MLP lore lesson: this cross-eyed pegasus.
Originally another unnamed background/townie character, this pony became an early fan favorite after appearing in the background of the very first episode sporting a silly face; her nose scrunched up and her eyes crossed. In reference to the "derp" meme, which was popular at the time, fans named her "Derpy Hooves." Some opted to call her "Muffins" because this was her one spoken line in a later episode. Officially, she has been referred to as "Ditzy Doo," "Derpy", "Muffins" and "Bubbles" on different occasions.
While originally her crossed eyes were an animation error, the crew thought she looked funny, and left it in. When they found out the fans agreed, they went back and made her cross-eyed in all the coming episodes that hadn't been sent to Hasbro yet. Derpy became somewhat of an easter egg: keen-eyed viewers would find her cross-eyed face somewhere in most episodes in the first two seasons, encouraging fans to comb the background of each episode.
In the season 1 episode Feeling Pinkie Keen, Derpy is shown dropping a crate while unloading a truck. This led to the common fan interpretation that Derpy worked for the mail service, and was rather clumsy. Both of these traits would later be canonized, and she would become the standard character that's used when the plot calls for a delivery.
Appearing regularly in season 2, Derpy finally got her first major speaking role in the season 2 episode The Last Round-Up. The script called for a clumsy character (referred to in the script as "Ditzy Doo") and Derpy's design was chosen to fill the role, with her being referred to as "Derpy" in dialogue by Rainbow Dash.
After the episode aired, Hasbro supposedly received letters from parents who felt the character was offensive to people with disabilities. In later releases of the episode, Derpy is not named, her eyes are less crossed, and her voice is different.
From season 3 onwards, Derpy appeared less regularly, only appearing in about 1 in 3 episodes, still mostly in the background. While she continued to appear in episodes and even receive her own merchandise, she would never again be referred to as "Derpy" in official materials. She did get further speaking roles in episodes like Slice of Life, but she was never again referred to by name in the show. She remained beloved by the fanbase whenever she did appear.
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🫧 i don’t know how to tell you you’re my best friend (and i love you) 🪨
for @vyl3tpwny (song here)
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I love these kinds of blogs! Could I request a drawing of muffins/ditsy doo? She is such a pretty character :3
she's got a letter for you! 💌
-mod ivy 🌿
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the muffin horse mayhaps?
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