A few things. First of all, I agree with you totally on the critique of the song. The lyrics seldom stand out in any mlp songs. I've come to expect it. While working on their carts, Rarity and Rainbow Dash acted unnaturally stubborn, but I think Apple Jack was perfectly in character. I like how she sticks to what she knows, even when it doesn't make sense. I've grown to love AJ, especially with the her day off episode. We saw who we can presume to be Snip's father, which breaks my head canon that his father was actually Claud the Puppeteer from s4. Congrats on 70K btw!
hi notion, how have you been? ive missed seeing your vids, but im patiently waiting for the next one lol. i know you have a life and other responsibilities that require your attention. so i dont want you to feel forced to putting out another vid for views. i'd say take your time and go easy on yourself :) anyway, hope you are doing ok, make sure you eat lol, and uh, God bless you bro! (speaking of bros) bro-hoof! XD
Also, there was the fact that Cheerilee was teaching the kids about physics and kinetic energy and all that other stuff. That's some high school level stuff right there. Or middle school, since that's when I started learning about it.
It is an important lesson for ponies... so they can start learning all the ways ponies are able to tell the laws of physics to sit down and shut up. Plus, that was about the age I started learning it, and that's often the way it's done is with cart races like that. Granted for our school it was building tiny model karts and racing them in the gym, not full on riding carts. I built mine out of Legos.
Well, Ponyville society doesn't seem to follow 1st world educational systems. Seems to be a standard education given up to a mid teen age followred by an apprenticeship for most students and possible higher education for the more talented students.
Heather Kramer THIS! Seriously, how do people keep claiming "high School" makes the smallest bit of sense? General, basic level education in things like math, science, history etc... till they are, as said about mid teen. Your basic Primary/Elementary school level. After that, everypony knows what they want to do with their life. (with a few small exceptions) so going right into pursuing that on their own makes the most sense. Not another 4 years of the same one size fits all prison.
Did you notice the pony who was helping Snips with his cart? He had a barber shop spiral for a cutie mark, so he was probably either Snips' dad or his older brother, or for all we know, it could've been his cousin.
If they had focused soley on the entertainment of the race itself instead of making this episode another "I'll help you but we're gonna do this my way" story, I think it would have been a whole lot better. To be honest, the only thing I liked was how cute Cheerilie looked in her cheerleader outfit (hopefully rule 34 fans won't go too nuts with that concept).
I liked the episode as is, but you're right, it wouldn't of hurt if this episode had played out more like "Slice of Life" with the focus being on the central event whilst randomly cutting to several competitors without a specific lesson in mind. Just a fun random episode of each pony doing his or her thing for a unifying event.
I liked this episode, not one of my favourites this season but it was still a great episode, I prefer this CMC episode to On Your Marks cause I liked the way they were mature in their ways to get Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity to listen to them and they actually told them that it was hard for them to speak up and Rainbow, AJ and Rarity ended up learning that they should listen to them instead of stealing the spotlight and the project ideas from them, so that was a great way to learn the lesson from each other and Cheerliee in a cheerleading costume was adorable and Rarity beaten by Derpy was hilarious I give it an 8.5/10 ^^
I can agree here, but like Wolf said about the story, it was a bit too predictable. It seemed like one of those classic "Greed clouds the mind" stories that we've seen time and time again from different shows. But overall it was enjoyable and on a scale of 1-10, I'd place it as a 7.
I'd agree with the 8.5/10 rating. Also, you know a TH-camr who goes by the name of KingSpartax37 who has done several mash up of MLP music with Mario Kart tracks.
Ah yes, the Criss Cross Crash track. It'll probably scratch, dent, or otherwise break the cars you pit against each other, but at least it's a few seconds of destructive fun.😉
+Book Lover No I can't think of any either. Well outside of Double Rainboom that is but that wasn't actually a real episode and even then they only made one reference to it. "Scootaloo is a chicken" is a pure fan favorite meme. The writers just acknowledged it in this one episode.
I really appreciate that the episode didn't end with the awards being handed out, that's a nice surprise. Usually episodes like this end with our main characters OF COURSE winning or them losing and being like ~well at least we had fun~ or something. I like that it just left that open. It was a nice change of pace.
The message I took away was "Don't live vicariously through your kids". It truly, to me, seemed this episode was geared more towards older viewers. Especially since it is not uncommon for a mom, dad, or relative to feel a sense of "Reliving their childhood" when given an opportunity like Rarity, Applejack, and Dashie were presented with.The part where Sweetie Belle mentioned "It's hard talking to grown-ups" really made me feel strongly that this episode was meant as a reminder to those involved with younger children that they shouldn't try to live through said children. Kids need room to learn while feeling their ideas are valued. To not allow this can certainly negatively impact their growth both intellectually and creatively.
I agree with everything you said. The one thing that really annoyed me, though, is the way Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity were acting. Rarity already learned that she should compromise with Sweetie Belle, and the one who taught her that lesson was Applejack. So, already, the fact that those two would not compromise with Sweetie Bell or Applebloom, on the carts that Sweetie Bell and Applebloom should have had every say on, goes against their characters. Not to mention, Rainbow Dash already learned, at least twice, that winning should not come at the cost of other ponies. And, considering the CMC kept trying to tell them how they wanted their carts built, there is no way they were oblivious to how the CMC felt. This episode was not the worst, but it was not that great, either. Especially when it came in a season where the writers are taking risks and pushing their creativity, while still keeping true to the core elements of the show.
There is a second moral with this episode I think you missed as well Dr. Wolf mainly because it's the fact that people don't listen to youth even though adults are made to be the more knowledgeable they're not always right they don't actually make the right decision.
While definitely not terrible, this episode as a whole was just bland and predictable. I agree with Doc when I found myself more interested in the stuff going on in the background, especially Derpy. There were too many times where I was face palming and going "REALLY?!" through most of it. I do like the moral enough but I feel both sides were at fault. The CMC didn't speak up very well til the last minute, and the older ponies took a big step backwards in their characters. Heck all of this conflict could've been avoided had Cheerileee done her job and monitor everything as it happened instead of waiting til the last minute. This felt like it should've been a Season 1 episode more than anything. They had a really good thing going with the CMC wanting to try something different then what we would've expected, but as soon as their sisters entered it went all downhill from there. Song felt forced too. Overall, not awful but not too memorable either. Skippable at the very least.
During this episode's song, for some reason I was thinking of old cartoons like speed buggy, wacky races, and speed racer. I expected Dick Dastardly and Muttly to show up to make everyone crash "I'll make those blasted ponies lose! Nyuh-ah-ah! [abuses dog]".
The opening quite literally stirred up bad memories from high school. Physics in elementary? Even for making carts, it's a little extreme. Everything else you talked about though was pretty spot on.
This episode reminded me of the good times as a Cub Scout building pinewood derby cars and seeing the cart that was just a block of wood like one scout would always do. I also agree the background had more interesting things and that is was predicable.
You have an improbable jawline. I think the episode would have been better if instead of the CMC going for the ponies they were related too, they went for the ones that could help them win the way they wanted too. So it became more about the cmc "abandoning" family.
oh you got a wife "so what does your husband like to do on his free time?" "he likes mlp and reviewing" "oh? with his daughters" "nope by himself" "what?"
This episode reminded me of the time when I was in the Boy Scouts and we had the woodblock races. This a fun episode for me and the message was very strong.
Easiest solution in the world...Switch Sisters! Honestly it's staring them right in the face! That's why Cheerily said to choose your older pony wisely!
Wow! Dr. Wolf your real face looks like your character. Kind, bright, understanding, smart, and sweet! ; ) I hope you can show your real face more often in the future but still use your characters' face as well. Keep calm and act on : ) ; ) : D
I immediately thought of Pinewood Derbies from scouts. I've seen this exact thing play out once or twice. And Derpy and co's cart being just a block with a driver's seat carved out really made me laugh, because I did that a time or two myself, rather than go through the trouble of carving a whittling myself a real car.
+Whitechest Kitty I just said that they don have to be related. For all we know she was just a close friend to the family that took there place becuse they could not do it.
The story is weak, the plot is predictable and the character are not at their best. I only compared that episode to a subpar comedy movie, Down and Derby. The moment I saw that premise, it's what I expected to be. That's disappointing. Oh, and have fun at the reunion, Doc.
I think that the little pony with Derpy is her little brother. His colour-scheme matches, and his cutie mark - a burst bubble - point in that direction. That's what I take from it any way. I'd love to hear fan suggestions for his name! ^_^
I like how Scootaloo's race car didn't turn into that of a chicken- but more of a phoenix! Perhaps some sort of symbolism for Scootaloo? As a person who once did a boat regatta for school, I found this episode quite humorous. Especially when my dad who works on projects like this tried to help my group a bit too much for my comfort. Though of course I appreciate it.
This was defiently not one of my favorite episodes... It wasn't very engaging, it was predictable and rather boring plot wise. But the gokart thing defiently gave me ideas for artwork that I already put up ^^
This episode was pretty good for me. I interpret the story more like this: parents/caretakers try to fulfil their own dreams and ambitions by transplanting them to their children/siblings. Also, it might be a presentation of adults' perception as being far superior and more knowledgable in comparison to younger people/ponies, which is not true in many cases. I think this episode has a great moral and I like the song very much. BTW: DRWolf, you have the weirdest jaw (jaw angle) I have ever seen in my life.
When I first started watching the episode, I thought the Cmc would; like in that one episode where scootaloo choose to sing, apple bloom to dance and sweetie bell to design, again choose stuff they didn't fit into and that's how it started out. So I was surprised when I realized it was based on the older three focusing on their wants. Even then, however, I thought it was gonna be about the Cmc learning to be careful and not just choosing their friends/siblings to help and instead choosing the ones better suited. I have to admit I would've preferred that and it caught me off guard seeing the older three learn a lesson instead. Not sure how I feel about that.
It felt like a season 1 or 2 episode, with a season 1 or 2 conflict. A conflict were we expect all the 6 ponies (AJ, Rarity and Dashie for not listening and being too focused on their own desires and the CMC for not speaking out that much or finding a different good resolution to solve the conflict (for example switch partners)) to have bee grown and improved past .
I actually thought their behavior worked for the conflict. I have actually seen that kind of thing happen before. I was in cub scouts when I was growing up and we had what was called pinewood derby. We would make little pinewood derby cars and then have them race down a sloping track. There were plenty of adults who were usually supportive when it came to most things in cub scouts, but when it came to making the derby cars for the race they would take over the project completely. Their son would just watch and maybe paint a little bit and that would be all the work they did on the car. It was supposed to be something the kids did alone pretty much. These were adults who usually would sit back and offer some advice and help a little when needed all of the rest of the time. Everyone knew the dads were the ones who made the cars for some of the kids, but the people in charge never really cared too much about it at the pack/school level.
The only situation I can compare this episode with is the stock family sitcom episode where the father "helps" his kid with a school science project by making the darn thing for him.
As I see it, the behavior of Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow make sense in the context of the series, and what they presented in the episode. All three of them were blinded by an ulterior motivation. Rainbow was blinded by nostalgia and a desire to relive glory days, Rarity, by revenge for a slight against her design, and Applejack, by a desire to uphold tradition (something she's done before in the series). I think it was ultimately a problem of execution, rather than planning. The interactions could have been handled differently, and this story would have made more sense.
I noticed in the background too that Diamond Tiara didn't have her parents in the cart. I think it was a servant/butler. Could it be that her parents we're too busy to help but bought it for her, it could work as a fanfic idea.
I agree, the backgrounds and facial expressions are very funny in this episode. It's been like that through a lot of season 6; however, they do overshadow the story in this case.
I'm with you Doc, on the Derpy part, who is that colt? XD He looks so cute, and I wanna see him in the episodes more, I just hope he's not a throw away character. But I loved the concept of the episode, it was just a bit more cringe like... And that intersection... even Mario Kart has a better reason to make intersections in the tracks XD
Urgh, this could have been a lot better. Switch the pairings like this. Scoolatoo/Rarity, Apple Bloom/Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie Belle/Applejack, Focus on the race and boom! You've got some good interaction between characters who don't regularly interact.
the other moral of the episode is really good just because a person is an adult or just older doesnt mean the are right and you should listen to them always
The story remind me a bit on a quote of Ephraim Kishon: "Tradition is the method, which wants to prevent, that children surpass her parents.". It would have been more intersesting, if the cmcs had teamed up with the older pony who had the same goals, like Scootaloo with Rarity for example, and had some conflicts in the execution of their plans. And to see who Rarity have a discussion with Scootaloo on the design of the cart, would show a bit of her teaching skills.
The overlaps are only staple in a few types of extreme derby. The inclusion of it is a filly-colt derby race is ridiculous and just trying to force conflict from the crash.
Well, there is that bit near the end where they remake the Karts, and both members of each team get what they want: Skuutz' Phoenix Kart is both creative AND fast; Applebloom's wood grain racer is both fast AND traditional; Sweetie's Kart is traditional, and is pretty darn stylish as well.
One thing in the episode that really really made me upset was the AJ treated her little sister. she basically said unless you're going to follow traditions you are not an apple which contradicts what she had said in earlier episodes about her being an apple no matter what. granted this had to do with her cutie mark But it gives off the impression that unless you're going to be a traditional Apple then you're not an apple at all. that just makes the Apple family's bond a little more frail in my eyes. I really think that they could have portrayed it better and it feels like they just did this to make AJ look like a real witch. the song was cute though and I appreciated it.
I think the moral was very relatable. I'm a kid so whenever I try to tell any other kid NO, they say that, oh your opinion means nothing to me because you're not in charge, you're not an adult, and you're not older than me (which is really on crack by the way). So seeing the kids confront the adults and say "you're not always right" was something that really touched me. Because the fact is adults aren't perfect either and I'm so glad that MLP addressed this topic. Because everyone's opinion matters just like how the CMC's opinion mattered. I'll admit it, this was the THIRD mlp episode too tug at my heart strings (the other two being, Amending Fences, and No Second Prances).
Wolf face!! Also, DINKY HAS A LITTLE BROTHER!!- maybe. The race had to be re-run because the fire martial showed up and went "WHAT'S WITH THIS RACE TRACK?!!"
I didn't think about video game races at all during this episode. Having competed in several pine wood derbies, I couldn't help but see that comparison and that seems like what they were going for. The name is even there! Apple wood derby!
The thing with the race track is, it's actually a real life reference. The track is made in the clover shaped riding pattern from barrel racing and equestrian sport. Just wanted to put that out there, as my riding instructor was having me ride the very same pattern a few weeks ago
Spot on review and analysis, Doc! Pretty much agreed on every point you made, especially on how AJ, Rarity, and Rainbow so easily forgot their place as older role models for their sisters. Those three of the mane 6 been through so much and matured over the years, you'd think they would know better than to act the way they did. Unless perhaps the point was to emphasize the fact that the CMC are growing up too and will sometimes be in situations when the adults act less mature. While the featured song might not be super memorable to me, I thought it was pretty cool to have a song including mane 6 characters with the cmc trio.
All I could think while watching the episode was, "Yep, this is pretty much the Pinewood Derby in a nutshell." For those not in the know, Pinewood Derby is a Boy Scout event in which the boys, with their parents' help, carve a race car out of a small block of wood, then race it down a track. Just like in the episode, there are awards for speed and creativity. Also just like in the episode, most of the work is usually done by the parents, especially when they're building a car for speed. That racetrack, though. Who designed that thing!?
You pretty much summed up my thoughts on this episode, Doc. It's not bad, it's just really predictable and I was really hoping there'd be more to it then what we got.
I'm thinking maybe more stories where the plot involves where the main characters might interact more with particular background characters such as Derpy, DJ PON-3, Octavia, Dr Whooves, Lyra and Bon Bon etc. Maybe that might spice things up.
One background element I liked was the stuff with DT, in the class we see her talking with Sweetiebelle in class and her racing partner was the family butler. Also Cheerilee as a cheerleader is an amusing image somehow, as for the episode itself I agree with it being an ok episode, not one am likely to revisit much but a fun watch that does what it needs to do.
I've must not have watched enough TV because I don't recall ever seeing then moral done before. The secondary one actually learned by the CMC about older ponies (people) not always knowing what's best. It was entertaining to see such a moral and I'm assuming the younger viewers will feel the same way. It wasn't as predictable for me. I still didn't like the song, though.
I kind of don't like the episode because the three sisters' actions kind of ruined it for me, especially Applejack. And even with that just like Dr Wolf said, the crash was really unnecessary. We could probably have a strong a lesson if they realize neither of they won the race. It still has fun stuff but I wish the entire episode is just about cart racing and for fun.
About designing a video game about this pony derby... Would it be super similar to mario kart or have other features like some way to design carts which would affect speed and "stability"?
I actually agreed with everything you said doctor. I was thinking the same things as I watched the episode. I actually even stopped the episode and rewinded it to see the filly with Derpy. I also felt the mane 6 (or 3) were forced to fit the conflict.
The background stuff did have another fun thing most people seem to miss: Diamond Tiara showing her butler actual kindness. She helped him build her cart rather than forcing him to build it FOR her, she checked on him when the crash happened. I liked that.
I really liked this episode but I think that is more to have gone through something similar when I was a kid with my dad. He played a lot of sports when he was younger and wanted me to do the same. I wanted to spend my weekends reading, playing video games, or hanging out with friends. I ended up forced on a soccer team and was miserable the whole time. After I got hurt at a game we talked about it and he realized this wasn't working and stopped trying to force me into things he was more interested in doing then I was. So given all that I really connected with the CMC's this episode.
I could already tell where the episode was going when Cheerilee showed the three ribbons that matched the styles of Rarity, RD and AJ. Immediately I thought "Oh okay, the young adults are going to completely take over and ruin the kids fun" and sadly I was right, the song was pretty good though.
Dunno. I liked it enough. Older main 3 seemed a little too pushy, but also in a way I can believe that - with Rarity's obsessiveness and RD's want to replay her childhood victory and AJ's traditionalism. It's a nice lesson about how adults sometimes push their own goals and insecurities on their kids/siblings/etc and try to succeed through them. Suuuch a common problem tbh. And song... I honestly loved it. Keep replaying all the time. Who cares if the lyrics are as simple as it can get? Sometimes all you need is a good dance rhythm that makes you want to move your body and smile. Not everything has to be Super Deep Emotional and Meaningful. Silly fun is okay
When you really think about it. The carts the cmc uses in the end makes a lot of sense. Apple Bloom being fast and impatient like in Cutie Pox. Sweetie Belle always being the calm and slow crusader always thinking things over to make sure its safe. But Scootaloo's reasons are a bit more deep. I really needed to think hard to why she would choose Creativity. But then I though, Scootaloo is a pegasus who can't fly. Not only makes it her unique to other pegasi but also makes her have to think a much more unique and different way in terms of other pegasi. I really think she took Rainbow's line from Flight to the Finish: "Maybe you will fly one day, or maybe you wont. You're all kinds of awesome anyways!" And used it to think about herself as unique and try to be more creative instead of thinking herself as not being special. So in the end, Apple Bloom choosing to be fast, Sweetie Belle choosing to be slow and traditional and Scootaloo choosing to be creative does make a lot of sense with their characters :D
A very hit and miss episode. I could see the "I'm making this all about me" plot line from Rainbow Dash's excitement. It was very predictable and I find myself indifferent to it. The song was okay, and the message was fine, but someone, you even, could name a show that's done this lesson a whole lot better. By the way, I imagine that colt being, if not her son, maybe a little brother or nephew. Just think about it for a second, how much character they could add to Derpy if he was a nephew or a son. Fanfic writers could entertain themselves with that concept for days. Your thoughts, Dr. Wolf?
Found this a meh episode. As for the Pegasus colt with Derpy, he might be her son or nephew. Glad to see that she's getting more characterization in the show even if it's in the background
I noticed none of them thought to change up who they teamed up with. Sweetie Bell with Applejack for traditional, Scootaloo with Rarity for creative, and Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash for speed would have all three wining the way they wanted to win. There was nothing mentioned that the adult had to be related, so they could have easily done so.
There was actually a fan project to ponify Mario Kart, but the developers dropped it long ago. It was called Ponykart and you can find plenty of videos of it on TH-cam. Who knows, maybe after the episode someone might pick up the slack and finish the game.
(O O) Holy crap I hadn't noticed that. My friend and I were watching the episode together and just assumed in passing that the pony with Derpy was Dinky. We didn't even notice the wings. They look enough alike we didn't bother questioning it.
Holy hell! It might just be the camera angle, but this guy has one hell of Lantern Jaw of Justice! Seriously, silver-age Superman is looking at that jaw and feeling very inadequate about himself.
I agree with putting it in the ok category. It started out strong (I liked the joke about not actually doing any schoolwork and Derpy vs. Rarity, since it also showed why Rarity was being as overly competitive as AJ and RD), but it kind of lost steam at a certain point.
I was reminded more of the Wacky Races than anything. If DIamond Tiarra and Silver Spoon hadn't been reformed, I'd imagine they would've been playing the roles of Snively and Muttley.
Bet its "Muffins" little brother. The highlight of the ep for me was that flash back to when Rarity got 2ed in creativity to "Muffins". Had to pause the ep to finish laughing before I could continue.
6:26 they also created a huge continuity error. In that shot, those bridges are clearly perpendicular to the race field, right after everyone crossed over it during the song (i.e. during the race)!
While it is genuinely a terrible idea to have a racetrack intersect itself, I can find a few reasons why that particular design might have been chosen. If you want to have a loopable track (one that starts and ends in the same place) that doesn't intersect itself, you can only make the track so long. Given a cirlce with radius r, the track's perimeter can only be around 6.28r . However, by having the track in the shape of a rose petal, the length of the track is 9.69r (had do to some calculus to get this number, hopefully I did it correctly). So you get a track that's a little over 50% longer by making it intersect itself four times. You could also get a longer track by making it really windy, but then it probably would be too difficult to turn.
I like the lesson in this. Teaches kids that yes it is ok for you to stand up against your own family even when they are older. That yes you can talk to them about what you want and not what they know best cuz sometimes adults don't know best. Some adults don't listen to their kids or younger siblings. So it two lessons in one. Also the whole the kids is like mini me for the older ponies. When their interest is completely different. Which they show in this one episode. Wish I had this episode when I was growing up cuz let just say mom made more bad choices than good and I follow along with the whole she know best instead of voicing my objections
Actually, looking at the cart designs I was reminded of the old cartoon series Wacky Races. In fact, I think would rather amusing if someone did a story or fan art, possibly both, involving something like all the carts in a Wacky Races style competition.
Well due to the references of Speed Racer and Wacky Races, including the song that make my nostalgia so hype, Applejack is starting to act like an Amish pony for riding that slow moving kart
Well I think I can explain about the track (this is just a stab in the dark mostly) Cheerilee did say in the beginning of the episode that they're going to be learning about phisics when she introduced the cart racing to them. So I think the track was made that way not just for the plot, but possibly for the learning experience. For example the three winning categories, traditional, fastest, and creative. all three of this things had a part to play, if you want to make a cart that's old fashioned make sure that it's fast enough to get out of the way from a speeding object or just stop the cart all together. And if you believe speed is key be aware of the limitations the cart will have because whether brakes or no brake you will lose to phisics, and as for being creative with your cart there is no exception for functionality. Raritys cart gave no way for the other racers to get around her, not only was that cheating, but a very big traffic hazard.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash both had Derpy steal the spotlight, Rarity just had to have it happen in glorious style. ;) Also, maybe that foal Derpy is helping is a nephew... or you know, it's technically been years that the show is going on! Maybe she had another kid! :D
A few things. First of all, I agree with you totally on the critique of the song. The lyrics seldom stand out in any mlp songs. I've come to expect it. While working on their carts, Rarity and Rainbow Dash acted unnaturally stubborn, but I think Apple Jack was perfectly in character. I like how she sticks to what she knows, even when it doesn't make sense. I've grown to love AJ, especially with the her day off episode. We saw who we can presume to be Snip's father, which breaks my head canon that his father was actually Claud the Puppeteer from s4. Congrats on 70K btw!
hi notion, how have you been? ive missed seeing your vids, but im patiently waiting for the next one lol. i know you have a life and other responsibilities that require your attention. so i dont want you to feel forced to putting out another vid for views. i'd say take your time and go easy on yourself :) anyway, hope you are doing ok, make sure you eat lol, and uh, God bless you bro! (speaking of bros) bro-hoof! XD
by vids i meant the next ep review or something lol 😅
Also, there was the fact that Cheerilee was teaching the kids about physics and kinetic energy and all that other stuff. That's some high school level stuff right there. Or middle school, since that's when I started learning about it.
wait until its in high school, thats when the real fun begins
It is an important lesson for ponies... so they can start learning all the ways ponies are able to tell the laws of physics to sit down and shut up. Plus, that was about the age I started learning it, and that's often the way it's done is with cart races like that. Granted for our school it was building tiny model karts and racing them in the gym, not full on riding carts. I built mine out of Legos.
Well, Ponyville society doesn't seem to follow 1st world educational systems. Seems to be a standard education given up to a mid teen age followred by an apprenticeship for most students and possible higher education for the more talented students.
Heather Kramer
THIS! Seriously, how do people keep claiming "high School" makes the smallest bit of sense? General, basic level education in things like math, science, history etc... till they are, as said about mid teen. Your basic Primary/Elementary school level. After that, everypony knows what they want to do with their life. (with a few small exceptions) so going right into pursuing that on their own makes the most sense. Not another 4 years of the same one size fits all prison.
My hard cannon is that their the pony equivalent of 12ish
Did you notice the pony who was helping Snips with his cart? He had a barber shop spiral for a cutie mark, so he was probably either Snips' dad or his older brother, or for all we know, it could've been his cousin.
If they had focused soley on the entertainment of the race itself instead of making this episode another "I'll help you but we're gonna do this my way" story, I think it would have been a whole lot better. To be honest, the only thing I liked was how cute Cheerilie looked in her cheerleader outfit (hopefully rule 34 fans won't go too nuts with that concept).
hehe. The skirt doesn't cover the butt at all.
Inb4 she gets rule34 so hard
I liked the episode as is, but you're right, it wouldn't of hurt if this episode had played out more like "Slice of Life" with the focus being on the central event whilst randomly cutting to several competitors without a specific lesson in mind. Just a fun random episode of each pony doing his or her thing for a unifying event.
"hopefully rule 34 fans won't go too nuts with that concept". heh. you really think that? that's adorable.
Rule 34 means that everything has porn; no exceptions
I liked this episode, not one of my favourites this season but it was still a great episode, I prefer this CMC episode to On Your Marks cause I liked the way they were mature in their ways to get Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity to listen to them and they actually told them that it was hard for them to speak up and Rainbow, AJ and Rarity ended up learning that they should listen to them instead of stealing the spotlight and the project ideas from them, so that was a great way to learn the lesson from each other and Cheerliee in a cheerleading costume was adorable and Rarity beaten by Derpy was hilarious I give it an 8.5/10 ^^
I can agree here, but like Wolf said about the story, it was a bit too predictable. It seemed like one of those classic "Greed clouds the mind" stories that we've seen time and time again from different shows. But overall it was enjoyable and on a scale of 1-10, I'd place it as a 7.
I'd agree with the 8.5/10 rating. Also, you know a TH-camr who goes by the name of KingSpartax37 who has done several mash up of MLP music with Mario Kart tracks.
Yeah I definitely like it better then On Your Marks. XD.
I think you meant Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity and not Rainbow, Applejack and Rainbow.
Absolutely agreed!
Hasbro designed the show, Hot Wheels designed the track.
Ah yes, the Criss Cross Crash track. It'll probably scratch, dent, or otherwise break the cars you pit against each other, but at least it's a few seconds of destructive fun.😉
I'm calling it now. He's her little brother. His cutie mark compliments hers, she's bubbles and he's popped bubbles.
it reminded me of the old cartoon network show Wackey Races
There goes hasbro with some obscure references, again!
finaly! someone that saw it too :D
It may or may not be a reference ... although Rarity's steering device do hints towards it being a reference.
That's what was going through my mind when watching this episode
I remember that show, it was one of my favourites when I was younger
Not mentioning the fact that Scootaloo was making a chicken-based cart? I thought that was cool.
But really, the stupid chicken jokes have gotten stale, enough with them writers!
Well that's what I thought, but the final bit definitely looked more like it was supposed to be a phoenix.
Book Lover Hmm, weird, I can't remember the last time there was a Scootaloo-Chicken joke in the show besides this episode. Can you name an episode?
***** There definitely has been Scootaloo chicken jokes in the show, can't remember which episode(s) but yeah.
+Book Lover
No I can't think of any either. Well outside of Double Rainboom that is but that wasn't actually a real episode and even then they only made one reference to it.
"Scootaloo is a chicken" is a pure fan favorite meme. The writers just acknowledged it in this one episode.
I really appreciate that the episode didn't end with the awards being handed out, that's a nice surprise. Usually episodes like this end with our main characters OF COURSE winning or them losing and being like ~well at least we had fun~ or something.
I like that it just left that open.
It was a nice change of pace.
The message I took away was "Don't live vicariously through your kids". It truly, to me, seemed this episode was geared more towards older viewers. Especially since it is not uncommon for a mom, dad, or relative to feel a sense of "Reliving their childhood" when given an opportunity like Rarity, Applejack, and Dashie were presented with.The part where Sweetie Belle mentioned "It's hard talking to grown-ups" really made me feel strongly that this episode was meant as a reminder to those involved with younger children that they shouldn't try to live through said children. Kids need room to learn while feeling their ideas are valued. To not allow this can certainly negatively impact their growth both intellectually and creatively.
Mario Kart, it LOOKS LIKE Hanna Barbera's WACKY RACES
I agree with everything you said. The one thing that really annoyed me, though, is the way Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity were acting. Rarity already learned that she should compromise with Sweetie Belle, and the one who taught her that lesson was Applejack. So, already, the fact that those two would not compromise with Sweetie Bell or Applebloom, on the carts that Sweetie Bell and Applebloom should have had every say on, goes against their characters. Not to mention, Rainbow Dash already learned, at least twice, that winning should not come at the cost of other ponies. And, considering the CMC kept trying to tell them how they wanted their carts built, there is no way they were oblivious to how the CMC felt. This episode was not the worst, but it was not that great, either. Especially when it came in a season where the writers are taking risks and pushing their creativity, while still keeping true to the core elements of the show.
There is a second moral with this episode I think you missed as well Dr. Wolf mainly because it's the fact that people don't listen to youth even though adults are made to be the more knowledgeable they're not always right they don't actually make the right decision.
While definitely not terrible, this episode as a whole was just bland and predictable. I agree with Doc when I found myself more interested in the stuff going on in the background, especially Derpy. There were too many times where I was face palming and going "REALLY?!" through most of it. I do like the moral enough but I feel both sides were at fault. The CMC didn't speak up very well til the last minute, and the older ponies took a big step backwards in their characters. Heck all of this conflict could've been avoided had Cheerileee done her job and monitor everything as it happened instead of waiting til the last minute. This felt like it should've been a Season 1 episode more than anything. They had a really good thing going with the CMC wanting to try something different then what we would've expected, but as soon as their sisters entered it went all downhill from there. Song felt forced too. Overall, not awful but not too memorable either. Skippable at the very least.
During this episode's song, for some reason I was thinking of old cartoons like speed buggy, wacky races, and speed racer. I expected Dick Dastardly and Muttly to show up to make everyone crash "I'll make those blasted ponies lose! Nyuh-ah-ah! [abuses dog]".
The opening quite literally stirred up bad memories from high school. Physics in elementary? Even for making carts, it's a little extreme. Everything else you talked about though was pretty spot on.
This episode reminded me of the good times as a Cub Scout building pinewood derby cars and seeing the cart that was just a block of wood like one scout would always do. I also agree the background had more interesting things and that is was predicable.
You have an improbable jawline.
I think the episode would have been better if instead of the CMC going for the ponies they were related too, they went for the ones that could help them win the way they wanted too. So it became more about the cmc "abandoning" family.
I would have preferred that sort of conflict, as well.
oh you got a wife
"so what does your husband like to do on his free time?"
"he likes mlp and reviewing"
"oh? with his daughters"
"nope by himself"
"what?"
That Pegasus with Derpy could be her brother...
This episode reminded me of the time when I was in the Boy Scouts and we had the woodblock races. This a fun episode for me and the message was very strong.
Easiest solution in the world...Switch Sisters! Honestly it's staring them right in the face! That's why Cheerily said to choose your older pony wisely!
Wow! Dr. Wolf your real face looks like your character. Kind, bright, understanding, smart, and sweet! ; ) I hope you can show your real face more often in the future but still use your characters' face as well. Keep calm and act on : ) ; ) : D
Thank you kindly for the encouraging words Brandy.
No problem Dr. Wolf it's my pleasure to smile for friends ; )
is that a security camera behind you?
5:40 Holy crap I was thinking the same thing! That's the kinda track you'd make for the game Wreckfest, not a soapbox derby.
I immediately thought of Pinewood Derbies from scouts. I've seen this exact thing play out once or twice. And Derpy and co's cart being just a block with a driver's seat carved out really made me laugh, because I did that a time or two myself, rather than go through the trouble of carving a whittling myself a real car.
Looks like Dinky has a brother.
Or they are not related at all.
Looks like you need to stop living in 2012
+Tim Eklund Műntzing oh yes, because Derpy is going to work with some random colt who she doesn't know and isn't related to
+Whitechest Kitty I just said that they don have to be related. For all we know she was just a close friend to the family that took there place becuse they could not do it.
like scootaloo and rainbow dash but i think the male pegasus is a ore likely relative then dinky is but i know its possible thanks to the cake twins
The story is weak, the plot is predictable and the character are not at their best.
I only compared that episode to a subpar comedy movie, Down and Derby.
The moment I saw that premise, it's what I expected to be. That's disappointing.
Oh, and have fun at the reunion, Doc.
I agree
So, if they made this episode into that movie, would they call it Down and Derpy? XD
... This episode is either the first or second worse I can't decide between this and The crystaling
+Everfree Bliss The song reminded me of Dora which made me hate it
Wow! I thought I was the only one here who's seen Down and Derby! My sentiments exactly.
I was suprised. I thought they were gonna secretly switch carts and be rebellious
I kinda found the episode pretty entertaining, and I hope you have a good reunion DRWolf
The best part of the episode is the lesson
I think that the little pony with Derpy is her little brother. His colour-scheme matches, and his cutie mark - a burst bubble - point in that direction. That's what I take from it any way. I'd love to hear fan suggestions for his name! ^_^
I like how Scootaloo's race car didn't turn into that of a chicken- but more of a phoenix! Perhaps some sort of symbolism for Scootaloo? As a person who once did a boat regatta for school, I found this episode quite humorous. Especially when my dad who works on projects like this tried to help my group a bit too much for my comfort. Though of course I appreciate it.
This was defiently not one of my favorite episodes... It wasn't very engaging, it was predictable and rather boring plot wise. But the gokart thing defiently gave me ideas for artwork that I already put up ^^
This episode was pretty good for me. I interpret the story more like this: parents/caretakers try to fulfil their own dreams and ambitions by transplanting them to their children/siblings. Also, it might be a presentation of adults' perception as being far superior and more knowledgable in comparison to younger people/ponies, which is not true in many cases. I think this episode has a great moral and I like the song very much.
BTW: DRWolf, you have the weirdest jaw (jaw angle) I have ever seen in my life.
the road has the twist and turns in the ep.
enjoy your Family.
When I first started watching the episode, I thought the Cmc would; like in that one episode where scootaloo choose to sing, apple bloom to dance and sweetie bell to design, again choose stuff they didn't fit into and that's how it started out. So I was surprised when I realized it was based on the older three focusing on their wants. Even then, however, I thought it was gonna be about the Cmc learning to be careful and not just choosing their friends/siblings to help and instead choosing the ones better suited. I have to admit I would've preferred that and it caught me off guard seeing the older three learn a lesson instead. Not sure how I feel about that.
It felt like a season 1 or 2 episode, with a season 1 or 2 conflict. A conflict were we expect all the 6 ponies (AJ, Rarity and Dashie for not listening and being too focused on their own desires and the CMC for not speaking out that much or finding a different good resolution to solve the conflict (for example switch partners)) to have bee grown and improved past .
I actually thought their behavior worked for the conflict. I have actually seen that kind of thing happen before. I was in cub scouts when I was growing up and we had what was called pinewood derby. We would make little pinewood derby cars and then have them race down a sloping track. There were plenty of adults who were usually supportive when it came to most things in cub scouts, but when it came to making the derby cars for the race they would take over the project completely. Their son would just watch and maybe paint a little bit and that would be all the work they did on the car. It was supposed to be something the kids did alone pretty much. These were adults who usually would sit back and offer some advice and help a little when needed all of the rest of the time. Everyone knew the dads were the ones who made the cars for some of the kids, but the people in charge never really cared too much about it at the pack/school level.
I would love a Pony Racing game. Pinkie could drive a vehiclized party cannon.
The only situation I can compare this episode with is the stock family sitcom episode where the father "helps" his kid with a school science project by making the darn thing for him.
As I see it, the behavior of Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow make sense in the context of the series, and what they presented in the episode. All three of them were blinded by an ulterior motivation. Rainbow was blinded by nostalgia and a desire to relive glory days, Rarity, by revenge for a slight against her design, and Applejack, by a desire to uphold tradition (something she's done before in the series). I think it was ultimately a problem of execution, rather than planning. The interactions could have been handled differently, and this story would have made more sense.
For me this remembered more about my childhood love wacky races over mario kart
I noticed in the background too that Diamond Tiara didn't have her parents in the cart. I think it was a servant/butler. Could it be that her parents we're too busy to help but bought it for her, it could work as a fanfic idea.
I agree, the backgrounds and facial expressions are very funny in this episode. It's been like that through a lot of season 6; however, they do overshadow the story in this case.
I'm with you Doc, on the Derpy part, who is that colt? XD
He looks so cute, and I wanna see him in the episodes more, I just hope he's not a throw away character.
But I loved the concept of the episode, it was just a bit more cringe like...
And that intersection... even Mario Kart has a better reason to make intersections in the tracks XD
Urgh, this could have been a lot better. Switch the pairings like this. Scoolatoo/Rarity, Apple Bloom/Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie Belle/Applejack, Focus on the race and boom! You've got some good interaction between characters who don't regularly interact.
the other moral of the episode is really good
just because a person is an adult or just older doesnt mean the are right and you should listen to them always
The story remind me a bit on a quote of Ephraim Kishon: "Tradition is the
method, which wants to prevent, that children surpass her parents.".
It would have been more intersesting, if the cmcs had teamed up with the older pony who had the same goals, like Scootaloo with Rarity for example, and had some conflicts in the execution of their plans. And to see who Rarity have a discussion with Scootaloo on the design of the cart, would show a bit of her teaching skills.
I can't help but notice that you have a perfectly geometrical facial structure. That's a sincere compliment.
The overlaps are only staple in a few types of extreme derby. The inclusion of it is a filly-colt derby race is ridiculous and just trying to force conflict from the crash.
Well, there is that bit near the end where they remake the Karts, and both members of each team get what they want: Skuutz' Phoenix Kart is both creative AND fast; Applebloom's wood grain racer is both fast AND traditional; Sweetie's Kart is traditional, and is pretty darn stylish as well.
One thing in the episode that really really made me upset was the AJ treated her little sister. she basically said unless you're going to follow traditions you are not an apple which contradicts what she had said in earlier episodes about her being an apple no matter what. granted this had to do with her cutie mark But it gives off the impression that unless you're going to be a traditional Apple then you're not an apple at all. that just makes the Apple family's bond a little more frail in my eyes. I really think that they could have portrayed it better and it feels like they just did this to make AJ look like a real witch. the song was cute though and I appreciated it.
I think the moral was very relatable. I'm a kid so whenever I try to tell any other kid NO, they say that, oh your opinion means nothing to me because you're not in charge, you're not an adult, and you're not older than me (which is really on crack by the way). So seeing the kids confront the adults and say "you're not always right" was something that really touched me. Because the fact is adults aren't perfect either and I'm so glad that MLP addressed this topic. Because everyone's opinion matters just like how the CMC's opinion mattered. I'll admit it, this was the THIRD mlp episode too tug at my heart strings (the other two being, Amending Fences, and No Second Prances).
Wolf face!! Also, DINKY HAS A LITTLE BROTHER!!- maybe. The race had to be re-run because the fire martial showed up and went "WHAT'S WITH THIS RACE TRACK?!!"
I didn't think about video game races at all during this episode. Having competed in several pine wood derbies, I couldn't help but see that comparison and that seems like what they were going for. The name is even there! Apple wood derby!
The thing with the race track is, it's actually a real life reference. The track is made in the clover shaped riding pattern from barrel racing and equestrian sport. Just wanted to put that out there, as my riding instructor was having me ride the very same pattern a few weeks ago
Hm, I was curious about that pegasus the one who's with Derpy too
Spot on review and analysis, Doc! Pretty much agreed on every point you made, especially on how AJ, Rarity, and Rainbow so easily forgot their place as older role models for their sisters. Those three of the mane 6 been through so much and matured over the years, you'd think they would know better than to act the way they did. Unless perhaps the point was to emphasize the fact that the CMC are growing up too and will sometimes be in situations when the adults act less mature. While the featured song might not be super memorable to me, I thought it was pretty cool to have a song including mane 6 characters with the cmc trio.
All I could think while watching the episode was, "Yep, this is pretty much the Pinewood Derby in a nutshell."
For those not in the know, Pinewood Derby is a Boy Scout event in which the boys, with their parents' help, carve a race car out of a small block of wood, then race it down a track. Just like in the episode, there are awards for speed and creativity. Also just like in the episode, most of the work is usually done by the parents, especially when they're building a car for speed.
That racetrack, though. Who designed that thing!?
You pretty much summed up my thoughts on this episode, Doc. It's not bad, it's just really predictable and I was really hoping there'd be more to it then what we got.
I'm thinking maybe more stories where the plot involves where the main characters might interact more with particular background characters such as Derpy, DJ PON-3, Octavia, Dr Whooves, Lyra and Bon Bon etc. Maybe that might spice things up.
One background element I liked was the stuff with DT, in the class we see her talking with Sweetiebelle in class and her racing partner was the family butler. Also Cheerilee as a cheerleader is an amusing image somehow, as for the episode itself I agree with it being an ok episode, not one am likely to revisit much but a fun watch that does what it needs to do.
I've must not have watched enough TV because I don't recall ever seeing then moral done before. The secondary one actually learned by the CMC about older ponies (people) not always knowing what's best. It was entertaining to see such a moral and I'm assuming the younger viewers will feel the same way. It wasn't as predictable for me. I still didn't like the song, though.
I kind of don't like the episode because the three sisters' actions kind of ruined it for me, especially Applejack. And even with that just like Dr Wolf said, the crash was really unnecessary. We could probably have a strong a lesson if they realize neither of they won the race. It still has fun stuff but I wish the entire episode is just about cart racing and for fun.
About designing a video game about this pony derby... Would it be super similar to mario kart or have other features like some way to design carts which would affect speed and "stability"?
I actually agreed with everything you said doctor. I was thinking the same things as I watched the episode. I actually even stopped the episode and rewinded it to see the filly with Derpy. I also felt the mane 6 (or 3) were forced to fit the conflict.
The background stuff did have another fun thing most people seem to miss: Diamond Tiara showing her butler actual kindness. She helped him build her cart rather than forcing him to build it FOR her, she checked on him when the crash happened. I liked that.
Wow. What a profound development! Thanks for noticing that!
I really liked this episode but I think that is more to have gone through something similar when I was a kid with my dad. He played a lot of sports when he was younger and wanted me to do the same. I wanted to spend my weekends reading, playing video games, or hanging out with friends. I ended up forced on a soccer team and was miserable the whole time. After I got hurt at a game we talked about it and he realized this wasn't working and stopped trying to force me into things he was more interested in doing then I was. So given all that I really connected with the CMC's this episode.
I could already tell where the episode was going when Cheerilee showed the three ribbons that matched the styles of Rarity, RD and AJ. Immediately I thought "Oh okay, the young adults are going to completely take over and ruin the kids fun" and sadly I was right, the song was pretty good though.
I just now noticed--that colt with Derpy has a popping bubble for a cutie mark!
Dunno. I liked it enough. Older main 3 seemed a little too pushy, but also in a way I can believe that - with Rarity's obsessiveness and RD's want to replay her childhood victory and AJ's traditionalism. It's a nice lesson about how adults sometimes push their own goals and insecurities on their kids/siblings/etc and try to succeed through them. Suuuch a common problem tbh. And song... I honestly loved it. Keep replaying all the time. Who cares if the lyrics are as simple as it can get? Sometimes all you need is a good dance rhythm that makes you want to move your body and smile. Not everything has to be Super Deep Emotional and Meaningful. Silly fun is okay
While Dr. Wolf is at his wife's family reunion, CartoonZ is breaking into his channel.
When you really think about it. The carts the cmc uses in the end makes a lot of sense. Apple Bloom being fast and impatient like in Cutie Pox. Sweetie Belle always being the calm and slow crusader always thinking things over to make sure its safe. But Scootaloo's reasons are a bit more deep. I really needed to think hard to why she would choose Creativity. But then I though, Scootaloo is a pegasus who can't fly. Not only makes it her unique to other pegasi but also makes her have to think a much more unique and different way in terms of other pegasi. I really think she took Rainbow's line from Flight to the Finish: "Maybe you will fly one day, or maybe you wont. You're all kinds of awesome anyways!" And used it to think about herself as unique and try to be more creative instead of thinking herself as not being special. So in the end, Apple Bloom choosing to be fast, Sweetie Belle choosing to be slow and traditional and Scootaloo choosing to be creative does make a lot of sense with their characters :D
A very hit and miss episode. I could see the "I'm making this all about me" plot line from Rainbow Dash's excitement. It was very predictable and I find myself indifferent to it. The song was okay, and the message was fine, but someone, you even, could name a show that's done this lesson a whole lot better. By the way, I imagine that colt being, if not her son, maybe a little brother or nephew. Just think about it for a second, how much character they could add to Derpy if he was a nephew or a son. Fanfic writers could entertain themselves with that concept for days. Your thoughts, Dr. Wolf?
Found this a meh episode. As for the Pegasus colt with Derpy, he might be her son or nephew. Glad to see that she's getting more characterization in the show even if it's in the background
I noticed none of them thought to change up who they teamed up with. Sweetie Bell with Applejack for traditional, Scootaloo with Rarity for creative, and Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash for speed would have all three wining the way they wanted to win. There was nothing mentioned that the adult had to be related, so they could have easily done so.
There was actually a fan project to ponify Mario Kart, but the developers dropped it long ago. It was called Ponykart and you can find plenty of videos of it on TH-cam. Who knows, maybe after the episode someone might pick up the slack and finish the game.
I liked that they opened it by explaining physics.
nice video, thanks for all, you are great
keep make more, just 1 question
what do you think about the KimPosible case?
(O O) Holy crap I hadn't noticed that. My friend and I were watching the episode together and just assumed in passing that the pony with Derpy was Dinky. We didn't even notice the wings. They look enough alike we didn't bother questioning it.
Holy hell! It might just be the camera angle, but this guy has one hell of Lantern Jaw of Justice!
Seriously, silver-age Superman is looking at that jaw and feeling very inadequate about himself.
I agree with putting it in the ok category. It started out strong (I liked the joke about not actually doing any schoolwork and Derpy vs. Rarity, since it also showed why Rarity was being as overly competitive as AJ and RD), but it kind of lost steam at a certain point.
2:47 best moment of this episode!
I enjoyed finally seeing a design for Snips' dad. Though it's a little odd that Snails didn't build an actual racer.
I was reminded more of the Wacky Races than anything. If DIamond Tiarra and Silver Spoon hadn't been reformed, I'd imagine they would've been playing the roles of Snively and Muttley.
There was a pony racing fan game called 'PonyKart' but it was cancelled in 2012 for no reason.
i like the fact diamond tiara got her butler to help her.
I didn't think about Mario Kart while watching the episode, but I did get a mix between Speed Racer and Wacky Races while watching the race.
I thought the conflict was going to be competition between AJ, Rainbow and Rarity overshadowing the CMC'S desire for fun.
Bet its "Muffins" little brother. The highlight of the ep for me was that flash back to when Rarity got 2ed in creativity to "Muffins". Had to pause the ep to finish laughing before I could continue.
6:26 they also created a huge continuity error. In that shot, those bridges are clearly perpendicular to the race field, right after everyone crossed over it during the song (i.e. during the race)!
While it is genuinely a terrible idea to have a racetrack intersect itself, I can find a few reasons why that particular design might have been chosen.
If you want to have a loopable track (one that starts and ends in the same place) that doesn't intersect itself, you can only make the track so long. Given a cirlce with radius r, the track's perimeter can only be around 6.28r . However, by having the track in the shape of a rose petal, the length of the track is 9.69r (had do to some calculus to get this number, hopefully I did it correctly). So you get a track that's a little over 50% longer by making it intersect itself four times.
You could also get a longer track by making it really windy, but then it probably would be too difficult to turn.
Doc you are being to kind to this episodes
I like the lesson in this. Teaches kids that yes it is ok for you to stand up against your own family even when they are older. That yes you can talk to them about what you want and not what they know best cuz sometimes adults don't know best. Some adults don't listen to their kids or younger siblings. So it two lessons in one. Also the whole the kids is like mini me for the older ponies. When their interest is completely different. Which they show in this one episode. Wish I had this episode when I was growing up cuz let just say mom made more bad choices than good and I follow along with the whole she know best instead of voicing my objections
Actually, looking at the cart designs I was reminded of the old cartoon series Wacky Races. In fact, I think would rather amusing if someone did a story or fan art, possibly both, involving something like all the carts in a Wacky Races style competition.
Well due to the references of Speed Racer and Wacky Races, including the song that make my nostalgia so hype, Applejack is starting to act like an Amish pony for riding that slow moving kart
When I saw the track I couldn't help but think of Figure 8 race tracks. Those things are scary to watch.
Well I think I can explain about the track (this is just a stab in the dark mostly) Cheerilee did say in the beginning of the episode that they're going to be learning about phisics when she introduced the cart racing to them. So I think the track was made that way not just for the plot, but possibly for the learning experience. For example the three winning categories, traditional, fastest, and creative. all three of this things had a part to play, if you want to make a cart that's old fashioned make sure that it's fast enough to get out of the way from a speeding object or just stop the cart all together. And if you believe speed is key be aware of the limitations the cart will have because whether brakes or no brake you will lose to phisics, and as for being creative with your cart there is no exception for functionality. Raritys cart gave no way for the other racers to get around her, not only was that cheating, but a very big traffic hazard.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash both had Derpy steal the spotlight, Rarity just had to have it happen in glorious style. ;) Also, maybe that foal Derpy is helping is a nephew... or you know, it's technically been years that the show is going on! Maybe she had another kid! :D