Joe

Joe is a unicorn and a baker that appears in the episodes The Best Night Ever, MMMystery on the Friendship Express, and Just for Sidekicks and in the IDW comics' Friendship is Magic Issues #8-9. In The Best Night Ever he is addressed as Pony Joe by Spike, in MMMystery on the Friendship Express he is first addressed as Donut Joe by Twilight Sparkle and simply as Joe for the remainder of that episode, in Friendship is Magic Issue #8 he is referred to simply as Joe by Apple Bloom, and in Friendship is Magic Issue #9 he is referred to as Donut Joe by a sign on a stand of his. He shares his design and eye color with S04E20 Unnamed Unicorn Stallion #1. The name "Joe" is a diminutive form of the name "Joseph".

Depiction in the series
Joe first appears in The Best Night Ever as the owner of a donut shop in Canterlot. When the main characters are traveling to Canterlot for the Grand Galloping Gala, Spike tries to tell Pinkie Pie that they should go to his "favorite donut shop". Later in the episode, the friends rejoin Spike in Joe's shop after they run away from the Grand Galloping Gala. Joe immediately recognizes Twilight and exclaims, "Long time no see."

Joe's shop also sells coffee; in some areas of the world, "joe" is slang for coffee. This likely served as inspiration for his name.

He next appears in MMMystery on the Friendship Express aboard a train to Canterlot, having picked up in Ponyville the final ingredient for his own dessert to enter into the dessert competition: a mini city made of donuts he dubs "Donutopia". He gloats about its glory and is confident that it will reign superior over the competitor's entries, including the Cakes' Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness.

Pinkie Pie later blames Joe for sabotaging the Cake's cake with a wild theory involving him doing so as a spy reminiscent to James Bond. Shortly thereafter, he's proven innocent by Twilight, who, with basic reasoning, proves Pinkie Pie's account to be a preposterous accusation.

Shortly later, he eats the éclairs being entered into the contest by rival chef Gustave while his own entry is reduced to ruin by baker Mulia. Fortunately for him and the other bakers, what's left of the desserts is combined together at Pinkie's suggestion, creating a dish that ultimately wins the dessert contest with flying colors.

Joe appears to be a friendly and prideful baker, seeing his confidence in his dessert entry to win him first prize. When he is proven guilty of eating Gustave's éclairs, he reveals it was not out of spite, but rather because of how Pinkie Pie described it in such a beckoning manner. He sincerely compliments Gustave on his baking skills, and is in turn complimented by Mulia.

He appears in Just for Sidekicks with a train's refreshment trolley, one which subsequently gets knocked over by the main characters' pets. He confronts Spike, who is pet-sitting them all, and demands recompense, forcing Spike to pay up with one of his gemstones.

Other depictions
Joe, along with a host of characters from the show, appears on the Comic Con 2011 poster. In the IDW comics' Friendship is Magic Issues #8-9, he appears in Ponyville: on Issue #8 page 14, Apple Bloom calls Princess Luna "as much part of Ponyville as Mr. & Mrs. Cake, or Joe or Twist—", and on Issue #9 page 3, he appears inside a "Donut Joe's" stand at the Summer Wrap-Up Festival and Hoedown. A fan-designed faux-advertisement sold on WeLoveFine depicts a sign saying "Pony Joe's" and "open 24 hrs", and another design created for Saint Patrick's Day says "Pony O'Joes Irish Donut Pub" and "Est. 2010". My Little Pony Friendship Express Train™ Puzzle Adventure shows Joe in a screenshot from MMMystery on the Friendship Express. The game was released earlier than the episode was.

The Elements of Harmony guidebook
''GUSTAVE LE GRAND is a boastful griffon baker who believed his treasured éclairs would win first place at the National Dessert Competition. Gustave had some stiff competition from MULIA MILD and her famous "mousse moose," not to mention DONUT JOE and his mini city made of donuts known as "Donutopia."''

Quotes
"Don't you think you've had enough?"

- The Best Night Ever

"Picking up the final all-important ingredient for my contest entry, "Donutopia!" And with these super-sprinkles, my donuts are going to dunk all the other lousy desserts, steal first prize, and make my donut shop famous, forever!"

- MMMystery on the Friendship Express


 * Pony Joe: Do you, Twilight Sparkle, take this stallion to be your husband?
 * Twilight Sparkle: I do.
 * Pony Joe: And do you, Flash Sentry, take this mare to be your wife?
 * — Script by M.A. Larson from April Fools' Day 2014