Ranking the Pinkie Pie Episodes (From Worst to Best) · 7:30pm Feb 22nd, 2019
If Twilight Sparkle is the show's main character, Pinkie Pie is the show's mascot (at least for the target audience). She tends to be one of the most polarizing mane six members, with some people absolutely loving her and some people considering her nothing but obnoxious comedic relief. She's also one of only two mane six members not to have a definitive character arc (Twilight had a few, Rarity had her boutiques, Rainbow Dash had being a Wonderbolt, and Fluttershy had learning to stand up for herself) and strangely enough she is also the one who seems to have shared the most episodes with another mane six member.
We've got 26 episodes to look at today, just like before this list is purely the result of my personal opinion so please respect it. And just like the Twilight Sparkle list, we'll be looking not just at the overall quality of the episodes but also well they function as a Pinkie Pie episode. Naturally, this means some really bad episodes may be a bit higher than normal if they do Pinkie Pie some degree of justice. And of course, we're looking only at episodes where Pinkie Pie has a major role to play and contributes directly to the story, so episodes where she's on the sidelines such as "The Last Roundup" and "Filli Vanilli" won't be on the list.
26. Yakity Sax (Season 8, Episode 18 in production order/14 in airdate)
Why it's on the bottom: Yeah, it's not my least favorite episode of the entire show or even Season 8, but in terms of a Pinkie Pie episode this is Pinkie at her absolute worst potrayal. She is selfish to an unbelievable degree, to the point where she decides that because she can't play the yovidaphone she's just going to run away from Ponyville and shirk all her responsibilities and obligations. What might be most obvious in this episode's failing is that there is never anything to explain why Pinkie gets so attached to that yovidaphone. And the return of Pinkamina is done solely for the sake of fan service, because otherwise why would she reappear now when Pinkie has been depressed over far more serious matters in the past?
25. Secrets and Pies (Season 7, Episode 23)
Why it's not on the bottom: Now this is a shocker. My all time least favorite episode of the entire show isn't the worst Pinkie Pie episode of all time. Well if there is anything this episode got even remotely right, it was bring back detective Pinkie Pie and give her a mystery to solve. It's just that everything else was so badly executed, to the point where Rainbow Dash is gas lighting Pinkie (the process of making someone question their sanity) and Pinkie Pie is oblivious to what was right in front of her. And it ends the whole episode by ignoring the aesop it just stated not even a minute ago.
24. Swarm of the Century (Season 1, Episode 10)
Why it's in the bottom three: To be fair, Pinkie Pie does sort of try to explain herself and it's not really her fault the parasprites cause so much destruction. Her friends never once ask her why she needs so many musical instruments or even how she knows what a parasprite is (you'd think Twilight at least would be curious enough to ask). But by the time we the audience get to understand why Pinkie did all the things she did it's much too late. What's even worse is that Twilight still originally thinks Pinkie isn't trying to help, and yet even when Pinkie is owed an apology no one gives it to her.
23. P.P.O.V (Pony Point of View) (Season 6, Episode 22)
Why it's so low: Pinkie Pie suffers a fair deal in this episode. It just doesn't make sense for her of all ponies to start thinking the worst in her friends. And considering she'd already shared the spotlight with Rarity twice this season, why is she the one who thinks it's Rarity's fault that things went wrong? Aren't Rarity and Applejack usually the ones more at odds with each other?
22. Buckball Season (Season 6, Episode 19 in production order/18 in airdate)
Why it's in the bottom five: It's not that Pinkie Pie is bad in this episode, far from it in fact. But she's not only sharing the spotlight with Fluttershy (still hoping we get a proper PinkieShy episode before the show wraps up) but also with Applejack and Rainbow Dash (who get much more focus), not to mention Snails of all ponies. This means that she doesn't get nearly as much time to shine and is mostly on the receiving end of Applejack and Rainbow Dash putting so much pressure on her. Probably the most memorable thing about this episode is when Fluttershy says what you'd expect Pinkie Pie to say.
21. Gift of the Maud Pie (Season 6, Episode 3)
Why it's low: Expect to see most of the Pie sisters focus episodes in the lower half. There's no denying that Maud got over exposed, she appeared in every season since her introduction in Season 4 and by Season 7 I think most people were starting to get tired of her always being around. This episode also suffers from using Manehattan but not really doing anything with it, we don't get to really explore the city and you could swap it for any big city location and nothing would change. Plus, Rarity's inclusion opens up a gigantic plot hole that the writers clearly didn't consider (this was at a time when Josh Haber was obsessed with shoe horning Rarity into every episode he could, regardless of whether or not she had a role to play). And her inclusion feels like it was done just so Pinkie would have someone to bounce dialogue off of, as if the writers are afraid Pinkie can't hold an episode on her own. While it is interesting to see her so attached to her party cannon, it does come out of left field since there was never anything in previous episodes to indicate it had sentimental value for Pinkie. On top of all that, the episode title only halfway follows the story it is named after, which is a problem. If you title your episode after a story and don't follow it through the whole way it makes it look like you didn't do your homework (the episode should've been retitled if they didn't want to do a "Gift of the Magi" plot).
20. 28 Pranks Later (Season 6, Episode 16 in production order/15 in airdate)
Why it's in the top twenty: Seems like most of the Season 6 Pinkie Pie episodes weren't the best for her, largely because she was sharing the spotlight with other characters and more often than not felt almost like a secondary or sataliete character. Pinkie Pie only truly comes into play for the climax, when it's revealed that she orchestrated the whole zombie pony prank to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson. It's in character for her to do it, and it's really saying something when she tries to convince Rainbow Dash to stop and Rainbow doesn't listen. But considering most of the episode is spent on Rainbow Dash being obnoxious and pranking others without restraint, it's easy to overlook the role Pinkie plays. I still ultimately consider it her episode due to the role she plays, but again it only comes about late into the episode. And you have to wonder if it was really a good idea to prank Rainbow in such a way, when she felt like she'd accidentally poisoned the town.
19. The Maud Couple (Season 8, Episode 3)
Why it's not higher: The biggest problem with this episode is that the entire first act is wasted on Pinkie's cartoon antics and reminding us that she's the only one who sees Maud as funny (seeing her sister from a different perspective than most ponies), not to mention reminding us of her friendship with Starlight Glimmer. When they finally reveal Mudbriar they've already wasted a good chunk of the episode. And then the rest of the episode is spent primarily on Pinkie's perspective, and we don't get to see much of Mudbriar to see what Maud likes about him. It's a shame too because if they had focused more on Pinkie wanting to like Mudbriar because Maud loves him that could've made for a compelling episode. The part towards the end when Pinkie is on the rock farm with Limestone and Marble is nice, and it would've been great to see that fleshed out. Though I think it needs to be said that Maud pretending to like Pinkie's surprise parties and never telling her she didn't actually like them was wrong. Pinkie values her sister's happiness, and while she would be upset at first if Maud told her the truth she would understand that it's what makes Maud happy. Forcing yourself to pretend to like something time after time is wrong.
18. A Friend in Deed (Season 2, Episode 18)
Why it's in the bottom half: Yes, this is the episode that gave us "The Smile Song" a song so good they leaked it to us weeks in advance. But aside from that this episode not only takes a couple of minutes to actually get going but what we see is mostly just Pinkie Pie being a stalker. Maybe it would be funny if Cranky Doodle Donkey was an antagonist or a jerk, but really he hasn't done anything to deserve the torment Pinkie puts him through. He tries numerous times to get her to stop but she never listens, and the only reason why he even agrees to be her friend in the end is because she finds his long lost friend he's been searching for all his life. Also, until "Pinkie Pride" came along this was the most Pinkie had ever sung, and it was also the first time one of her songs was performed not by Shanon Chan-Kent but by Andrea Libman (interestingly, there were two Season 2 episodes where Shanon filled in for Andrea as Pinkie Pie for unexplained reasons).
17. Not Asking for Trouble (Season 7, Episode 11)
Why it's in the bottom ten: The episode takes a while to truly get going and it spends a lot of time with Pinkie spouting random nonsense to try and fill up the run time because the writers don't want a quiet moment. It's once she gets to Yakyakistan and the avalanche occurs that Pinkie actually starts to improve. She is willing to respect the yaks traditions as a friendship ambassador, but she starts to take issue when the yaks refuse to accept any help to dig out. Even then there are still moments of her being random, and she never brings up the fact that yak children are starving because of the avalanche. Yeah, it's great to see her get yak horns, but the way she gets them ends up creating a very confusing moral.
16. Rock Solid Friendship (Season 7, Episode 4)
Why it's not in the bottom ten: The later seasons haven't been the kindest to Pinkie Pie in her focus episodes. She hasn't been completely out of character but they've definitely been pushing her flaws more and more. It's understandable why she would take so much joy in having Maud move to Ponyville and would want to make it a reality. But even then the initial plot of just trying to show Ponyville had more to it than rocks felt like a waste, and the episode itself seemed to drop it before long. Once Starlight showed up and Maud said she wanted a friend, things improved. Yet Pinkie still insists on getting in the way a lot. While it does end up driving Maud away and she clearly learns her lesson, the episode still tries to treat Starlight as in the wrong for telling Pinkie she kept ruining things even though that was clearly the case.
15. Daring Done? (Season 7, Episode 17 in production order/18 in airdate)
Why it's in the top fifteen: Now we're starting to get into the good stuff, the episodes that more or less understand Pinkie Pie and how she works. Of course, this episode has her sharing the spotlight with Rainbow Dash and Daring Do, as well as establishing the legend of Somnambula (my favorite pillar by the way) so she only gets so much time to really shine. What might be most surprising is that she has her priorities straight from the beginning. She actually is the one who wants to respect Daring's privacy and tells her it's okay if she doesn't want to talk about why she's retiring. Really, the only thing that hurts Pinkie is the "Leap of Fate" bit that is intended to draw parallels between her and Somnambula but brings back bad memories of another episode. Speaking of which...
14. Feeling Pinkie Keen (Season 1, Episode 15)
Why it's so high: In terms of a Pinkie Pie episode this one is actually not bad at all. Pinkie Pie is her usual, cheerful self and we get a sort of explanation into the "Pinkie Sense" and how it works. It's clear that she's not maliciously targeting Twilight, even when she reveals that she's been letting Twilight stalk her all day just for the fun of it. If not for the "Leap of Fate" bit during the climax, this episode probably wouldn't have inquired the controversial reputation it so earned. Pinkie Pie herself was in top form in this episode, it's just that so many other things about it dragged it way down.
13. MMMystery on the Friendship Express (Season 2, Episode 24)
Why it's in the top half: While Pinkie's random accusations can get annoying (exactly why she does think the other bakers would resort to sabotage? True professionals would be confident in their work to win no matter what) and the mystery itself is one we the audience don't really get to see solved (Twilight takes over and keeps all the clues hidden), it's clear that Pinkie takes personal pride in guarding the MMM and she does learn what it means to be a good detective. Plus, I originally thought it was going to be her who ate the desserts, but I'm glad they didn't go that route since it would've been really irresponsible of her.
12. Griffon the Brush Off (Season 1, Episode 5)
Why it's in the top twelve: It takes a great deal of time before we know for sure Pinkie Pie is the character of focus in this episode. It starts off with everyone avoiding her or treating her like a nusiance for some odd reason, then it involves her stalking Rainbow Dash in cartoonish, comedic fashion, then we have her and Rainbow Dash pranking ponies, then you think maybe it's going to about Pinkie not letting Gilda and Rainbow Dash be alone. It's only after Gilda sends Pinkie crashing to the ground that we start to realize Pinkie is the character of focus. What carries this episode is that even when Pinkie has every right to think Gilda is a bully and a jerk, she actually stops to consider that maybe she's in the wrong and is just jealous of Gilda. Even then the episode throws a curveball at you, revealing that she never planned the pranks Gilda fell victim to and she threw the party to legitimately try and befriend Gilda. While we're on the subject of Gilda...
11. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone (Season 5, Episode 8)
Why it's not in the top ten: It's surprising that Pinkie Pie is the one trying to reach out to Gilda, considering Gilda kept picking on her whereas Gilda and Rainbow Dash used to be friends. It does take a while for Pinkie's part to come into play, it starts out with her baking with Gummy and there's some bits of food and her talking to a statue of King Grover before we really start seeing her make a serious commitment to solve the problem. It's still nice to see that Pinkie is incredibly forgiving and doesn't hold a grudge against Gilda despite all the time that's passed.
10. Spice Up Your Life (Season 6, Episode 13 in production order/12 in airdate)
Why it's in the top ten: Pinkie Pie seems to know a lot about baking and running a restaurant and it's surprising that an episode like this would put those skills to use. In fact, Pinkie Pie had the right approach almost from the get go. The Tasty Treat needed to stand out for its uniqueness, not because it looked like every other restaurant on Restaurant Row. Her marketing push would've worked in any other situation, if not for Zesty Gourmand and her straw man ways. But what Rarity did could've been avoided had Pinkie simply communicated her intentions instead of assuming Rarity knew what Pinkie wanted.
9. Baby Cakes (Season 2, Episode 12 in production order/13 in airdate)
Why it's so high: Pinkie seems to be getting the most rearranged and out of date (regarding when they air) episodes for some reason, not that I'm complaining. I've made it no secret that I originally planned to make this the first episode of the show that I saw, but because I didn't know when it aired I missed it and had to catch it at a later date. I guess I'm just not as bothered by the Cake Twins' crying as others seem to be. Plus, this was the first Pinkie Pie episode of Season 2 and it came right at the end of the first half. This episode moreso than any other cemented her relationship with the Cakes as something beyond just master and apprentice, she's like a daughter to them and they love her as such. Yeah, there's a lot of the typical babysitting cliches, but I think this episode makes them work because it's clear the twins aren't intentionally giving Pinkie a hard time. I would put it higher, but Pinkie not only goes downstairs to greet what she thinks is the Cakes with a diaper on her forehead and another on her rump, but also rejects Twilight's help simply because Twilight implied Pinkie wasn't cut out for the responsibility (even though Twilight could've phrased it nicer she had a point. Sometimes you have to be willing to swallow your pride and admit you were wrong).
8. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows (Season 5, Episode 21 in production order/19 in airdate)
Why it's not higher: Almost four seasons after Pinkie Pie contributed to the flaws of "Green Isn't Your Color" we unintentionally got a revisitation of that dilemma and one that showed Pinkie practices what she preaches. She goes to great lengths to keep the secret she unintentionally finds out about from Twilight, but as time goes by that becomes difficult. I still think Shining Armor and Cadence were unaware of the burden they were placing on her, but they still should've at least asked Twilight first before deciding to hold off on the secret for a little longer. What really brings this episode up with some of the best though is how Pinkie's relationship with the Cakes is depicted here. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cake treat her kindly but still remind her of her obligations, and it helps to lend further support to the idea that they're like a second family to her.
7. Hearthbreakers (Season 5, Episode 20)
Why it's so high: While some might have preferred more of a conflict between Pinkie Pie and her family (to which I recommend the chapter book "Pinkie Pie and the Rocking Ponypalooza Party" by G. M. Berrow), I think what we got here was fine enough. It's clear that while Pinkie is the standout amongst her family (physically and mentally) they don't hate her or resent her for it, and she's on good terms with them. Really, Pinkie is in top form throughout with both her family and the Apples (including Applejack). Her family is most one note though, and in an already crowded episode they try to focus on Applejack which means Pinkie Pie doesn't get nearly as much time to shine as she should.
6. Maud Pie (Season 4, Episode 18)
Why it's not in the top five: While all of Pinkie's Season 4 episodes had a weird naming theme going on (they're all a play on words for her name) this one is also named after her older sister who debuts in this episode. At first it probably seems odd that Pinkie and Maud can get along so well despite their differences, but they show us enough of Maud for us to understand how their sibling bond works (it's not unlike the bond between Applejack and Big Macintosh, a more expressive younger sibling versus a mostly stotic older sibling). But there is a bit of mood whiplash where Pinkie's mane and tail deflate some, and then the very next scene she's back to normal just like that.
5. Too Many Pinkie Pies (Season 3, Episode 3)
Why it's in the top five: Despite a questionable conclusion, this episode is a fun ride all the way up to it. The conflict feels very much like something Pinkie Pie would have, and it's even a bit of a subtle jab at flanderization (the clones are all what Pinkie Pie would be if she only cared about having fun). Interestingly, it was with this episode that we first started to see the Everfree Forest become tamed (Pinkie ventures into it in search of the mirror pool/pond, they kind of alternate the terminology back and forth). Fitting when you realize Pinkie was the one who laughed away the scary images conjured up by Nightmare Moon. It even ends on a sweet little note. It's Pinkie's friends who kind of make you question the episode some. Do they really think nothing's off about a Pinkie Pie acting all mopey and drawing frowny faces in the dirt? Amidst a crowd of bouncing, happy Pinkies that shouldn't be brushed off.
4. Pinkie Apple Pie (Season 4, Episode 9)
Why it's not in the top three: The Apple Family are the real stars of this episode, especially since we never do find out if Pinkie Pie is related to the Apples or not (though considering Pinkie mentioned being raised on a rock farm just outside of Ponyville, it's not too much of a stretch to think she could have some apple blood in her. I imagine most ponies in and around Ponyville could trace their lineage back to the Apple family at some point), especially with the song "Apples to the Core". But Pinkie Pie still finds time to shine through. Interestingly, this episode more or less killed off both ApplePie and PinkieMac, which while never the biggest ships in the fandom still saw a surprising amount of fics based around them (I even wrote one of them).
3. Party Pooped (Season 5, Episode 11)
Why it's in the top three: A.k.a the episode that introduced us to Pinkie Pie's party cave. This episode established once and for all that Pinkie Pie was crucial to Ponyville, because no one else could plan a party the way she could. Yes, it's disappointing that we got only a teasing glimpse of Yakyakistan, but they more than made up for it by having Pinkie's friends come to realize just how much effort and passion go into her parties and thus have them apologize for putting so much pressure on her (albeit unintentionally). Heck, I actually think Rainbow Dash was on point when she said Pinkie might be more organized than Twilight (it's funny how similar they actually are if you really think about it). Of course, when Pinkie is absent from a good chunk of the episode that really holds it back.
2. Party of One (Season 1, Episode 25)
Why it's not number one: I knew it was going to come down to this episode and the remainder for the number one spot and I could've justified either one. Both I think do Pinkie Pie the most justice she's ever been done. This episode was so good in fact it overshadowed the intended finale for Season 1. And it puts a fresh take on the "Forgotten Birthday" trope where instead of everyone else forgetting it, it's the character of focus who forgets. In a way it kind of makes Pinkie a tragic figure, she's so dedicated to making others smile and be happy that she doesn't even consider her own happiness or her own birthday as something worth celebrating. Yes, this episode also drew a lot of parallels to a certain infamous grimdark fic that had been circulating in the fandom, and no we're not going to talking about it here. By process of elimination you can probably tell what the number one episode is.
1. Pinkie Pride (Season 4, Episode 12)
Why it's on the top: What can I say about this episode that hasn't already been said? Many people consider it among the best episodes of the entire show. Cheese Sandwich was made for Weird Al and he absolutely shines in the role, but they make Pinkie Pie so good and so relateable you're rooting for her even when she's in the wrong. And of course, it's a musical episode where both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich are in top form. And I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a diehard CheesePie shipper, it practically ships itself. I do have a slight problem with everyone singing Pinkie's praises and then abandoning her for a newcomer who claims he can do it better, but even then Pinkie admits she should've been willing to let the newcomer plan it since who plans the party isn't as important as who the party is for. At a time when Pinkie was in danger of becoming flanderized, this episode was more than enough to free her from that and remind everyone of what she is. So for all those reasons, I'm making this the number one Pinkie Pie episode.
And there you have it. Come back tomorrow, when we'll rank the Rainbow Dash episodes (since Rainbow Dash is the show's other mascot).
Secrets and Pies is hilarious.
My personal ranking:
1. Pinkie Pride.
2. Secrets and Pies
3. Party of One
4. The Maud Couple
5. Rock Solid Friendship
6. Maud Pie
7. Gift of the Maud Pie
8. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows
9. Yakkety Sax
10. Too Many Pinkie Pies
11. MMMystery on the Friendship Express
12. Not Asking For Trouble
13. Party Pooped
14. Baby Cakes
15. A Friend in Deed
16. Griffon the Brush Off (most of the focus is on Pinkie, so I count it as one of her episodes)
5018448 Not even on a "So bad it's good" level.
5018637 I'm surprised "Yakity Sax" could be in the top ten.
5018639
For me, it has just enough good comedy to offset some of the more unpleasant aspects of the episode.
Plus, it's less dull overall than some of the ones below it.
5018638
Why is it so horrible?
5019125 The plot is paper thin and padded out beyond all reason, Rainbow Dash is incredibly selfish by refusing to tell Pinkie the truth and is poisoning innocent animals for the sake of covering up her lies, Pinkie Pie is stupid to an almost unbelieveable degree since she somehow doesn't notice foals eating pies directly in front of her, the plot could end in a matter of seconds if Pinkie simply confronted Rainbow and asked her or Rainbow just ate a pie to satisfy Pinkie, Rainbow Dash disregards all the effort that goes into Pinkie's pies and just throws them away, and the resolution is not only disgusting but implies that after everything Rainbow Dash did to Pinkie she's justified because Pinkie Pie wouldn't have believed her.