List of allusions/Season five

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 fifth season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Entries on this page must follow the similarity guidelines.

The Cutie Map - Part 1

 * Pinkie's line, "Something is rotten in... whatever the name of this village is", is a play on the line "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" from Hamlet.
 * Starlight's rallying call "no pony left behind" in the song In Our Town mirrors the negative effects of the controversial No Child Left Behind Act that requires everyone meets a minimum goal but does not set higher standards for gifted individuals.
 * Twilight references Admiral Ackbar's line "It's a trap!" from the 1983 film Return of the Jedi.

The Cutie Map - Part 2

 * The staff shattering the cutie mark wall is a reference to the famous "1984" advertisement for Apple's Macintosh home computer.

Castle Sweet Castle

 * The title is a play on the phrase "home sweet home".

Bloom & Gloom

 * The title is play on the phrase "doom and gloom".
 * The Pest Control Pony makes his entrance making breathing sounds similar to those of Darth Vader from the Star Wars original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI).
 * The pest control equipment and twittermite-catching scene are designed like the ghost-catching equipment in Ghostbusters.
 * When Apple Bloom sees that the twittermites have escaped, a snippet of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" can be heard.
 * Scootaloo's daredevil outfit in her dream is similar to those made famous by the late American daredevil Evel Knievel.

Tanks for the Memories

 * The title is a play on the 1938 song "Thanks for the Memory" as made famous by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross.
 * Throughout the episode, while dealing with Tank's hibernation preparation, Rainbow Dash goes through the five stages of grief, also known as the Kübler-Ross model.
 * Rarity is seen carrying a light blue and yellow bobble hat, a dark blue and red bobble hat is seen in a bag, while Fluttershy is seen putting a green ushanka on a beaver. These are references to the characters of Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, and Kyle Broflovski, respectively, from Comedy Central's animated adult sitcom South Park.
 * Rainbow's sinister grin at the end of act 1 is a reference to the Grinch's grin from the 1966 TV holiday special, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
 * The back-and-forth scene with Sunshower, Clear Skies, and Open Skies is reminiscent of the classic "Who's on First?" routine by the American comedy duo Abbott and Costello.
 * The background music that plays when Rainbow Dash sneaks into Cloudsdale's weather factory is similar to Lalo Schifrin's Mission: Impossible theme.
 * Twilight's line of dialogue "winter is coming" is a reference to a line often used in George R. R. Martin's novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire", which was made more popular by HBO's Game of Thrones, the television adaptation of Martin's novel series.

Appleoosa's Most Wanted

 * The title is a play on the name of the former Fox/Lifetime reality series America's Most Wanted.
 * Trouble Shoes' voice was influenced by both Eeyore from Winnie-the-Pooh and Karl Childers from the 1996 film Sling Blade.
 * The mudslide scene is an allusion to a similar scene from the 1984 action-adventure film Romancing the Stone.
 * Sheriff Silverstar's squinting and the rodeo clown playing the harmonica alludes to several common clichés seen in the Western genre.

Make New Friends but Keep Discord

 * The name "Tree Hugger" is a term commonly used, sometimes derogatorily, to refer to environmentalists and nature conservationists.
 * The Smooze is based on the Generation 1 villain of the same name.
 * The title is a play on the phrase "make new friends but keep the old."
 * Discord briefly appears in a cardboard box with a red exclamation point over it—a reference to Konami's Metal Gear video game franchise.
 * Discord says "Oh, you know what, I am famished, I'll take all the cakes." After finding out Pinkie Pie is taking her sister to the Grand Galloping Gala, he states, "You know what, cancel my order," and vanishes. A similar event happens in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Deja Q" where Q, having been turned human and banished from the Q Continuum, has never eaten before and is "in a dreadful mood" and proceeds to order ten chocolate sundaes since he is "in a really bad mood, and since [he's] never eaten before, [he] should be really hungry", only to cancel his order after an unpleasant experience.
 * The Smooze and Discord wear Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas's tuxedo and top hats from the 1994 comedy film Dumb and Dumber.
 * The symbol on Discord's cane is the Symbol of Chaos from Michael Morecock's Eternal Champion series of novels.
 * During his comedy routine, Discord imitates the comedy stylings of Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield and Gallagher.
 * Discord's first joke is a parody of the old vaudeville standby, "I just flew in from [insert location here], and boy, are my arms tired!"
 * Another one of Discord's jokes also references Jeff Foxworthy's "you might be a redneck" one-liners, but other characters' dialogue and the episode's musical score are laid over it.
 * The scene in which a young colt sees a glowing door is a reference to the 1980 psychological horror film The Shining. The young colt himself resembles Danny Torrence.
 * Discord announces where Tree Hugger is going in the style of The Price is Right, including holding former host Bob Barker's microphone.
 * One of the images Discord shows is a play on Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory.
 * Another one of the images Discord shows is a ponified version of Grant Wood's American Gothic.

The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone

 * Arimaspi is named after a race of one-eyed people in Greek mythology who fought with griffons over their gold.
 * Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie pass by two griffons playing a game reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons.
 * Gilda's grandfather Gruff seems to be based on Grunkle Stan from the Disney animated series Gravity Falls, sporting the same elder appearance, wearing a red fez and gold-digging mannerisms.
 * The manner in which Rainbow and Gilda greet each other is very similar to the way Jerry Seinfeld and Newman meet on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.
 * The choice Gilda makes between saving Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and recovering the Idol of Boreas is reminiscent of Indiana Jones' choice between escaping the Temple of the Sun and claiming the Holy Grail in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
 * The Idol of Boreas is a reference to the Greek god of the north wind Boreas near whose cave Arimaspi-griffon conflict is said to have taken place.

Slice of Life

 * There are dozens of explicit references to Doctor Who in this episode when it comes to the character of Dr. Hooves in this episode.
 * First and foremost, Dr. Hooves has an interest in time travel in reference to the Doctor's role as a Time Lord.
 * His interest in creating gadgets mirrors the third incarnation, as portrayed by Jon Pertwee.
 * He wears a long multicolored scarf as a reference to the fourth incarnation, as portrayed by Tom Baker.
 * He says, "Allons-y!" which was the catchphrase of the tenth incarnation, as portrayed by David Tennant.
 * He is also seen next to Rose, which was the name of the ninth and tenth doctor's companion.
 * Throughout the episode he wears a bow tie, the trademark of the Eleventh Doctor as played by Matt Smith.
 * There are two references to the 1998 film The Big Lebowski.
 * Jeff Letrotski's cutie mark is a rug, specifically the scene where someone urinates on The Dude's rug. Walter's cutie mark is a briefcase, alluding to the film's ransom plot.
 * During the pan shot of the wedding guests during the Mayor's speech, Jeff Letrotski and Walter are visible in the third row on the right side. Donny is apparently absent, but Walter is holding a red coffee can with a blue lid. This alludes to the scene where Donny dies of a heart attack and Walter carries his ashes in a similar-looking coffee can.
 * Once again, the flower ponies say, "The horror! The horror!", which are the main antagonist's dying words from the novel Heart of Darkness, which was adapted into Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 war epic Apocalypse Now.
 * Dr. Hooves begins to bowl on tiptoes, much like Fred Flintstone from The Flintstones.
 * The music Octavia Melody plays on her cello is reminiscent of the 1842 tune "Wedding March" by German composer Felix Mendelssohn.
 * The scene in which DJ-Pon-3 and Octavia Melody race through Ponyville on a mobile DJ station and pick up several bystanders is based on a similar sequence in the Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil episode "Runaway Recital", which M.A. Larson also wrote.
 * During this scene, DJ Pon-3's mobile DJ station jumps over a toy shark for a brief second. This is a reference to the phrase "jumping the shark", which refers to the point where a piece of popular culture, usually a TV series, declines in quality and gives in to programming gimmicks so much that it becomes unwatchable. The phrase originated from the Happy Days episode "Hollywood: Part 3" wherein Fonzie literally jumps over a shark whilst waterskiing with his leather jacket on.

Princess Spike

 * One of the summit delegates wears a cap and green striped shirt, matching Will Smith's look in the opening sequence and select episodes of the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
 * The Whinnyapolis Delegate pony bears a resemblance to Marge Gunderson from the 1996 neo-noir crime film Fargo.
 * The Manehattan Delegate pony resembles actor Joe Pesci.

Party Pooped

 * The episode's title is a reference to "party pooper", a person who doesn't want any fun, happiness, or enjoyment.
 * Prince Rutherford says, "Yaks smash!", which is a parody of the Incredible Hulk's catchphrase, "Hulk smash!"
 * Pinkie Pie briefly appears in photographs with a band resembling the Beatles. In one of the photographs, Pinkie and the band recreate the Fab Four's 1964 American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. In another, Pinkie and the band are seen walking across a street, mimicking the album cover for the Beatles' Abbey Road. In yet another, they recreate the album cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Amending Fences

 * The title is a play on the term "mending fences".
 * Twilight mentions studying using the Hayscartes method. This refers to the name of the philosopher Rene Descartes.
 * In addition, Moon Dancer mentions having a copy of Hayscartes' Treatise on Ponies, a reference to Descartes' Treatise on Man.
 * The glasses Minuette wears matches those of the logo of Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant chain.
 * Pinkie Pie sitting backwards on Twilight while she is flying is reminiscent of the famous scene from the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove where Major T.J. Kong (played by Slim Pickens) rides a falling nuclear bomb.
 * The bookseller pony at Moon Dancer's party bears a resemblance to the character Honey Lemon from Disney's 2014 animated superhero film Big Hero 6.

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

 * The title is a play on the 1968 science fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? written by Philip K. Dick.
 * The Tantabus is inspired by baku, spirits in Japanese mythology that devour dreams and nightmares.
 * In Rainbow Dash's nightmare, the sunflowers sing to the tune of the children's song "This Old Man".
 * Big McIntosh's transformation into an Alicorn is reminiscent of the transformation sequences of Usagi Tsukino transforming into Sailor Moon from the 1992 anime series Sailor Moon, complete with sound-alike music to the original Japanese version and the Viz Media redub.
 * Lyra and Sweetie Drops' fused dream form, being conjoined at the waist, is a reference to the characters Cat and Dog from the 1998 Nickelodeon cartoon series CatDog.

Canterlot Boutique

 * Rarity introduces one of her dresses under the name "Tripping the Light", to which Fashion Plate responds with "Fantastic!". This is a parody of the phrase "Trip the light fantastic", which means to dance in a light manner.
 * The beginning of the song Rules of Rarity sounds similar to Jona Lewie's 1980 single "Stop the Calvary".
 * The line "The Reign in Stain is too difficult to explain" is a play on the lyric "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain" from the 1956 musical My Fair Lady.
 * The name of the fashion magazine Cosmare is a play on Cosmopolitan, also known as "Cosmo".

Rarity Investigates!

 * This episode is a spoof of film noirs such as The Maltese Falcon.
 * Rarity's investigator outfit is reminiscent to the fictional character Carmen Sandiego from the computer game series Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.
 * Rarity modeled her latest fashion line after Shadow Spade, a play on the name of detective character Sam Spade from the 1929 novel The Maltese Falcon, made famous by Humphrey Bogart in the 1941 film adaptation of the same name.
 * When Rarity and Rainbow Dash are talking to Cinnamon Chai, three stallions resembling Sherlock Holmes, John Watson and Jim Moriarty, as portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Andrew Scott in the 2010 British television adaptation, briefly appear in the background.
 * A brief shot in which Rainbow Dash is flying above Wind Rider, produces a camera, and takes a picture of him, is reminiscent of a famous scene from the 1986 action film Top Gun.

Made in Manehattan

 * The title is a reference to the 2002 romantic comedy film Maid in Manhattan.
 * The comic book that Spike is reading in the beginning is a parody of Archie Comics, with ponified versions of Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones on the cover.
 * Rarity makes reference to the "Haypacking District" of Manehattan. This is a reference to the Meatpacking District in Manhattan.
 * She also makes reference to the "Fashion District" of Manehattan. A reference to the Garment District of Manhattan, which is also sometimes referred to as the Fashion District.
 * One scene has several references to the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz:
 * Rarity sets up a friendship problem booth similar to Lucy's psychiatric help booth.
 * A pony passes by who resembles Charlie Brown.
 * The Charlie Brown pony has a football cutie mark, in reference to the running gag of Lucy always pulling the football away from poor Charlie Brown.
 * Jazz music is heard in the style of Vince Guaraldi, who composed the first few TV specials.
 * Rarity says, "Good grief!", which is the collective catchphrase of the entire Peanuts gang.
 * Coco Pommel mentions My Fair Filly, a reference to My Fair Lady, which was previously referenced in Canterlot Boutique.
 * The use of "midsummer" in a specifically theatrical context, namely in the Midsummer Theatre Revival, is likely inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.
 * One of the actors mentions Trotter on the Roof, a reference to the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
 * Manhattan references:
 * One building looks similar to Grand Central Terminal.
 * One area of Manehattan looks similar to the entrance of the Central Park Zoo.
 * Coco's apartment block bears a striking resemblance to 55 Central Park West, also known as "Spook Central" in the 1984 film Ghostbusters.
 * In a photo album, Coco and two other fillies are dressed up like Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 * The line "I'm trottin' here!" is a reference to Dustin Hoffman's famous quote "I'm walkin' here!" from the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy.
 * The newspaper pony is modeled after Christian Bale's character, Jack Kelly, from the 1992 Disney musical film Newsies.

Brotherhooves Social

 * As "Orchard Blossom", Big Mac speaks in the manner of Scarlet O'Hara from the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind, as well as its 1939 film adaptation.

Crusaders of the Lost Mark

 * The title is a reference to the 1981 Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows

 * The episode title is modeled after the nondescript episode titles of the 1994 sitcom Friends.
 * Smash Fortune's name is a reference to the similarly named 1980 space opera action film Flash Gordon. The poster design itself is reminiscent of the 1930s pulp-fiction hero Doc Savage.
 * The comic book Spike holds is a parody of the cover of Action Comics #1, which featured the debut of Superman.
 * The music heard during Pinkie's delivery montage sounds similar to the Clarinet Polka.
 * The face Pinkie Pie makes when she tries to resist the urge to tell the secret as Shining Armor and Cadence are about to tell Twilight parodies Roger trying to resist finishing the "Shave and a haircut" routine in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Hearthbreakers

 * Two stallions on the Friendship Express bear a resemblance to Steve Martin and John Candy's characters from the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
 * A mare on the train bears a resemblance to Catherine O'Hara's character from the 1990 Christmas comedy film Home Alone.
 * One part of the music heard during the gingerbread re-enactment of the Hearth's Warming story sounds similar to the "Aquarium" movement from the musical suite The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Scare Master

 * Like the episode Stare Master, the title is a reference to the American exercise machine company, StairMaster.
 * Applejack's costume is an allusion to the Cowardly Lion from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 * When Spike makes his entrance, he casts a shadow making him resemble Fritz from the 1931 film adaptation of Frankenstein.
 * The cardboard cutouts in Fluttershy's haunted house are based on famous anime characters; from left to right, they are modeled after Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon from the Sailor Moon series, Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Bulma from the Dragon Ball franchise, and Ranma Saotome from Ranma ½.
 * "Granny Smith" shown to be a skeleton clad in a dress and grey wig is a nod to the famous reveal of "Mother" in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, right down to the rocking chair and the use of deep shadow.
 * A stallion in the corn maze is dressed as Jason Voorhees, the main antagonist of the Friday the 13th slasher film franchise.
 * Harry's costume is an allusion to the Gill-man from the 1954 monster film Creature from the Black Lagoon.

What About Discord?

 * The title and plot is a parody of the 1991 black comedy film What About Bob?.
 * When Discord passes by Twilight before crashing into the ground, he leaves a plaid trail in the sky, much like how the spaceship in the 1987 sci-fi parody film Spaceballs achieves a speed of "plaid".
 * On two occasions, Discord assumes the appearance of painter Bob Ross.
 * When Pinkie Pie suggests time travel, she wears the same outfit as Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
 * The scene's background music is also briefly punctuated with a sound-alike of Alan Silvestri's iconic Back to the Future theme.
 * When saying "Anything stand out as being different? Anything at all?", Discord wears an outfit similar to Dr. Emmett Brown's from the same film.
 * Zecora says her cauldron "ties the room together", a reference to what the Dude says about his rug in The Big Lebowski.

The Hooffields and McColts

 * The title and plot are references to the real-life feud between the Hatfield family and the McCoy family.
 * The book being read for the animals' book club is Wuthering Hooves, a parody of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The hero of the book, Hoofcliff, is a parody of Heathcliff from the same book.
 * The giant cake containing the Hooffields in order to attack the McColts from their territory is similar to the story of the Trojan Horse.
 * According to director Jim Miller, the coloring of the Hooffields and the McColts was inspired by the colors of Curt and Punkin'head Martin from the 1950 Robert McKimson-directed Bugs Bunny short Hillbilly Hare.

The Mane Attraction

 * When Pinkie pulls out a straw from her mane, a verse of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen is playing in the background.
 * When initially introduced, Countess Coloratura has her mane in a high ponytail like Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour.
 * Countess Coloratura makes her entrance in a giant bronze capsule carried by her backup dancers, just like when Lady Gaga was carried in an egg by her backup dancers at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
 * Svengallop's name and characterization references the character Svengali from George du Maurier's 1895 novel Trilby, who seduces, dominates, and exploits the titular girl and makes her into a famous singer.
 * The unicorn who gives Countess Coloratura's voice autotune is a ponified version of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 1

 * The music heard during the factory sequence at what was once Sweet Apple Acres is reminiscent of the Raymond Scott jazz composition "Powerhouse", made famous by its usage in many Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
 * The atmosphere in the timeline where Sombra rules over Equestria reflects that of America during World War II.
 * Starlight sitting on Fluttershy's chair in the Map Room foreshadows her immediate action in altering time a la the butterfly affect.

The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2

 * Four unicorns in Starlight's hometown resemble Rei Hino/Sailor Mars, Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter, Minako Aino/Sailor Venus, and Kunzite of the manga/anime series Sailor Moon.