Cutie Mark Crusaders
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| Cutie Mark Crusaders | |
|---|---|
| My Little Pony character | |
 The Cutie Mark Crusaders (and Babs Seed, bottom center) as they appear in "One Bad Apple" | |
| First appearance | "Friendship Is Magic" (2010) |
| Created by | Lauren Faust |
| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Nicknames | CMC |
| Species |
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| Occupation |
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| Affiliation | Ponyville Schoolhouse |
| Family | |
| Relatives |
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| My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic |
|---|
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The Cutie Mark Crusaders (abbreviated as CMC or Crusaders) are a group of fictional characters who appear in the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's My Little Pony toyline and media franchise, beginning with My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010–2019). The group consists of three fillies: Apple Bloom (voiced by Michelle Creber[1]), Sweetie Belle (voiced by Claire Corlett[2]), and Scootaloo (voiced by Madeleine Peters[3]).[4]
The Cutie Mark Crusaders are depicted as anthropomorphic fillies who are younger sisters and close friend of members of the Mane Six: Apple Bloom is Applejack's younger sister, Sweetie Belle is Rarity's younger sister, and Scootaloo is Rainbow Dash's biggest fan and surrogate younger sister.[5] The central premise of their storylines revolves around their quest to discover their special talents and earn their cutie marks—special symbols that appear on ponies' flanks when they discover their unique abilities.[6]
The characters appear throughout the nine-season run of Friendship Is Magic, initially pursuing various activities to discover their talents before finally earning their cutie marks in the fifth season episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark". The group expands beyond the original trio to include additional members Babs Seed (in season 3's "One Bad Apple") and Gabby the griffon (in season 6's "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks"). Discord is also made an honorary member of the Crusaders in the IDW comic series.
Academic analysis has characterized them as audience surrogates who appeal to the show's target demographic of children, while fan reception has been mixed, with some adult viewers appreciating their relatability and others finding their episodes less engaging than those focused on the main characters.
Appearances
[edit]Fourth My Little Pony incarnation (2010–2021)
[edit]My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
[edit]The Cutie Mark Crusaders first appear individually in early episodes before formally organizing as a group in "Call of the Cutie". Apple Bloom, feeling left out as one of the few ponies in her class without a cutie mark, desperately tries various activities to earn hers. She meets Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who are in similar situations, and together they form the Cutie Mark Crusaders with the goal of helping each other discover their special talents.
The trio appear in numerous episodes throughout the series pursuing various activities to discover their talents. In "The Show Stoppers", they participate in a school talent show, where each Crusader ironically chooses to perform a task they struggle with instead of their natural talent. In "Stare Master", they attempt activities like chicken herding and cape-making. In "The Cutie Pox", they accidentally almost hit Jeff Letrotski (a ponified version of Jeffrey "the Dude" Lebowski from The Big Lebowski) with a bowling ball.[7] In "Hearts and Hooves Day", they try to set up their teacher Cheerilee with Apple Bloom's brother Big McIntosh. In "Ponyville Confidential", the Crusaders become popular school newspaper reporters under the pseudonym "Gabby Gums". At the end of the episode "One Bad Apple", Apple Bloom's cousin Babs Seed is invited to join the Crusaders and establishes a Cutie Mark Crusaders branch in Manehattan. In "Flight to the Finish", the trio competes to represent Ponyville at the Equestria Games opening ceremony. In "Appleoosa's Most Wanted", they help a misunderstood outlaw named Trouble Shoes discover his true calling.
Throughout the series, young ponies without cutie marks are often referred to as "blank flanks", a term that carries derogatory connotations when used by bullies. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon frequently use this term to mock the Cutie Mark Crusaders.[a] The trio form a club dedicated to finding their true callings, with their activities and adventures serving as a recurring plot device throughout many episodes.[8] The Crusaders eventually reclaim the pejorative "blank flank" label by embracing their unmarked status as a shared journey rather than a deficiency. After several seasons of attempts, the Crusaders finally receive their cutie marks in the fifth season episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", where they discover their shared talent—helping other ponies find their own special purposes.[9]
Following their cutie mark acquisition, the Crusaders continue appearing in episodes focused on helping other ponies discover their talents. In "On Your Marks", they help a shy colt named Tender Taps overcome stage fright. "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks" introduces Gabby, a griffon who desires a cutie mark (despite it being impossible for her species), whom the Crusaders help find her purpose and welcome as their first non-pony member. In "Marks and Recreation", they establish a summer camp to help young ponies find their cutie marks, and their final appearances as fillies in "The Last Problem", they are shown as adults working at the School of Friendship.
My Little Pony: Pony Life
[edit]The Cutie Mark Crusaders are recurring characters of the spin-off series.
Friendship Is Magic comic series
[edit]In the main Friendship Is Magic comic line, they are kidnapped by Queen Chrysalis and later participate in the battle against Nightmare Rarity. In My Little Pony Micro-Series Issue #7, they befriend a Greater Equestrian Mimicker they name "Imp". In Friends Forever Issue #2, they work with Discord, who creates various reality scenarios to help them earn their cutie marks and becomes an honorary member of their group. In the Ponyville Mysteries series, the Crusaders form a detective agency to solve local mysteries, and in Spirit of the Forest, they deal with environmental threats to their community.
Members
[edit]Apple Bloom
[edit]- Voiced by Michelle Creber
Applejack and Big McIntosh's sassy younger sister who formulates and spearheads most of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' "missions".[10]
Sweetie Belle
[edit]- Voiced by Claire Corlett, singing voice for seasons 1-3 by Michelle Creber)
Rarity's kindhearted and innocent younger sister who has "a blossoming talent for singing" and strives to become a fashion designer and gain Rarity's approval.
Scootaloo
[edit]- Voiced by Madeleine Peters, singing voice for seasons 8-9 by Arielle Tuliao
A pegasus filly who suffers from an inability to fly and instead uses her wings to propel her specially fashioned scooter. She idolizes Rainbow Dash as an older sister figure, as well as the president of the "Wonderbolt Dash" fan club, and often tries to imitate Rainbow Dash's attitude and athletic skill; Rainbow Dash loves and mentors Scootaloo, calling her the "most awesome kid sister ever".[10] Scootaloo lives with her Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty (voiced by Jackie Blackmore and Saffron Henderson) while her parents Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood (voiced by Bill Newton and Emily Tennant) are world-traveling adventurers who study exotic plants and creatures for the advancement of science and medicine.
Honorary members
[edit]In addition to the main trio, others are accepted into the Cutie Mark Crusaders across the series:
- Babs Seed (voiced by Brynna Drummond) – A "tough-talkin' Apple cousin from Manehattan",[10] debuting in "One Bad Apple". She was created as a "blank flank" bully of the Cutie Mark Crusaders "whose behavior was the result of an insecurity that the Crusaders could relate to and ultimately help her overcome". She joins the Crusaders and forms her branch of the club in Manehattan because, according to McCarthy, "We've got our three Crusaders in Ponyville and didn't want to add a permanent fourth".[10] Babs earns her cutie mark as a hairstylist in "Bloom & Gloom".
- Gabby (voiced by Erin Mathews) – A friendly and enthusiastic female griffon and a social outcast from Griffonstone who joins the Crusaders at the end of her debut in "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks", following her failed attempts to obtain her cutie mark. She returns in "Dragon Dropped" when she is shown to have become pen-pals with Spike.
- Discord – The spirit of chaos becomes an honorary member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the IDW comic My Little Pony: Friends Forever Issue #2.
Development
[edit]
The Cutie Mark Crusaders are bonded by their quest to discover their Cutie Marks. [...] The Cutie Mark Crusaders' hangout of choice is their clubhouse, where they hatch many of the plans for earning their Cutie Marks in the most unorthodox and sometimes less-than-productive ways.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were designed to have proportionally larger heads and shorter legs than adult ponies, indicating that they are "considerably younger than the Mane Six." In addition, their hairstyles and eye shapes reflect their older siblings' designs.[12]
According to an interview with show creator Lauren Faust, Cheerilee (the schoolteacher of the Ponyville school) was not present in the original iteration of the show. When Hasbro requested she be added, Faust decided to make her the teacher of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.[13]
Reception and analysis
[edit]Audience reception
[edit]A 2014 pre-season 5 poll of 19,615 bronies on fandom news site Equestria Daily found that 15% of respondents wanted to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally get their cutie marks in Season 5.[14] A 2017 poll of 6,325 bronies on Equestria Daily found that Sweetie Belle was the favorite Crusader, earning almost 40% of the vote. Scootaloo received 24% of the vote, Apple Bloom 18%, Gabby 15%, and Babs Seed 3%.[15]
Following the airing of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" in 2015, an Equestria Daily staff member wrote an editorial celebrating the characters' achievement of their cutie marks after five seasons. The author praised the CMC's relatability and wrote that their childhood problems felt genuinely high-stakes to the characters themselves and compared their struggles to those faced by the main cast. Addressing fan concerns about the characters' future direction, the editorial dismissed worries that obtaining cutie marks would fundamentally change the trio or make them "indistinguishable from the Mane Six", and compared it to similar fan concerns about Twilight Sparkle's alicorn transformation. The author wrote that without this development, "it wouldn't be long before their episodes would start to feel insubstantial" and that "the CMCs as a group would have gotten stale".[16]
Two years later, in a 2017 editorial posted on Equestria Daily, site founder Shaun Scotellaro wrote that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had reached a crossroads after achieving their primary goal and questioned whether their new role helping other ponies discover their talents was truly their intended destiny. The editorial suggested that the characters should pursue individual character development rather than continuing their group mission, proposing that Sweetie Belle focus on a music career, Apple Bloom explore alchemy, and Scootaloo pursue extreme sports. Scotellaro advocated for storylines that would resonate with viewers who had aged alongside the show, especially those transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood.[17]
A 2018 survey of almost 3,000 bronies found that subplots involving the Cutie Mark Crusaders was disliked by some fandom members due to their perception of appealing to a "problematized young female audience".[18]
Critical analysis
[edit]In a collection of essays on Friendship Is Magic, author Jen A. Blue wrote that the Cutie Mark Crusaders serve as audience surrogates; unlike the adult main characters, the CMC are children of roughly the same age as the show's target demographic. Blue characterizes the trio as archetypal "geeks," describing them as socially awkward characters who are picked on by peers, easily swept up by enthusiasms, and gifted with technical skills while seeking to establish their identity through exploring interests. According to Blue, the characters have generated divisive fan reception, with a significant portion of the adult fanbase expressing dislike for CMC-focused episodes, citing concerns that such episodes require the main characters to appear "useless" and divert screen time from the primary cast. Blue suggests this negative reception may stem from the characters being "uncomfortably familiar" to adult viewers, particularly millennial fans who are themselves in life stages focused on identity exploration and career establishment, making CMC episodes "less of an escape" than adventures featuring the main characters.[19]
In Sherilyn Connelly's review of "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" in SF Weekly, she also wrote that the Crusaders functions as an audience surrogate, but as meta-commentary to the show itself: "Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom find the story to be touching, but Scootaloo doesn't care for it. [...] In my experience, two out of three new viewers of MLP:FIM will accept the show's tone and world view, while the third will find it too earnest and unironic."[20] In her 2017 book Ponyville Confidential, Connelly wrote that the authenticity of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' voice acting sets them apart from many animated series where adult actors portray children with "non-exaggerated voices". She wrote that the CMC are voiced by actual teenagers, which lends a more genuine representation of childhood speech patterns that contributes to the show's effectiveness to present relatable figures for the show's target demographic.[21]
In his review of "One Bad Apple", Daniel Alvarez wrote that the first episode of the show he had watched was "The Show Stoppers", and as such had a fondness for the trio. Alvarez wrote that the trio's realistic responses to conflict resonated with audiences, though he expressed disappointment that the Crusaders did not seek advice from the main characters during their struggles.[22]
See also
[edit]- Applejack
- Rarity
- Rainbow Dash
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom
- List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Apple Bloom Voices (My Little Pony)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "Sweetie Belle Voices (My Little Pony)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "Scootaloo Voices (My Little Pony)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ Leslie Salas, Lorin Shahinian, ed. (2024-01-11). The Animated Dad: Essays on Father Figures in Cartoon Television. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-5162-0.
- ^ Ollikainen, Einari (2017). Vaikutteet ja viittaukset japanilaiseen populaarikulttuuriin My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic -sarjassa (Taidehistorian kandidaatintutkielma thesis) (in Finnish). Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto. p. 6.
- ^ Sims, Chris (2013-08-19). "The Cutie Mark Crusaders Meddle With Forces They Do Not Understand (Again) In 'My Little Pony Micro-Series' #7". Comics Alliance. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ Hobbs, Priscilla (2015-04-23). "Everypony Has a Story: Revisions of Greco-Roman Mythology in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". In Berti, Irene; Carlà-Uhink, Filippo (eds.). Ancient Magic and the Supernatural in the Modern Visual and Performing Arts. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 9781472532213.
- ^ Axeling, Malin (2013). Friendship is Magic: My Little Pony och de män som tittar på den. Institutionen för pedagogik, didaktik och utbildningsstudier (Independent work at C-level in Image/ICT and media) (in Swedish). Uppsala University.
- ^ Snider, Brandon T. (2017). My Little Pony. Volume II: Friendship Is Magic: The Elements of Harmony: The Official Guidebook. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-316-43197-2.
- ^ a b c d Snider (2013), p. 38–39
- ^ Begin (2015), p. 87-88
- ^ Begin (2015), p. 88
- ^ Calpain (2016-03-03). "Pony History of the Day: The Words of Faust". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ Scotellaro, Shaun (2014-05-20). "Poll Results: Out of these choices, which do you want to see in season 5?". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ Scotellaro, Shaun (2017-06-01). "Poll Results: Who is the Best Cutie Mark Crusader?". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ ABagOVicodin (2015-10-23). "Editorial: The Cutie Mark Crusaders: What Now?". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ Scotellaro, Shaun (2017-02-28). "Editorial: How Should the Cutie Mark Crusaders Grow In Season 7 and Beyond?". Equestria Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
- ^ Hunting, Kyra; Hains, Rebecca C. (2019). "Discriminating taste: maintaining gendered social hierarchy in a cross-demographic fandom". Feminist Media Studies. 19 (4): 542–557. doi:10.1080/14680777.2018.1443276.
- ^ Blue, Jen A. (2013-08-31). My Little Po-Mo: Unauthorized Critical Essays on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season One. pp. 134–139.
- ^ Connelly, Sherilyn (2012-04-25). "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 1, Episode 23". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ Connelly, S. (2017). Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 29. ISBN 9781476662091. LCCN 2016044897.
- ^ Alvarez, Daniel. "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 'One Bad Apple' Review". Unleash The Fanboy. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28.
Bibliography
[edit]- Begin, Mary Jane (2015). My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria. New York: Abrams. ISBN 978-1-4197-1577-8.
- Snider, Brandon T. (2013). The Elements of Harmony: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: The Official Guidebook. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-24754-2.
