Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie is one of the main characters of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Pinkie's mother and father call her by her full name, Pinkamena Diane Pie respectively in The Cutie Mark Chronicles and in 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 is the source of many of the comical and cartoonish gags in the show.

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 grounded 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, 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.

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.

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 glum family.

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, Games Ponies Play, and Pinkie Pride.

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 their children. 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.

Musical abilities

 * See also all songs in the series

Pinkie frequently performs songs in the series and is shown to be able to play a variety of musical instruments. 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.

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.

Ice-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.

Memory
In various episodes, Pinkie Pie is shown to have 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.

History
Pinkie Pie tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders in The Cutie Mark Chronicles that she was raised on a rock farm with her sisters Marble Pie and Limestone Pie, her mother Cloudy Quartz, and her father Igneous Rock, all of whom are unnamed in the show but named in the book Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party! 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.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders are unsure whether Pinkie Pie's story is true or not, but it is implied in Magic Duel that Pinkie did indeed live on a rock farm, when Trixie complains about working on one. In addition, Pinkie's father appears in Trixie's flashback. Pinkie Pie and her friends visit the rock farm itself in the episode Maud Pie.

Sometime after gaining her cutie mark, Pinkie throws a large party in Ponyville attended by many local fillies and colts, including Derpy, Lyra Heartstrings, and Sweetie Drops. The party is witnessed by a visiting colt from Manehattan named Cheese Sandwich, who 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 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.

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.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls
In My Little Pony Equestria Girls, Pinkie Pie's human counterpart is the head of the party planning committee at Canterlot High. Twilight meets her in the gymnasium to sign up for the Princess of the Fall Formal contest. At first, Pinkie is not on good terms with Fluttershy and Rarity, but they realize that Sunset Shimmer turned them against each other. The friends reconcile and work together to help Twilight win the contest.

When Twilight starts explaining who she really is, Pinkie guesses that Twilight is a pony princess from an alternate world on a mission to retrieve a "magical element". After Sunset Shimmer's defeat, Pinkie tries to follow Twilight through the portal, but the portal closes.

The human Pinkie has the same cartoonish aspects as her pony counterpart. At one point, she picks one of the balloon patterns off her skirt and inflates it like an actual balloon. She also wishes for "a party cannon that could decorate everything super fast," an object that her pony counterpart already owns.

Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
In animated short clips in the trailer for the movie sequel My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks, the human version of Pinkie plays the drums in the band, Sonic Rainbooms.

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!''

Hasbro.com Equestria Girls clip
''Free spirited Pinkie Pie has a personality as big as her heart and almost as big as her laugh! She loves having a good time and that's why she's perfect to head up party planning at Canterlot High. But it isn't all fun and games. She has a lot to do, like, planning parties, attending parties, decorating parties, catering parties, thinking about parties, talking about parties, looking at really sparkly things! Oh, and of course, helping her friend Twilight take home the crown at the Fall Formal. And she'll do it all with a smile on her face and the magic of friendship in her heart!''

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, cameos

 * Main articles: toys, merchandise, commercials

Pinkie Pie is featured in many commercials and her likeness is used for many toys and other merchandise.

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

"Whatcha doin'?"

- Multiple episodes

"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

"Nopony breaks a Pinkie promise!"

- The Last Roundup

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

- Magical Mystery Cure

"Alicorn party!"

- Magical Mystery Cure

"You're from an alternate world and you're a pony princess there and the crown actually has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements and without it they don't work anymore, and you need them all to help protect your magical world, and if you don't get the crown tonight, you'll be stuck in this world and you won't be able to get back for like a really, really long time!"

- My Little Pony Equestria Girls

"Parties. Are. Serious!"

- Pinkie Pride