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.
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.
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.[1]
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.
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.
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.[4]
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.
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.[dubious – discuss]
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.[dubious – discuss]
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.
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.
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.[5]
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.
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.
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.[dubious – discuss]
The Tantabus is inspired by baku, spirits in Japanese mythology that devour dreams and nightmares.[6]
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.[dubious – discuss]
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 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".
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.
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.
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.[dubious – discuss]
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.
The male registration judge who gives Big Mac an admiring gaze bears a resemblance to Osgood Fielding in the 1959 film Some Like It Hot, in which Fielding falls for a cross-dresser.
Big Mac's line "The best thing since zap apple jam" is a reference to the idiom "The best thing since sliced bread".[dubious – discuss]
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.[dubious – discuss]
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.
The Pie Family eating rock soup is a reference to the classical folk tale Stone Soup.
"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.
The title and plot is a parody of the 1991 black comedy film What About Bob? Discord even assumes the appearance of the title character at one point.[specify]
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.
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.
When Twilight and Fluttershy go to the McColts, The McColts notice them below the big wall. That is a reference to the 1975 movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
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.[7]
The mention of the Ponypalooza rock concert is a nod to the real life concert Lollapalooza.
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.
When Pinkie pulls out a straw from her mane, a verse of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen is playing in the background.
The unicorn who gives Countess Coloratura's voice autotune is a ponified version of Prince.
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.
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.