Story Notes: Gertie's Equestrian Tour · 3:39am Apr 2nd, 2022
Source: Screencap from Gertie On Tour
First of all, a big thank you to Estee for the contest. The minute I saw the contest, only one character ran through my mind. I knew I had to give Gertie her due. It’s a fic I didn’t even know I wanted until the contest was announced. Win or lose, my prize is this story.
…Seriously, I don’t even own a Blu-ray player so the actual prize won’t do me much good. That said, I’ve seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit several times. It’s a good movie, and certainly worthy of inspiring this contest.
Believe it or not, another story starring Gertie was published directly before mine:
The odds of this are phenomenally low. Overlap with popular characters like Looney Tunes, Disney or Popeye is to be expected. But Gertie's unjustly fallen out of the public consciousness. Botched Lobotomy may be just as surprised as me upon logging in next. Gertie deserves the love!
I had a lot of fun writing this. I’ve spent a lot of time working on 16 the last two years – I needed a ‘screwball comedy’ break to get it out of my system.
This story is filled with completely out-of-date pop culture references. Which I feel is in the spirit of the competition, since most of Looney Tunes’ pop culture gags went over my head as a child considering the first Looney Tunes cartoon came out more than ninety years ago (I’m not even close to 90 
). Of course, Depression-era pop culture still influences today’s pop culture, and hence Looney Tunes remains relevant.
The same can't be said of Gertie, who faded from the limelight before Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse were even dreamed up. The flipside is Gertie didn't rely on pop culture gags in her film. Animation was so new at the time, that just dancing and performing tricks for the audience was enough to pack theaters.
Petunia’s in the story because come on, there’s a dinosaur taking center stage. How could I leave her out? She’s the perfect catalyst to start the action, because of course she wants to bring a dinosaur back to life. Starlight Glimmer’s morally ambiguous, so she’s the perfect choice to do the deed.
The Cutie Mark Disasters Crusaders are here (and amped up) as a nod to Estee’s works. There are a lot of subtle (and some not so subtle) references to Estee’s fics in this one. She’s not one of the judges, so I don’t think paying my dues to one of the best writers on the site constitutes sucking up and/or bribery. Protocera, home of the griffins, was the first thing I planned on referencing. It’s been hypothesized that fossil remains of Protoceratops and Psittacosaurus may have inspired or contributed to the griffin mythos. The first time I read that 'Protocera' one of Estee’s stories, I immediately went ‘I know what you did there.’ It seemed appropriate to reference this in this story. The rest of the references were purely gratuitous. Estee, if you're reading this, and you want any of the references removed, send me a direct message and I'll make the change(s).
Speaking of the Crusaders, I had a spot of fun with them in the intertitle cards. One card has G3 Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark, while another has G3 Scootaloo’s.
Likewise, Minty and Snowcatcher show up on the group shout of ‘Brontosaurus’ as a reference to two of my long-running series, Car Wash and Business Trip/16. There’s no real reason why either would be in Hope Hollow, but I had some space leftover on the intertitle card and it amused me.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2212857
When it comes to cartoon characters, Gertie’s a real dinosaur, in more ways than one. In addition to being a sauropod (in the film, she’s labeled as a ‘Dinosaurus’ but it’s very obvious she was modeled after what was then known as Brontosaurus). From 1975 until 2015, Brontosaurus (‘thunder lizard’) didn’t exist, except as a junior synonym of Apatosaurus (‘deceptive lizard’). In that forty-year span, Brontosaurus went from being the iconic dinosaur (more so than even Tyrannosaurus rex) to Apatosaurus not even being the most popular sauropod. Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus were both well-known, established sauropods, while Apatosaurus was an unknown that had to start from scratch. Or really, it had to start in a hole, because everyone knew Brontosaurus and scientists were trying to force this ‘other name’ on the same dinosaur.
But Brontosaurus is back, proving you can’t keep a good dinosaur down. Gertie is also back. Not through a new animated film, but her original film has been painstakingly restored, with original scenes recreated where needed.
Gertie’s also one of the first cartoon characters, period. She’s so old she’s in the public domain. With an original copyright date of 1914, Gertie has passed her centennial. What shocks me is that with all things our fandom has ponified, Gertie wasn’t among them until now. No fanart, no fics. Nada. Though she's getting two stories for this contest, so that's a win. Now we just need some Gertie/MLP fanart!
Though that’s not to say that there’s never been a sauropod dinosaur in the franchise…
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1802703
That’s Cutesaurus, and no, I don’t have her in my collection. My G1 herd is distinctly lacking in ponies that aren’t Basic Fun repops. Somehow, I doubt they’re ever going to get around to reissuing her. They’d have to make a new mold for a one-time release of an unpopular/unknown character.
Had G1 been allowed for the contest, you know I would've included Cutesaurus. 
Let’s talk about how influential Gertie (and her creator, Winsor McKay) was. The following cartoonists cited them as an inspiration: Walt Disney, Shamus Culhane, Dave and Max Fleischer (Fleischer Studios), Walter Lantz (Woody Woodpecker), Otto Messmer (Felix the Cat), Pat Sullivan (Felix the Cat), Paul Terry (Mighty Mouse; Heckle & Jeckle), and Bill Tytla.
You may have heard of a few of them. Gertie also took sixth place (out of fifty) on a list of the Greatest Cartoons of All Time. Gertie is even represented in Disney World (as an ice cream stand).
She’s kind of a big deal (pun intended). It’s why I’m amazed we haven’t seen any new Gertie films being made. You can watch her entire movie on Wikipedia. You can even watch what survives of her never-released sequel, Gertie’s World Tour. This fic is a mix of the original film and of that never-completed sequel, and I’ve done my best to include ponified versions of the scenes that were known from the latter. Watching what remains of the sequel paints Gertie as very kitten-like in her behavior. She’s curious and playful, batting a trolley around like a cat batting a mouse. I’ve tried to invoke those aspects of her character as well.
Where I’ve deviated is in the slapstick and surrealist humor, more in place with classic cartoons of a slightly later era. Gertie stays true to her roots, so this primarily affects the pony cast. It isn’t out of character for them, as we’ve seen ponies pulling off classic cartoon moves like an anvil falling on Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash flying into the side of a mountain.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2564566
Cozy Glow was included because she’s one of the toonier ponies (she's also based on Darla Dimple who was inspired by Shirley Temple, who's height of popularity was within the contest's 'created by 1947' limit). Pinkie Pie has always been the pony that leans on the fourth wall, while Cozy Glow’s definitely got cartoon facial expressions down pat. She’s so expressive, she’d be perfect for a silent movie (even if this story is anything but silent; dialogue is my strength as a writer). Cozy Glow and Twilight Sparkle have both repeatedly been on the receiving end of slapstick comedy on the show, and they both play that role perfectly in this fic as well.
I briefly considered having Cozy’s tail inexplicably reappear in the following scene after it was eaten, but then I remembered that both Gertie and MLP FIM have this thing called ‘continuity’. When Gertie eats the scenery, it stays eaten, and when Rarity lost her tail in the pilot episode, it stayed gone until the Elements of Harmony restored it. So, no tail for you, Cozy Glow. Come back next year. You know, after it’s grown back. Also assuming you’re not turned into a statue again. Wherever the A-Team Dino-Riders end up, just know that she’s doing it without her tail (and with a censor bar over her rump - the show has a rating to maintain).
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2172348
For those wondering why I chose the G5 logo for the title cards in what’s obviously a G4 fic, it was purely an aesthetic choice. Eliminating the ‘Friendship Is Magic’ word bubble made the logo smaller, and the G5 rainbow looked better once converted to black & white.
We also see the ponified versions of Robert T. Bakker (Dirt T. Bucker) and James Horner (Pack Ornery, who’s as ornery as a pack mule). As for why I made Bucker a pegasus instead of an earth pony, it’s so he can use his wings to brush dirt away. Bakker had been pushing to have Brontosaurus restored for decades, so it just felt appropriate to include him here. Horner was (and still is) adamantly opposed to that. Gertie seems to have some strong feelings on the subject, preferring to be a ‘thunder lizard’ instead of a ‘deceptive lizard’. Can you blame her?
Bucker has the Definitely Dinosaurs emblem as a cutie mark. Hasbro owns the rights (via Playskool), and it’s a Brontosaurus, so it seemed like the perfect fit.
Pack, being a mule, doesn’t have a cutie mark.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1984789
Speaking of ponifications, how about Christopher Cross to set the mood in New York City? I bet nopony saw that one coming! Probably because many of you haven’t heard of him in the first place…
The italicized bits in his cameo are all song titles of his. Look them up, they’re good. You know, if you like ‘80s music (like I do).
I know, the navy fired on him. How could I do this to an artist I love? Well, I’ve come to grips that a lot of things I like have developed a lot of hate in the years since they debuted. Things that were once popular have suffered a massive backlash. Yet these are things I like unironically. My taste in music is one of those things. I love the ‘80s. Christopher Cross, Phil Collins, Air Supply… these are my jams. I also like Garfield, the Ford Mustang II, and AMC Gremlin, none of which get any respect these days.
Sigh. If I like something, it’s the kiss of death. This remains the only fandom I’ve ever been in while it was still relevant, and I’m still here even now that it isn’t. I’m sorry, everypony. We can blame the fandom’s collapse entirely on me.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/641456
Screwball comedy is a thing I enjoy writing. Pinkie Pie’s a favorite character of mine as a result. I intended for her to take center stage in this fic, but she didn’t need to add to the chaos that was already happening. Gertie predates the truly zany antics of the Looney Tunes and other cartoons of that ilk, yet placing her into the setting of Friendship Is Magic is a goofy premise. She doesn’t need to take the crazy train off the rails for things to get wild.
Instead Twilight Sparkle and Cozy Glow really shine here, the straightpony victims of the slapstick comedy and absurd situations. Funny things happen to the serious characters. Clichéd, of course, as Leslie Nielsen managed to run that premise into the ground. I’ve watched almost all of his movies. What? Don’t look at me like that. Clichéd or not, I like the premise.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1256143
So Gertie’s gang of fillies is the Equestrian version of The A-Team?
Cozy Glow = John Hannibal Smith
Apple Bloom = B. A. “Bad Attitude” Baracus
Sweetie Belle = Templeton “Face” Peck
Scootaloo = H. M. “Howling Mad” Murdock
Petunia = Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana from the last season
Gertie = 1983 GMC Vandura
