G1's Cotton Candy and G1's Sweetheart were first release as blank flanks.

[Taffeta]

Yeah, I think it should be underscored - we don't use the term cutie mark for G1, and so if blank flank is the G4 opposite (shows what I know about G4 terms) then that's the same kind of thing.

It's not a wrong term, but generally we talk about symbols or rump marks or designs in G1. And we don't talk about cutie marks or blank flanks or anything along those lines.

Some G1 collectors get offended at G4 stuff being applied to G1, because G1 came first. I don't think the general idea of ponies getting their symbols being similar to G4 is really offensive, though, just a fan-idea...

[Dragonflitter]

The comments in this thread bring up an interesting point that I haven't considered! Ember, we assume, would continue to be one of the few unique ponies without a symbol, even after growing up to an adult. In the cartoon, Twilight tells Ember that someday she will discover who she is and "be her own special little pony", but they never discuss anything about her symbol (or lack thereof).

I would be interested to see if anyone did fan art of her as a grown up pony, the way some people like to draw baby ponies as adults, and if the artist invented a symbol for her. ^_^

As a kid I didn't own Ember, but I probably would have given her a symbol if I had her! (When I was little, I was obsessed with everything being equal when it came to my toys.) I wouldn't have wanted Ember to feel left out.

[billietallent]

As a kid I didn't own Ember, but I probably would have given her a symbol if I had her! (When I was little, I was obsessed with everything being equal when it came to my toys.) I wouldn't have wanted Ember to feel left out.

One of the two blue Embers I have has three little pink flowers drawn on her flank with puffy paint. I guess someone else thought she should have a symbol, too.

[Baby Sugarberry]

Honestly Twilight's message to Ember in RaMC is far healthier than the G4 fixation on cutie marks and their be-all-and-end-all-of-your-ordained-destiny; Ember will be who Ember is, symbol or no, it doesn't matter what you look like or if you're different in some way.  Be yourself.

G1 never really deals with symbols because they aren't a big deal; it's just something ponies have for the most part.  No more than we'd run around and go "Oh hey you have freckles! Guess what I have freckles too, but slightly different ones."

[LadyMoondancer]

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

[Leave a Whisper]

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

It would be a stinky turd with a party hat. Their name would be Party-Pooper. Her accessories would be frowny-faced stickers and a wet blanket.

[Sweet_Stuff]

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

It would be a stinky turd with a party hat. Their name would be Party-Pooper. Her accessories would be frowny-faced stickers and a wet blanket.

 

Love your profile pic of Yum Yum, Leave! 

[LadyMoondancer]

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

It would be a stinky turd with a party hat. Their name would be Party-Pooper. Her accessories would be frowny-faced stickers and a wet blanket.

She could have an action feature too--a moving leg so she can angrily overturn a table with a cake on it.

[ember86]

You know I always wondered if RaMC/MO Ember and start symbol Ember were meant to be the same pony. G1 had two different Twilight ponies, could Hasbro just reused the name? 

[scarletjul]

From what I understood of the OP comments, the idea was that Cotton Candy is spotted like an Appolossa horse.  Not that the spots are her symbol (because how would that connect to her talent?) but rather that she *is* a spotted pony, so her symbol should go on top of the spots.  However, her symbol is the spots, so that's why the theory doesn't quite work.

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

But it doesn't always, right?  And sometimes it depends on whether you look at the back card or comic or cartoon.

For example, Wind Whistler's symbol is whistles.  In the comic (and possibly her backcard?) this follows her character.  She's fast and she sings, from what I recall.  But the cartoon made her very intelligent and sometimes very isolated.  I can only recall one occasion in the cartoons that referenced her speed.  So, her symbol didn't fit her personality in that case.

[Leave a Whisper]

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

It would be a stinky turd with a party hat. Their name would be Party-Pooper. Her accessories would be frowny-faced stickers and a wet blanket.

 

Love your profile pic of Yum Yum, Leave! 

Thanks.

Post Merge: February 25, 2016, 05:46:35 PM

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

It would be a stinky turd with a party hat. Their name would be Party-Pooper. Her accessories would be frowny-faced stickers and a wet blanket.

She could have an action feature too--a moving leg so she can angrily overturn a table with a cake on it.

Ha! That's perfect! 

[Ponyfan]

You know I always wondered if RaMC/MO Ember and start symbol Ember were meant to be the same pony. G1 had two different Twilight ponies, could Hasbro just reused the name? 

I've thought about this too. It seems they're not same pony unless star Ember is supposed to be slightly older than Baby Ember without a symbol.  But then it is strange that Hasbro would use the same name again so quickly when they already had 3 versions of MO Ember.


Ponyfan

[WickedWonderland]

but it's more likely that symbols can change with age (like how baby Bowtie has 4 bows and adult Bowtie has 6)

The baby ponies are seperate characters, though. They're not baby versions of the mother ponies.

I understands that, but most of the baby ponies had a smaller number of symbols than the adults, so it seems like they get more symbols as they age. Of course, we never see them grown up, so it's hard to tell for certain.

I think there was an implication in RaMC that Ember didn't have her symbol because she was young, and that she would get it later.  At the time the writers would not have known that Hasbro would eventually produce newborn ponies with symbols, or even the Year 3 babies.  Ember was literally the only baby pony in production at the time.  (In three colors, LOL.)

I don't think freckles are a good comparison, since they're random skin pigmentation, whereas a symbol usually does tie in to a pony's personality.  Like, a balloon symbol can be interpreted in various ways--for Surprise, it symbolizes surprise parties, for Up, Up, and Away it symbolizes parties in general.  BUT there aren't any backcard stories where a pony with a balloon symbol turns out to absolutely hate balloons and parties.  Whereas if someone had a birthmark in the shape of a balloon, this might well be the case.

It would be a stinky turd with a party hat. Their name would be Party-Pooper. Her accessories would be frowny-faced stickers and a wet blanket.

I love this idea!

[Taffeta]

For example, Wind Whistler's symbol is whistles.  In the comic (and possibly her backcard?) this follows her character.  She's fast and she sings, from what I recall.  But the cartoon made her very intelligent and sometimes very isolated.  I can only recall one occasion in the cartoons that referenced her speed.  So, her symbol didn't fit her personality in that case.

I don't know what WW has on her SS backcard story; the UK/European release pony has no backcard story although I think there's a brief summary...hang on...yeah, it says "Wind Whistler, who rescues Megan from the Smooze" and that's it. She's marketed in relation to the movie, because they were ponies we didn't have otherwise.

In the comic, and factfile, though, she's generally quite silly and she whistles a lot unnecessarily. I am unsure whether this is reflective of her original card story or what - but it's the only example where I like the animated characterisation better.

(Which adds the other problem that there are multiple characterisations of several of these ponies because of different media).

I just think that all of this overrates the significance of the G1 cartoon in characterising ponies, because G1-wise, the backcard stories are the immediate 'canon', I guess...and the animation just an interpretation of a few of them in order to sell ponies.

I never understood why one Baby Ember had a star and three didn't, honestly.

[Dragonflitter]

In the comic, and factfile, though, she's generally quite silly and she whistles a lot unnecessarily.

Gasp! New headcanon! UK Wind Whistler is Thistle Whistle's descendant.