Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo
Derpy Hooves is a pegasus pony with a Bluish gray body and a yellow mane and tail. Her symbol is two bubbles with five smaller bubbles snaking between them. Derpy Hooves first appeared as a background character in the first Episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, chosen from a palette and placed in the scenes on the whim of layout artists. At first the pony's face wasn't supposed to be visible in that particular scene, but a later layout change uncovered it. Jayson Thiessen, the supervising director of the show, stated that he noticed and was amused by her expression. Since Hasbro had already given the episode green light, he didn't order fixing Derpy's eyes.[4]
Derpy can be seen many times throughout the season doing various things; trotting through a park, preparing for storm, participating in the Running of the Leaves, etc. She appeared with intentionally crossed eyes in Feeling Pinkie Keen. When Twilight spies on Pinkie Pie, a series of objects falls on her head: a flower pot, an anvil, a cart of hay and finally a piano. A camera pan reveals that items were dropped by Derpy and her friend, who are hovering next to a movers' truck. Thiessen relayed in a Q&A that he was so delighted after discovering popularity of Derpy that he requested altering Derpy's eyes in all episodes that hadn't been sent to the Hub yet. Lauren Faust has acknowledged the fan following of Derpy. She revealed that, in one of then unaired episodes at the time, Winter Wrap Up, there is a mention of an airheaded pegasus called Ditzy Doo whose appearance is never established on-screen, and should Ditzy make an appearance Faust may assign Derpy's design to her. Officially, background ponies receive no names, but the crew often gives them affectionate nicknames. According to an animator from Philippine studio, Derpy was called Stoneface, Bubbles, Bubblehead, and Ditzy.[5]
Derpy Hooves is said to return in season 2 according to one of the animators on the show. She has gained a scripted-character status rather than an arbitrary background pony, and she is considered a "Where's Waldo"-type challenge for the fans.[6]
Firefly