List of allusions/IDW comics

The following is a list of allusions to other My Little Pony generations, works of fiction, people, places, events, and other cultural touchstones in the IDW comic series of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Entries on this page must follow the similarity guidelines.

Issue 1

 * Scootaloo's attire on the first two pages bear a resemblance to Indiana Jones.
 * On the 3rd page of the comic, two blue stallions are seen overlooking a balcony in suits. Their design is a reference to the 1970-80's band and film The Blues Brothers.
 * On the 3rd page of the comic, the stallion running the moustache cart is designed after Thomas Sullivan Magnum, the titular character of the 1980's show Magnum, P.I..
 * The pony that resembles Thomas Magnum (listed above), has a Cutie Mark that mimics the Ferrari emblem, the brand of car used in Magnum P.I.
 * That page also contains other references besides just The Blues Brothers, such as Earl Hickey from My Name Is Earl.
 * A background pony on page 6 resembles actor Donald Sutherland, making a gesture identical to one made by Sutherland's character in the 1978 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
 * Book titles seen in Twilight's library on page 7 include "To Serve Ponies" (a reference to the 1950 science fiction short story "To Serve Man" and the 1962 Twilight Zone episode of the same name), "How I Did It" (a reference to 1974's Young Frankenstein), and "Incident at Santa Mira" (another reference to Body Snatchers).
 * Rainbow Dash's cry of "It's clobbering time!" is the catchphrase of Marvel Comics' The Thing.
 * The scene where Pinkie Pie teaches the characters how to act like changelings is a reference to a scene in Shaun of the Dead.
 * Rainbow Dash telling Fluttershy to be "nice until it's time not to be nice" is a reference to Road House.
 * The Secretariat Comet is named for renowned real-life racehorse Secretariat.
 * A gray background pony on page 17 resembles an Observer from the science fiction TV series Fringe.

Issue 2

 * When the group stands in front of the entrance to the cave, the names under the two gargoyles are "Ziggy" and "Stardust", a reference to the stage name used by British rock musician David Bowie.
 * In the chamber where the troll is, on the shelf is an Optimus Prime toy from the Transformers series.
 * The scene in which the troll picks up one of the rock ponies made by Pinkie and Rarity and calls it "George" is a commonly used allusion to the character Lennie in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men.
 * Queen Chrysalis's chambers are an allusion to the Wicked Witch of the West's from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
 * Also, the panel that Queen Chrysalis send out the changelings mirrors the scene where the Wicked Witch of the West sends out the flying monkeys.
 * This issue contains references to the song "Diamond Dogs" by David Bowie, such as a sign on page 10 reading "sashay on the boardwalk, scurry to the ditch". Another sign references Bowie's song "Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)": "Red like jungle burning bright". The mine's exit reads "Never look back, walk tall, act fine", lyrics from "Golden Years".
 * The "thwip" sound effect used by the spiders' web mirrors that of Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.
 * Landmarks on the map at the end of the issue include the Swamps of New Horseleans, an allusion to real-life city New Orleans, and Rocinante Cliffs, a reference to Don Quixote's horse.

Issue 3

 * Fluttershy's line, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" is a line from Spock in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
 * The "bamf" sound effect produced by Twilight's teleporting is the same as that of Marvel Comics' Nightcrawler.
 * Rarity's line, "Why did it have to be snakes?!" is nearly a direct quotation of Indiana Jones's famous line.
 * Chrysalis says "The filly-ship is broken", a reference to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Issue 4

 * The interior of Queen Chrysalis' castle as soon as Twilight and her friends enter resembles M. C. Escher's Relativity.
 * There are numerous references in the doors that the ponies open in the changelings' castle:
 * The clown that Fluttershy finds behind her door is a reference to Pennywise from the 1990 film It.
 * The twins that Rainbow Dash finds behind her door are a reference to The Shining.
 * The pony that Applejack finds behind her door is a reference to Mola Ram from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
 * The pony that Rarity finds behind her door is a reference to The Phantom of the Opera.
 * The pony in the cellar that Pinkie finds is a reference to Henrietta from Evil Dead II.
 * The riddle "How is a Pegasus like a writing desk?" mirrors a riddle that the Hatter asks Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. ("Why is a raven like a writing desk?")
 * Princess Celestia mentions a giant marshmallow pony attacking Manehattan; this is a reference to Gozer's final form from the movie Ghostbusters.
 * Scootaloo's impression of Queen Chrysalis ("I'mma getchoo, Twilight! And your little pony friends too!") mirrors a line spoken by the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Issue 5

 * The logo on the coffee cup Spike holds bears a strong resemblance to the Starbucks logo.
 * A Pegasus resembling Sailor Moon and a unicorn resembling Sailor Jupiter can be seen in a panel on page 2.
 * A panel on page 9 features a pony named Maybelle, who bears a strong resemblance to Mabel Pines from the Disney Channel original series Gravity Falls.
 * On page 18, Spike cradles a blanket and sucks his thumb in a manner identical to Linus van Pelt from Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts comic strip.

Issue 6

 * Twilight's line "That's one small step for ponies, one giant leap for ponykind!" is a reference to the famous words Neil Armstrong spoke when he set foot on the moon in 1969.
 * Pinkie's line "In space, no one can hear you squee!" is a reference to the tagline for 1979's Alien.

Issue 7

 * Two Dr. Hooves appear standing next to each other in the last panel on page 3, one with a messy mane commonly associated with "Ten", the other with a swoopy mane, a fez, and a bow-tie characteristic of "Eleven".
 * It is notable that the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, similarly features both Ten and Eleven working together and debuts on the same date as Season 4 of Friendship is Magic.

Issue 8

 * Similar to issue 7, two Dr. Hooves appear standing next to each other in the same panel on page 10; one is "Ten," and the one next to him with a curly mane and tail and a very long scarf is "Four."
 * On page 11 he is seen frustratingly tapping a (non-functioning) sonic screwdriver.
 * On page 15 he is wearing a tie around his head, similar to his appearance in a popular scene from the Doctor Who episode, The Girl in the Fireplace.
 * Granny Smith's pose on page 11 resembles the "Crane Stance" demonstrated by Ralph Macchio's character in The Karate Kid. Furthermore, Big McIntosh's exclamation of "By the mane of Miyagi!" is a reference to Pat Morita's character Keisuke Miyagi from the same film.
 * A green pony with a dark blue scarf who looks like Sherlock Holmes (as played by Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock) appears on page 16.
 * Ponies resembling Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Mercury appear throughout the issue.

Issue 9

 * The title of the arc is a play on the title of the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
 * Big McIntosh's toolbox on page 1 bears a Binford logo, a reference to Binford Tools in Home Improvement.
 * On page 3, there is a pony with a Green Lantern Corps logo for a cutie mark.
 * There are multiple references on the page 8:
 * Dr. Hooves' line "This watch is me!" is a quote from the Doctor Who episode Human Nature.
 * In the second panel, the cabbage cart is a nod to the cabbage merchant from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
 * Two fillies in the right part of the second panel are dressed up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Michelangelo with orange headband and nunchucks, and Donatello with purple headband and Bo staff.
 * Page 9 features a kiosk called "Bluth's Frozen Banana", a reference to Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand in Arrested Development.
 * Page 10 features a dotted line travel map similar to those seen in The Family Circus.
 * Page 13 features an allusion to Peanuts, specifically, Lucy's 5-cent "psychiatric help" stand (changed to 5 bits and Advice, respectively), with Diamond Tiara standing in for Lucy.
 * Moreover, page 14 shows a kite in a tree behind Diamond Tiara's stand, a reference to Peanuts Kite-Eating Tree.
 * A sign on page 16 reads "Plasmids and Vigors", a reference to the BioShock series of video games.
 * Page 16 features DJ Pon-3 singing lyrics to a song based on Drive My Car by The Beatles.
 * On page 17, Princess Luna's shirt bears a symbol resembling a Star Trek Starfleet badge.
 * On page 17, the scoreboard in panel 3 names the teams as "Hawkeye's Yellow Blackbirds" and "BJ's Pink Elephants", a reference to an episode of the 70's sitcom M*A*S*H.
 * In one panel on page 18, Princess Luna's shirt bears the classic Batman logo.
 * One of the trophies on page 18 resembles the Stanley Cup.
 * There are multiple references to a series of My Little Pony n' Friends episodes entitled The End of Flutter Valley, such as:
 * Rainbow Dash mentioning a Sun Stone to Wild Fire
 * Pinkie Pie talking about how giant bees showed up
 * Rarity mentioning being stuck in a giant beehive

Issue 10

 * Page 2 panel 3 has dolls of Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro.
 * Page 5 features a scene taken from the Star Trek episode The Return of the Archons.
 * On last panel Fluttershy talks about the giant spiders from Issue 1.
 * Page 8 features Sapphire Shores and backup dancers singing lyrics to a song based on Car Wash by Rose Royce.
 * Splash art on page 15 makes a number of references to James Bond and James Bond films:
 * You Only Live Twice
 * "Mac... Big Mac"
 * For Your Hooves Only (For Your Eyes Only)
 * "Shaken, not stirred"
 * On Her Majesty's Secret Service
 * Page 16 panel 3, Mac says that Cheerilee is "Lugnut's father's sister's cousin's former roommate" a reference to the movie Spaceballs in which Darkhelmet says a very similar line, even the words "Former roommate" at the end.
 * On page 17, Pinkie Pie says "Just for a minute let's all do the bump!", a reference to MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This.

Issue 11

 * A cassette tape on the cover page references Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."
 * The title of the arc is a play on both name and story of the film Say Anything...
 * 8-bit's cutie mark is of an alien from the classic arcade game Space Invaders.
 * Page 3 has a poster that says "God Dragons! Ruin Rydell", referencing the 1978 film Grease.
 * Page 3 also features a cutie mark resembling the emblem of The Flash.
 * Several posters on page 6 allude to various science fiction and fantasy films:
 * Star Trot II
 * Bridle Runner
 * Haylander
 * The Canterlot Academy pep rally is held in the Zacherle Stadium, a reference to Bonnie Zacherle, the original creator of My Little Pony.
 * Page 8 has a Swan float with banner that says "Sponsored by Leeman Furniture", referencing the 1999 flim Drop Dead Gorgeous.
 * Page 12 features Shining Armor singing lyrics to a song similar to Oingo Boingo's Little Girls.
 * On the same page, 8-bit is seen wearing a Devo hat.
 * Poindexter is seen wearing buttons bearing the phrases "Where's the Beef?" and "Save Ferris", referencing the 1984 Wendy's slogan and the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off respectively.
 * Poindexter is seen also playing a cowbell,a reference to Saturday Night Live Sketch "More Cowbell."
 * Poindexter's synthesizer has the label: "The Mystic Knights of the Electric Stable" referencing Oingo Boingo 's original name: "The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo" as well as having a sticker saying "Who Care What Frankie Say?", referencing the band Frankie Goes To Hollywood 's famous T-Shirt slogan: "Frankie Say Relax Don't Do It!
 * A number of the gadgets and products that Shining Armor and his friends use to try and sabotage Buck Withers bear the Acme logo.
 * In the top right corner of page 17, there is a banner that says "M*A*S*H the Manticores". The word MASH is written in a fashion that references the television show of the same name.

Issue 12

 * The subtitle for neigh anything Part 2, "presentable in periwinkle", is a play on the title of the 1986 film Pretty in Pink.
 * On page 8, Princess Cadance is holding an album called "Magenta Rain" by a band called Prance and the Revolution, a play on Purple Rain by Prince and The Revolution.
 * An album on page 9 bears the name Bruce Springsteed, a clear reference to singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
 * Also on page 9 is an album by a band called Stallions at Work, a play on Men at Work. The album cover bears a resemblance to Men at Work's "Business as Usual".
 * On page 10 are posters of The New Foal Titans, an allusion to DC Comics' Teen Titans, and the Wylld Stallyns, a reference to the fictional band in the Bill & Ted films.
 * On page 11, 8-bit mentions a game called "Hocuspocus: The Get-Together", a play on Magic: The Gathering.
 * On page 18, Gaffer and 8-Bit are shown planning a prank on Buck Withers. The prank involved a bucket but they decide not to do it because it was "Too messy". This is a reference to the moment in the Stephen King novel Carrie when a bucket of blood is dropped on the prom queen.
 * On page 21, Gaffer's line "Why haven't I leaped, Al?" is a reference to the science-fiction series Quantum Leap. The page also features a pony bearing a resemblance to Quantum Leap character Al Calavicci.
 * In the short post-comic section PTV by Katie Cook, there are an additional ten musician and song references:
 * 10: "Bits for Nothing" ("Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits)
 * 9: "Everypony Wants to Rule the World" ("Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears)
 * 8: "Pony in the Mirror" ("Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson)
 * 7: "Hoofloose" ("Footloose" by Kenny Loggins)
 * 6: "Safety Prance" ("The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats)
 * 5: "Let's Get Tangible" by Olivia Newton Jump ("Physical" by Olivia Newton-John)
 * 4: "Crop It" by Derby ("Whip It" by Devo)
 * 3: "Tack on Me" by A-halter ("Take on Me" by A-ha)
 * 2: "When Birds Cry" by Prance ("When Doves Cry" by Prince)
 * 1: "Never Gonna' Give Up You" by Rein Astley ("Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley)

Issue 13

 * Hoofbeard frequently says "Savvy?", a catchphrase made famous by Jack Sparrow of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
 * Page 10 features ponies that bear a resemblance to Monkey D. Luffy, "Black Leg" Sanji, and Roronoa Zoro of the One Piece manga.

Issue 1

 * Summer Mane mentions a "silly series with the vampire pony", in reference to the Twilight series of books by Stephenie Meyer.
 * This issue makes numerous references to well-known authors, books, and book series:
 * "Of Ponies and Prejudice" (Of Mice and Men and Pride and Prejudice)
 * "The Horseback of Notre Dame" (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame)
 * Jade Singer's "Canter in the Sky" (J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye)
 * "How to Train Your Baby Dragon" (How to Train Your Dragon)
 * "Marble Universe" (Marvel Universe)
 * "I Have No Snout Yet I Must Whinny" (I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream)
 * The song Twilight sings on page 11 has lyrics similar to Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe.
 * Summer Mane puts on a record labeled "The Boogie Woogie Pony Boy of Stable C", a reference to The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.
 * The Lipizzaner model of typewriter shares its name with a breed of horse.
 * The bookstore that sells Jade Singer's new book in the end, "Barns and No Bell", is a reference to the bookstore chain Barnes &amp; Noble.

Issue 2

 * The speech at the bottom of page 4 is a reference to Roy Batty's final words in the film Blade Runner, famously known as the "tears in rain soliloquy".
 * The line "What fools these ponies be" mirrors a line from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
 * Mule Tzu's "The Start of War" is a reference to Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
 * Rainbow Dash's line "Hey! Take your stinking claws off me, you darn dirty gremlin!" is a reference to the film Planet of the Apes.
 * The line "The goggles, they do nothing!" is a reference to The Simpsons.

Issue 3

 * Rarity's fashion show is held at the "Kazumi Theater", a reference to Kazumi Evans, who provides Rarity's singing voice.
 * Two ponies at the after party bear a resemblance to the Festrunk brothers, a recurring sketch comedy duo from Saturday Night Live.
 * A poster in the barn Rarity stays in reads "Celestia Superstar", a reference to Jesus Christ Superstar.
 * Another poster reads "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Saddle", a reference to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
 * Another poster reads "Mane", and resembles the poster for the controversial 60's counterculture musical Hair.
 * On page 20, pony versions of an Observer from Fringe and Tara Strong can be seen.
 * One of the pony hippies on page 7 resembles cult leader Charles Manson.

Issue 5

 * Prior to Pinkie Pie bursting into the library on page 1, there are vibrations in Twilight's glasses of water, a reference to a scene in 1993's Jurassic Park.
 * Pinkie Pie mentions winning her tickets to see Ponyacci from a contest held by Colta-Cola, a reference to the soft drink Coca-Cola.
 * The issue features a clown pony named Ponyacci, a reference to the Italian opera Pagliacci.
 * The scene where Pinkie meets Ponyacci mirrors a joke told by Rorschach in Watchmen. In it, a depressed man is advised by a doctor to see the clown Pagliacci to cheer him up, at which the man bursts into tears and reveals that he is Pagliacci.
 * One of Ponyacci's students near the end of the issue is named Trollo Lollo, a reference to Eduard Khil's rendition of I Am Glad, 'Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home (or, as it's more popularly known, the "Trololo song").

Issue 6

 * The name of the Sass Squash is play on that of the fabled sasquatch, or Bigfoot.
 * Apple Bloom's line, "Magnets! How do they work?" is a reference to the Insane Clown Posse song Miracles.
 * One of Applejack's lines, "Waitin' is the hardest part!", is a reference to the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song The Waiting.

Issue 7

 * Among the toys Sweetie Belle suggests as a possible transformation for Imp are Octi from the Powerpuff Girls, a Ponyacci doll from the 5th Micro-Series and the Ursa Minor doll from one of the covers of Pinkie Pie's Micro Series
 * The two-page flea market panel has a number of cameos from the show including: Daring Do, Lightning Dust, Ms Peachbottom and Aunt Orange. As well as cameos of other characters including: (Ponified) Where is Waldo, Ponyta, Keldeo and Starlight (the Horse from Rainbow Brite)

Issue 8

 * A number of unicorns featured in the issue bear resemblances to characters of the Harry Potter series:
 * Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, and Narcissa Malfoy on page 1
 * Severus Snape and Sybill Trelawney on page 5
 * Minerva McGonagall on page 6
 * Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger on page 7
 * A unicorn resembling chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay appears on pages 1, 6, and 9.
 * A trio of colts resembling Disney triplets Huey, Dewey and Louie appear on page 4.
 * Furthermore, the red-capped colt's cutie mark appears to be a silhouette of Baby Huey, the blue-capped colt's cutie mark is a book (alluding to the Dewey Decimal system), and the green-capped colt's cutie mark is a trumpet, the signature instrument of Louie Armstrong.
 * On page 9, panel 3, the red-maned pony with a baseball bat cutie mark resembles Gosalyn Mallard from Darkwing Duck. The stallion accompanying her is wearing a pink shirt and green sweater -- the casual attire of Drake Mallard, her father.
 * During Princess Celestia's flashback (on page 10), there is a white-haired blue stallion with an hourglass cutie mark whose design resembles that of the first Doctor from the series Doctor Who.
 * A number of ponies featured in the issue also bear resemblances to characters of the Sailor Moon manga:
 * Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Saturn on page 7
 * Sailor Pluto on page 10
 * Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune on page 12
 * Artifacts on a coffee table in Celestia's room (page 10, panel 1) are Moon Stick and Deep Aqua Mirror
 * During Celestia's flashback we see a number of G1 Ponies, including" Gusty, Firefly, Baby Firefly, Baby Glory and Baby Surprise
 * The colt on page 14 with a magnifying glass cutie mark is Tintin.
 * In a flashback on page 18, Inkwell turns herself into a pony version of Napoleon Dynamite.

The Fall of Sunset Shimmer

 * Book titles on page 5 make a number of references to the TV series Fringe:
 * ZFT
 * The Observers
 * The First Ponies (The First People)
 * Crossing Over by Bell & Bishop
 * There Is More Than One of Everything
 * Other book titles on the same page make reference to various TV series, movies, and comic book serials:
 * The Ponyville Horror
 * Soylent Green Recipes
 * Who Was Megan?
 * Crisis on Infinite Equestrias
 * In the final panel of the comic, the flyer by Sunset Shimmer’s foot tells students to bring submissions to ‘Megan, Danny or Molly’ the main human character of the 80’s My Little Pony and her siblings

Equestria Girls (comic)

 * On the page where Applejack is trying on various outfits, one of the outfits is the Yellow & Black striped jumpsuit made famous by Game of Death and Kill Bill.