Ranking The Pinkie Pie Expys From Worst to Best · 3:42am Oct 8th, 2020
How fitting to do this on Pinkie Pie Day on Equestria Daily (this was not intentional on my part). I'm aware that there are expys for other characters and we'll definitely talk about them over the next few days. But Pinkie Pie got the most expys out of anyone, even more than Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy despite the former being the main character and the latter being insanely popular. Whenever a character gets popular there's always attempts to create other characters based on him or her, and they don't always succeed. With a total of eight official expys (not counting her EQG self or any clones/AU versions of herself, or any characters that are said to resemble her or only appear in the comics), which ones have stood out the most and which ones have been forgettable or not particularly good? Well, let's find out. I should mention that I don't count Discord as one since while he does have a few traits similar to Pinkie Pie he is a different character (he's much more arrogant and self-centered). And keep in mind that this is purely the result of my personal opinion, so please respect it.
8. Braeburn
Why he's on the bottom: He's a Pinkie Pie expy in the loosest sense of the word. He largely stood out for having Pinkie's tendency to never shut up and always have a smile on his face, which Applejack couldn't stand. Like Soarin (who also doesn't count given that he's more laid back and probably clumsy if "Rainbow Falls" and "Newbie Dash" are anything to go by), he's kind of a goofball who maybe fools around too much. He does have that Southern charm going for him, but a stallion who will appear later on on this list basically stole his thunder by taking what he had and doing it better. He did get to make a come back in Season 5, but his few Pinkie Pie like traits seemed to be toned down or removed.
7. Party Favor
Why he's not on the bottom: I remember the intense shipping wars this guy started between himself and a stallion who will appear later on on the list (you probably know who it is). And if it wasn't Pinkie Pie he was being shipped with, it was usually Sugar Belle (who I still think would've been a good match for him, but if "Hard to Say Anything" is any indication it seems he moved on to Night Glider). Although he is a unicorn we never saw him use his horn at any point, which could suggest he is either unable to use his horn or just chooses not to given his skill with balloons. His poofy mane and tail definitely were intended to make him look more like Pinkie Pie. But when we really didn't see him or much of the equal four again after "The Cutie Map" he slowly faded into obscurity. And for an expy of any sort that's not a good thing because it meant he didn't get a chance to shine. Plus, again, another stallion did what he did and did it better.
6. Autumn Blaze
Why she's in the bottom three: Her biggest problem is that she was in a season that already had a Pinkie Pie expy (who was herself assumed to be a stand in for another Pinkie Pie expy), so anything that might have been unique about her was already done in the same season. And again, they are so very in your face about her being a celebrity character, they make sure you know it's her episode by having her be the one who dictates just about everything of importance. Heck, she originally had her singing voice done by Shannon Chan-Kent, which would've further driven home her being a Pinkie Pie expy (this was changed because Shannon was only recording a demo before they had worked out what the episode would be or even considered Rachel Bloom, so I don't hold that against Autumn Blaze). And sadly, even being a celebrity wasn't unique. We already had at least one celebrity character who was a Pinkie Pie expy. The only difference is that Autumn Blaze was maybe a little bit more crazy but less cartoony. If not for circumstances (imagine her in Season 7 instead of Season 8) she probably could've stood out more. Alas, the season she was in saw her thunder be stolen by another character due to the episode placement.
5. Princess Skystar
Why she's in the bottom half: Even if she was a Pinkie Pie expy, she got enough screen time in the movie to make the most of it. Her naivety was understandable and charming where it could've easily been stupid and frustrating (Sonata Dusk doesn't appear on this list because she has nothing going for her besides being a token comedic relief character. You can't be an expy if you only have one trait). Her bond with Pinkie was natural and understandable, both have lived troubled lives due to their upbringing, and Pinkie was just the sort of creature to get Skystar to come out of her shell (no pun intended). I even appreciate that she was willing to help out after what had happened in Seaquestria, though the movie unfortunately decided to have her go alone with the pirates, Capper and the rest of the main cast to save Twilight even when the script originally called for a hippogriff army (surely they could've had Skystar recruit a few to join the ranks). But due to her only being in the movie and the movie having a higher budget, the show couldn't afford to hire her VA and most certainly weren't going to give her a replacement one. So she ultimately lost the edge to a character who was probably created to take her place.
4. Silverstream
Why she's in the top half: At first Silverstream really just felt like the show's replacement for Princess Skystar, even down to having lived underwater all her life and being related to Queen Novo (niece isn't too much of a difference from daughter since that still makes Silverstream royalty). Even the revelation about her family living on both Mount Aris and Seaquestria didn't make her stand out on her own, or even making her a big sister (because Pinkie had that going for her too). It was only once "What Lies Beneath" rolled around that her character truly came into her own, it's impossible to say Skystar could have a fear of the Storm King since she not only casually talked about him underwater but also was willing to go after his army to rescue Twilight. The fear of the Storm King was something only Silverstream could have, and it put a lot of her previous actions into new light as we realized that she'd spent much of her life hiding, always fearing that what she had could be taken away. And yes, from there Season 9 would basically make her Aerial from The Little Mermaid, curious about surface life and desiring to show her kind what it was like not to live underwater (just take away the deal with a sea witch and the rescue and later marriage to a prince). Those little details were enough to help propel her over her cousin.
3. Minuette
Why she's in the top three: Minuette is definitely what Pinkie Pie would be like if she were a unicorn. Minuette may have only gotten "Amending Fences" to shine but she made the most of it and easily became the best character of Twilight's old Canterlot friends (not counting Moondancer of course). I know some find her annoying, and her giggling can get a little bit repetitive. But just look at that face and that smile. It's the kind of face you just can't stay mad at, because you know she could never truly hold a grudge. She's just one of those ponies who's a darn nice girl. She smiles because she's happy with her life and wants to spread that cheer to others. She's a friend who will always be there for you no matter what, but understands that you may not always be around and maybe you don't always want to hang out. I really wish she'd gotten more screen time, but I guess sometimes less is more.
2. Somnambula
Why she's not on the top: Forget Surprise, Somnambula is who Pinkie Pie would be if she were a pegasus! Somnambula is a determined optimist. She has hope and she's willing to do her part to inspire others to feel the same, but even she knows when to be serious. She has that blend of silly and serious that's hard to pull off, but it works so well for her. I even love her design with its Egyptian/Arabic theme. The only thing that really hurts her beside her lack of screen time (including glossing over what could've been an interesting conflict, how she feels about her village worshipping her as a deity) is her voice. Yeah, maybe she's older than she looks and maybe it's supposed to sound like the theme behind her design, but it's very distracting for someone like her. Plus, why exactly was the blindfold from the sphinx the most important object related to her? Everything about her character was defined more by her glowpez necklace in both the show and the comics. Could they not think of how to make her glowpez necklace special?
1. Cheese Sandwich
Why he's on the top: Is it predictable? Probably. But come on, who else did you think would be number one? Cheese Sandwich is definitely the stallion equivalent of Pinkie Pie, same design, same personality, same aspiration. I hate to use the obvious joke but his introduction is basically "I'm you, but better.", and not even in an arrogant way (although he probably somewhat unintentionally comes across as such given his withdrawn cowboy personality). His relationship with Pinkie Pie is so sweet, really feeling like love at first sight. And yet he manages to be his own character despite that and despite being voiced by Weird Al (they include references and nods to Weird Al's works, but never to a degree of being in your face. And they understand the importance of making Cheese unique). It was probably a given he and Pinkie would settle down and get married, who else do you think Pinkie would've ended up with? Even his return in Season 9 was splendid, really showing how much Pinkie means to him and how much she inspires him, yet at the same time he is more at home on the road than Pinkie. So for all those reasons, Cheese Sandwich easily takes the top spot.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll take a look at and rank the various Fluttershy expys.
Yeah, definitely agree with Cheese being on top.
As for the others, I'd honestly put Silverstream, Skystar, and Autumn Blaze above Somnambula and Minuette.
The others, I agree with their placements
5373418 Why would you put Silverstream, Skystar and Autumn Blaze higher up than Somnambula and Minuette?
5373429
Eh, Mostly because I just like them more as characters.
Autumn Blaze is the most enjoyable loveable new character in season 8 though.
5373622 To me, that honor goes to the student/young six thanks to "What Lies Beneath". Autumn Blaze unfortunately was too late. She was earlier in the season or even a season earlier she would've stood out more.
5373727
I don't see how that would effect her enjoyability. She's in a completely standalone episode, and was one of the best parts about it. No matter what the placement, she would still be full of personality and energy and have a great voice that both fits perfectly and is unexpectedly mature and smooth. And she's different enough from the other Pinkie expys to stand out.
5374081 The problem is, again, what came before her. Stand alone or not she was coming on the heels of a Pinkie Pie expy who reminded fans of another Pinkie Pie expy.
5374082
I don't really think of Pinkie Pie expys as just Pinkie Pie expys and just see them as how good they are by themself, and even if we're talking about characters that stand out more than others, as soon as I think of Season 8, Autumn Blaze pops into my mind way before Silverstream or Skystar. She just has such a charisma to her that no other Pinkie Pie expys really do. If this was my list, she'd be in the top 3 for sure, maybe 1st.
Cheese being on top was pretty obvious to me; I liked your other choices, though.
Dumb question, but what's an expy?
5376805 An expy is a variation of a character, similar in some ways but different in others. Sort of like how Cheese Sandwich has Pinkie Pie's crazy tendencies and love of parties, but unlike Pinkie Pie he's a loner by choice and party planning is pretty much his only occupation.