Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie is a female Earth pony and one of the main characters of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Her father and mother call her by her full name, Pinkamena Diane Pie, in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Hearthbreakers, and the chapter book Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party! Pinkie is energetic and sociable, and she represents the element of laughter. She works at Sugarcube Corner and lives on the bakery's second floor with Gummy, her pet toothless baby alligator. She writes and performs many songs, and she is the source of many of the comical and cartoonish gags in the show. She is called Ponka Po in some merchandise.

Development
Lauren Faust was inspired to create Pinkie Pie by her childhood toy G1 Pegasus pony, Surprise. The previous Pinkie Pie is a G3 pony whose coat is pink, with a lighter shade of pink for her mane and tail, and her cutie mark is three balloons with curved strings. Faust had published of the G1 pony Surprise which was developed into the current Pinkie Pie. Hasbro published a recolor of the image in their "Style Guide for Pinkie Pie", complete with Pegasus wings. Pinkie Pie ultimately remained wingless, with an exception in The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2, and her wings were given to Fluttershy, who was back then an Earth pony called Posey, and merchandise eventually gave the name Surprise to a member of the Wonderbolts. She shares some personality traits with the G1 pony named Clover.

According to Lauren Faust, she "used to have a 'power' of sorts when she ate too much candy", which she called a "Sugar Rush". She'd plow through doors in a fit of speed, which would cause the Cakes to have to replace their front door on a weekly basis.

Pinkie's mane and tail "poofing up" when she's happy and going flat when she's sad was conceived by Jim Miller for The Cutie Mark Chronicles and repeated in future episodes by James Wootton.

Faust said that when the show was being developed, she encouraged the crew to keep the "wacky gags" exclusive to Pinkie. The Season 1 DVD commentary for Winter Wrap Up says that Faust had dictated that "only Pinkie Pie could do certain crazy gags and other characters wouldn't do it."

According to The Hub's Twitter account and Facebook page, Pinkie Pie's birthday is May 3. In the year 2012, this day was seventy-five days after February 18, the premiere date of A Friend in Deed, an episode in which Pinkie says that her birthday is not for another seventy-five days.

Exuberance
"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter!"

- Twilight Sparkle, Friendship is Magic, part 2

Pinkie is hyperactive, excitable, quirky, and outgoing, often speaking and acting in non sequiturs. She warmly welcomes new faces such as Twilight Sparkle and Cranky Doodle Donkey. True to the element of laughter she represents, she loves to make ponies smile and laugh.

Pinkie tends to have a lighthearted manner in serious situations, such as stopping to drink chocolate milk raining from a cotton candy cloud when the main characters confront Discord in The Return of Harmony Part 2. As a result, she is often not taken seriously even by her closest friends, who occasionally call her out on her seemingly illogical behavior.

In The Return of Harmony Part 1, Discord hypnotizes Pinkie with his chaotic magic. In this state, Pinkie is an irritable grump who hates laughter and happiness and has a general dislike of many things. When she's returned to normal in the following episode, she laughs and says, "I-I turned gray! Can you believe it?!"

Cartoonish behavior


Pinkie frequently performs cartoonish feats, such as eye-bulging, wild takes, and unusually angled cuts into the frame. Her merry skips resemble Pepé Le Pew's, particularly in Griffon the Brush Off. Her costume and waddle in Dragonshy are reminiscent of Daffy Duck's four-legged body in Duck Amuck.

On several occasions, Pinkie breaks the fourth wall and shows awareness of cinematic elements. For example, at the end of Over a Barrel, she pokes her head through the iris wipe to grumble about Twilight's friendship lesson, and in Magic Duel, she stretches the iris wipe wide open and climbs into the black screen to protest about her vanished mouth, and in Make New Friends but Keep Discord, she gets so excited about Discord buying all the cakes in the bakery, she shakes the camera. In The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, after Pinkie claims that keeping Cadance and Shining Armor's secret was a "piece of cake", when the screen irises in on her, she shakes her head at the viewers, indicating the contrary.

Love of parties
Pinkie Pie is first introduced as a talented and avid party-thrower. She throws a party for Twilight Sparkle in Friendship is Magic, part 1, a welcome party for Gilda in Griffon the Brush Off, and a birthday party for Gummy in Party of One (and even an "after-birthday party" the following day). Pinkie is even shown to throw parties on completely random occasions, such as a "finish ringing the school bell" party in Castle Mane-ia.

In The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Pinkie says she got her cutie mark when she was inspired to throw her first party for her straitlaced family. In Party Pooped, Pinkie is revealed to have a secret party planning cave in the Sugarcube Corner basement.

Party cannon
In Sweet and Elite, Pinkie organizes a birthday party for Twilight on very short notice, putting up decorations in very little time with her "party cannon." The cannon would become a running gag throughout the show, up to the point where Pinkie even uses it to fight off the changelings in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2. The cannon is used again in The Crystal Empire - Part 1, Spike at Your Service, Games Ponies Play, Pinkie Pride and Amending Fences. In The Gift of the Maud Pie, Pinkie trades her party cannon away to a shady pony for a rock pouch for her sister Maud, but Maud gets it back for her; her other two party cannons, which are alluded to in Hot Minute with Pinkie Pie and a portable one of which—Z&R Mark IV—appears in Friends Forever Issue 1, are not brought up in the episode.

In Equestria Girls, Pinkie's human counterpart laments she does not have a party cannon of her own. In Rainbow Rocks, she uses a kick drum that serves a similar function.

In Friendship Games, Pinkie and Sci-Twi operate giant electronic party cannons to try to get the "Welcome Crystal Prep" party in high gear. Unlike pony Pinkie's party cannon, human Pinkie's cannons are pink and yellow instead of blue.

In Siege of the Crystal Empire, Pinkie, Maud, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake use party cannons as weapons against the umbrum.

Insecurity
On occasion, Pinkie Pie shows an insecure side of her personality, doubting her friends or herself. In Party of One, she believes her friends to be unfaithful, causing her hair to "deflate" and her coat color to fade to a grayish pink. She adopts several inanimate objects as new friends, pretending that they are real.

Pinkie Pie tries to prove that she is responsible in Baby Cakes by begging Mr. and Mrs. Cake to let her babysit Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. When the Cakes eventually agree, Pinkie Pie quickly becomes overwhelmed by the task and shows doubt in her ability to handle the responsibility.

In A Friend in Deed, Pinkie Pie tries to befriend Cranky Doodle Donkey, despite his many rejections. She only succeeds in making a friend out of him by reuniting him with Matilda.

In Too Many Pinkie Pies, Pinkie Pie creates duplicates of herself in order to make time for her friends. However, when Ponyville becomes overrun by dozens of Pinkie Pies, Pinkie Pie soon wonders if she's even the real Pinkie Pie.

In Pinkie Pride, Pinkie Pie feels outdone and replaced by Cheese Sandwich and doubts in her own partying abilities. She gives up party planning and tries other tasks but fails at them. Her faith in herself is only renewed when she looks back on parties she had thrown for her friends, including Twilight's welcome party and the wedding reception for Shining Armor and Princess Cadance.

Musical abilities

 * See also all songs in the series

Pinkie frequently performs songs and plays a variety of musical instruments in the series. She plays a one-pony band in Swarm of the Century and Magic Duel, as well as the pipe organ in Castle Mane-ia despite having no prior knowledge of having played said instrument. During an afternoon in Party Pooped, she plays drums—mostly matching those of her human counterpart earlier in Rainbow Rocks—in a traveling band with S05E11 Unnamed Earth Stallion #1, S05E11 Unnamed Earth Stallion #2, and S05E11 Unnamed Earth Stallion #3.

Cooking
Pinkie works at Sugarcube Corner, a confectionery run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. She teaches Apple Bloom how to make cupcakes in Call of the Cutie and sometimes comes up with her own outlandish recipes, such as cupcakes topped with hot sauce in Friendship is Magic, part 1 and a "chimicherrychanga" in The Last Roundup.

Pinkie Sense
In Feeling Pinkie Keen, Pinkie reveals her ability to predict events in the near future by interpreting various twitches and involuntary motions, which she calls her "Pinkie Sense." The citizens of Ponyville pay heed to Pinkie's predictions, according to Applejack. Twilight is skeptical of the Pinkie Sense at first, since she fails to find a scientific explanation for it, but she eventually accepts it.

In The Mysterious Mare Do Well, Pinkie saves a team of construction workers from a collapsing building as part of the "Mare Do Well" plan. After Pinkie mentions her Pinkie Sense, her tail twitches, and she pushes Rainbow Dash out of the way of a falling pot. In It's About Time, Pinkie says she can only predict immediate events and not the actual future. Her tail twitches and a flowerpot falls on Twilight's head. In Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1, her tail twitches before a plunderseed vine knocks into Rarity.

In The Gift of the Maud Pie, Maud Pie claims to have a similar ability called "Maud Sense", and in Pinkie Pride, Cheese Sandwich displays a "Cheesy Sense".

Skating
Twilight admires Pinkie's ice-skating skills in Winter Wrap Up. Pinkie states she's been skating since she "was an itty-bitty little-wittle Twinkie-Pinkie." Later, in Power Ponies, she skates around on scrubbing brushes. Later still, in The Gift of the Maud Pie, she ice-skates again.

Memory
In various episodes, Pinkie Pie has an exceptional memory. In Friendship is Magic, part 1, Pinkie says she knows "everypony in Ponyville." In A Friend in Deed, she wishes Cheerilee a happy birthday, Zecora a happy day-after-her-birthday, and Matilda a happy-birthday-in-one-hundred-and-thirty-two-days.

Tail dexterity
In several episodes, Pinkie uses her mane and tail to hold and manipulate objects, including a flashlight in Bats! and a camera in Pinkie Apple Pie. In Bats!, she also drills underground with her mane. In Amending Fences, Pinkie uses her tail to fly a short distance, rotating it like a helicopter's rotors.

History
Pinkie Pie tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders in The Cutie Mark Chronicles that she was raised on a rock farm with her sisters Limestone Pie and Marble Pie and her father and mother Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz; the episodes Pinkie Pride and Maud Pie reveal a third sister, first mentioned in the same book, and the episode Hearthbreakers features the family. Her family's coats and manes are Earth-colored, muted browns and grays, and they all wear somber expressions until Pinkie Pie discovers her special talent.

When Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom clears the clouds and paints a rainbow across the sky, the shock wave frizzles Pinkie Pie's hair and gives it its distinctive curl. The sonic rainboom that she witnesses makes her smile, and she then decides to dedicate her life to spreading joy to other ponies. She invites her family to their first party ever, and they all shakily develop smiles, eventually merrily participating in Pinkie's party. Pinkie then earns her cutie mark.

Sometime after gaining her cutie mark, filly Pinkie throws a large party in Ponyville; present at this party are Berryshine, filly Cheerilee, colt Cheese Sandwich, "Cinnamon Swirl", Cloud Kicker, filly Cloudchaser, filly Derpy, Diamond Mint, "Drizzle", filly Flitter, Green Jewel, Lemon Hearts, filly Lyra Heartstrings, Meadow Song, Merry May, filly Minuette, "Mjölna", Orange Swirl, "Parasol", Rainbowshine, Sassaflash, "Serena", Shoeshine, Silver Spanner, Sprinkle Medley, Sunshower Raindrops, filly Sweetie Drops, "Tropical Spring", Twinkleshine, "Welly", and S02E18 Unnamed Pegasus Mare #3. Cheese Sandwich, visiting from Manehattan, is inspired by the party to become a party planner.

The plot of Pinkie Apple Pie involves Pinkie investigating the possibility that she may be related to the Apple family, although in the end the truth is left ambiguous.

Pinkie Promise
Pinkie Pie has her own kind of promise, a variation of "cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Her version is "cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Twilight recites this promise in Green Isn't Your Color, Applejack in The Last Roundup, and the whole main cast (except Twilight) in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1. Pinkie makes a Pinkie Party Promise to Rainbow Dash by literally sticking a cupcake in her eye in Pinkie Pride. Pinkie takes these promises very seriously, stalking Twilight throughout Green Isn't Your Color to make sure she doesn't break one and angrily pursuing Applejack in The Last Roundup when she believes she has broken one. Also in The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, Pinkie Pie gets liberal with her own Pinkie Promises.

Gummy
Gummy is Pinkie Pie's toothless one-year-old pet alligator who is introduced in Feeling Pinkie Keen. Pinkie Pie confides in Gummy many times about her feelings in Party of One, and she celebrates her birthday one day after Gummy's in the same episode. She outright screams to Gummy how much she loves him in Just for Sidekicks and kisses him in The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls
In My Little Pony Equestria Girls, Pinkie Pie accompanies Twilight to her first princess summit in the Crystal Empire, and she witnesses Sunset Shimmer steal Twilight's crown. In an alternate world, Pinkie's human counterpart appears as a high school student. At the end of the film, she accurately guesses the details of Twilight's relationship with Flash Sentry on "a hunch."

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
Pinkie briefly appears in the sequel My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks at Twilight's castle, where she hears the legend of the sirens. Through Pinkie's musings, Twilight gets the idea to transfer the magic of Princess Celestia's book into the Crystal Mirror.

Other depictions
Pinkie Pie is featured in several commercials.

Hasbro.com description
''To say that Pinkie Pie marches to the beat of her own drum is certainly an understatement! Giggly, playful and brimming over with energy, it's not unusual to find this pink pony prancing and skipping joyfully through the streets looking for fun, doing cartwheels, singing a song in a silly voice and making up her own ridiculous lyrics. By far the silliest pony around, nothing makes her happier than evoking a giggle and a smile from her friends. She is the freest of free spirits, always acting on her whims, following her heart, talking your ear off and getting a laugh or two along the way.''

Hasbro.com "Meet Pinkie Pie" clip
''Pinkie Pie keeps her pony friends laughing and smiling all day! Eager to amuse her friends and make everyone happy, Pinkie Pie will find any excuse to throw a party! More than one pony in Ponyville has been the unsuspecting victim of a sneak-attack surprise party! To Pinkie Pie, everyday with her friends is worth celebrating!''

HubNetwork.com description
''Pinkie Pie is a free spirit who prances to the beat of her own drum. Actually, she prances to the sound of her own singing. She's playful and full of energy. She can talk till the ponies come home. She loves to invent silly songs, giggle, skip, and make her friends laugh.''

Teacher for a Day description
''Pinkie Pie keeps her pony friends laughing and smiling all day! She believes every day is worth celebrating, and loves to throw parties with her pony friends. The only thing Pinkie Pie loves as much as her friends and parties are sweets. She loves to visit the Sugarcube sweet shop. She is always positive, and always helps the ponies see the bright side. You can count on Pinkie Pie for lots and lots of fun.''

My Little Pony mobile game description
Pinkie Pie represents the Element of Laughter and loves to make everybody happy, throw parties, eat sweets, and talk and talk and talk!

My Little Pony magazine description
''What a ball of energy! Pinkie Pie is super girly and loves to make everybody happy, throw parties, eat sweets and talk and talk and talk!''
 * Giggly
 * Fun
 * Chatterbox

The Elements of Harmony guidebook
''Giggly, playful, and super girly, it's not unusual to find PINKIE PIE prancing and skipping blissfully through the streets of Ponyville. The silliest pony around, Pinkie Pie has a desire to entertain that makes her the most likely source for humor. She is a free spirit, often acting on her whims and following her heart. You would never guess she grew up on a dreary rock farm. Eager to amuse her friends and make everyone happy, Pinkie Pie will find any excuse to throw a party. She loves eating sweets and baking them so much that she is often found at the Sweet Shoppe in Sugarcube Corner, where she works, and lives in the apartment upstairs.''

Merchandise, commercials, and cameos

 * Main articles: toys, merchandise, commercials

Pinkie Pie is featured in many commercials and her likeness is used for many toys and other merchandise. Several cards in the collectible card game have quotes from The Art of Fun, an in-universe book written by Pinkie Pie. The collectible card game's Absolute Discord expansion set card #36 C of Ponka Po shows her disguised as in Spike at Your Service and gives her the description, "Who could this mysterious mustachioed mastermind be?! Nopony knows..."

Pinkie Pie makes a brief cameo in the seventh episode of season one of The Aquabats! Super Show!. She is one of many background elements during a musical number of one of the Aquabats.

Quotes
"Isn't this exciting? Are you excited because I'm excited I've never been so excited, well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went [gasp] but I mean really, who could top that?"

- Friendship is Magic, part 1

"Hey, you know what this calls for? A party!"

- Friendship is Magic, part 2

"Okie-dokie-lokie."

- Multiple episodes

"Whatcha doin'?"

- Multiple episodes

"She'll become a crazy cat lady!"

- Referring to Rarity, Suited for Success

"FOREVER!"

- Green Isn't Your Color

"I'd never felt joy like that before! It felt so good I just wanted to keep smiling forever! And I wanted everyone I knew to smile too, but rainbows don't come along that often. I wondered, how else could I create some smiles?"

- The Cutie Mark Chronicles

"My friends laugh with me, not at me."

- The Return of Harmony Part 1

"Too old for free candy? Never!"

- Luna Eclipsed

"Oh, I never leave home without my party cannon."

- Sweet and Elite

"Oh my gosh. Hold on to your hooves – I am just about to be brilliant!"

- Hearth's Warming Eve

"Unicorns are snobs!"

- Hearth's Warming Eve

"Nopony breaks a Pinkie promise!"

- The Last Roundup

"Applejack! (deeply) You Pinkie Promised!!"

- The Last Roundup

"Nailed it!"

- A Friend in Deed and Equestria Games

"Come on, ponies! I wanna see you smile!"

- Magical Mystery Cure

"Alicorn party!"

- Magical Mystery Cure

"Best coronation day ever!"

- Magical Mystery Cure

"Parties. Are. Serious!"

- Pinkie Pride

"Ha-ha, just kidding. OR AM I?!?!? Sometimes I can't even tell!"

- Trade Ya!

"We did it! Ponyville won the medal count! And only by one medal."

- Equestria Games

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Now about those bubbles..."

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

"I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I know smiles. And those smiles? They're just not right."

- The Cutie Map - Part 1

"Laughs don't come in barrels. They come from inside you as your body's response to delight."

- The Cutie Map - Part 2

"No glowing tushies here!"

- What About Discord?

"Maud... [sniffs] You know me so well. You really are the most thoughtful gift-giver in the world! I'm gonna love it five-ever! That's even longer than for-ever."

- The Gift of the Maud Pie

"Buuuut now that you mention it... I could use more confetti for my party cannon. You wouldn't believe how much of that stuff I go through in a day!"

- The Gift of the Maud Pie

"There’s no doubt, friendship is the best thing ever. But friendBOATS are great too!!"

- My Little Pony Facebook post

"Woohoo! Ponyville forever!"

- Hub ad bumpers