I would love to know, because that pony confuses the heck outta me!
Well, this is what the article says:
"At the 2008 My Little Pony Fair, some of the MLP team were kind enough to talk to us about some of the details that go into making any MLP toy a reality. At the time, collectors were concerned why some G3 ponies had changed names between waves of the toys and the discussion of this lead to some interesting insights into how My Little Pony toys get their names. I’m going to try to recap this info as best as I can but someone may have a video of this discussion up on YouTube somewhere if you want the whole thing from the source.
The MLP team explained that naming ponies isn’t as simple as just making up a cute name. They actually have to go through a rigorous approval process for each and every name because My Little Ponies aren’t just cutie marked… they’re also trademarked. Before any pony name can be finalized, they have to make sure they aren’t running afoul of any other company’s trademark or copyright and many seemingly innocent names never made it past this stage.
They also mentioned that, for international markets, it’s easier when the pony has a nonsense name (say, Scootaloo) instead of a name made of real English works (such as Ivy or Firefly). If you notice, while many pony names in the earlier generations were common English words, the focus with the later generations has increasingly been on these “created†names that combine multiple words to make the name. The reason, according to Hasbro, was that they both ran into less issues with translations (imagine if a cute pony name in English meant something horrifying in another language) and, in many cases, didn’t need to translate the name at all. It must make it much easier on their marketing department if they can use the same name in both the English and international markets (not to mention how much less confusing this is for us collectors in the international world of the internet).
While all this was a fascinating look into the world of MLP to begin with, the woman we were speaking with shared fun little bit of trivia. Many times, the staff has tried to sort of sneak inside jokes or internal references past the censors and, though they rarely succeed, they succeeded at least once with Waterfire.
See, the Hasbro HQ is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Nearby Providence, RI has an annual tradition called WaterFire which is a favorite of tourists and residents alike. "
On Waterfire's official webpage, it explains the event. Bonfires suspended in the river, Boats lit with fire, and sculptures installed to catch aflame in the water light up the night. Dancers are silhouetted by flickering flames, and visitors gather to see the marvel of Waterfire. It's all completely safe, and part of the draw is the seemingly impossible is achieved. It sounds really cool, actually. Pictures on Google show the rivers glowing with fire, and Birdseye views of the event show the whole city just glowing!
