Jayson Thiessen (FiM Supervising Director) Q&A;

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Jayson Thiessen (FiM Supervising Director) did a Q&A on Ponychan, and Equestria Daily did a summary. Check it out!

Free Raffle from the MD Pony Meet

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The Maryland Pony Meet is offering a free raffle at the MLPTP, open for anyone to enter. Three winners will get "A mystery pony from your generation of choice!" Enter by posting in this MLPTP thread, one entry per person. "Winners will be drawn by Random.org and announced on April 30th at 9:00pm EST."

"The Maryland Pony Meet is a not-for-profit event. It is created by collectors, for collectors, and has NO affiliation to Hasbro or any other corporate sponsor or source of financial support. There is never any admission fee to attend the event, and likewise there is no required payment on the part of any attendees. There has never been a profit from a MD Pony Meet, and in fact there has always been a deficit. The event continues because of the love of the hobby and for the community that has grown, and continues to grow with every new year. 

We are hosting this raffle to celebrate the MD Pony Meet, and everything it has grown to become over the past 8 years.

This raffle is FREE to enter.

However, if you would like to make a personal contribution to the MD Meet fund, click the banner below for more information. The accumulated proceeds go toward providing games, activities, food, prizes, and the rental of the outdoor facilities at no cost to those who attend."

Tara Strong (Voice of Twilight Sparkle) Interview

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91.8 The Fan did an interview with Tara Strong, the voice of Twilight Sparkle. You can check out the interview here, or read a transcript here.

(Via Equestria Daily.)

"The Ticket Master" DVD

Photo by Firefrie at the MLP Arena

A DVD of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode The Ticket Master is being offered as a promotion with international FiM toys. Firefrie at the MLP Arena found the DVD in Belgium, and it has the episode in Dutch and French. Mapago reports that the promotion is also available in Brazil.

Princess Luna to Return in Season 2 - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

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Princess Luna is to return in Season 2 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Lauren Faust mentioned it in the comments on her deviantArt page, and Equestria Daily reported on it.

Canada's Treehouse TV MLP:FiM Contest

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Treehouse TV, the Canadian Network showing My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is having a contest to win a prize package of G4 toys. The contest is open to residents of Canada. Deadline for entry is Monday, April 25, 2011 at 9:59:59 a.m. ET. Enter here.

Spring/Easter ATC Swap at the MLP Arena

Screenshot of MLP:FiM Season 1, Episode 21

A Spring/Easter ATC Swap is open for sign-ups at the MLP Arena. ATC stands for Artist Trading Cards,

"...miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards, or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches (63 mm X 89 mm), small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets."

Deadline for signups is April 1, 2011. For more information, visit the MLP Arena thread.

G4 Toothbrush and Toothpaste - Pinkie Pie

Photo by Sugarberry at the MLP Arena

A G4 Pinkie Pie Toothbrush and Toothpaste Set has been spotted at Walmart.

Season 1, Episode 24 Description - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

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A new episode description is up at TVGuide.com

Season 1, Episode 24 - "Owl's Well That Ends Well"
April 22, 2011
"Spike grows jealous of Twilight's new friendship with an owl."

Week In Review: March 20-26, 2011

Blind Bag Pony 'Firecracker Burst' - photo by skydanser

Here are the highlights from the week of March 20-26, 2011

Top Stories:

• Interview with MLP:FiM Animator John Irving L. Prudenciano on Equestria Daily
  
• Pony Science - Pindot Cause
  
• Interview with MLP:FiM Composer Daniel Ingram on Equestria Daily
  
• Princess Celestia Commercial
  
• G4 Games
  
• Official Season 2 Confirmation - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
  
• Season 1, Episode 21 on YouTube - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
  

New Ponies and Merchandise:

• G4 Blind Bags - All 24 Ponies
  
• G3.5 Wallpaper Mural Available in UK
• French G4 Pinkie Pie Coloring Book
  
• G4 Plush Pinkie Pie
  
• Sugarcup Playful Pony - Cupcake Clone
  
• G4 Cake Decorations
  

Ponies for Charity:

• Original MLP:FIM Concept Art Online Charity Auction
  
• Ponies for Japan
  

New Events:

• Brooklyn Cherry Blossom Festival Ponymeet - April 30-May 1, 2011

New Swaps:

• Traveling Swap Box Sign-ups at MLPTP - sign-up here by March 31, 2011
  

Check out the Calendar for more upcoming events, and ongoing contests and swap signups.

Season 1, Episode 21 on YouTube - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Season 1, Episode 21, "Over a Barrel", written by Dave Polsky, is up on YouTube thanks to pensivepony.

Part 1:



Part 2:

Official Season 2 Confirmation - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

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Though strong Season 2 rumors have been circulating for some time, Hasbro has just made the official announcement in this press release:

Returning series with new episodes on The Hub for 2011-2012....
“My Little Pony Friendship is Magic”

Furthermore, Equestria Daily reports that Top Draw Animation is listing Season 2 (click on the MLP thumbnail on the right side of the page). Top Draw shows 24 episodes for the second season (down from 26 in Season 1). It also notes that production will commence April 2011 and conclude December 2011. However, since some episodes may air before all of the episodes are completed, it is not yet clear when Season 2 will begin to air.

G4 Games

Created in the Pony Generator by MLPNews

A number of fun G4 pony mini-games can be found on DerpyHooves.com. My personal favorite is a Pony Generator, which allows you to create a custom pony like the one pictured above. It's like the first part of the Adventures in Ponyville game. There's also a pair of similar Rainbow Dash side-scrollers apparently inspired by the Rainbow Dash game in Adventures in Ponyville - Rainbow Dash Attack and Rainbow Dash Mini Game. Finally, PacDerpy is a weird PacMan reboot.

Know any other pony games? Post about them in the comments.

Princess Celestia Commercial

Check out this Princess Celestia Commercial above, or on hasbro.com.

Brooklyn Cherry Blossom Festival Ponymeet

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The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is having it's 2011 Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) on Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 1, 2011. Kar Red Roses of the MLPTP is proposing a ponymeet at the festival:

"Bring your Cherry Blossoms, Kimonos and Cheerilees!
Hope we can get a nice big group together for a MLPTP photo!"

HasbroToyShop.com 20% Off Sale

Updating this post March 24, 2011: Use promo code SPRING2011 at checkout for the discount (via the MLP Facebook Page). Offer expires Monday, March 28, 2011.

HasbroToyShop.com is having a sale, according the My Little Pony Facebook Page.

"Starting 3/22, put a little spring in your step with 20% off most toys and games only at HasbroToyShop.com. Offer good through 3/28."

G4 Cake Decorations

Summer-blade at the MLP Arena posted a number of G4 cake decorations that are available to bakeries.

First, there are edible images, "basically pictures printed with food coloring ink on a thin gum paste paper".

Second, there are pop tops, "flat plastic with images printed on them that are just set on the top of a cake".

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And finally there are cupcake rings.

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Summer-blade also mentions,

"there's a regular cake kit with A.J. and Twilight but I can't find a pic of it on the bakery supply websight. The kit will be out later this year most likely in a few months. The two figures have molded plastic manes and tails and are about the size of McD toys right now they only come in A.J. and Twilight."

and

"If you're gonna order cakes with this stuff on it you better ask you local bakery if they have this stuff yet if not get them to order it decorating supplies can take up to two weeks to be delivered when ordered."

Interview with MLP:FiM Composer Daniel Ingram on Equestria Daily

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Equestria Daily posted an interview with Daniel Ingram, composer for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The answer to question 17 is pretty exciting, so definitely check it out.

Sugarcup Playful Pony - Cupcake Clone

Photos via StrawberryReef at the MLPTP

StrawberryReef at the MLPTP posted these pictures of Cupcake and a new playful pony, Sugarcup. There are several theories on the similar ponies:

• They are twin ponies (twin baby ponies were part of the G1 line, though they were sold in pairs). The reversal of the hair pattern may be an indication of twins with a slight difference to differentiate between them.
• They may be different names for US and International releases - perhaps the pony called Cupcake in the US will be called Sugarcup in Europe. (This may also be the case with Lulu Luck/Lucky Swirl).
• Sugarcup may have been an earlier name for Cupcake, and the image of Sugarcup is of a prototype. rayechu at the MLPTP pointed out that Sugarcup does not have a TM, supporting this theory.

G4 Plush Pinkie Pie

Photo via babyprincess_sparkle at the MLP Arena

A G4 Plush Pinkie Pie is now available exclusively at Toys R Us. Although similar to the G3.5 Pinkie Pie Plush, this new plush has darker pink hair, a larger eye, and a slightly different symbol. Twilight Sparkle is also available.

French G4 Pinkie Pie Coloring Book

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A Pinkie Pie coloring book is now available on Amazon France. The title roughly translates to "I colour without going outside the lines" according to Gazzy90, who posted about the book at the MLP Arena.

Pony Science - Pindot Cause

Pindot under a microscope - photo by BlackCurtains

Pony Mad Scientist BlackCurtains (who previously linked pony cancer to bacteria) has trained her microscope on another common pony affliction: pindot. Pindot - sometimes also referred to as 'pindot mold,' 'smooze,' or 'ingrained dirt' - appears as a rash of small black dots on the pony's surface, often on the legs and face. It can be very difficult to clean off of a pony, but it is sometimes possible to remove with time and effort (see Rhys' tutorial on pindot removal).

There are two primary theories on the cause of pindot. One is that pindot is a type of mold; the other assumes pindot is simply dirt stuck in the pores of the plastic. In BlackCurtains' studies of afflicted ponies under a microscope, pindot did not appear to be mold:

"Mold has what's called a sporangium. It doesn't look that dissimilar to a flower actually. The individual spores occur in chains and can resemble rod bacteria if they ungroup."

Thus, working under the assumption that pindot is ingrained dirt, BlackCurtains attempted to create pindot on a pony. Using backyard dirt,

"I simply took globs of the stuff and rubbed it onto her legs. I did this everyday for a week. I let the old mud dry on her legs before rubbing more on, so it really got caked in."

After a week the pony was cleaned, and appeared to have pindot. This indicates that ingrained dirt is a cause of pindot. It is fair to assume that it may be the most common cause, as many children played with their ponies in the dirt.

BlackCurtains is also experimenting with growing mold on a pony. It will definitely be very interesting to see the results of that experiment, as many pony afflictions like pindot and pony cancer have long been blamed on mold.

Interview with MLP:FiM Animator John Irving L. Prudenciano on Equestria Daily

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Equestria Daily posted an interview with MLP:FiM Animator John Irving L. Prudenciano. For a neat glimpse into what it takes to produce an episode, go check it out.

G3.5 Wallpaper Mural Available in UK

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Funky Monkey Bedrooms has a G3.5 style My Little Pony Wallpaper Mural available. The 8'x10' mural is only available in the UK and Ireland.

US ponies can get G3 style peel and stick wall accents and a wallpaper border by Brewster Wallcovering Co. Both have long been available at ToysRUs.com.

Thanks to Wysteria_uk at the MLP Arena for posting about this mural.

Traveling Swap Box Sign-ups at MLPTP

Image originally via MyLittlePony.com coloring books (coloring book no longer available on site)

Sign-ups are open for a Traveling Swap Box at the MLPTP.

"The Traveling Swap Box is a box of pony goodies that travels from member to member until it eventually makes its way back to the original sender. Each member takes whatever he or she likes from the box and replaces each item with an item of equal value."

Deadline for sign-ups is March 31, 2011. For more information, visit the MLPTP thread.

Ponies for Japan

Sumiko by ~midori-no-ink on deviantART

Several My Little Pony customizers are donating proceeds from their custom sales to relief efforts in Japan. Tiegrsi is attempting to keep track of donations in the custom community with "The CARE Project: Custom Artists Relief Effort". Read more about the CARE project on the MLP Arena or the MLPTP.

Several customizers have auctions up:

• Lucky4leafclover is auctioning Newborn Baby Hearts Bloom. 20% of the final sale price will support Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund - a GlobalGiving Project. Auction ends today, Mar 21, 2011 8:26pm PDT.
  
• Roogna is auctioning Zapesh. 100% of the sale price goes to Japan, and "The company I work for will match my donation 100% so that's an INSTANT DOUBLING of the value to 200%!" Auction ends Thursday, March 24, 9:00pm PDT (midnight EST).
• kcherryka is auctioning Sakura. 100% of the final sale price will support Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund - a GlobalGiving Project. Auction ends Mar 25, 2011 4:42pm PDT.
• enchantress41580 is auctioning Love. 10% of the final sale price will support Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund - a GlobalGiving Project. Auction ends Mar 25, 2011 12:56pm PDT.
  
• enchantress41580 is also auctioning Geisha. 10% of the final sale price will support Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund - a GlobalGiving Project. Auction ends Mar 26, 2011 12:02pm PDT.
  
• ichigo_pinkchan (aka midori-no-ink) is auctioning Sumiko. 100% of the final sale price will support American Red Cross. Auction ends Mar 26, 2011 6:47pm PDT.
• thatg33kgirl is auctioning Pray for Japan. 100% of the final sale price will support Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund - a GlobalGiving Project. Auction ends Mar 26, 2011 7:58pm PDT.
  

You can also visit No Division's etsy shop, which has several ponies for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Japan relief efforts.

And be sure to check out yesterday's post on the three original MLP:FIM concept art sketches by Lauren Faust, which are being auctioned by QPOP to help Japan.

If you have ponies for sale or auction with proceeds benefiting Japan relief efforts, please let everyone know about it in the comments.

G4 Blind Bags - All 24 Ponies

Photos are up for all the G4 Blind Bag ponies. There are 24 ponies in all. The Blind Bags are available online (though they are currently sold out). They have also been found on eBay. Signs point to a European release for these ponies soon.

1. Applejack

(Same as Ponyville)

Photo by skydanser

2. Bumblesweet

Photos by skydanser

3. Cherry Spices

(Posted before on March 3, 2011)

Photo via Malancaiwen

4. Firecracker Burst

Photo by skydanser

5. Fizzypop

Photos by skydanser

6. Flower Wishes

Photos by skydanser

7. Fluttershy

(And a size comparison with the Fluttershy Playful Pony)

Photo by LilSpark

Photo by skydanser

8. Lemon Hearts

Photos by skydanser

9. Lily Blossom

(Also available as a Playful Pony)

Photos by skydanser

10. Lucky Swirl

(Very similar to Lulu Luck, except Lulu has pink and yellow hair. However the art image also has yellow in the hair, so this may be a case of an alternate European name.)

Photo by Archer

11. Minty

(Was a G3 pony)

Photos by skydanser

12. Pepperdance

Photos by skydanser

13. Pinkie Pie

(Also the same as the Ponyville)

Photo by skydanser

14. Pinkie Pie (Glitter Version)

Photo by LilSpark

15. Rainbow Dash

(Also the same as the Ponyville)

Photos by skydanser

16. Rainbow Dash (Glitter Version)

Photo by Archer

17. Rarity

(Also the same as the Ponyville)

Photo by skydanser

18. Roseluck

Photos by skydanser

19. Sugar Grape

Photos by skydanser

20. Sweetcream Scoops

Photo by Archer

21. Sweetie Blue

22. Sweetie Swirl

(What's with all the ponies named Sweetie? Sweetie Blue, Sweetie Swirl, Sweetie Belle?) (Also, this appears to be the same as the unicorn in the Rarity Carousel playset)

Photos by skydanser

23. Twilight Sparkle

(Also the same as the Ponyville)

Photo by skydanser

24. Twilight Sparkle (Glitter Version)

Photo by Archer