Hearts and Hooves Day

Last updated
"Hearts and Hooves Day"
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode
640px-Cheerilee and Big Mac with CMC picnic S02E17.png
The Cutie Mark Crusaders (centre) try to get Cheerilee (left) and Big McIntosh (right) together.
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 17
Directed byJames Wootton
Written by Meghan McCarthy
Produced by
  • Sarah Wall
  • Chris Bartleman (executive)
  • Stephen Davis (executive)
  • Lauren Faust (executive)
  • Kirsten Newlands (executive)
  • Blair Peters (executive)
Featured musicMusic by Daniel Ingram
"The Perfect Stallion", performed by Michelle Creber and Madeleine Peters
Editing by
Original air dateFebruary 11, 2012 (2012-02-11)
Running time22 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Read It and Weep"		Next →
"A Friend in Deed"
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (season 2)
List of episodes

"Hearts and Hooves Day" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the forty-third episode of the series overall. It was written by Meghan McCarthy and directed by series director James Wootton. The episode first aired in the United States on February 11, 2012 on The Hub. The episode was viewed by an estimated audience of 316,000, and became the second-highest rated program to ever air on The Hub.

Contents

In this Valentine's Day-themed episode, The Cutie Mark Crusaders, composed of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, attempt to create a relationship between their schoolteacher Cheerilee and Apple Bloom's older brother Big McIntosh for Hearts and Hooves Day with a love potion. However, when they discover that their potion is actually a poison that causes Cheerilee and Big Mac to become overly obsessed with each other, they must find a way to reverse its effects.

Plot

The Cutie Mark Crusaders - Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle - discover that their teacher Cheerilee lacks a "very special somepony" to be with on Hearts and Hooves Day. They set off to seek a potential partner for her, eventually settling on Apple Bloom's older brother, Big McIntosh.

They initially set up a romantic meeting between the two, using false pretenses to bring the two together, but this proves unsuccessful. The three happen across Twilight Sparkle, reading a book about Hearts and Hooves Day, including the recipe for a potion purportedly able to make a couple fall in love. Borrowing the book, the Crusaders create the potion, and again lure Cheerilee and Big McIntosh to a romantic setting. The older ponies drink the concoction, and magically fall in love with each other, forgetting about everything else beyond being with each other. Though initially pleased, the Crusaders realize this is not the desired result, and upon consulting the book, learn that the potion is actually a poison that caused Equestria to fall into chaos centuries ago when the prince and princess who drank it were too lovestruck to rule their kingdom. Fortunately, there is a remedy: the two love-struck ponies must be kept out of eyesight of each other for one hour to break the spell.

The three convince Cheerilee to look for a wedding dress and Big McIntosh to select a wedding jewel, forcing the two to separate. Sweetie Belle is able to barricade Cheerilee within the Carousel Boutique, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo lose track of Big McIntosh at the jewelry store. As he races back toward the Boutique, Apple Bloom tries and fails to slow him down. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are able to dig a giant pit in Big McIntosh's path, but when he falls in, his cries alert Cheerilee to his presence, and she bursts out of the Boutique. The Crusaders attempt a final stand with only moments before the hour is up as Cheerilee jumps into the pit, knocking them aside. As they all recover, the Crusaders are relieved to find the spell has worn off, though Cheerilee and Big McIntosh question what has happened.

The Crusaders explain that the events that led up to this were because of their selfish meddling to make them fall in love with each other, and apologize for the ordeal. Cheerilee and Big MacIntosh accept their apology but punishes the trio by assigning them to do Big McIntosh's chores at Sweet Apple Acres for the day, and she and Big McIntosh walk off together with a teasing ambiguity about the state of their actual relationship.

Reception

Ratings

"Hearts and Hooves Day" aired on February 11, 2012 and was viewed by an estimated 316,000 children between the ages of 2 and 11. [1] [2] The episode managed to become the second-highest program ever broadcast by The Hub at the time of its airing. [2] Leading up to the episode's premiere, the network hosted a My Little Pony Fan Favorites Mare-A-Thon that made large gains in the audience. [2] The marathon helped the network "significantly" outperform its 2011 year-ago ratings, making gains among kids between the ages of 6-11 by over 165%, kids aged 2–11 by over 160%, women aged 18–49 by over 233%, adults aged 18–49 by over 168%, and households by over 178%. [2] An encore presentation of the episode, on February 14, was viewed by over 11,000 kids aged 6–11 and was watched in over 61,000 households. [3]

Reviews

The episode received largely positive reviews from critics. Raymond Gallant from Freakin Awesome Network awarded the episode a rating of 8.5 out of 10, and called it "another quality episode of a quality season." He cited the "entertaining and hilarious" qualities of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and he praised the quality of the episode's writing. [4] However, Gallant did comment on the naïvety of Twilight Sparkle, writing, "While the show has had Twilight suffer from being overly naïve at times, it really hadn’t happened for a while until now, and it feels really out of place." A review from Republibot noted that "Romantic episodes of non-romantic shows are tough to do, doubly so when it's a kid's show. They did a good job here, with the real emphasis being on the importance of one's responsibilities, and not interfering with others' relationships." The review praised the episode, and wrote that "The animation continues to be fantastic." [5]

Home media release

"Hearts and Hooves Day" was released on the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Royal Pony Wedding DVD, along with both parts of "A Canterlot Wedding" (Season 2, Episodes 25 and 26), "Sweet and Elite" (Season 2, Episode 9), and "The Best Night Ever" (Season 1, Episode 26), on August 7, 2012. [6] It has also been released as part of the complete Season 2 DVD set. [7]

Related Research Articles

My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure is a direct-to-video animated film produced by SD Entertainment and distributed by Shout! Factory in collaboration with Hasbro. The film was released on October 13, 2009, in promoting the Core 7 toy line and is the final film released during the third incarnation of the My Little Pony franchise before Hasbro moved on to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic in 2010.

My Little Pony: Meet the Ponies is a collection of animated shorts produced by SD Entertainment and distributed by Hasbro. The animated shorts commemorate the 25th anniversary of the My Little Pony franchise and introduced the "Core 7" ponies. The shorts first became available online on Hasbro's official My Little Pony Website, before being released on DVD, Packaged within the first wave of the Core 7 Pony toys of the Generation 3 Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Return of Harmony</span> 1st and 2nd episodes of the 2nd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"The Return of Harmony" is the collective name for the first and second episodes of the second season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, as well as the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth episodes of the series overall. Both episodes were directed by Jayson Thiessen and written by M.A. Larson. Part one of the episode aired in the United States on September 17, 2011 on the Hub, while part two aired the following week, on September 24. The first received a Nielsen household rating of 0.2, and was viewed by over 339,000 viewers, making it the highest-rated episode ever broadcast by the Hub at that point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cutie Mark Chronicles</span> 23rd episode of the 1st season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"The Cutie Mark Chronicles" is the twenty-third episode of the first season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The episode was written by M.A. Larson and directed by supervising director Jayson Thiessen. In this episode, the "Cutie Mark Crusaders", three fillies looking to earn their cutie marks, learn from the older mares of how they earned their own cutie marks; in the process, the older mares realize they share a common destiny. The episode has been praised as having a complex plot for a children's program that emphasizes the core values of the overall show.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 1 of the series premiered on October 10, 2010 on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on May 6, 2011.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 2 of the series premiered on September 17, 2011 and concluded on April 21, 2012.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 3 of the series premiered on November 10, 2012 on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on February 16, 2013.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Hub Network in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 4 of the series premiered on November 23, 2013 on the Hub Network, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on May 10, 2014.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Discovery Family channel in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 5 of the series premiered on April 4, 2015 on Discovery Family, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on November 28.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Discovery Family channel in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 6 of the series premiered on March 26, 2016 on Discovery Family, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on October 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Little Pony (2010 toyline)</span> Fourth incarnation of My Little Pony toyline and media franchise

American toy company Hasbro launched the fourth incarnation of My Little Pony toyline and media franchise in 2010. This generation is not given any name by Hasbro, but some of later releases of toys are labeled with the subtitle "Friendship Is Magic". It is unofficially referred to the "Fourth Generation", "Generation Four" or "G4" by collectors.

<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The seventh season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Discovery Family channel in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 7 of the series premiered on April 15, 2017, on Discovery Family, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on October 28, twenty-two days after My Little Pony: The Movie was released in theaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Perfect Pear</span> 13th episode of the 7th season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"The Perfect Pear" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season of animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the one hundred and fifty sixth overall. Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, and directed by Denny Lu and Mike Myhre, the episode saw the guest-starring of William Shatner and Felicia Day. The plot of the episode centers around Applejack, Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom, who find out how their now deceased parents met and gather information about their extensive background. "The Perfect Pear" was released early on June 21, 2017, in Australia, before being released on August 5, in the United States. The episode received praise from critics and the show's fanbase.

The eighth season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Discovery Family channel in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 8 of the series premiered on March 24, 2018, on Discovery Family, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on October 13.

<i>My Little Pony: Best Gift Ever</i> 2018 TV series or program

My Little Pony: Best Gift Ever is a double-length Christmas-themed special based on the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, taking place in-between seasons eight and nine. It premiered on October 27, 2018 on Discovery Family.

The ninth and final season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on the Discovery Family channel in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 9 of the series premiered on April 6, 2019, on Discovery Family, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded with a three-part series finale on October 12.

<i>My Little Pony: Pony Life</i> Childrens animated television series

My Little Pony: Pony Life is an animated television series that aired on Discovery Family from November 7, 2020 to May 22, 2021. It is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. The series, acting as a successor, spin-off and reboot to 2010's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and the fourth animated series based on the franchise overall, was produced by Entertainment One, in collaboration with Boulder Media.

The Last Crusade (<i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i>) 12th episode of the 9th season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

"The Last Crusade" is the twelfth episode of the ninth season of animated children's television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as 207th episode overall. Directed by Denny Lu and Mike Myhre and written by Nicole Dubuc, in the episode, Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood, who study exotic wildlife and are Scootaloo's parents, come home. Despite being overjoyed by their return, Scootaloo soon finds her parents plan to take her with them as they move to Shire Lanka for their work. Desperate, the Crusaders devise several strategies to keep Scootaloo in Ponyville. The episode premiered on Discovery Family on June 15, 2019, and garnered recognition and acclaim as the first Friendship Is Magic episode to feature homosexual characters.

"One Bad Apple" is the fourth episode of the third season of animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the fifty-sixth overall. The episodes centres around the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who are bullied by Apple Bloom's cousin, Babs Seed. As revenge, they sabotage a cart she will ride in during the parade but realise they are becoming bullies themselves.

References

  1. ↑ "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic : Hearts and Hooves Day". Zap2It. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' Fan Favorite Mare-A-Thon Boosts The Hub" (Press release). Los Angeles, CA: Discovery, Inc. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012– via TV by the Numbers.
  3. ↑ "Premiere of 'Transformers Rescue Bots' and Season Two Premiere of Hit Series 'Transformers Prime' Drive the Hub's Stellar Weekly Ratings Performance" (Press release). Los Angeles, CA: Discovery, Inc. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012– via TV By the Numbers.
  4. ↑ Gallant, Raymond (13 February 2012). "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2, Episode 17 Review". Freakin' Awesome Network. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "EPISODE REVIEW: Friendship is Magic: Hearts and Hooves Day". Republibot. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding DVD". Amazon. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 2". Amazon. 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.