How Advanced is Equestrian Technology? Is There an Equivalent Time Period?

[Fluttershutter 2,502]

I think they're around the late 19th century with some steampunk exceptions and of course the addition of magic.

 

I really didn't like how the Rainbow Dash micro comic introduced tv to their world.

[Twi Rubix 726]

After seeing Equestria Girls, it really begs the question. How far behind is the technology of Equestria from the technology of the human world?

 

If you didn't see the movie, Twilight does not know what a computer, keyboard, mouse, or cell phone is. Let alone the internet. She also doesn't know how to use a modern day pen. (Granted, that could be because she doesn't know how to use her hands.)

 

Meanwhile, Equestria has fountain pens and scrolls for writing, and they use old film projectors. (Seen in "Hurricane Fluttershy") Hot air balloons, trains, and horse drawn carridges are used for transportation. I suppose the use of magic and flying is the reason some things aren't invented, but for what they do have, Equestria is obviously not up-to-date as the human world is.

 

What do you think about this?

[Rave Crocker 49]

victorian times, based on the clothes, It does bug me that the earth ponies havent invented some tools to help them with their daily lives though.

[Skycoaster 698]

Who needs technology when you have magic!

 

To be honest, I would say they are about the late 1800's to early 1900's in terms of technology. I think Equestria is like this on purpose. Think of how technology has distanced us from other people...er ponies. They want ponies to interact with each other, face to face, not shoot them a text.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Skycoaster (Corkscrew)

[DaReaper 1,945]

It seems funny but my take on it since they have magic and the ability to fly they didnt need to invent the same type of stuff as we did to survive, so a lot a things like computers never needed to be invented cause they dont have a need for it

[Zygen 6,066]

I'd say that they don't have any modern stuff for sure, i'd say they're probably early 1900's I guess in technology. I'm not totally sure though, i'm not amazing with history exactly.

[Fhaolan 4,484]

Early Edwardian period (1900-1914) for the most part, judging by the clothing worn by the nobles in Sweet and Elite. Past Victorian, but before World War I. Mechanically driven floats used for parades, as seen in One Bad Apple matches that pretty well.

 

The outfits in Appleloosa, however, and the pioneer outfits work by Granny Smith when she was younger point to a slightly earlier period (1840-1880). The plough seen on Sweet Apple Acres is of the 'Scots Plough' design that was popular from 1763-1920 (when the Ferguson's 3-point linkage made tractors feasible).

 

Oh, and there are a couple of 1950's items, such as Vinyl Scratch's dual turntable and speakers setup (Yes, 1950's. Scratching started then, believe it or not. It just didn't get popular until hip hop came around a bit more than twenty years later. Yes, hip hop dates back to the 1970's. Jeeze you guys think you invented everything?  )

[Nohbdy 4,108]

After seeing Equestria Girls, it really begs the question. How far behind is the technology of Equestria from the technology of the human world?

 

If you didn't see the movie, Twilight does not know what a computer, keyboard, mouse, or cell phone is. Let alone the internet. She also doesn't know how to use a modern day pen. (Granted, that could be because she doesn't know how to use her hands.)

 

Meanwhile, Equestria has fountain pens and scrolls for writing, and they use old film projectors. (Seen in "Hurricane Fluttershy") Hot air balloons, trains, and horse drawn carridges are used for transportation. I suppose the use of magic and flying is the reason some things aren't invented, but for what they do have, Equestria is obviously not up-to-date as the human world is.

 

What do you think about this?

Hey, Twi Rubix. I've taken the liberty of merging your thread with an existing one. In the future, please use the search function before creating a new thread. Thank you

[Neutrona 11]

I think the show's time period is mostly Victorian, because of most of the clothing items you see.  I say mostly Victorian, because there are hints of other time periods in Equestria.  I think the world of Equestria, and thus the ponies in it, experiences time differently than we do.

[IceBeerG 55]

So i just thinking - what is the level of technology in equesria?

 

Acording to some series they had descover electricity, but i never saw a pony with a mobile phone. The only using of it is a lamps in most of the towns. Or some wierd machines (kinda one that Twiilight used to analyze Pinkie's sense)

 

What about medicine? They are having rentgen already. What also they have?

 

Is there anything that i've missed? Microwaves? Tv? Something else?

 

And how exactly they get electricity? Is there something about weather control?

 

Canon? Fanon? Discuss.

Edited July 29, 2013 by IceBeerG

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

@@IceBeerG,

 

We already happened to have a thread for speculating and discussing the level of technology in Equestria, so your thread has been merged with the older one.

[CT-1138 3,182]

Frankly, I think the technology is as advanced as the episode plot needs it to be. But, seriously, I'm thinking somewhere around the level of the early 1960's. Computers are becoming popularized for scientific study, projectors seem to still be popular, there's out of house hospitals, and locomotives are a convenient commodity where the internal combustion engine is not yet required in a place that has magic and everything small time is easily run by horse power. Remember, these ARE horses. WE used to use them as out automobile prior to Henry Ford streamlining the production process so that the family car became affordable to families who didn't see the vehicle as something other than entertainment. I think it's safe to say that, based on an episode such as "Fall Weather Friends", the stamina of My Little Ponies are equal to that of a real life equine. Therefore, something such as an internal combustion powered automobile would be more of an inconvenience in a society whose architecture and civil planning reflects the feudal system their government partly uses. A town such as Ponyville would find an automobile a nuisance trying to navigate itself through market place streets. Likewise, a car will find it rather difficult to make it up the side of a mountain, meaning that it would be incapable of accessing the capital of Equestria, which is very inconvenient. Nah, I think that magic is not only a greener power source, but a more convenient one. The Ponyville Damn likely sends power to the small amount of electrical devices that the town uses such as the library, the ovens in Sugar Cube Corner, the Ponyville Hospital, etc. 

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think that Equestria's technology is a tie in between the Victorian Era and the Industrial Revolution. Equestria has some examples of modern technology like stoves and kitchen utensils. Equestria also has other examples of the Renaissance, like dragons and medieval torches on the outskirts of the nation. So, it has a mix of modern and historic elements.

[RrVPfX9cPtw59FpC 1,304]

There exists a very good quote about magic, of which I can't remember where I got it. If magic existed, we would simply call it science. This is shown very well in "Felling Pinkie Keen", where even in a world with magic, Twilight can't get over the fact that Pinkie has some sort of future vision.

[Cwanky 17,597]

Any true discussion right now of technology unfortunately is highly limited and in my mind premature and pointless. You have to take into consideration that the show takes primarily in Ponyville, a rather small, rural, and significantly isolated region of Equestria. 

 

I am going to start a discussion of Equestrian hierarchy soon, but to make this point short and clear, from our limited knowledge of Equestria we only have mostly Ponyville to draw from which isn't much. We may never know exactly how advanced Equestrian technology is let alone about the world, but for now it seems the society is modern but mixed with magic and medieval themes, which gives it a Harry Potter esque feel.

[John 793]

I think that general wise, they are at the early 1900's in tech, but appliances for things such as cooking and washing are behind in development, and things requiring electricity and construction appear to be more advanced.

 

Though that doesn't explain Vinyl Scratch's gear. She appears to be ahead of the times with speakers and light systems. She even cleans her dishes with wubs!

dubstep dishwasher.png

(Yes I know it's not canon, but I still want to mention it.)

 

You know what is canon though?  I could have sworn that the nerd from the episode involving fluttershy being a pushover (that Rarity influenced) had a computer as a cutie mark.  Maybe I'm thinking of a different episode, but I'm pretty sure I've seen one.  Either a computer or a calculator.

 

I think they live in a modern time but they are somewhat conservative with their traditions.  This is why sometimes is seems as though they are stuck in medieval times when at other times it seems more modern.

 

 

I've had enough steam-punk in the past year with games and stories.  I'm sick of it.  :/

 

 

 

So, what does this mean? Personally, I think that it just means equestrians have developed their technologies with a different purpose in mind. They don't have washing machines because not a lot of them wear clothing all the time. They have arcade machines because entertainment is obviously important to them. There's no way to normally compare their technological advancement to ours. Sure, they're definitely behind us overall, but probably in some areas more than others.

Just my two cents. 

 

If we combined our responses it would probably be the correct response.

Edited August 24, 2013 by John

[DubWolf 17,279]

I voted more recent. Their most common means of transportation to other cities appears to be by train since it appears so frequently in the show. I don't think their towns are very big, and hence do not need automobiles for transportation, which they probably could engineer if there was a need. They've also got a big weather factory in Cloudsdale, and Twilight has a bunch of fancy equipment she uses on Pinkie Pie in the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen".

 

Steam Punk? As in, more steam powered machinery?

[V1RUS_ 85]

First of all, I would like to point out two things.

 

One: Button Mash and a few other colts can clearly be seen playing early arcade games here:

 

Two: Rarity has a washboard in her boutique as shown here: 

 

So, what does this mean? Personally, I think that it just means equestrians have developed their technologies with a different purpose in mind. They don't have washing machines because not a lot of them wear clothing all the time. They have arcade machines because entertainment is obviously important to them. There's no way to normally compare their technological advancement to ours. Sure, they're definitely behind us overall, but probably in some areas more than others.

Just my two cents.

[~Luminiferous Ether~ 107]

Ponies would have had advances in technology they needed, say, music? (Who doesn't love music)

Ponies wouldn't have had a profound need for travel through short distances. (Lack of mass production of vehicles)

We haven't seen much of the city, so it is impossible to gauge technological advancement from a small village and a possibly conservative Canterlot.

 

All in all I think that tech would be highly advanced in areas necessary to ponies, not humans. And therefore many things that humans have created today, stages of which are commonly used to gauge technological advancement, would be simply non-existent. Therefore I conclude that we have no way to guess Equestria's advancement based on the fact we don't know the parameters well enough.

 

However, if you held a gun to my head I'd agree with OP

[Anneal 2,197]

THREAD REVIVAL! GIVE ME THE DEFIBRILLATORS, DOCTOR!

 

My best guess is the Edwardian Era, or the Interbellum Generation. If anyone doesn't know that, it means the early 20th century, pre-WWI. 

 

First of all, in Read It and Weep, some of the nurses were holding flashlights. The flashlight was made in 1899, and was later millions were produced in the early 20th century. In Baby Cakes, the Cakes used disposable diapers, which was made in WWII and patented in 1948, though I can see it plausible in Equestria to be made in a much earlier time. Also in the early 20th century, hospitals and medical care improved, along with the creation of the modern baby bottle, though much earlier ones appeared in the 19th century. Baby food, or in this case, "foal food", was made at home; the baby food market didn't become wide-spread until the mid-20th century. 

 

Airships also appeared in the Apple Family Reunion, but the ones some of the Apple family used was a partial metal-clad. Though airships were built in the late 19th century and the structure the ponies used seemed to be of that period, it was also for transporting a small number of ponies, and I only see partly metal airships possible in the early 20th century. 

 

In A Friend in Deed, Cranky has a box camera which looks similar to the early 20th century folding pocket Kodak. Featherweight in Ponyville Confidential uses a rangefinder camera, which was made in 1916, but not popularized until the Contax I was made in 1932. 

 

Color photography is actually older than you think. In the 19th century, multiple attempts were done at color photography; some of them came close, but a Russian names Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky improved it greatly in the early 20th century; you can't even tell if it's from the present day or not. Before that people used a red, blue, and green filter and put it all together; in the early 20th century they used. But since they didn't have digital camera and stuff like that back then, the photos needed to be processed and developed. In 1935, Kodak made the Kodachrome, which was kind of a tool used to develop pictures into colored ones. After WWII, color photographs began to appear more often. Now, after that long history lesson, this proves that Equestria is most likely in the Edwardian/ Interbellum.

 

Roomettes, or sleeping cars, also existed. Though the first one to implant it on Earth was the US in 1937, it was most likely possible the ponies did it at an earlier time since they were less occupied with issues outside their country. The problem is that I don't see why they need one when they could possibly make lie flat recliners in the passenger car, or just take the passenger car off completely. Probably because some trains haven't been updated yet.

 

They also have an equivalent of a Wild West. Technically the American Frontier ended a bit before WWI, but then again, Equestrian events could have occurred in a completely different manner. 

 

The things I do for arguments.

 

 

I voted more recent. Their most common means of transportation to other cities appears to be by train since it appears so frequently in the show. I don't think their towns are very big, and hence do not need automobiles for transportation, which they probably could engineer if there was a need. They've also got a big weather factory in Cloudsdale, and Twilight has a bunch of fancy equipment she uses on Pinkie Pie in the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen".

 

Steam Punk? As in, more steam powered machinery?

Trains were created way before the American Civil War, even steam powered ones. So it would still exist in the Industrial Revolution (a bit into it, actually), and Victorian. In the turn of the 20th century, they were improved to go at extreme speeds; the Chicago's Zephyr from the 1930s is an example of this. 

 

DJing actually traces back to more than 100 years, when they worked with phonographs, and later, jukeboxes and radio stations. Turntables date back to the 40s, post-WWII. 

 

Movie theaters also appeared often in the early 20th century. Color motion picture was made a bit before WWI. 

 

Microphones were invented by Edison in the 19th century; the ribbon microphone was invented in the early 1920s.

Edited August 24, 2013 by Cartophile

[Molecular Kogwheel 37]

Here's an article that thoroughly analyzes technology state of Equestria.

http://www.roundstable.com/2013/04/23/halberds-and-hair-dryers-the-bizarre-tech-of-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic/

[boiteporte 591]

Hello,

 

I spent quite some time actually wondering what the technology level was in Equestria. For example, in one episode (I can't actually remember exactly which one, maybe "May the best Pet Win), Rainbow Dash mentions something about flying as fast as a bullet, so could this mean they have guns in Equestria ?

 

Also, we almost never see any use of Technology in the show except in a few episodes (Twilight uses an electroencephalograph to measure Pinkie Pie's brain activity to try to determine where her Pinkie Sense came from). In Manehatten, during the song "generosity", we can see that they have modern boats. Also, we can also see uses of technology during construction works.

 

On the other hand, even though they have modern boats, their trains still run on coal and they do not seem to have access to television or cinemas. They don't have planes nor cars either. Furthermore, I am pretty sure they have electricity for their lighting  and gas as well for cooking. However, we have never seen any power stations (maybe they use unicorn magic for electricity generation ? ) and no computers either (as evidenced by Twilight not being able to use a computer in Equestria Girls and the fact that they still use typewriters).

 

Now, when Granny Smith was still young, the way the ponies dressed reminds me of the 1800's. When Applejack leaves for Manehatten for the first time to see Uncle Orange (I think), we can see that it would be early 1900's.

 

So, I think that Equestria's level of technology would be roughly equivalent to what we had about 50 years ago but I'm really not sure (Is it even possible to be sure ?).

 

Of course, we cannot compare Pony age to Human age, so the dates are all relative, I guess, since we do not know how long a pony lives.

 

What do you think ?

[GhostPony750 959]

Great analysis! I've been wondering this too... Well, it seems that they are mixing up tons of technologies from different years. There are tons of anachronisms. Well, I still prefer when they show old technology instead.

 

No guns in equestria, might be a mistake lol.

[Pastel 7,630]

For example, in one episode (I can't actually remember exactly which one, maybe "May the best Pet Win), Rainbow Dash mentions something about flying as fast as a bullet, so could this mean they have guns in Equestria ?

Yeah, I'm sure there are some in Appleloosa.

 

They have arcade games too:

 

They have nothing wave-related (dunno if I'm clear): TV, phones, Internet etc.

Regarding electricity, I don't know if they have it or if they replaced it with magic.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Blobulle

[Jeric 46,854]

Equestria has plot convenience technology.

 

Seriously though, I don't think you can have a complete analog to human advancement since two of the races have unique abilities that would have lessened the need for advancements.

 

Shipping technology may have needed to evolve because of the logistical limitation of even the unicorns and pegasi. Moving large quantities of people or materials would require tech advancements.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Jeric