They actually did have an episode where she tried to force herself to fly but she couldn't because her wings, and the point was to say "hey, there's nothing wrong with you. your stage act was really cool and you don't have to fly to represent pegasi. You're still a pegasus."
She can still stand on clouds naturally too can't she? More than enough reason to still consider her a pegasus even outside of the other reasons given.
The issue was scootaloo was that it was something she was insecure about and it was a plotpoint that needed to be resolved. Weather by fixing her or accepting it and coming to a peace of mind. As a story teller you cant introduce a personality flaw without resolving it, thats why its a story.
Her wings are not the only reason she can't fly. The other reason is because she is half earth pony, and half pegasus. Her Dad is an earth pony and her mother is a pegasus.
What I love about Scootaloo is that in later episodes we see her age up or flash forward into the future and it’s clear her wings never grow, but no one ever mentions it. I love that she’s never “fixed” or “cured” and she doesn’t care.
@@m3lapelazpendejoyoutubemarica1 sorry you’re upset over someone accepting themselves for who they are and loving themselves despite their limitations in life, I hope you find a “cure” for that mentality.
Also of note, Kerfuffle's prosthetic is very intricate and nice looking, and given how she's an aspiring designer, it's likely that she made the prosthetic herself or at least the more intricate parts of it, which gives more "character" to her design.
Indeed I asked her about it Let me play the recording *Beginning PlayBack* _this is exploration log [REDACTED]_ _im here with Kerfuffle for a interesting question_ _Kerfuffle: So really i had my leg missing since i was born but i had friends and family who created my prosthetic for me!_ _As i gained my cutie mark and talent i gave it a bit of a glowup to make it shine...although that kinda failed after the whole hopeless magic issue but yeah! I still gave it a sparkle!_ _Its just as a part of me as your cybernetics sean! You use it to control your---_ *end playback* Me: it does go on a bit after that but thats the idea
even then often not. how long did it take before scootaloo's wings where really mentioned? i they're pointed out when they present a unique problem, like how it can present a problem in people thinking they aren't good enough, but when such problems don't show up they aren't mentioned.
Ye, whenever scootaloo's inability to fly is brought it's less like "whoa look at me, I can't do the basic thing people like me are supposed to do, ain't that whack" and just "you already know this, let's not focus on it." The most it's given attention is in that episode where they help that hipogrif and she feels she can actually fly while swimming. Hell, her living with her aunts is treated completely normally, no one questions it, no one brings attention to it, she just happens to live with her aunts.
@@vinx.909 Scootaloo actually, no vagueness, flat out saying "I cannot fly" in The Washouts was such a huge moment for me because they used her disability in such a brilliant way and I love that scene so much.
The only thing I dislike with disablity is when its treated like it doesn't come with implications. Mr.Enter had an episode on the "Happy Clowns of Happy Town" and that show had a episode on disablity. And their way of dealing with disablity... "Anything you can do I can do too".... They basically treat disablity like it wasn't a problem at all, but it is. And Disablied people often get used to virtue signal and make something look like a saint... But thats not how to deal with disablities either. The Ghostbusters Extreme was a good example of putting a person in a wheelchair and making out that it was a good thing... When in reality it was basically a cheap virtue signaling "oh look we're being inclusive". No, they were not. They had a guy from a poor family, a black guy and a goth girl, they didn't have Ghostbusters as main characters, they had a Token-character check list. ¬_¬ Thats not the beauty of a disablity character, its how they deal with their restrictions and overcome them. You can't just "get over it", the character has to live with it. And yeah, a disablity, mental, physical, temp, permanent, big or small should come with problems. Theres going to be times that it gets in the way, theres going to be plenty of times when it doesn't though. Going away from MLP further for a moment and still related to the portyal of disablities... I think Toph and the disfigurment of Zuko represent two other different approaches to how disablites and things hurt others. One doesn't let her blindness bother her 99% of the time, the other let his disfigurment give himself a sense of loss of honour and pride that he believed would only be restored under certain conditions. I think what makes you feel the pains of Tempest and Scootaloo is that they both compare themselves. Tempest couldn't do spells she could only let out bursts of energy so felt her horn had became a hinderence, a regret, she had lost something she can never get back. Twilight, however, points out that while she can't focus spells the horns still powerful and she then proves it moments later by making bursts in the sky, proving Twlight was right... Her horn is still powerful even broken. Emotionally it hits home as the achievemebnt of a horn thats repaired is beyond her reach, but we at least know actually she's going to still be okay. Scootloo had a habit of letting herself get compared to the abled pegasus. She ever had the ability to fly and doesn't know what that is like and felt let down by her restrictions. She seemed to bottle it up. In the Washouts... That moment she yells "I can't fly" is the result of a obivous problem that in that moment Dash just wasn't addressing as to why Scootaloo can't be like the person she idolises. Rainbow Dash can fly, so Scootloo can never be like her. And for Rainbow to ignore that problem and that makes Dash's obiouv jealous towards the Washouts a lot more notable because its causing Scootaloo pain at having to be reminded she will never be like Dash. The Washouts, being who they are (failed wonderbolts) caused Scootaloo to adore them because they also not considered good enough, causing a connection between them that sadly blinded Scootaloo who just wanted people to think of her as they do Dash or them.
The best term I can think of to describe this is casual representation. Representation that's just there, attention isn't inordinately drawn to it, and the characters whole personality doesn't revolve around it. It's just another trait in the character. I definitely think that's something to work towards - when people can just see disabled people as ordinary people, that'd be real acceptance.
Exactly! Often media tends to feel like they need to draw attention to representation when included, but if doing so doesn't add anything meaningful to the story being told it feels pandering, lazy... and in some cases makes it feel like that is the only thing that defines them.
I'd agree, what you'd call "casual representation" is the best way to handle such things, especially in entertainment that has children or teens as its primary audience.
I completely agree, the best approach for acceptance is normalization, and putting representation that is just there shows that there are other people who are completely normal despite looking or acting differently
Representation like this is really important in children’s media. When I was a kid I was often initially frightened by physically disabled people since I’d never seen anyone with missing body parts or other physical differences, and to make it worse most characters I saw in media with those features were usually villains like the evil pirate with a missing eye and a hand or leg prosthetic or somebody with spooky robotic limbs. Just showing kids that these people exist and are no different to us goes a long way to familiarise them with different kinds of people. It’s really sad that disability is mostly used as either a plot device for conflict or something to make the villain look “scarier”, people with disabilities deserve better representation.
@@ericaallisonc It's not that its the media's job to teach children but children are children and they'll be scared of things they dont understand regardless SOME parents can be biased with whatever beliefs they have which is why some children for example just aren't used to gay or lesbian people (just an example) Which is why children media can be affective for that and having good representation can show children that the world isn't black or white and that (for example) lgbtq, disabilities, are no different from us and they're humans just like us.
@@ericaallisonc Ideally parents would be more involved, but not everyone has good parents (or parents at all) and their education should not be dependent on being lucky at birth. Plus media will teach kids regardless of how good your parents are, everyone consumes it and it’ll always have a subconscious effect on people so positive representation can only be a good thing, or at worst a neutral thing. Especially when it comes to issues of unfamiliarity that’s where media can really help bring light to things :)
I really liked the resolution of Tempest Shadow’s disability in the MLP movie, even though she was a villain at first and her goal was to restore “normal” use of her horn, in the end she learned she was fine just the way she was and the way she could use her horn was perfectly fine, even if it wasn’t “normal” by Pony standards
i agree 100%. i just didn't mention it here because for her and in the movie it was a mayor focus while here i talk about how it's great that they can not talk about it. but yes when they do talk about it they do it amazingly as well.
Tempest even makes a point saying how her horn means she's not 'normal' and Twilight indicates that it just makes her different and all the more special.
I'm glad that MLP is subtle with physical disabilities. Ponies with them just exist and are not victimized, pitied, or villainized for it. Derpy Hooves possibly having autism is subtle as well and is never mentioned in the show. And her lazy eye is a visible disability that no other pony ever mentions. It is just there. She is just like that. It doesn't need an explanation to justify it. If only other shows could be like this. As an Aspie, I would love to see more characters with my condition in shows and movies but not in the stereotypical, pity/victimization, savant kind of way. People with disabilities exist in society, just like anybody else. It's a shame so many shows and movies either stereotype them, victimize them, or don't include them at all. If more shows included disabled characters without stereotyping them or victimizing them, then I feel that the world would be more accepting, and kids would be less judgemental towards disabled people (The bullying that many of them go through just for being disabled in some way, even mildly, is horrifying and there is a reason I didn't trust any of my same age peers specifically in middle and high school. Kids can be mean.). Cool video and I loved how it raised very good points and awareness for good disability representation.
(you want another character who can be argued to also have aspergers? twilight. how she lived largely without issue without friends at the start. how she's the only one amonst the mane six who doesn't share in the emotion in tanks for the memories. how she learns friendship instead of having an intuitive sense for it (eating hair in the comic which is apparently a form of stimming). it may be a bit of a reach, but once i saw it it's hard to unsee.)
She literally had a meltdown due to her perfectionistic tendencies in Lesson Zero. Honestly, I love the creepy imagery and "Hey girls..." scene where she is trying to trick the CMC into fighting over the doll in that episode, but I also love how it shows more of Twilight's flaws and underlying mental health issues. If anything proves she is secretly an Aspie, it's her meltdown/mental breakdown in that episode.
The other stereotype I don’t like, is when they use disabled characters for inspiration porn and infantilize them. As an autistic I also dislike how when they get actually disabled actors (most particularly down syndrome actors), but then they don't really get any lines or attention🤦🏼♀️😖
What I love is the fact that the show never had some magic fix for it. The final episode is in the future and when you see her, her wings are still small
I haven't been active in the MLP fandom for.. about 9 years now so I am really far behind on all of the seasons but I can tell you this popped up in my recommended randomly.
yea, youtube must have had a hickup or something as this video must have randomly popped up for tons of people as it's somehow on 20000 vies. i'm used to may 10 a video if i'm luckly, or may a 100 if it's a massive hit.
@@MissKitae same, so many shows would have there be a whole scene of "omg your leg!!!" but they never even bring it up because it really doesn't need to have attention drawn to it, and i think that's nice
not particularly the type of content i make. don't get me wrong, it's a great story and i applaud anyone who can and will cover it, but i'm not that person. thanks for the suggestion though.
I wonder, does Maud Pie counts as a representation of autism? It's never directly brought up (aside from some episodes where all the ponies don't know how to interact with her and where she herself acknowledges that she's different) and it's mostly used for comedic effect as a foil for Pinkie's hyperactive energy. But still, I quite like how she integrates to the group to the point that in some episodes they treat like just another pony. And hey, she manages to have a great life despite all, even having a boyfriend. You could also add Derpy to the mix, with her eyes and clumsy behavior. In retrospect, the episode where she made her first talking appearance wasn't a good representation since it painted her as useless. But in the newer episodes she has a job, and aside from some things here and there she's doing pretty great! And her eyes are never brought up either.
i think the show was really smart in not diagnosing anyone, but giving them what could be argued as symptoms. i always read maud as autistic, but when you go looking for it you can find many things in many different characters (fluttershy with anxiety is a popular read, i'm personally seeing a lot of autism things in twilight. but if you want more you just have to scroll trough this comment section and you'll see how many other readings their are)
As a person with adhd ( a neurological disability it’s not just rambunctious 6 year old disorder) scootlo means so so much to me. My entire life I’ve had to figure out how to navigate a world that wasn’t built for me, learning ways to manage my adhd before I even knew I had it, to me it’s implied scoots didn’t know she was disabled at first either, she just thought she wasn’t tying hard enough, and I relate so much to that. And once she figures out she does work differently then most Pegasi It’s not portrayed as like a bad thing or like there’s something wrong with her the lesson is she’s kickass in her own way And I love that so so much
@@kevinflaherty1 ADHD is like everyone else having ad-block on their computer, but you have constant pop up ads you can't close and no ad-block program is compatible with your computer model. Or like a stove with buttons that just randomly appear and disappear when they want to (gave fun trying to cook on that)
I love when people treat others normally even with an obvious disability from something as minor as a broken toe to as major as a limb that won't grow. When I broke my pinkie toe, it was at a 90 degree angle so I had to wear a hospital boot for a little while, and for some reason, it freaked out a kid and made her cry. I can't imagine that constantly.
This is why I love MLP it doesn’t make a point to give those characters special attention or moments or even say “Hey we put a disabled character in out show!” it just has the characters be normal characters and it just makes it feel more real and genuine. It’s really cool to see kids shows that people like my younger cousin are gonna watch and while watching think “hey even though this characters different their just like the other characters!” and take that understanding into their adult life treating others who may or may not have a disability like normal people.
i love how they never really changed scootaloo's design when she grew up. everyone thought they were gonna eventually grow to normal size but they just stayed small.
I’m not physically disabled, so I can’t say much. But, I do have mental disorders. It’s not a personality. I’d imagine just lkke me with my mental disorders, people with physical disorders don’t want it to be like screamed about. Like, how fluttershy I has anxiety. That’s a mental disorder, but no one screams about it. It’s subtle. It’s not in your face. We dont want our disability to be our main focus on everything. But, it being there just makes it better because it silently represents us without babying us.
you being you is normal and doesn't need special attention. this can include physical abnormalities, mental abnormalities, abnormalities in hobbies. no one is normal and with that everyone is (:
@@vinx.909 yep! Totally agree! But, I do like how sometimes it does touch on scootaloo has useless wings- it isn’t in your face about it, and it’s not her personality. But, it does show the struggles she has to face sometimes, but always gets by it since it shouldn’t hold her back from her being herself.
@@moseptyagami606 i agree, i like it when it toughed on it, and i like that it's allowed not to be touched at other times. but lets also remember that her wings aren't useless. sure they don't fly, but they propel her forwards amazingly on her scooter. many disabilities are like that.
@@vinx.909 ooh, I forgot she did that! She makes due with her wings and makes them her own propellers. Not what she wanted, but she’s using what is available to her
There was another character that was in a sort of steampunk wheelchair/walker in _Trade Ya!_ He was in line to get a Hayburger. The Make a Wish kid who sounded like he had bad autism (or maybe I'd sound that bad if I had to deliver a line on my favorite show with zero VA experience...)
oh yea, and the list just goes on: vinyl scratch who's just mute, professor inkwel from the comic who just has a fucked up eye. it's just plain amazing isn't it (:
@@vinx.909 don't mean to pop your bubble but I believe Vinyl is not mute, I think she just doesn't talk because DJs are supposed to be quite and all that, as for everything else it's pretty nice
@@EduardoMartinez-rs3bu could be. however with her never talking, even in shorts like music to my ears (th-cam.com/video/qh7j1qUaGOc/w-d-xo.html, EG so don't know if it counts for you) when she orders something that to me is enough reason to come to my conclusion (:
I love it when disabilities are casually shown in kid shows because it really does make kids think disabilities are normal. I remember seeing recurring characters with physical disabilities in shows like Clifford and Maya and Miguel and really had an impacted me and made be view them as normal.
Ey, a fellow Dutchie! I have seen someone question the validity of the concept of representation so I thought I'd just share my thoughts. I have personally done a lot of research on how being represented in the media can affect kids specifically, and I don't think that a lot of people who have never had to worry about such things really grasp how much it can affect someone. It goes all the way back to studies conducted in the 70s on school children, where 90% of black children would draw self portraits where they were white. This was linked to them never seeing themselves represented positively in anything. And while I think characters centered around a disability they have are a huge step in the right direction, but it can still alienate this group in a way, as they are shown as "the other" or "not normal". That's why casual representation like this is so important! And yes, characters should be able to still deal with struggles that come along with this (like Scootaloo), but it not being the center of their existence means that they get to just exist. It's a small effort but it means a lot to those who get to see themselves in the media they love.
Its quite amazing and i have always loved it even if Scootaloo cannot fly that does not matter she is still a Pegasus and is still amazing she does not need to fly to be loved amazing cool and Awsome and Rainbow dash is an amazing role model for her
They don’t make a huge deal out of it which is why I love it so much, they treat the disabled ponies like normal ponies and I love that Ex: Kerfuffle and Scootaloo
Tempest too! Broken horn. She can technically still use magic, but she's still somewhat held back from it. Although she's the villain in the movie, she's still portrayed as a very strong, powerful character despite being at a disadvantage. I like the representation in this show too, they never constantly bring it up, it just shows them existing and living as disabled people in real life do.
i really like tempests story. finally coming to grips with herself and how she isn't lesser for it. but since it was a plot point it didn't really fit into the video topic.
I'm so glad shows are being more subtle about disabilities, sexualities, ect ect.. Because it normalizes these traits and it doesnt ever specifically say "W-WHAT YOUR G-G-GAY??" "OMG SHE DISABLED" Like those traits shouldnt be a big deal in who someone is.
Derpy is also a fairly good representation as well. As both for mental disorders and physical if you count her lazy eye. If you look closely in each ep, she does a lot of things, she's even helped build a cart in the race ep. It just shows that she can do great things, even if it's harder she still does it. Also showing her being clumsy I love as well, I have adhd and it makes me upset when neurodivergent ppl are shown acting like neurotypicals. So it makes me happy when they show her making mistakes, and how she talks as well, it's shown that she's head head injuries before, that can affect speech and thinking, which she's shown to have some slurred speech. They actually show her with the symptoms that those things can affect, ik some ppl will think they're trying to make her look stupid, but I think it's just accurate behavior to how someone with those types of things can affect how they act and speak, and there's nothing wrong with that.
@randomanonymousperson honestly, and she's super sweet too! She tries to help with the wedding, she gives out muffins when she makes a mistake. Like-- she bby.
The lady’s leg not being mentioned really helps normalize that kind of thing for children especially, when you see your favorite characters not minding the disability it’s tells you that you don’t need to mind the disability which helps especially when sometimes your parents don’t teach that, I really appreciate mlp for being this progressive especially since it’s such a large show, it really helps.
i can think of only 2 animated characters, both are missing a leg and it is showcased a little bit when they show up, but only as a possitive but possitive as in the world where they live, worlds where combat is more common Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon & Della Duck from DuckTales
@@Dressup_Doll it does, if we're talking about the 2017 duck tales (I know very little about the original) the duck family does in fact do combat, including della
I remember asking my sister why Scootaloo doesn’t fly. She always said her wings were too small. I don’t actually know if that’s why, or if they just never fully formed. But still, I like how it’s not her entire character
I adore Scootaloo. She's my favorite of the CMC, and I love that the show never magically 'fixes' her. She grows to accept that her lack of flight doesn't define who she is, and that she can be awesome even without it. What I hate is that a good handful of the fandom goes and tramples on that by having her magically fly and such in art and stories.
This is why I love mlp. I have don't have a physical disability. But I do have adhd, anxiety, depression, and recently developed tics( possibly a minor seizure). I might have epilepsy. But even if that's not the case. My adhd, anxiety, and depression can be noticeable. People will often make fun of me. And point it out. This just makes it worse. But mlp is a great example of how you should treat everyone, rather they are "disabled" or have a disorder, ect. They are still people. When you Point out what is "different" it only makes them feel bad about themselves. I love the message mlp sends.
I think stuff like this is what brings me back to this show. I enjoyed the first 2-3 seasons as a teenager but return to watch a few as an adult. I think the characters and stories are cute and interesting, but it's the well-thought out bits that really interest me. I think representation is important, especially in children's media. It's more realistic and beneficial for us all to be aware of others different from us. I wish I was exposed to the variety of people that are out there before I entered school as a child, as I was left confused about why some people looked/behaved differently than everyone I grew up with. Relatability in many forms is just super nice, too.
Don't forget the episode where the crusaders get their hands on that magic flower to turn into adults and scoot's wings are still small! They aren't pointed out at all either for staying small, so it's most likely that she has a type of wing dwarfism that carries through her life Edit: the episode in question is "Growing Up is Hard to Do" from season 9
I’ve always related to fluttershy because I have anxiety and selective mutism . It’s nice to see the other ponys trying to help her at times. Wish I’d had that support growing up and even now .
Bulk Biceps can fly with itty bitty wings, but Scoots can't. I'll never understand that. :Y I also think that Kerfuffle is a really cute character. Her wooden leg is no issue for her to run her fashion business. ^u^
i don't know, i don't care, both are great (: (also how well bulk can fly is always a bit of flux. sometimes he can fly like everyone else, other times he struggles)
In the couple of episodes where Scoot was shown as a grown up, her wings are still small and she's still not flying And I think that's great And there was another episode (the rainbow falls trading episode) with the pony in the wheelchair type thing and it was never directly brought up
Lego friends Girls on a mission does it really nicely In third season we got Kenny-a brilliant gamer, who is in a wheelchair and happens to also be a color rep as well And in forth season we got Savanna-an awesome girl,who has a sweet voice ,plays guitar and has a way with animals, who happens to be blind And it is never brought up Honestly, this show is so great ,please watch it,it deserves more attention
@@willow_rosie me nether. just grew up with a disabled brother and have seen many other disabled kids and found it odd others found them odd. maybe with shows like these that'll be less the case in the future.
as a disabled person, seeing this stuff represented in mlp made me so happy. so many of the disabilities in mlp were never mentioned but they were always there :)
Besides scootaloo the only other disabled pony I can remember is one that was in there for a Make-a-Wish kid. Oh I didn't know this special you mentioned existed. Hmmm
@@Nagasakevideo @amity i honestly don‘t remember her talking. But Vinyl could probably definitely be mute or nonverbal due to psychological reasons if not physical? Like how some people IRL sign even if they can technically talk (if you forced them to, which please don’t lol). I know meta-wise Vinyl was probably not given a voice as to not cause controversy as the fandom has a;ready connected her with Nowacking so much, but even in the EQG Movies I personally can accept the headcanon of her being mute or nonverbal! If she did talk I feel it was probably just grunts or reaction sounds. Mute people can still make minor involuntary sounds sometimes from what I know. If you know where Vinyl spoke i’d love to know though ;_;
People give mlp a lot of crap but I learned a lot from it. Like how to determine healthy relationships and how to treat people Nice job 9 year old me 😎
I’m so glad to say I was one of the many children to watch MLP as a kid, it taught me a lot, and sometimes taught me thing that my parents hadn’t taught me yet.
You can also see on the end of the last episode or in the "How the magic of friendship grows" Scene where we see Scotaloo with the other CMC on the school of friendship, Scotaloo's wings are still the same size as a filly's, meaning that yes, her wings are under developed. It would be also obvious since literally every filly who's her age or younger can fly and she can't, i never watched the Rainbow Trip movie but MAN i already love the pony with a Prosthetic leg.
true in part, but judging people on how they look also come naturally, so having people interact with more varied people, especially easy in media, makes it so that people judge others less for how they look.
@@vinx.909 I been on the internet for 8 years and I have no idea how any of my friends look like. They just describe themselves so idk if that would really help. But then again I don't use insta or twitter so I guess people would be more inclined to share stuff there.
Even after she grows up, scootaloo’s wings don’t grow. I love that they kept that about her and kept her representation. I remember always loving her when I watched MLP as a young kid and getting so mad when she was bullied for her disability. Glad she didn’t change, she just grew up
I did know Scootaloo couldn't fly,i hoped she might one day but it's ok she didn't. I just now noticed to prosthetic leg and I did know that Vinyl was mute. She never says anything and usually just gestures to things.
@@vinx.909 i googled it and It says Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought). Kinda sound like me weird :/
@@khitaraaldilla5406 a thing to keep in mind is that (as far as i'm aware) nothing is unique to any mental disorder. it's not like those without adhd are never impulsive, but those with adhd are on average more impulsive then neural typical people. mental disorders aren't like a switch, it's a spectrum, and if you hit enough boxes hard enough it can be helpful to you and your surroundings to describe you as having a disorder. or maybe you have adhd, i can't judge that (:
I have no idea what the TH-cam algorithm is doing since I haven't watched any mlp content in years, but gg. I'll always love how this series handles its characters.
I wrote a fanfic dealing with Scootaloo learning she'll never fly. I went with her having her magical wires crossed due to her mixed parentage. She has the body of a pegasus like her mom, but the magic of an earth pony from her dad. And without magic, her tiny wings won't get her off the ground. I also had her comforted by Featherweight, who was mute because at the time I conceived the story he hadn't said a line yet.
i remember thinking about mlp's representation as a child since it was something i really didn't see. having some disabilities and differences myself as a kid, but it wasn't ever as well presented in media growing up like mlp. i haven't watched the show in a while but that's something i really can't forget. the show knew not to make a big deal out of these things and i love that. it didn't have to be some major plot point every time. granted, it's nice to see that too but it wasn't the whole aspect of these characters. their traits weren't just that they had some difference, it was just there, like anyone else. it was also just a really nice change of pace. so many of the bad characters had disabilities and whatnot. i remember being likened to a villain-type character since they had major eye issues as well. mlp knows how to represent and that's immensely refreshing. i hope other children's shows learn from mlp so that other kids, like my younger siblings, could see it.
I love the way you put it. Disabled DO exist in the world. Worst part is those with visible disabilities are more often discriminated against. But others with invisible are this includes me are if not said right into the face then acts tell me. I´m simply attention seeker. But the way you put it makes me proud to be different. Or at least. I hope I'm not attention seeker. Just because I'm autistic. Does not mean I seek attention.
Along with the ponies, this shows that nothing is wrong with someone being different than others, we are all capable of great things even if we have a disability! It is a normal thing and people out there that are disabled exist, they are still human and shouldn’t be scrutinized for it, we are all not the same and should appreciate everyone for how they are as they ARE. I applaud the creators of this show and appreciate them for including these things in the show! I never realized these things! (Very smart and great teaching lessons for others on how to treat disabled people, you should stick up for them and don’t center attention to their disability) ☺️
Another great thing with Scootaloo is that her “thing with wheels that allows her to move” is always a positive. No nonsense about being “confined” to her scooter. It’s a part of her life and identity and it makes her happy, because that’s the point of mobility aides. They’re a great thing to have! Nobody feels bad for her; or “inspired,” they’re just like “hey kid do a kickflip.”
I agree. I also love how mlp doesn't like make the ponies' or creatures' disabilities a plot point, because it really expands the show and makes it more realistic while also saying that disable people are special too, so we should make sure to add some disabilities to the show. Also like how they did with Fluttershy. Fluttershy is a very shy pony with social anxiety. Now, most people with social anxiety might not think that they are 'worthy' enough to really be a main character or amyone important because of how shy they are, but by the writers making her a main character makes things more realistic and shows that anyone can really be important. It also gives people someone to relate to because there are a lot of shy people, so Fluttershy is really like a symbol and she just means a lot. (To me at least.) It's just really great.
The show has them too, they have two lesbian canon couples, one canon gay couple in equestria girls, and one more lesbian couple that the creators say is "up to viewer interstation."
A similar thing is how on Dark Crystal, Age of Resistance, main character Deet, likely the kindest and sweetest character in the show, is the adopted child of a gay couple. Does this become any kind of plot point? Nope. Her fathers are shown cuddling in bed, but no attention is drawn to it, it's just another thing the camera happens to pan over that panning shot, and in another episode one places his hand on the other's shoulder to comfort him when they're worrying about Deet. How often does she bring it up? One time, in ten hour-long episodes. And even then, it's in a very organic way because she is talking about how happy she is to be going back home and telling Rian about how wonderful her family is... and the only hint her parents are a gay couple is when she says 'little brother and fathers' and that's it. She's not making a point out of it, it just happened to come up and it's just that way. Rian doesn't even react to 'fathers' in any way. It's treated like it's just a perfectly normal and perfectly fine family arrangement... which is how it should be. That is how you do representation right. You don't draw attention to it or crow about it or write 'a very special episode's or make it a plot point, you treat it like it's normal, and there's nothing unusual about it. Because when you draw attention to it being unusual, you are really just reinforcing the idea that this is not the norm and should be treated as strange.
For some reason, I also relate to Cheese and Wilt from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Cheese reminds me of my younger self, and chocolate milk being his “special interest” of some sort is hilarious, I love that little detail about him. The fact that he’s so attached to Bloo and always follows him around is also a reminder that I used to do the same thing with some people I liked. As for Wilt, we’re both tall pushovers whose overly helpful attitude results in being guilt tripped. I love imagining that my favorite characters too have autism like me.
i once though twilight has autistic traits, and since then nothing can shake my headcannon that twilight is autistic. who's the one person that doesn't understand emotions automatically, learns about them, learns how to be a friend instead of "just doing it". this scene: th-cam.com/video/UKpXnIIoIg4/w-d-xo.html . no matter what anyone says, twilight is autistic (:
i guess you were graced by the youtube algorithm my guy cuz your video was recommended to me and i haven't watched anything mlp related in quite some time now. But great work on the video! honestly i teared up a little bit when i heard the hint of tears in your voice as you spoke about how nice it was to see Kerfuffle being treated as just another character
Representation can make a world of a difference on somebody who is a little different. When I was younger, I realized I never liked boys, but girls.... and coming from a Hispanic Catholic family, I was afraid... I thought I would burn in hell. But when I was around 11 and Steven universe came out, it made me feel more comfortable and accepting of myself since they treated gay couples as normal people. I figured out I was non binary when they introduced their first non-binary character, it made a whole world of a difference. If we didn’t have stuff like that, I am completely convinced I would’ve either lived in the closet for the rest of my life or not even be here. Representation played a part in saving my life from taking it away myself Representation is good!
As someone who is neurodiverse, and is very clumsy, and also has a lazy eye, derpy hooves made me feel very accepted and made me feel so good about myself. And also, I think flutter shy has autism (or twilight) and pinkie has ADHD, I love the overall representation and celebration of differences while acknowledging that sometimes our differences can cause problems, but also shows us how to get through it. I’ve watched it since I was a child and it has always comforted me.
As a child I didnt treat scootaloo differently beacause of that, Like her less or anything. That's how you make a good representation. The one that is just there, not made a fuss about it
This is one thing I love about this show. Disabilities are shown yet not made a focal point. Scootaloo is a great example. Her wings don’t work like they should, yet she is treated like she is normal. She even finds a way to overcome that disability too, using her wings as propellers to go extra fast on her scooter. I like how the disability is mentioned from time to time but not focused on. The Pegasus with the prosthetic leg is a neat touch. You see it yet she is seen as a normal Pegasus. There’s no attention drawn to it. You don’t have to treat us differently just because we have a disability. We are normal, just like you. So what that we use mobility aids, hearing aids, or glasses. So what that we forgot to grow an arm or leg in utero. So what that we accidentally grew an extra leg or arm instead. So what that we have six fingers and toes instead of the standard five, or four fingers and toes instead. So what? It just means we might have to do things a little differently than the way you do.
I have an oc that I’m going to put in a show, his name is Dream and even though he is mute, he doesn’t care. He still finds ways to make sure his family is okay, and he stays happy. When you talked about the pony with the prosthetic leg and Scadoloo, that reminded me of him. ^^
I've always loved Mlp. I watched the cartoon, the movies, the endless amounts of roleplay and skits online, I even have the ponies. And I never really realized their diversity until just now. Stopped watching the show after a while. I think I only somewhat acknowledged it was the episode Daring Do appeared. Not sure if this is the right one but, it kinda works. I actually really like that they don't give full attention to the characters or make it their only known personality. Equality is seeing and treating each other as equals. No more, no less.
I used to be scared of people with missing limbs, this show made me not afraid of them and that they’re humans too. Thank you MLP for adding physical differences. 💗
I don't have a physical or mental disability, but I do have ADHD, and while a disability and a disorder are 2 totally different things, but we are similar in the fact that we function differently, and seeing someone functioning different from others and still being seen as a normal person - er, uh, pony - is so cool!!!
As someone who had Scootalo as her favorite crusader since i was 6 years old in 2011 I never really noticed, i only thought she was small? In any case, it's a pretty nice thing
In my opinion, MLP did a lot of things fantastically! It doesn't question strange interests or strange ponies, doesn't question strange looks, they don't do anything besides treating each character normally. I'm a teenager but I recently rewatched this because it's just a fantastic show! Character designs are fantastic and even the representation is fantastic! MLP did a lot right and I think that's great
I remember once when I was really little, I think about preschool age, my aunt came to pick to me up. My aunt has cerebral palsy, so she doesn't use her left arm and its kind of always in a drawn up position, and she had hip surgery when she was younger to get part of the bone removed, so she's been in a wheelchair for a large portion of her life. When she showed up to get me, a remember a bunch of the kids were looking at her like she was on fire, or like they were just freaked in general. Of course, I didn't get why, I knew that my aunt had certain conditions and I just grew up with it. This is just something that made me realize how much we really need proper representation of people with disabilities. Kids who had never really seen a person or a character in a wheelchair or with a disabled arm are scared, or weirded out or think there's something wrong with them and treat them like they're just a poor defenseless charity case. I just knew her as a strong and completely independent woman who might have been different, but she was just as much a totally regular person as me and everyone else in my family. I especially love when a show that is directed at children portrays characters like this because I know they'll grow up looking at people who have disabilities as simply just people.
extremely familiar story. i have a brother with physical and extreme mental disabilities, and how weirded out people can be around it is seriously hard to understand for a kid who just knows it as normal. probably part of the reason why i payed more attention to the disability representation even though i don't think of myself as disabled (autistic and dyslectic, but with my brother my bar of being disabled is weirdly high)
Also!! I wanna mention Pinkie Pie!! She seems to deal with bpd with her pinkamena self (the birthday party episode especially where she thought her friends were abadoning her)
a lot of people see parts of themselves in pinkie, even i while i don't have bpd or adhd, which i think just makes her a great and relatable character.
MLP has some very lovely disability representation. For a children's show, it does a great job at expressing valuable lessons, and making different types of characters be viewed as normal individuals regardless of their impairments or physical differences 💙 Kerfuffle, Scootaloo, Tempest, Stellar Eclipse, and Derpy are some prime examples of disabilities that don't affect the value and potential of the characters.
I love that it is not mentioned. I have hearing loss so I need hearing aids and I am bipolar. People tend to treat me differently once they know that and it sucks. So that they don’t mention it is really nice. Why can’t the world be like that?
Never know a Pony with strabismus exist that nice, Is pretty rare to meet. I hope it's not something just turned in comedy (it's often the case with strabismus wich is depicted as people who have always huge problem with space perception, are super clumsy and can't aim something. I have strabismus and even I can be clumsy sometimes, it's not always and I'm pretty good with a bow or with a riffle at funfair)
i think a lot of people would disagree but having casual representation can be just as important as representation put in the spotlight. while of course it's important to focus attention on a certain rep, like scootaloo as a disabled kid, i think it's also important to show this rep as a normal everyday thing where they're treated the same as others, kinda like the other characters with disabilities.
I’m so glad you’ve mentioned this. I feel like some times they force stuff like this in shows when they make it a major plot point but not as a negative thing, if that makes sense. The episode that they do mention it we’re written well in my opinion but I know of some shows that didn’t do it well. Thanks for talking about it!
It's great that they show subtle things like this so kids know that it is normal and they shouldn't be treated any less.Also like the ac odyssey game play In the background.
As someone who is physically disabled with cerebral palsy, I freaking bawled my eyes out during this episode, I won’t lie. As soon as I saw Kerfuffle, my jaw just dropped and I couldn’t stop staring in shock. As a baby, I almost became a double leg amputee since my doctors thought that my CP was severe enough to the max, but thankfully that didn’t happen and my parents proved them wrong... very angrily. 😂 I was REALLY shocked. I actually didn’t think that Hasbro would do this great with disability representation, so I applaud them greatly (even though they ended the show on my 14th birthday 😂).
Basically, mlp and the characters in it treats disabilities as if its normal. No body points it out (unless its the victim of said disability or it's relevant to the episode), shows doubt in someone with a disability, or treats anyone with disabilities as if they are less than abled people. As someone who has both mental and physical disabilities, I absolutely love this. It's rare to find an animated show, especially pointing towards young children, where there are disabled people treated right. In one episode, which you showed on screen (forgot the name), Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon use Scootaloo's disability to make her insecure so that the CMCs would fall instead of succeed in trying out for the Equestria Games cheer intro. This episode is related because disabled people go through this regularly. Someone who doesn't have or understand disabilities will use said disability to their own advantage, either by using up parking spaces made for the physically disabled or using the disabilities of other people to make themselves look or feel better. There are even times when someone offensively treats someone as if they are stupid, weak, or incapable of taking care of themselves. Its a reoccurring problem that isn't talked about anywhere as much as it should be. I didn't learn about ableism or disableism in school. No one talks about it. They will bring people to talk about depression, suicide, self-harm, drug use, and stds but not once does anyone talk about how to treat disabled people or that someone with disabilities is not weak, stupid, or less than anyone else. We are not taught how to treat people with disabilities so people with disabilities get treated poorly, sometimes even by accident. In mlp, they show disabilities remarkably well and I'm hoping that when kids watch this, they will learn something about how to treat these people when they are older.
An author I had the pleasure of sitting in on a panel of his made this exact point - your character is more than a physical trait. You should look at them not as "Oh Character is a handicap person" but more as "Character is a person who just so happens to have a handicap." The same goes for LGBT. Those things are apart of you - but they do not define you.
They actually did have an episode where she tried to force herself to fly but she couldn't because her wings, and the point was to say "hey, there's nothing wrong with you. your stage act was really cool and you don't have to fly to represent pegasi. You're still a pegasus."
She can still stand on clouds naturally too can't she? More than enough reason to still consider her a pegasus even outside of the other reasons given.
The issue was scootaloo was that it was something she was insecure about and it was a plotpoint that needed to be resolved. Weather by fixing her or accepting it and coming to a peace of mind. As a story teller you cant introduce a personality flaw without resolving it, thats why its a story.
That's the episode he showed in the video
Her wings are not the only reason she can't fly. The other reason is because she is half earth pony, and half pegasus. Her Dad is an earth pony and her mother is a pegasus.
LisaTigressHardy does this really affect it tho
What I love about Scootaloo is that in later episodes we see her age up or flash forward into the future and it’s clear her wings never grow, but no one ever mentions it. I love that she’s never “fixed” or “cured” and she doesn’t care.
Yes I LOVED the age up episode where her wings were visibly stunted!
It was that moment, after almost a decade, when I realized Scootaloo was actually disabled...
@@m3lapelazpendejoyoutubemarica1 I'm sorry people in wheel chairs can't cast spells on their legs
@@m3lapelazpendejoyoutubemarica1 sorry you’re upset over someone accepting themselves for who they are and loving themselves despite their limitations in life, I hope you find a “cure” for that mentality.
Not every one with or without disabilities accept what they are
Also of note, Kerfuffle's prosthetic is very intricate and nice looking, and given how she's an aspiring designer, it's likely that she made the prosthetic herself or at least the more intricate parts of it, which gives more "character" to her design.
maybe torque wrench help her with it as well
Indeed
I asked her about it
Let me play the recording
*Beginning PlayBack*
_this is exploration log [REDACTED]_
_im here with Kerfuffle for a interesting question_
_Kerfuffle: So really i had my leg missing since i was born but i had friends and family who created my prosthetic for me!_
_As i gained my cutie mark and talent i gave it a bit of a glowup to make it shine...although that kinda failed after the whole hopeless magic issue but yeah! I still gave it a sparkle!_
_Its just as a part of me as your cybernetics sean! You use it to control your---_
*end playback*
Me: it does go on a bit after that but thats the idea
The only times disabilities are pointed out is when they're exclusive to ponies, like Scootaloo's wings and Tempest's horn
even then often not. how long did it take before scootaloo's wings where really mentioned? i they're pointed out when they present a unique problem, like how it can present a problem in people thinking they aren't good enough, but when such problems don't show up they aren't mentioned.
@@vinx.909 that's also correct, Scootaloo's disability is never mentioned unless it's needed, instead of being mentioned in every episode she's on
Ye, whenever scootaloo's inability to fly is brought it's less like "whoa look at me, I can't do the basic thing people like me are supposed to do, ain't that whack" and just "you already know this, let's not focus on it." The most it's given attention is in that episode where they help that hipogrif and she feels she can actually fly while swimming. Hell, her living with her aunts is treated completely normally, no one questions it, no one brings attention to it, she just happens to live with her aunts.
@@vinx.909 Scootaloo actually, no vagueness, flat out saying "I cannot fly" in The Washouts was such a huge moment for me because they used her disability in such a brilliant way and I love that scene so much.
The only thing I dislike with disablity is when its treated like it doesn't come with implications. Mr.Enter had an episode on the "Happy Clowns of Happy Town" and that show had a episode on disablity. And their way of dealing with disablity... "Anything you can do I can do too".... They basically treat disablity like it wasn't a problem at all, but it is. And Disablied people often get used to virtue signal and make something look like a saint... But thats not how to deal with disablities either. The Ghostbusters Extreme was a good example of putting a person in a wheelchair and making out that it was a good thing... When in reality it was basically a cheap virtue signaling "oh look we're being inclusive". No, they were not. They had a guy from a poor family, a black guy and a goth girl, they didn't have Ghostbusters as main characters, they had a Token-character check list. ¬_¬
Thats not the beauty of a disablity character, its how they deal with their restrictions and overcome them. You can't just "get over it", the character has to live with it. And yeah, a disablity, mental, physical, temp, permanent, big or small should come with problems. Theres going to be times that it gets in the way, theres going to be plenty of times when it doesn't though.
Going away from MLP further for a moment and still related to the portyal of disablities... I think Toph and the disfigurment of Zuko represent two other different approaches to how disablites and things hurt others. One doesn't let her blindness bother her 99% of the time, the other let his disfigurment give himself a sense of loss of honour and pride that he believed would only be restored under certain conditions.
I think what makes you feel the pains of Tempest and Scootaloo is that they both compare themselves. Tempest couldn't do spells she could only let out bursts of energy so felt her horn had became a hinderence, a regret, she had lost something she can never get back. Twilight, however, points out that while she can't focus spells the horns still powerful and she then proves it moments later by making bursts in the sky, proving Twlight was right... Her horn is still powerful even broken. Emotionally it hits home as the achievemebnt of a horn thats repaired is beyond her reach, but we at least know actually she's going to still be okay.
Scootloo had a habit of letting herself get compared to the abled pegasus. She ever had the ability to fly and doesn't know what that is like and felt let down by her restrictions. She seemed to bottle it up. In the Washouts... That moment she yells "I can't fly" is the result of a obivous problem that in that moment Dash just wasn't addressing as to why Scootaloo can't be like the person she idolises. Rainbow Dash can fly, so Scootloo can never be like her. And for Rainbow to ignore that problem and that makes Dash's obiouv jealous towards the Washouts a lot more notable because its causing Scootaloo pain at having to be reminded she will never be like Dash. The Washouts, being who they are (failed wonderbolts) caused Scootaloo to adore them because they also not considered good enough, causing a connection between them that sadly blinded Scootaloo who just wanted people to think of her as they do Dash or them.
The best term I can think of to describe this is casual representation. Representation that's just there, attention isn't inordinately drawn to it, and the characters whole personality doesn't revolve around it. It's just another trait in the character. I definitely think that's something to work towards - when people can just see disabled people as ordinary people, that'd be real acceptance.
that's a term i may use in the future, thank you.
Exactly! Often media tends to feel like they need to draw attention to representation when included, but if doing so doesn't add anything meaningful to the story being told it feels pandering, lazy... and in some cases makes it feel like that is the only thing that defines them.
I'd agree, what you'd call "casual representation" is the best way to handle such things, especially in entertainment that has children or teens as its primary audience.
I completely agree, the best approach for acceptance is normalization, and putting representation that is just there shows that there are other people who are completely normal despite looking or acting differently
Exactly. Also I love how how they don't compleatly ignore it, like it's still part of her growth
Representation like this is really important in children’s media. When I was a kid I was often initially frightened by physically disabled people since I’d never seen anyone with missing body parts or other physical differences, and to make it worse most characters I saw in media with those features were usually villains like the evil pirate with a missing eye and a hand or leg prosthetic or somebody with spooky robotic limbs. Just showing kids that these people exist and are no different to us goes a long way to familiarise them with different kinds of people. It’s really sad that disability is mostly used as either a plot device for conflict or something to make the villain look “scarier”, people with disabilities deserve better representation.
couldn't agree more. (just imagine being a kid with a prostetic and the best representation of that part of you is maybe captain hook)
I was scared of them too, I’m 19 now and I’m not scared of them anymore
I don’t think it’s necessarily the job of media to teach children, parents should be playing bigger roles in their children’s social development. :/
@@ericaallisonc It's not that its the media's job to teach children
but children are children and they'll be scared of things they dont understand regardless
SOME parents can be biased with whatever beliefs they have which is why some children for example just aren't used to gay or lesbian people (just an example)
Which is why children media can be affective for that and having good representation can show children that the world isn't black or white and that (for example) lgbtq, disabilities, are no different from us and they're humans just like us.
@@ericaallisonc Ideally parents would be more involved, but not everyone has good parents (or parents at all) and their education should not be dependent on being lucky at birth. Plus media will teach kids regardless of how good your parents are, everyone consumes it and it’ll always have a subconscious effect on people so positive representation can only be a good thing, or at worst a neutral thing. Especially when it comes to issues of unfamiliarity that’s where media can really help bring light to things :)
I really liked the resolution of Tempest Shadow’s disability in the MLP movie, even though she was a villain at first and her goal was to restore “normal” use of her horn, in the end she learned she was fine just the way she was and the way she could use her horn was perfectly fine, even if it wasn’t “normal” by Pony standards
i agree 100%. i just didn't mention it here because for her and in the movie it was a mayor focus while here i talk about how it's great that they can not talk about it. but yes when they do talk about it they do it amazingly as well.
Tempest even makes a point saying how her horn means she's not 'normal' and Twilight indicates that it just makes her different and all the more special.
Ye that was so cute
I'm glad that MLP is subtle with physical disabilities. Ponies with them just exist and are not victimized, pitied, or villainized for it. Derpy Hooves possibly having autism is subtle as well and is never mentioned in the show. And her lazy eye is a visible disability that no other pony ever mentions. It is just there. She is just like that. It doesn't need an explanation to justify it. If only other shows could be like this. As an Aspie, I would love to see more characters with my condition in shows and movies but not in the stereotypical, pity/victimization, savant kind of way. People with disabilities exist in society, just like anybody else. It's a shame so many shows and movies either stereotype them, victimize them, or don't include them at all. If more shows included disabled characters without stereotyping them or victimizing them, then I feel that the world would be more accepting, and kids would be less judgemental towards disabled people (The bullying that many of them go through just for being disabled in some way, even mildly, is horrifying and there is a reason I didn't trust any of my same age peers specifically in middle and high school. Kids can be mean.).
Cool video and I loved how it raised very good points and awareness for good disability representation.
(you want another character who can be argued to also have aspergers? twilight. how she lived largely without issue without friends at the start. how she's the only one amonst the mane six who doesn't share in the emotion in tanks for the memories. how she learns friendship instead of having an intuitive sense for it (eating hair in the comic which is apparently a form of stimming). it may be a bit of a reach, but once i saw it it's hard to unsee.)
She literally had a meltdown due to her perfectionistic tendencies in Lesson Zero. Honestly, I love the creepy imagery and "Hey girls..." scene where she is trying to trick the CMC into fighting over the doll in that episode, but I also love how it shows more of Twilight's flaws and underlying mental health issues. If anything proves she is secretly an Aspie, it's her meltdown/mental breakdown in that episode.
Maud Pie could definitely be autistic but I really don’t see how Derpy could be interpreted that way
The other stereotype I don’t like, is when they use disabled characters for inspiration porn and infantilize them. As an autistic I also dislike how when they get actually disabled actors (most particularly down syndrome actors), but then they don't really get any lines or attention🤦🏼♀️😖
bro i love Derpy and as a person with autism, i can relate to her quite a bit
she's also just plain adorable
What I love is the fact that the show never had some magic fix for it. The final episode is in the future and when you see her, her wings are still small
Yup, but she is still happy, because the show teaches you can be happy even if you are different than others.
I haven't been active in the MLP fandom for.. about 9 years now so I am really far behind on all of the seasons but I can tell you this popped up in my recommended randomly.
yea, youtube must have had a hickup or something as this video must have randomly popped up for tons of people as it's somehow on 20000 vies. i'm used to may 10 a video if i'm luckly, or may a 100 if it's a massive hit.
same here
I haven’t watched MLP in years, but this popped up in my recommendations too. I hope it can reach more people.
Same
This on 20k views a few days ago?!
I didn’t catch that Kurfluffle had a prosthetic until someone brought it up.
Me either.
Same.
And i think it was better that way. They didn't make it a huge "problem", it's just normal, everyday Kerfluffle with her mobility aid.
I noticed straight away and it made me so happy! Because my father lost his leg yrs ago, it made me smile
@@MissKitae same, so many shows would have there be a whole scene of "omg your leg!!!" but they never even bring it up because it really doesn't need to have attention drawn to it, and i think that's nice
I just heard about a disabled kid using his make a wish to get his pony in the show. Maybe you could touch on that?
not particularly the type of content i make. don't get me wrong, it's a great story and i applaud anyone who can and will cover it, but i'm not that person. thanks for the suggestion though.
@@vinx.909 that's fine! Have a nice day
He even voiced the character himself. It's in the eppisode where Rainbow Dash is trying to get a rare Daring Do book.
@@misspinkpunkykat Which character is that?
@@ammonitetheseaserpent3761 Stellar Eclipse.
I wonder, does Maud Pie counts as a representation of autism? It's never directly brought up (aside from some episodes where all the ponies don't know how to interact with her and where she herself acknowledges that she's different) and it's mostly used for comedic effect as a foil for Pinkie's hyperactive energy. But still, I quite like how she integrates to the group to the point that in some episodes they treat like just another pony. And hey, she manages to have a great life despite all, even having a boyfriend.
You could also add Derpy to the mix, with her eyes and clumsy behavior. In retrospect, the episode where she made her first talking appearance wasn't a good representation since it painted her as useless. But in the newer episodes she has a job, and aside from some things here and there she's doing pretty great! And her eyes are never brought up either.
i think the show was really smart in not diagnosing anyone, but giving them what could be argued as symptoms. i always read maud as autistic, but when you go looking for it you can find many things in many different characters (fluttershy with anxiety is a popular read, i'm personally seeing a lot of autism things in twilight. but if you want more you just have to scroll trough this comment section and you'll see how many other readings their are)
i have autism and now that i think about it, i relate to maud and derpy a lot
As a person with adhd ( a neurological disability it’s not just rambunctious 6 year old disorder) scootlo means so so much to me. My entire life I’ve had to figure out how to navigate a world that wasn’t built for me, learning ways to manage my adhd before I even knew I had it, to me it’s implied scoots didn’t know she was disabled at first either, she just thought she wasn’t tying hard enough, and I relate so much to that. And once she figures out she does work differently then most Pegasi It’s not portrayed as like a bad thing or like there’s something wrong with her the lesson is she’s kickass in her own way
And I love that so so much
@@kevinflaherty1 get out
@@kevinflaherty1 ADHD is like everyone else having ad-block on their computer, but you have constant pop up ads you can't close and no ad-block program is compatible with your computer model. Or like a stove with buttons that just randomly appear and disappear when they want to (gave fun trying to cook on that)
@@kevinflaherty1 Bro literally just get a life?? Lmfao
@@ivilrat based
@@kevinflaherty1 i seriously hope that was a badly told joke or that comment is getting removed.
I love when people treat others normally even with an obvious disability from something as minor as a broken toe to as major as a limb that won't grow. When I broke my pinkie toe, it was at a 90 degree angle so I had to wear a hospital boot for a little while, and for some reason, it freaked out a kid and made her cry. I can't imagine that constantly.
remind me of my sister-
her pinky toe was cut with a lawn mower when she was like 5
its at like a 45 degree angle
@@gillian5445 Poor thing, I hope she feels better now!
@@horrorsans6427 shes 16 now 💀
@@gillian5445 oH-
90 degree... my god aaaa
This is why I love MLP it doesn’t make a point to give those characters special attention or moments or even say “Hey we put a disabled character in out show!” it just has the characters be normal characters and it just makes it feel more real and genuine. It’s really cool to see kids shows that people like my younger cousin are gonna watch and while watching think “hey even though this characters different their just like the other characters!” and take that understanding into their adult life treating others who may or may not have a disability like normal people.
i love how they never really changed scootaloo's design when she grew up. everyone thought they were gonna eventually grow to normal size but they just stayed small.
and it was never commented on. she never got full wings and she never got to fly, and that's ok. and that's awesome.
I’m not physically disabled, so I can’t say much. But, I do have mental disorders. It’s not a personality. I’d imagine just lkke me with my mental disorders, people with physical disorders don’t want it to be like screamed about. Like, how fluttershy I has anxiety. That’s a mental disorder, but no one screams about it. It’s subtle. It’s not in your face. We dont want our disability to be our main focus on everything. But, it being there just makes it better because it silently represents us without babying us.
you being you is normal and doesn't need special attention. this can include physical abnormalities, mental abnormalities, abnormalities in hobbies. no one is normal and with that everyone is (:
@@vinx.909 yep! Totally agree! But, I do like how sometimes it does touch on scootaloo has useless wings- it isn’t in your face about it, and it’s not her personality. But, it does show the struggles she has to face sometimes, but always gets by it since it shouldn’t hold her back from her being herself.
@@moseptyagami606
i agree, i like it when it toughed on it, and i like that it's allowed not to be touched at other times.
but lets also remember that her wings aren't useless. sure they don't fly, but they propel her forwards amazingly on her scooter. many disabilities are like that.
@@vinx.909 ooh, I forgot she did that! She makes due with her wings and makes them her own propellers. Not what she wanted, but she’s using what is available to her
@@moseptyagami606 even "not what she wanted" is questionable. it took bullying for it to become a problem to her.
There was another character that was in a sort of steampunk wheelchair/walker in _Trade Ya!_ He was in line to get a Hayburger. The Make a Wish kid who sounded like he had bad autism (or maybe I'd sound that bad if I had to deliver a line on my favorite show with zero VA experience...)
oh yea, and the list just goes on: vinyl scratch who's just mute, professor inkwel from the comic who just has a fucked up eye. it's just plain amazing isn't it (:
I remember this pony! And i can see him perfectly in my mind. Thanks for taking me back to trade ya
@@vinx.909 don't mean to pop your bubble but I believe Vinyl is not mute, I think she just doesn't talk because DJs are supposed to be quite and all that, as for everything else it's pretty nice
@@EduardoMartinez-rs3bu i remember hearing her talk once or twice, too.
@@EduardoMartinez-rs3bu could be. however with her never talking, even in shorts like music to my ears (th-cam.com/video/qh7j1qUaGOc/w-d-xo.html, EG so don't know if it counts for you) when she orders something that to me is enough reason to come to my conclusion (:
I love it when disabilities are casually shown in kid shows because it really does make kids think disabilities are normal. I remember seeing recurring characters with physical disabilities in shows like Clifford and Maya and Miguel and really had an impacted me and made be view them as normal.
I thought Scoot was just built different. My small child mind didn’t think to hard about it.
Same, I just thought those were baby Pegasus wings and that was all
Me too like they all looked the same to me and tiny me was excited for when they’d make her fly, more unique the way she is :)
Ey, a fellow Dutchie! I have seen someone question the validity of the concept of representation so I thought I'd just share my thoughts. I have personally done a lot of research on how being represented in the media can affect kids specifically, and I don't think that a lot of people who have never had to worry about such things really grasp how much it can affect someone.
It goes all the way back to studies conducted in the 70s on school children, where 90% of black children would draw self portraits where they were white. This was linked to them never seeing themselves represented positively in anything. And while I think characters centered around a disability they have are a huge step in the right direction, but it can still alienate this group in a way, as they are shown as "the other" or "not normal".
That's why casual representation like this is so important! And yes, characters should be able to still deal with struggles that come along with this (like Scootaloo), but it not being the center of their existence means that they get to just exist. It's a small effort but it means a lot to those who get to see themselves in the media they love.
im doing my master's thesis on this, actually! very cool to see.
@@galeg4021 That sounds great! Good luck with your thesis!
Its quite amazing and i have always loved it even if Scootaloo cannot fly that does not matter she is still a Pegasus and is still amazing she does not need to fly to be loved amazing cool and Awsome and Rainbow dash is an amazing role model for her
Also Kruffule is amazing tol
They don’t make a huge deal out of it which is why I love it so much, they treat the disabled ponies like normal ponies and I love that
Ex: Kerfuffle and Scootaloo
the LGBTQ+ representation in the colouration of the ponies to make them look like pride flags and the lesbian couple I think really helped too
Tempest too! Broken horn. She can technically still use magic, but she's still somewhat held back from it. Although she's the villain in the movie, she's still portrayed as a very strong, powerful character despite being at a disadvantage. I like the representation in this show too, they never constantly bring it up, it just shows them existing and living as disabled people in real life do.
i really like tempests story. finally coming to grips with herself and how she isn't lesser for it. but since it was a plot point it didn't really fit into the video topic.
Indeed
Its like breaking that horn increased her power!
I am constantly thinking about how well MLP deals with disability. Im glad to see someone else notices. Thank you for making this.
I'm so glad shows are being more subtle about disabilities, sexualities, ect ect..
Because it normalizes these traits and it doesnt ever specifically say "W-WHAT YOUR G-G-GAY??"
"OMG SHE DISABLED"
Like those traits shouldnt be a big deal in who someone is.
Derpy is also a fairly good representation as well. As both for mental disorders and physical if you count her lazy eye. If you look closely in each ep, she does a lot of things, she's even helped build a cart in the race ep. It just shows that she can do great things, even if it's harder she still does it. Also showing her being clumsy I love as well, I have adhd and it makes me upset when neurodivergent ppl are shown acting like neurotypicals.
So it makes me happy when they show her making mistakes, and how she talks as well, it's shown that she's head head injuries before, that can affect speech and thinking, which she's shown to have some slurred speech. They actually show her with the symptoms that those things can affect, ik some ppl will think they're trying to make her look stupid, but I think it's just accurate behavior to how someone with those types of things can affect how they act and speak, and there's nothing wrong with that.
@randomanonymousperson honestly, and she's super sweet too! She tries to help with the wedding, she gives out muffins when she makes a mistake. Like-- she bby.
The lady’s leg not being mentioned really helps normalize that kind of thing for children especially, when you see your favorite characters not minding the disability it’s tells you that you don’t need to mind the disability which helps especially when sometimes your parents don’t teach that, I really appreciate mlp for being this progressive especially since it’s such a large show, it really helps.
i can think of only 2 animated characters, both are missing a leg
and it is showcased a little bit when they show up, but only as a possitive
but possitive as in the world where they live, worlds where combat is more common
Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon
&
Della Duck from DuckTales
I definitely got really confused at your comment. I thought DuckTales had combat in it, I don’t think it does
@@Dressup_Doll it does, if we're talking about the 2017 duck tales (I know very little about the original) the duck family does in fact do combat, including della
I remember asking my sister why Scootaloo doesn’t fly. She always said her wings were too small. I don’t actually know if that’s why, or if they just never fully formed. But still, I like how it’s not her entire character
Huh.. that is really interesting. I knew quite abit of people who were disabled in the past, but I and other people never pointed them out.
I adore Scootaloo. She's my favorite of the CMC, and I love that the show never magically 'fixes' her. She grows to accept that her lack of flight doesn't define who she is, and that she can be awesome even without it. What I hate is that a good handful of the fandom goes and tramples on that by having her magically fly and such in art and stories.
Scootaloo is my favorite CMC too. I think she's one of the most interesting characters in the show.
This is why I love mlp. I have don't have a physical disability. But I do have adhd, anxiety, depression, and recently developed tics( possibly a minor seizure). I might have epilepsy. But even if that's not the case. My adhd, anxiety, and depression can be noticeable. People will often make fun of me. And point it out. This just makes it worse. But mlp is a great example of how you should treat everyone, rather they are "disabled" or have a disorder, ect. They are still people. When you Point out what is "different" it only makes them feel bad about themselves. I love the message mlp sends.
I think stuff like this is what brings me back to this show. I enjoyed the first 2-3 seasons as a teenager but return to watch a few as an adult. I think the characters and stories are cute and interesting, but it's the well-thought out bits that really interest me. I think representation is important, especially in children's media. It's more realistic and beneficial for us all to be aware of others different from us. I wish I was exposed to the variety of people that are out there before I entered school as a child, as I was left confused about why some people looked/behaved differently than everyone I grew up with. Relatability in many forms is just super nice, too.
Don't forget the episode where the crusaders get their hands on that magic flower to turn into adults and scoot's wings are still small! They aren't pointed out at all either for staying small, so it's most likely that she has a type of wing dwarfism that carries through her life
Edit: the episode in question is "Growing Up is Hard to Do" from season 9
oh yea, i'm so happy they went trough with it both in growing up is hard to do and the last problem.
I’ve always related to fluttershy because I have anxiety and selective mutism . It’s nice to see the other ponys trying to help her at times. Wish I’d had that support growing up and even now .
Bulk Biceps can fly with itty bitty wings, but Scoots can't. I'll never understand that. :Y I also think that Kerfuffle is a really cute character. Her wooden leg is no issue for her to run her fashion business. ^u^
I always tought Bulk could fly bc he's really strong lmao
i don't know, i don't care, both are great (:
(also how well bulk can fly is always a bit of flux. sometimes he can fly like everyone else, other times he struggles)
@@vinx.909 Yeet. ^u^
i never knew that buff pegasus has a name
i thought his names was Bubbles or something?
I also love how they weren’t just advertising she’s disabled, and just treated her like a normal character
Yes!!! It's literally so perfect, I love it
In the couple of episodes where Scoot was shown as a grown up, her wings are still small and she's still not flying
And I think that's great
And there was another episode (the rainbow falls trading episode) with the pony in the wheelchair type thing and it was never directly brought up
Lego friends Girls on a mission does it really nicely
In third season we got Kenny-a brilliant gamer, who is in a wheelchair and happens to also be a color rep as well
And in forth season we got Savanna-an awesome girl,who has a sweet voice ,plays guitar and has a way with animals, who happens to be blind
And it is never brought up
Honestly, this show is so great ,please watch it,it deserves more attention
great to hear other shows are doing it as well. (i might)
@@vinx.909 I'm not even a part of this particular minority, but it makes even me happy to see disabled characters in children's cartoons
@@willow_rosie me nether. just grew up with a disabled brother and have seen many other disabled kids and found it odd others found them odd. maybe with shows like these that'll be less the case in the future.
@@vinx.909 we can only hope,I guess
as a disabled person, seeing this stuff represented in mlp made me so happy. so many of the disabilities in mlp were never mentioned but they were always there :)
Besides scootaloo the only other disabled pony I can remember is one that was in there for a Make-a-Wish kid.
Oh I didn't know this special you mentioned existed. Hmmm
vinyl scratch who's mute?
@@vinx.909 is she mute? I know she doesn't talk but neither did derpy for a long time even in episodes she was in.
@@Nagasakevideo Vinyl did talk once or twice iirc
@@Nagasakevideo @amity i honestly don‘t remember her talking. But Vinyl could probably definitely be mute or nonverbal due to psychological reasons if not physical? Like how some people IRL sign even if they can technically talk (if you forced them to, which please don’t lol). I know meta-wise Vinyl was probably not given a voice as to not cause controversy as the fandom has a;ready connected her with Nowacking so much, but even in the EQG Movies I personally can accept the headcanon of her being mute or nonverbal! If she did talk I feel it was probably just grunts or reaction sounds. Mute people can still make minor involuntary sounds sometimes from what I know. If you know where Vinyl spoke i’d love to know though ;_;
@@plutolunaplays really? i know she talks in the comics, but i've never seen it in the show, fim or eg.
People give mlp a lot of crap but I learned a lot from it. Like how to determine healthy relationships and how to treat people
Nice job 9 year old me 😎
Honestly it was my friend who make me loved that movie 👍🏻
I’m so glad to say I was one of the many children to watch MLP as a kid, it taught me a lot, and sometimes taught me thing that my parents hadn’t taught me yet.
You can also see on the end of the last episode or in the "How the magic of friendship grows" Scene where we see Scotaloo with the other CMC on the school of friendship, Scotaloo's wings are still the same size as a filly's, meaning that yes, her wings are under developed. It would be also obvious since literally every filly who's her age or younger can fly and she can't, i never watched the Rainbow Trip movie but MAN i already love the pony with a Prosthetic leg.
In the end it comes back to "Don't judge people based on how they look"
true in part, but judging people on how they look also come naturally, so having people interact with more varied people, especially easy in media, makes it so that people judge others less for how they look.
@@vinx.909 I been on the internet for 8 years and I have no idea how any of my friends look like. They just describe themselves so idk if that would really help.
But then again I don't use insta or twitter so I guess people would be more inclined to share stuff there.
Even after she grows up, scootaloo’s wings don’t grow. I love that they kept that about her and kept her representation. I remember always loving her when I watched MLP as a young kid and getting so mad when she was bullied for her disability. Glad she didn’t change, she just grew up
I did know Scootaloo couldn't fly,i hoped she might one day but it's ok she didn't. I just now noticed to prosthetic leg and I did know that Vinyl was mute. She never says anything and usually just gestures to things.
apperently pinkie pie has adhd
and im glad there are disabled characters in the show and i can relate to it im a kid with learning disabilitys
i can see that.
What is adhd?
@@khitaraaldilla5406
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. it's simply google adhd and you get some good and simple enough sources.
@@vinx.909 i googled it and It says
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).
Kinda sound like me weird :/
@@khitaraaldilla5406
a thing to keep in mind is that (as far as i'm aware) nothing is unique to any mental disorder. it's not like those without adhd are never impulsive, but those with adhd are on average more impulsive then neural typical people. mental disorders aren't like a switch, it's a spectrum, and if you hit enough boxes hard enough it can be helpful to you and your surroundings to describe you as having a disorder.
or maybe you have adhd, i can't judge that (:
I have no idea what the TH-cam algorithm is doing since I haven't watched any mlp content in years, but gg. I'll always love how this series handles its characters.
i have no clue what the youtube algorithm is up to, i never get a lot of views, and suddenly this video is getting recommended to everyone.
I wrote a fanfic dealing with Scootaloo learning she'll never fly. I went with her having her magical wires crossed due to her mixed parentage. She has the body of a pegasus like her mom, but the magic of an earth pony from her dad. And without magic, her tiny wings won't get her off the ground. I also had her comforted by Featherweight, who was mute because at the time I conceived the story he hadn't said a line yet.
neat story. not my headcannon, but that should stop no one.
Holy heck, i actually love this head canon
I didn’t realize Scootaloo had underdeveloped wings i just thought “well i mean she’s a filly so her wings won’t be HUGE like Rainbow Dash”
this kind of casual rep in childrens media really helps me feel better about my own disabilities
i remember thinking about mlp's representation as a child since it was something i really didn't see. having some disabilities and differences myself as a kid, but it wasn't ever as well presented in media growing up like mlp. i haven't watched the show in a while but that's something i really can't forget. the show knew not to make a big deal out of these things and i love that. it didn't have to be some major plot point every time. granted, it's nice to see that too but it wasn't the whole aspect of these characters. their traits weren't just that they had some difference, it was just there, like anyone else.
it was also just a really nice change of pace. so many of the bad characters had disabilities and whatnot. i remember being likened to a villain-type character since they had major eye issues as well. mlp knows how to represent and that's immensely refreshing. i hope other children's shows learn from mlp so that other kids, like my younger siblings, could see it.
Yes, this! As someone who's blind, arthritic, autistic and part of a plural system this sort of casual representation is great!
May i ask how you’re typing this? I don’t mean to be rude.
@@cupio-stardust more than likely, voice to text
@@cupio-stardust I use NVDA, it's a free screen reader developed by a blind guy and his brother that is open source so anyone can improve on it.
I love the way you put it. Disabled DO exist in the world. Worst part is those with visible disabilities are more often discriminated against. But others with invisible are this includes me are if not said right into the face then acts tell me. I´m simply attention seeker. But the way you put it makes me proud to be different. Or at least. I hope I'm not attention seeker. Just because I'm autistic. Does not mean I seek attention.
Along with the ponies, this shows that nothing is wrong with someone being different than others, we are all capable of great things even if we have a disability! It is a normal thing and people out there that are disabled exist, they are still human and shouldn’t be scrutinized for it, we are all not the same and should appreciate everyone for how they are as they ARE. I applaud the creators of this show and appreciate them for including these things in the show! I never realized these things! (Very smart and great teaching lessons for others on how to treat disabled people, you should stick up for them and don’t center attention to their disability) ☺️
this is a fucking amazing video, you deserve this attention, brother.
Another great thing with Scootaloo is that her “thing with wheels that allows her to move” is always a positive. No nonsense about being “confined” to her scooter. It’s a part of her life and identity and it makes her happy, because that’s the point of mobility aides. They’re a great thing to have! Nobody feels bad for her; or “inspired,” they’re just like “hey kid do a kickflip.”
I agree. I also love how mlp doesn't like make the ponies' or creatures' disabilities a plot point, because it really expands the show and makes it more realistic while also saying that disable people are special too, so we should make sure to add some disabilities to the show. Also like how they did with Fluttershy. Fluttershy is a very shy pony with social anxiety. Now, most people with social anxiety might not think that they are 'worthy' enough to really be a main character or amyone important because of how shy they are, but by the writers making her a main character makes things more realistic and shows that anyone can really be important. It also gives people someone to relate to because there are a lot of shy people, so Fluttershy is really like a symbol and she just means a lot. (To me at least.) It's just really great.
fluttershy's struggles are so insanely relatable aren't they? (at least they were for me, i'm sure that other people had it with rarity and applejack)
Plus in season 4 ep 22 there’s a background pony who’s hind legs are supported by a wheel chair!
I honestly never even thought of Scootaloo having a disability. I just thought she had stunted growth in her wings.
the two aren't mutually exclusive (:
This is how you do representation.
*you don’t flaunt it*
You make it a thing that’s just *there.*
Edit: grammar
i mean also don't ignore the problems characters may face because of it. the combination is how you do it.
@@vinx.909 yes exactly!
also love that mlp supports the lgbtq i noticed it in the equestria girls movie.
The show has them too, they have two lesbian canon couples, one canon gay couple in equestria girls, and one more lesbian couple that the creators say is "up to viewer interstation."
A similar thing is how on Dark Crystal, Age of Resistance, main character Deet, likely the kindest and sweetest character in the show, is the adopted child of a gay couple.
Does this become any kind of plot point? Nope. Her fathers are shown cuddling in bed, but no attention is drawn to it, it's just another thing the camera happens to pan over that panning shot, and in another episode one places his hand on the other's shoulder to comfort him when they're worrying about Deet.
How often does she bring it up? One time, in ten hour-long episodes. And even then, it's in a very organic way because she is talking about how happy she is to be going back home and telling Rian about how wonderful her family is... and the only hint her parents are a gay couple is when she says 'little brother and fathers' and that's it. She's not making a point out of it, it just happened to come up and it's just that way. Rian doesn't even react to 'fathers' in any way. It's treated like it's just a perfectly normal and perfectly fine family arrangement... which is how it should be.
That is how you do representation right. You don't draw attention to it or crow about it or write 'a very special episode's or make it a plot point, you treat it like it's normal, and there's nothing unusual about it. Because when you draw attention to it being unusual, you are really just reinforcing the idea that this is not the norm and should be treated as strange.
For some reason, I also relate to Cheese and Wilt from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Cheese reminds me of my younger self, and chocolate milk being his “special interest” of some sort is hilarious, I love that little detail about him. The fact that he’s so attached to Bloo and always follows him around is also a reminder that I used to do the same thing with some people I liked. As for Wilt, we’re both tall pushovers whose overly helpful attitude results in being guilt tripped.
I love imagining that my favorite characters too have autism like me.
i once though twilight has autistic traits, and since then nothing can shake my headcannon that twilight is autistic. who's the one person that doesn't understand emotions automatically, learns about them, learns how to be a friend instead of "just doing it". this scene: th-cam.com/video/UKpXnIIoIg4/w-d-xo.html . no matter what anyone says, twilight is autistic (:
mlp does everything well. lbtq+, disablility, race, society, everything! I'm glad I grew up on this show lmao
I'm sad I didn't bu so happy people do now
i guess you were graced by the youtube algorithm my guy cuz your video was recommended to me and i haven't watched anything mlp related in quite some time now.
But great work on the video! honestly i teared up a little bit when i heard the hint of tears in your voice as you spoke about how nice it was to see Kerfuffle being treated as just another character
Representation can make a world of a difference on somebody who is a little different. When I was younger, I realized I never liked boys, but girls.... and coming from a Hispanic Catholic family, I was afraid... I thought I would burn in hell. But when I was around 11 and Steven universe came out, it made me feel more comfortable and accepting of myself since they treated gay couples as normal people. I figured out I was non binary when they introduced their first non-binary character, it made a whole world of a difference. If we didn’t have stuff like that, I am completely convinced I would’ve either lived in the closet for the rest of my life or not even be here. Representation played a part in saving my life from taking it away myself
Representation is good!
representation is the best, and i'm so happy that it worked out well for you.
i just thought of scootaloo's disability, her not being being able to fly is the equivalent of a human not being able to walk normally.
Characters that I headcanon as autistic are Twilight Sparkle, Derpy Hooves, Vinyl Scratch, and Maud Pie.
As someone who is neurodiverse, and is very clumsy, and also has a lazy eye, derpy hooves made me feel very accepted and made me feel so good about myself. And also, I think flutter shy has autism (or twilight) and pinkie has ADHD, I love the overall representation and celebration of differences while acknowledging that sometimes our differences can cause problems, but also shows us how to get through it. I’ve watched it since I was a child and it has always comforted me.
Derpy deserved more screen time , kinda unrelated but I know she helped alot of people.
@@skinlessfairy I agree
As a child I didnt treat scootaloo differently beacause of that, Like her less or anything. That's how you make a good representation. The one that is just there, not made a fuss about it
This is one thing I love about this show. Disabilities are shown yet not made a focal point. Scootaloo is a great example. Her wings don’t work like they should, yet she is treated like she is normal. She even finds a way to overcome that disability too, using her wings as propellers to go extra fast on her scooter. I like how the disability is mentioned from time to time but not focused on.
The Pegasus with the prosthetic leg is a neat touch. You see it yet she is seen as a normal Pegasus. There’s no attention drawn to it.
You don’t have to treat us differently just because we have a disability. We are normal, just like you. So what that we use mobility aids, hearing aids, or glasses. So what that we forgot to grow an arm or leg in utero. So what that we accidentally grew an extra leg or arm instead. So what that we have six fingers and toes instead of the standard five, or four fingers and toes instead. So what? It just means we might have to do things a little differently than the way you do.
I have an oc that I’m going to put in a show, his name is Dream and even though he is mute, he doesn’t care. He still finds ways to make sure his family is okay, and he stays happy. When you talked about the pony with the prosthetic leg and Scadoloo, that reminded me of him. ^^
i wish you the best of luck, if you succeed let me know and give me a link (:
@@vinx.909 thanks, I can already tell you the title. Eptonna’s Living Wonders.^^
I've always loved Mlp. I watched the cartoon, the movies, the endless amounts of roleplay and skits online, I even have the ponies. And I never really realized their diversity until just now. Stopped watching the show after a while. I think I only somewhat acknowledged it was the episode Daring Do appeared. Not sure if this is the right one but, it kinda works. I actually really like that they don't give full attention to the characters or make it their only known personality. Equality is seeing and treating each other as equals. No more, no less.
I used to be scared of people with missing limbs, this show made me not afraid of them and that they’re humans too. Thank you MLP for adding physical differences. 💗
I just never realised her wings were underdeveloped. So she has a disability too. That's great! Good and kind way to show differences.
I don't have a physical or mental disability, but I do have ADHD, and while a disability and a disorder are 2 totally different things, but we are similar in the fact that we function differently, and seeing someone functioning different from others and still being seen as a normal person - er, uh, pony - is so cool!!!
As someone who had Scootalo as her favorite crusader since i was 6 years old in 2011
I never really noticed, i only thought she was small? In any case, it's a pretty nice thing
In my opinion, MLP did a lot of things fantastically! It doesn't question strange interests or strange ponies, doesn't question strange looks, they don't do anything besides treating each character normally. I'm a teenager but I recently rewatched this because it's just a fantastic show! Character designs are fantastic and even the representation is fantastic! MLP did a lot right and I think that's great
I remember once when I was really little, I think about preschool age, my aunt came to pick to me up. My aunt has cerebral palsy, so she doesn't use her left arm and its kind of always in a drawn up position, and she had hip surgery when she was younger to get part of the bone removed, so she's been in a wheelchair for a large portion of her life. When she showed up to get me, a remember a bunch of the kids were looking at her like she was on fire, or like they were just freaked in general. Of course, I didn't get why, I knew that my aunt had certain conditions and I just grew up with it. This is just something that made me realize how much we really need proper representation of people with disabilities. Kids who had never really seen a person or a character in a wheelchair or with a disabled arm are scared, or weirded out or think there's something wrong with them and treat them like they're just a poor defenseless charity case. I just knew her as a strong and completely independent woman who might have been different, but she was just as much a totally regular person as me and everyone else in my family. I especially love when a show that is directed at children portrays characters like this because I know they'll grow up looking at people who have disabilities as simply just people.
extremely familiar story. i have a brother with physical and extreme mental disabilities, and how weirded out people can be around it is seriously hard to understand for a kid who just knows it as normal. probably part of the reason why i payed more attention to the disability representation even though i don't think of myself as disabled (autistic and dyslectic, but with my brother my bar of being disabled is weirdly high)
Omg I didn't know about this one hour special! I have to see it.
yes. yes you do.
"Just give mlp a try its fuckin' brilliant" XD that caust me off guard a sec
Also!! I wanna mention Pinkie Pie!! She seems to deal with bpd with her pinkamena self (the birthday party episode especially where she thought her friends were abadoning her)
a lot of people see parts of themselves in pinkie, even i while i don't have bpd or adhd, which i think just makes her a great and relatable character.
MLP has some very lovely disability representation. For a children's show, it does a great job at expressing valuable lessons, and making different types of characters be viewed as normal individuals regardless of their impairments or physical differences 💙
Kerfuffle, Scootaloo, Tempest, Stellar Eclipse, and Derpy are some prime examples of disabilities that don't affect the value and potential of the characters.
I love that it is not mentioned. I have hearing loss so I need hearing aids and I am bipolar. People tend to treat me differently once they know that and it sucks. So that they don’t mention it is really nice. Why can’t the world be like that?
Never know a Pony with strabismus exist that nice, Is pretty rare to meet. I hope it's not something just turned in comedy (it's often the case with strabismus wich is depicted as people who have always huge problem with space perception, are super clumsy and can't aim something. I have strabismus and even I can be clumsy sometimes, it's not always and I'm pretty good with a bow or with a riffle at funfair)
i think a lot of people would disagree but having casual representation can be just as important as representation put in the spotlight. while of course it's important to focus attention on a certain rep, like scootaloo as a disabled kid, i think it's also important to show this rep as a normal everyday thing where they're treated the same as others, kinda like the other characters with disabilities.
As someone with tourettes, i LOVE seeing disabilities represented like this. I would KILL to have good tourettes representation in media.
Not only it has representation of lgbt+, but also this? This is why I love this show so much
I’m so glad you’ve mentioned this. I feel like some times they force stuff like this in shows when they make it a major plot point but not as a negative thing, if that makes sense. The episode that they do mention it we’re written well in my opinion but I know of some shows that didn’t do it well. Thanks for talking about it!
It's great that they show subtle things like this so kids know that it is normal and they shouldn't be treated any less.Also like the ac odyssey game play In the background.
As someone who is physically disabled with cerebral palsy, I freaking bawled my eyes out during this episode, I won’t lie. As soon as I saw Kerfuffle, my jaw just dropped and I couldn’t stop staring in shock. As a baby, I almost became a double leg amputee since my doctors thought that my CP was severe enough to the max, but thankfully that didn’t happen and my parents proved them wrong... very angrily. 😂
I was REALLY shocked. I actually didn’t think that Hasbro would do this great with disability representation, so I applaud them greatly (even though they ended the show on my 14th birthday 😂).
Have you seen the new gen? There is a theory that one of the new ponies has prosthetic wings (clouds around her wings which are tiny like scoots)
I have seen the theory, and I think its true.
i've seen them, not heard of the theory before. would be neat.
Basically, mlp and the characters in it treats disabilities as if its normal. No body points it out (unless its the victim of said disability or it's relevant to the episode), shows doubt in someone with a disability, or treats anyone with disabilities as if they are less than abled people. As someone who has both mental and physical disabilities, I absolutely love this. It's rare to find an animated show, especially pointing towards young children, where there are disabled people treated right. In one episode, which you showed on screen (forgot the name), Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon use Scootaloo's disability to make her insecure so that the CMCs would fall instead of succeed in trying out for the Equestria Games cheer intro. This episode is related because disabled people go through this regularly. Someone who doesn't have or understand disabilities will use said disability to their own advantage, either by using up parking spaces made for the physically disabled or using the disabilities of other people to make themselves look or feel better. There are even times when someone offensively treats someone as if they are stupid, weak, or incapable of taking care of themselves. Its a reoccurring problem that isn't talked about anywhere as much as it should be. I didn't learn about ableism or disableism in school. No one talks about it. They will bring people to talk about depression, suicide, self-harm, drug use, and stds but not once does anyone talk about how to treat disabled people or that someone with disabilities is not weak, stupid, or less than anyone else. We are not taught how to treat people with disabilities so people with disabilities get treated poorly, sometimes even by accident.
In mlp, they show disabilities remarkably well and I'm hoping that when kids watch this, they will learn something about how to treat these people when they are older.
exactly why representation like this is so important. both that it exists and how to interact with it.
i really appreciate how they never made scootaloo fly or never restored tempest's horn because they didn't need to have those abilities to be great
An author I had the pleasure of sitting in on a panel of his made this exact point - your character is more than a physical trait. You should look at them not as "Oh Character is a handicap person" but more as "Character is a person who just so happens to have a handicap." The same goes for LGBT. Those things are apart of you - but they do not define you.