Discord's epic Metal Gear reference (so epic that even Kojima himself tweeted it  )

 

 

And....... HOLY SHIT. IS THAT LINK WITH EPONA'S COAT COLOR   ?

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

"Winter is coming"

 

Metal Gear Solid

 

Anime references, especially Evangelion.

 

The pillow.

 

Slender man

[Luminance 2,182]

Pacific Glow's "pacifier" is a reference to the drug LSD usually taken during Electronic Dance Music festivals. This quite shocked me because for a show like MLP to reference this seems really out-of-context and disheartening to me.

[llamalauncher 84]

this bioshock referance

http://m.imgur.com/N3bv9Wd

[Applejacket 185]

Are you all insane?!

 

SLENDERMANE

 

For a kiddie show!! Rlly?

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

Pretty much everything about Orwell and totalitarianism in "The Cutie Map", the use of "Dale Dale Dale" in "The Goof Off", and also the background ponies referencing Planes, Trains, & Automobiles and Home Alone.

 

 

On top of all of that, Fluttershy's anime obsession in "Scare Master" was definitely one of the strangest moments of the show IMO and totally came out of left field. Also, seeing everyone freak over Discord's Bob Ross reference was a bit of a treat as well.