document_title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

question_text: where did they film perks of being a wallflower

text: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

text: Plot[edit]

text: The story begins with a quiet, sensitive 15-year-old boy named Charlie writing letters about his life to an unknown recipient. Charlie chooses that person because he said that he heard the person was nice and thought that this person would not be judgmental. He discusses his first year at high school, grappling with two traumatic experiences from his past: the suicide of his only middle-school friend, Michael Dobson, a year before, and the death of his favorite aunt, Helen, during his early childhood.

text: His English teacher, who encourages Charlie to call him Bill, notices Charlie's passion for reading and writing, and acts as a mentor by assigning him extracurricular books and reports. Although he is a wallflower, Charlie is befriended by two seniors: Patrick and Sam. Patrick is secretly dating Brad, a closeted football player, and Sam is Patrick's stepsister. Charlie quickly develops a crush on Sam and subsequently admits his feelings to her. It is revealed that Sam was sexually abused as a child, and she kisses Charlie to ensure that his first kiss is from someone who truly loves him.

text: In parallel, Charlie witnesses his sister's boyfriend hit her across the face, but she forbids him from telling their parents. He eventually mentions the occurrence to Bill, who tells Charlie's parents about it. Charlie's relationship with his sister rapidly deteriorates and she continues to see her boyfriend against her parents' wishes. Eventually, he discovers that his sister is pregnant and agrees to bring her to an abortion clinic without telling anyone. His sister breaks up with her boyfriend, after which her and Charlie's relationship begins to improve significantly.

text: Charlie is accepted by Sam and Patrick's group of friends and begins experimenting with tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. At a party Charlie trips on LSD. He cannot control his flashbacks of Aunt Helen, who died in a car crash on her way to buy him a birthday gift. He ends up in the hospital after falling asleep in the snow. At a regular Rocky Horror Picture Show performance, Charlie is asked to fill in as Rocky for Sam's boyfriend Craig, who is unavailable. Their friend Mary Elizabeth is impressed and asks Charlie to the Sadie Hawkins dance and they enter into a desultory relationship. The relationship ends, however, during a game of truth or dare when Charlie is dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. He kisses Sam, and Mary Elizabeth storms out of the room in response. Following this, Patrick suggests that Charlie stay away from Sam for a while, and the rest of the friend group shuns him. His flashbacks of Aunt Helen return.

text: Patrick and Brad's relationship is discovered by Brad's abusive father, and Brad disappears from school for a few days. Upon returning, Brad is cold and mean towards Patrick, while Patrick attempts to reconnect with him. However, when Brad derogatorily attacks Patrick's sexuality in public, Patrick physically attacks Brad until other football players join in and gang up on Patrick. Charlie joins in the fight to help Patrick, and breaks it up, regaining the respect of Sam and her friends. Patrick begins spending much of his time with Charlie and Patrick kisses Charlie impulsively and then apologizes, but Charlie understands that he is recovering from his romance with Brad. Soon Patrick sees Brad engaging with a stranger in the park and Patrick is able to move on from the relationship.

text: As the school year ends, Charlie is anxious about losing his older friends—especially Sam, who is leaving for a summer college-preparatory program and has learned that her boyfriend cheated on her. When Charlie helps her pack, they talk about his feelings for her; she is angry that he never acted on them. They begin to engage sexually, but Charlie suddenly grows inexplicably uncomfortable and stops Sam. Charlie begins to realize that his sexual contact with Sam has stirred up repressed memories of him being molested by his Aunt Helen as a little boy. Charlie shows signs of PTSD from the incident and the revelation of his abuse helps the reader understand his view of relationships and love.

text: In an epilogue, Charlie is discovered by his parents in a catatonic state and does not show any movement despite being hit reluctantly by his father. After being admitted to a mental hospital, it is revealed that Helen actually sexually abused him when he was young, and his love for her (and empathy for her troubled youth) caused him to repress his traumatic memories. This psychological damage explains his flashbacks and derealization phases throughout the book. In two months Charlie is released, and Sam and Patrick visit him. In the epilogue, Sam, Patrick and Charlie go through the tunnel again and Charlie stands up and exclaims that he felt infinite.

text: Charlie eventually comes to terms with his past: "Even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there". Charlie decides to "participate" in life, and his letter-writing ends.

text: Background and writing[edit]

text: Chbosky first conceived random ideas, including "a kid standing up in a tunnel", a girl he likes, and parties he goes to.[1] After five years with these elements in mind,[1] he had the idea of writing the novel during a difficult period in his life.[2] He was experiencing an unpleasant breakup of his own[2] which led him to ask, "Why good people let themselves get treated so badly?"[3] The author tried to answer the question with the sentence "we accept the love we think we deserve". This answer meant to be an advice to remark that one is in charge of one's life as he is referring to self love, encompassing one's life and hope for the future, and not just romantic love.[4]

text: The story began when Chbosky was in school, evolving from another book on which he was working.[1] In that book he wrote the sentence, "I guess that's just one of the perks of being a wallflower", which led him to realize "that somewhere in that ... was the kid I was really trying to find."[1] Chbosky began writing the novel in the summer of 1996 while he was in college,[5] and within ten weeks he completed the story.[1] He rewrote it into two more drafts, concluding the published version in the summer of 1998.[5]

text: Charlie, whom Chbosky has said is "[his] hope in the form of a character",[2] is loosely based on the author. In the novel, Chbosky included much of his own memories from the time he lived in Pittsburgh.[6] The other characters were manifestations of people Chbosky had known throughout his life;[7] Chbosky focused on people's struggles and what they are passionate about, attempting to pin down the very nature of each of the characters[8] The characters of Sam and Patrick were an "amalgamate and celebration" of several people Chbosky has met; Sam was based on girls who confided in him, and Patrick was "all the kids I knew who were gay and finding their way to their own identity."[6]

text: Style and themes[edit]

text: The idea of anonymous letters came from a real experience; during his senior year in high school, Chbosky wrote an anonymous letter to Stewart Stern about how Rebel Without a Cause had influenced him. A year and a half later, Stern found Chbosky and became his mentor.[9] By using a series of letters from Charlie to an anonymous character, Chbosky found "the most intimate way" to talk directly to the reader.[6] He thought the letters would help him keep the story cohesive, "to convey the highs and lows of being young—one day, you're on top of the world and you’ve had the greatest of times".[6]

text: Critics have identified primary themes of teenage reality and nostalgia. According to David Edelstein of the New York Magazine, Chbosky captures the "feeling you belong when among friends, yet you'd soon be alone" and notes that "the pain of loss ... [is] almost as intense as the bliss ... it's nostalgia with an emphasis on nostos, pain [sic]."[10] Marty Beckerman of Word Riot says that The Perks of Being a Wallflower connects with young people because its scenes are "so universal and happen to so many teenagers."[11] Chbosky wanted to convey respect for teenagers, to "validate and respect and celebrate what [teenagers] are going through every day",[7] and said the novel is for "anyone who's felt like an outcast."[12]

text: Read by all ages, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is targeted at a teenage audience.[13] The book addresses a range of themes dispassionately.[11] These themes include drugs,[11] friendship, body image, first love, suicide, eating disorders and sexuality.[3] Chbosky appreciates the importance of entertainment in adolescence: "Books, songs, and movies are more than entertainment when we're young. They help all of us discover who we are, what we believe, and what we hope our life can be."[14] As such, the book contains several cultural references across all mediums: musically the book references The Smiths and Fleetwood Mac,[10][15] literarily the book references This Side of Paradise, On the Road, To Kill a Mockingbird[1][16] and theatrically the book references The Rocky Horror Picture Show.[16]

text: Publication and reception[edit]

text: The Perks of Being a Wallflower was first published on February 1, 1999[17] by Pocket Books through its MTV Books imprint.[18] It became the subsidiary's best-selling book with 100,000 copies in print as of 2000,[18] and was included on school reading lists and gathered a cult following.[19] By 2012, the novel had been published in 16 countries in 13 languages,[20] and that same year it placed at number 16 on NPR's list of the "100 Best-Ever Teen Novels".[21]

text: Critical response was mixed; Publishers Weekly called the novel "trite", dealing with "standard teenage issues" in which "Chbosky infuses a droning insistence on Charlie's supersensitive disposition."[22] Although Kirkus Review said it had "the right combination of realism and uplift", the reviewer criticized Chbosky's "rip-off" of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.[23] Although other reviewers made similar comparisons, Chbosky said he "was not trying to mimic [Salinger's] style as a writer";[1] he saw "how readers could compare Charlie to Salinger's Holden Caulfield", but "they are very different people with unique problems and perspectives".[1]

text: Further objections to the book include the use of "profanity", "drug abuse", "sexually explicit" scenes, and "torture". Groups like PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books in School) work to restrict literature considered "controversial" from being accessed by younger children. The group believes these "bad books" should be moved to the adult section.[24] In 2009, Perks was repeatedly challenged for descriptions of masturbation, sexually explicit conduct, drug use, and talk of suicide and there have been multiple pushes across the United States to move this literary work from the children and young adults section to the adult section.[25] Parents have raised issues with the novel for it's "pornographic" content and "vulgarity", but others have argued that the book deals with real and common teen issues concerned with growing up, so it presents a truthful viewpoint.[26] Issues are also raised surrounding the books themes of homosexuality, as well as a "glorification" of the use of drugs and alcohol.[27]

text: Francisca Goldsmith of the School Library Journal said the novel "cleverly" makes the readers the recipients of Charlie's letters, and it "will engage teen readers for years to come."[28] Common Sense Media's Kate Pavao praised its relevant themes for teenagers: "Readers will find themselves quickly feeling sorry for the protagonist and worrying about him throughout his transformative journey."[17] For The A.V. Club, Marah Eakin wrote that although for an adult "Perks suffers from an overabundance of pure, raw angst ... unlike some more arrested development-friendly young adult fare like Harry Potter, Perks speaks to a more specific age range and does it well."[29]

text: The Perks of Being a Wallflower has appeared six times on the American Library Association's list of 10 most-frequently-challenged books for its content.[30][31] A Wisconsin school board refused to ban the book, angering local parents, and the Glen Ellyn District 41 school board in suburban Chicago unanimously voted to reinstate the novel after it was removed from eighth-grade classrooms at Hadley Junior High School because of a parent's objection to its sexual content.[32] In an interview, Chbosky said that he knew of two school boards which have banned the book (in Massachusetts and on Long Island).[30] Since he "didn't write it to be a controversial book,"[30] he was "surprised"[33] by the bans.

text: With the announcement of a film adaptation the novel received more attention; it sales increased from 88,847 copies in 2011 to 425,933 in 2012,[34] and it reached the New York Times bestseller lists.[35] It entered the Children's Paperback Books category on the June 23, 2012 list,[36] and had 1.5 million copies in print in November 2012.[35] As of May 11, 2014 it appeared on The New York Times top 10 list for the 71st non-consecutive week,[37] and was in the top 15 on the November 23 list.[38]

text: Film adaptation[edit]

text: Since he wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Chbosky aspired to adapt it into a film, calling this "a lifelong dream of mine".[5] After the publication of the novel, the author said he received film offers, refusing them because he "owed the fans a movie that was worthy of their love for the book".[3] In 2010 Mr. Mudd began developing a film version,[39] and the author was signed to write and direct the film by producers John Malkovich, Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith.[39] The film, shot in the Pittsburgh area from May 9 to June 29, 2011,[40] starred Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam, Ezra Miller as Patrick, and Nina Dobrev as Charlie's sister, Candace.[41]

text: It premiered on September 8, 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival,[42] and was released theatrically in the United States by Summit Entertainment on September 21.[43] According to Metacritic it has received "generally favorable reviews", with an average of 67 out of 100 based on 36 reviews.[44] Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rate, based on 151 reviews.[45] The film grossed over $33 million worldwide[43] from a $13 million production budget.[35]


document_title: Old State Capitol (Milledgeville, Georgia)

question_text: the first capital of georgia was in what city

root

text:
Old State Capitol

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Old Georgia State Capitol, photograph by L. D. Andrew for the Historic American Buildings Survey

Show map of Georgia (U.S. state)Show map of the USShow all

Location
Greene St., Milledgeville, Georgia

Coordinates
33°04′40″N 83°13′32″W / 33.07770°N 83.22547°W / 33.07770; -83.22547Coordinates: 33°04′40″N 83°13′32″W / 33.07770°N 83.22547°W / 33.07770; -83.22547

Area
5 acres (2.0 ha)

Built
1804 (1804)

Architectural style
Gothic Revival

NRHP reference #
70000195[1]

Added to NRHP
May 13, 1970

tag: table

text: The Old State Capitol is located in Milledgeville, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1970. It is located on Greene Street and is now a museum.[2] Georgia's original state capitol was in Louisville, Georgia. On December 12, 1804, the state legislature voted to designate Milledgeville as the capital of Georgia. In 1805, $60,000 was appropriated to build a capitol building; and a planned city with elements of both Savannah, Georgia, and Washington D.C., was proposed, for centrally-located Milledgeville. Jett Thomas and John Thomas were the general contractors for the construction work.

tag: p

text: The Georgia Legislature met in the yet-to-be-completed building for the first time in 1807. The Marquis de Lafayette visited the building in 1825 while on his tour through the United States. Expansions were completed to north and south wings in 1828 and 1834, respectively. East and west porticoes with granite steps were added in 1835.[3]

text: Georgia's Secession Convention in early 1861 was held in the building, and a vote for secession carried on January 19, 1861. Governor Joe Brown worked from the building, conducting the affairs of the state militia and engaging in disputes with C.S.A. President Jefferson Davis from the capitol and the nearby Governor's Mansion.

text: Brown and others fled the capitol ahead of the arrival of General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union Army. They occupied the city of Milledgeville on November 23, 1864. The Old Capitol building was damaged but was left standing, while armories and magazines on Statehouse Square were destroyed.[3] In 1868, during Reconstruction, the legislature moved the capital to Atlanta, a city emerging as the symbol of the New South as opposed to Milledgeville, seen as being connected to the Old South.

text: The statehouse was used as the court house for Baldwin County, Georgia from 1871 until 1879. Then it was used for the Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College, which became Georgia Military College in 1900. The building remains at the center of the college campus and is open for tours.[3]


document_title: List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters

question_text: what is the name of the yellow my little pony

text: Creation and conception[edit]

text: Faust was initially hired by Hasbro to create a pitch bible for the show, allowing her to get additional help with conceptualization.[1] Faust said she was "extremely skeptical" about taking the job at first because she had always found shows based on girls' toys to be boring and unrelatable.[2] She was disappointed that her imagination of the toys at the time was nothing like the animated shows, in which the characters, according to Faust, had "endless tea parties, giggled over nothing and defeated villains by either sharing with them or crying." With the chance to work on My Little Pony, one of her favorite childhood toys,[3] but, she hoped to prove that "cartoons for girls don't have to be a puddle of smooshy, cutesy-wootsy, goody-two-shoeness."[2] To do this, she incorporated into the design of the characters and the show many elements that contradicted idealized stereotypes of girls, such as diverse personalities, the message that friends can be different and can get into arguments but still be friends, and the idea that girls should not be limited by what others say they can or can not do.[2] Elements of the characters' personalities and the show's settings were based on her own childhood imagination of the ponies' adventures, in part inspired by the animated shows that her brothers would watch while growing up, such as Transformers and G.I. Joe.[4] Faust still aimed for the characters to be "relatable" characters, using stereotypical "icons of girliness" (such as the waif or the bookworm), as to broaden the appeal of the characters for the young female audience.[5]

text: Main characters[edit]

text: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic focuses on six core characters, also identified as the "Mane Six",[6] a group of friends who are brought together by the "Elements of Harmony", a set of six mystical jewels and an "unstoppable force of good"[7] that are used to defend Equestria against powerful threats. Each character was designed to represent a different element and positive aspect of friendship—honesty (Applejack), kindness (Fluttershy), laughter (Pinkie Pie), generosity (Rarity), and loyalty (Rainbow Dash)—which come together to form the sixth element of "magic" (Twilight Sparkle).[8]

text: Twilight Sparkle[edit]

text: Voiced by Tara Strong, singing voice by Rebecca Shoichet

tag: ul

text: Twilight Sparkle is the central character of the series, based on the first generation or "G1" unicorn toy Twilight.[9] She is depicted in the show's first three seasons as a purple unicorn with a pink-streaked indigo mane, and as a winged unicorn called an "alicorn" in later seasons. She takes charge of the Mane Six during their adventures and helps resolve her friends' differences. She is an intelligent, dutiful, and accomplished scholar with an avid love of learning and a studied prowess in unicorn magic such as levitation, teleportation, and the creation of force fields. Director Jayson Thiessen describes her as "kind of a neurotic perfectionist" who has "a touch OCD",[10] prone to suffering from nervous breakdowns when confronted with a problem that goes against her understanding.

text: Twilight begins the story as the protégée of Princess Celestia, who tasks her with studying the magical properties of friendship in Ponyville and reporting her findings. Twilight resents her assignment in the opening episodes, owing her reclusiveness to her obsession with books, but she comes to form strong friendships with the rest of the Mane Six, which she realizes is key to harnessing the Elements of Harmony. She resides with her assistant Spike and pet owl named Owlowiscious (pronounced the same way as Aloysius /æləwɪʃəs/) in Ponyville's Golden Oak Library, where she also serves as town librarian.[11] Her apprenticeship to Celestia ends in the season three finale "Magical Mystery Cure" when, by creating new magic based on her studies of friendship, Twilight transforms into an alicorn and is crowned a princess of Equestria. Assuming the title of "Princess of Friendship", Twilight becomes responsible for spreading her teachings to propagate friendships across Equestria from the Castle of Friendship,[12] a mystical castle that replaces the library after its destruction in the season four finale "Twilight's Kingdom". In the season eight premiere "School Daze", Twilight runs a "School of Friendship" in order to teach other creatures the benefits of friendship, appointing her friends as teachers.

text: Rainbow Dash[edit]

text: Voiced by Ashleigh Ball

text: Rainbow Dash is a sky blue[13] pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail who is based on Faust's "G1" Firefly toy,[14] and shares her name with the "G3" earth pony. She is an "act first and ask questions later" pegasus obsessed with speed and adventure.[13] Her goal at the series' beginning is to join her heroes, the elite Wonderbolts aerobatic team,[15] which is accomplished in the season six episode "Newbie Dash" after she impresses them with her multiple heroic feats across the first five seasons. Apart from helping other pegasi manage the weather around Ponyville, she spends her time practicing flight maneuvers such as the "Sonic Rainboom", a rainbow-hued sonic boom; it is shown in the episode "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" that Rainbow Dash's first Sonic Rainboom as a filly produced not only her own cutie mark, but also the rest of the Mane Six's marks. She lives with a propeller-fitted pet tortoise named Tank in a floating condominium of clouds called the Cloudominium,[16] which is sparingly seen in the show because she "doesn't sit still for very long", according to director Jim Miller.[13] Faust struggled to find a suitable aspect for Rainbow Dash's Element of Harmony, seeing the character as "self-absorbed and rather irresponsible." She eventually settled on "loyalty" because it "brought out [Rainbow Dash's] positive traits."[8]

text: Pinkie Pie[edit]

text: Voiced by Andrea Libman, singing voice by Shannon Chan-Kent[note 1]

text: Pinkie Pie (fully named Pinkamena Diane Pie) is a pink earth pony based on the "G3" toy of the same name. Her character, which Thiessen summarized as "a frenetic sugar rush",[17] was inspired by the "G1" pegasus toy Surprise.[18] She is a live-in party planner at Sugarcube Corner, a bakery and confectionery store in Ponyville that resembles a gingerbread house,[19] where she also keeps a toothless baby alligator named Gummy. A comedic character raised on a "dreary rock farm", Pinkie is cheerful, energetic, and talkative. She is defined by her desire to entertain her friends by throwing parties at random times and acting as outlandish as possible;[20] however, she demonstrates a lack of confidence and a fear of being rejected by others,[21] which is occasionally expressed by her balloon-like mane deflating. Pinkie is a source of much of the series' humor,[20] and several of the show's "wacky gags" are kept exclusive to her.[21][22] Her running gags include breaking the fourth wall and "appearing suddenly in unexpected places",[23] as well as an ability to predict future events through various body reactions, which she calls the "Pinkie Sense". In early episodes, Faust worked to depict Pinkie as a "free spirit" to address concerns of the character being seen as too "hyper" and "ditzy". As the creative team grew more comfortable with Pinkie's character and humor, she became "really over-the-top strange and bordering on crazy, with a wacky cartoonish magic all her own."[23]

text: Rarity[edit]

text: Rarity is a white unicorn with a violet, curled mane, based on the "G1" ponies Glory and Sparkler,[24] and named after the "G3" pony. She is a ladylike fashionista who speaks with a Mid-Atlantic accent and runs a haute couture salon in Ponyville called Carousel Boutique. Despite her vain and melodramatic tendencies, she has a generous spirit and strives to create dresses that capture their wearers' inner beauty.[25][26] She owns a pet Persian cat named Opalescence, commonly nicknamed Opal. Faust's original idea for Rarity's Element of Harmony was "inspiration", but it was changed to "generosity" after the production team deemed the former "too much of a thinker, especially for kids." Faust was pleased with the change, saying it "really helped pull [Rarity] away from the stereotypical, unlikable debutante."[8] She cites Audrey Hepburn as her biggest influence for Rarity,[27] and also says that Tabitha St. Germain's performance "added a humor to Rarity that was unexpected and wonderful."[22]

text: Applejack[edit]

text: Voiced by Ashleigh Ball

text: Applejack is an orange, blonde-haired earth pony based on the "G1" character of the same name.[28] She is characterized as a "farm gal" who sports a cowboy hat and lasso, and speaks with a Southern accent.[29] She works as an apple farmer at the Sweet Apple Acres orchard in Ponyville, using her great physical strength to "buck" apples out of trees. She lives with her grandmother Granny Smith, older brother Big McIntosh, younger sister Apple Bloom, and pet collie Winona; according to Faust, Applejack's parents – first depicted in season seven's "The Perfect Pear" as Bright Mac (voiced by Bill Newton) and Pear Butter (voiced by Felicia Day) – are deceased.[30] Applejack is honest, reliable, and the most "down-to-earth" of the Mane Six.[29] She also has a stubborn streak, with several episodes focusing on her taking up some sort of "herculean task".[31] Author Begin says that her apple-themed cutie mark "not only represents her name, but also is a symbol of the down-home simplicity found in a classic and common fruit."[32]

text: Fluttershy[edit]

text: Voiced by Andrea Libman

text: Fluttershy is a yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane, based on the "G1" earth pony Posey.[33] True to her name, she is "defined by her shy sweetness; soft, whispery voice; and tender, nurturing nature", as described by author Begin.[34] She possesses a unique affinity for animals that allows her to understand and communicate with them. She lives in a secluded meadow cottage in Ponyville, where she cares for multiple woodland creatures such as her "conniving and willful" pet rabbit Angel Bunny.[35][36] In many episodes, Fluttershy exhibits a more authoritative personality that emerges whenever a friend or animal is harmed in some way, in contrast to her normally fearful and submissive self.[37] Her most prominent ability is known as "the Stare", which causes any creature that meets her gaze to become "powerless and moved to meekness" while it is in effect.[38] Faust enjoyed writing for Fluttershy the most out of the show's characters due to her "relatable" struggles with fear, which Faust says brings potential "not just for great storytelling but [also for] great filmmaking".[23]

text: Spike[edit]

text: Voiced by Cathy Weseluck

text: Spike the Dragon[39] is a purple baby dragon with green spines, based on the "G1" and "G3" character of the same name. Hatched from an egg by a young Twilight Sparkle as part of her entrance exam for Celestia's academy, he fulfills the role of Twilight's "number one assistant", named so for his loyalty and skill at helping Twilight solve problems and learn lessons.[39][40] He is also described as having "an incurable crush on Rarity, an insatiable appetite for sparkly gems, and the uniquely comical ability to messenger letters via his fiery dragon breath."[39] Author Begin calls Spike a foil to the Mane Six in terms of personality, size, and shape, which "provides plenty of opportunity for exploring this difference in story lines."[40] He adopts a newborn phoenix named Peewee as a pet in the second-season episode "Dragon Quest", later returning Peewee to his family in season three's "Just for Sidekicks". Faust envisioned the character as "the sensitive little boy who has a lot of sisters and just seems to get along better with girls."[41] On Spike's role as a dragon outsider living among ponies, Meghan McCarthy says, "He's trying to figure out who he is. What beyond being Twilight's assistant is his role in this world? I think he really reflects how everybody feels at some point in their life."[39]

text: Secondary characters[edit]

text: Princess Celestia[edit]

text: Voiced by Nicole Oliver

text: Princess Celestia, based on the "G1" unicorn Majesty,[42] is a regal white alicorn depicted as the benevolent ruler of Equestria. Her design is larger, more mature, and more horse-like than the standard pony character, and she has a flowing, multicolored mane and tail resembling a celestial body.[43] As detailed in The Journal of the Two Sisters, Celestia has ruled Equestria for over one thousand years due to her kind's slowed aging, and her status as an alicorn is seen as a symbol of harmony between unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies.[44] She is responsible for magically raising the sun each day in the show's setting from her castle in Canterlot. She also acts as a mentor and, as described by Faust, "a bit of a surrogate parent" to Twilight Sparkle,[2] guiding her throughout the series' first three seasons to her eventual destiny as a princess of Equestria. She owns a mischievous pet phoenix named Philomena, who appears to be a "squaking old bird" before bursting into flames and renewing herself.[45] Faust's original concept for Celestia was a queen rather than a princess, reflecting her status as the "highest authority" in the series' setting. The change was made at Hasbro's statement that "girls assume that Queens are evil [...] and Princesses are good," and that "the perceived youth of a Princess is preferable to consumers."[46]

text: Princess Luna[edit]

text: Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, singing voice by Kazumi Evans ("Twilight's Kingdom") and Aloma Steele ("A Hearth's Warming Tail")

text: Princess Luna, also named "Selena" in earlier drafts, is a dark-blue alicorn and Princess Celestia's younger sister, designed and developed by Lynne Naylor.[47] She serves as co-ruler of Equestria alongside Celestia, using her magic to maintain the moon and safeguard her subjects' dreams during nighttime. Luna is introduced in the two opening episodes as Nightmare Moon, a malevolent, black-coated mare transformed by bitterness and jealousy towards her more beloved sister; as expounded in the comic series, her alter ego is a creation of the Nightmare Forces, a dark lunar miasma that preys on Luna's insecurities to convince her to become their host.[48] Banished to the moon by the reluctant Celestia in the series' past, Nightmare Moon returns from a millennial exile to evoke eternal night-time. The Mane Six use the Elements of Harmony to purify and reform Luna, who reconciles with her sister and resumes her royal duties in a weakened state. She sports a different design in later episodes with a darker coloration and starry mane, which represent her dominion over the night.[49] Several episodes depict Luna's "difficulty living in her older sister's shadow", such as adapting to modern Equestrian customs and repairing her public image.[47] Outside the television series, Luna owns a pet opossum named Tiberius that appears in several comics and chapter books.

text: Cutie Mark Crusaders[edit]

text: The Cutie Mark Crusaders are a trio of fillies who are bonded by their desire to earn their "cutie marks", symbols that adorn a pony's flank once they discover their special talents in life.[50] They are each depicted as younger sibling figures to the main cast except Scootaloo.[51] Several episodes of the series focus on the Crusaders' misadventures in trying to earn their marks in "the most unorthodox and sometimes less-than-productive ways."[51] This goal is achieved in the season five episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", where the members gain similarly-themed cutie marks when they recognize their true purpose in life is helping other ponies discover or interpret their own cutie marks.

text:
Apple Bloom (voiced by Michelle Creber) – Apple Bloom is a yellow earth pony filly with red mane and a pink mane bow, and is named for being "full of potential" and having "a lot of growing to do". She is the sassy younger sister of Applejack and Big McIntosh who formulates and spearheads most of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' "missions".[52]
Scootaloo (voiced by Madeleine Peters) – Scootaloo is an orange pegasus filly with purple mane, based on the "G3" pony of the same name. She 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, often trying to imitate Rainbow Dash's "too cool" attitude and athletic skill.[52]
Sweetie Belle (voiced by Claire Corlett, singing voice for seasons 1–3 by Michelle Creber)[53] – Sweetie Belle is a "sweet-natured and sometimes spacey" unicorn filly with a white coat and a lavender and pink-striped mane, based on the "G3" pony of the same name. She has "a blossoming talent for singing", and strives to become a fashion designer and gain the approval of her older sister, Rarity.[52]

text: In addition to the main trio, there are others who are accepted into the Cutie Mark Crusaders across the series:

text:
Babs Seed (voiced by Brynna Drummond) – Babs is an earth pony filly and "tough-talkin' Apple cousin from Manehattan",[52] debuting in the third-season episode "One Bad Apple". The character 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 own 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."[52] Babs earns her cutie mark as a hairstylist in the season five episode "Bloom & Gloom".
Gabby (voiced by Erin Mathews) – Gabby is a friendly and enthusiastic female griffon featured in the show's sixth season. Introduced as a social outcast from the griffon city of Griffonstone, she joins the Crusaders at the end of her debut episode, "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks", following her failed attempts to obtain her own cutie mark.

text: Discord[edit]

text: Voiced by John de Lancie

text: Discord is a spirit of chaos who first appeared in "The Return of Harmony". Primarily characterized as a nonsensical trickster,[54] he is a Greek mythology-inspired creature called a "draconequus" /drəˈkɒnɛkwʌs/ (from the Latin words meaning "dragon horse"), a serpentine being with a pony's head and numerous different animal parts, which is meant to symbolize his inharmonious nature.[55][56] He is shown to be opposed by Princesses Celestia and Luna in the series' distant past for tormenting ponies with his reality-bending powers, and he similarly faces the Mane Six during the premiere; both times, the ponies use the Elements of Harmony to turn him into stone. In the season three episode "Keep Calm and Flutter On", Discord is released under Celestia's decree to reform himself, which he does after Fluttershy treats him like a friend. He appears in later episodes as a reluctant ally of the Mane Six, occasionally causing mischief while struggling to become a better friend to them.[55]

text: Faust based Discord's character on Q, an omnipotent trickster played by John de Lancie on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The production team considered casting a soundalike of de Lancie to voice the character, and were surprised to learn that de Lancie himself was available.[57] The creative team developed Discord as "the one character who could break all of the rules of the show" by including more modern or contemporary references than usual in the series' "fantasy storybook" setting.[58][59] He was not intended to have a recurring role;[58] according to McCarthy, "'reforming' him allows us to tell new stories with his character. He gets to be the not-always-reliable ally instead of the known enemy."[55] Author Begin commented on the "chaotic" settings that accompany the character, such as his home dimension called Chaosville, likening them to "dream-inspired Salvador Dalí paintings."[60]

text: Princess Cadance and Shining Armor[edit]

text: Voiced by Britt McKillip (Princess Cadance) and Andrew Francis (Shining Armor)

text: Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor are Twilight Sparkle's older sister-in-law and brother, respectively, who both debuted in the season two finale "A Canterlot Wedding". Cadance, a kindhearted alicorn who is fully named Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, is Princess Celestia's adopted niece and Twilight's childhood "foal-sitter" (babysitter);[61] according to her backstory presented in Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell, Cadance is a former pegasus who turned into an alicorn after reversing an evil sorceress's love-stealing spell.[62] She marries the unicorn Shining Armor, who is the captain of Canterlot's royal guard and has a close relationship with his sister, for which he is nicknamed her "Big Brother Best Friend Forever" (B.B.B.F.F.).[61] In the third-season premiere, Celestia appoints Shining Armor and Cadance to rule the Crystal Empire, an "ancient city" that Cadance protects using the power of love so that their subjects, the shimmering coated "crystal ponies", may magically project their feelings of hope and love across Equestria.[63] In the season six premiere "The Crystalling", Cadance gives birth to an alicorn filly named Flurry Heart (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain).[64]

text: Starlight Glimmer[edit]

text: Voiced by Kelly Sheridan

text: Starlight Glimmer is a unicorn who debuted in the season five premiere "The Cutie Map". Initially appearing as a "perfectly pleasant-looking unicorn", Starlight proves to be a sinister figure who wishes to build a "perfectly equal society" by using her magic to remove other ponies' cutie marks; she cites her reasons as believing that differing degrees of ability cause disharmony between friends,[65] stemming from her estrangement from her childhood friend Sunburst (voiced by Ian Hanlin) after he earns his cutie mark before her. She later appears in the season finale "The Cutie Re-Mark" to take revenge against the Mane Six by traveling to the past and preventing their friendship before it starts. After realizing the catastrophic changes this causes in the present, Starlight is convinced to change her ways and make new friends. She appears in season six as Twilight's pupil who studies friendship alongside the Mane Six in Ponyville, a role she graduates from in the season seven episode "Celestial Advice". In season eight, she is made a guidance counselor for the School of Friendship. According to Miller, Starlight's design was chosen to parallel her role as a "proto-Twilight character".[65] Her original name during production was "Aurora Glimmer", which was changed due to the Walt Disney Company's trademark of the character name "Aurora".[66]

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text: Ponyville characters[edit]

text: Ponyville is the primary setting of the television series and home of the show's main characters. The town's unique locales were designed to reflect their characters, while the overall style of the town was largely influenced by Pennsylvania Dutch design, steampunk artwork, and European and Bavarian folklore.[67] The town also incorporates pony design elements such as horseshoes, hay bales, and troughs.[68]

text:
Big McIntosh (voiced by Peter New) – Big McIntosh, commonly called Big Mac, is a large earth pony stallion who is Applejack and Apple Bloom's older brother. He "generally doesn't have much to say", and often speaks only by replying "eeyup" and "nope".[69]
Granny Smith (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – Granny Smith is an earth pony whos is the grandmother of Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big McIntosh. She is depicted as a "wise matriarch" who has sharp wit and a "fuzzy" memory, and she is stated to be one of Ponyville's first settlers.[69]
Mayor Mare (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) – Mayor Mare is an earth pony who is the mayor of Ponyville.[70]
Cake family – Mr. Carrot Cake (voiced by Brian Drummond) and Mrs. Cup Cake (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain), both earth ponies, are the owners of the Sugarcube Corner bakery. In the season two episode "Baby Cakes", Mrs. Cake gives birth to twin foals, a pegasus colt named Pound (voiced by St. Germain), and a unicorn filly named Pumpkin (voiced by Andrea Libman).[70]
Cheerilee (voiced by Nicole Oliver) – Cheerilee is an earth pony based on the "G3" toy of the same name, appearing as a school-teacher at the Ponyville Schoolhouse.[70]
Snips and Snails (voiced by Lee Tockar and Richard Ian Cox) – Snips and Snails are a pair of dimwitted unicorn colts who creates mischief in Ponyville. The short and pudgy Snips is "known for his enthusiasm", while the taller Snails is "slightly more relaxed".[71]
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (voiced by Chantal Strand and Shannon Chan-Kent) – Diamond Tiara and her cohort Silver Spoon are two wealthy, snobbish earth pony fillies who tease the Cutie Mark Crusaders for not having their cutie marks, calling them "blank flanks".[71] It is shown in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" that Diamond Tiara's behavior stems from her stress about meeting the expectations of her father Filthy Rich (voiced by Brian Drummond) and mother Spoiled Rich (voiced by Strand), who are practically the reason for her snobbiness. By the episode's end, she and Silver Spoon make peace with the Crusaders.
Pipsqueak (voiced by William Lawrenson in "Luna Eclipsed" and Graham Verchere in all other appearances) – Pipsqueak, also named Pip, is a pinto earth pony colt who hails from Trottingham, a location outside of Ponyville.[71] He speaks with a Cockney accent in most of his appearances.
Cranky Doodle and Matilda (voiced by Richard Newman and Brenda Crichlow) – Cranky Doodle Donkey is a donkey and "crotchety old grouch" who rejects Pinkie Pie's friendship until she re-unites him with his long-lost "special friend" Matilda, a female donkey.[72] The two marry in the one-hundredth episode "Slice of Life".
Bulk Biceps (voiced by Jayson Thiessen/Michael Dobson) – Bulk Biceps is a muscular pegasus stallion with small wings. His design was partially based on John Kricfalusi's animation style.[73] He first appears as a nameless gag character in the season two episode "Hurricane Fluttershy", where his shouts of "Yeah!" (attributed to "pony walla") are recorded by Thiessen.[74] Dobson performs the character in full speaking appearances starting with season four's "Rainbow Falls".

text: Canterlot characters[edit]

text: Canterlot is the mountainside capital of Equestria, named after the castle Camelot of Arthurian legend. The city is home to the country's upper-class elite, including Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who reside in the local castle. Canterlot was designed to give the sense of its residents' royalty and nobility.[75]

text:
Prince Blueblood (voiced by Vincent Tong) – Blueblood is Princess Celestia's unicorn nephew and an object of Rarity's affections in the first season until he proves to be "quite vain" and "a pompous fool".[76][77]
Hoity Toity (voiced by Trevor Devall) – Hoity Toity is an earth pony "fashion guru" who gives make-or-break critiques to designers.[78]
Photo Finish (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – Photo Finish is a famed earth pony fashion photographer who speaks with an Austrian accent.[78]
Sapphire Shores (voiced by Rena Anakwe) – Sapphire is an earth pony singer known as the "Pony of Pop", based on the "G3" toy of the same name.[78]
Fancy Pants (voiced by Trevor Devall) – Fancy Pants is a good-natured unicorn socialite with the highest position in elite Canterlot society, often appearing with a readily agreeable entourage.[78]
Sassy Saddles (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) – Sassy is a unicorn who is the manager of "Canterlot Carousel", Rarity's boutique in Canterlot that opens in the season five episode "Canterlot Boutique". Her design was inspired by Emily Blunt's character Emily Charlton in The Devil Wears Prada.[79]

text: Cloudsdale characters[edit]

text: Cloudsdale is the home and birthplace of several pegasus characters such as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. It is depicted as a floating city of clouds where pegasi produce Equestria's clouds, weather and rainbows inside a specialized "weather factory".[80] The city's design was influenced by Greek and Roman architecture, which author Begin states "harks back to the original Olympic Games, [...] a fitting reference for Rainbow Dash."[81]

text:
The Wonderbolts – The Wonderbolts are a squad of pegasi that perform "aerial feats of wonder", based on the Blue Angels.[82] They are captained by Spitfire (voiced by Nicole Oliver in the episode "Sonic Rainboom" and Kelly Metzger in all other appearances), a "spirited competitor" and "no-nonsense instructor" at the Wonderbolts' training academy,[83][84] and her second-in-command Soarin (voiced by Matt Hill). Their costumes were designed by Craig McCracken.[85] According to writer Amy Keating Rogers, the name of the Wonderbolts' founder, General Firefly, is a tribute to Faust's online username "fyre-flye", in turn named after the "G1" toy Firefly.[86]
Boy Bullies[87] – A trio of pegasus stallions introduced in "Sonic Rainboom" serve as Rainbow Dash's childhood bullies. They consist of Hoops (voiced by Kathleen Barr in "Sonic Rainboom" and Terry Klassen in all other appearances)[88][89] and two nameless ponies nicknamed "Billy/Dumb-Bell" (voiced by Richard Ian Cox in "Sonic Rainboom" and Brian Drummond in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles")[88][89] and the unvoiced "Score".

text: Major antagonists[edit]

text:
Nightmare Moon (see Princess Luna)
Discord (see above)
Queen Chrysalis (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – Chrysalis is the leader of the changelings, a race of "grotesque shape-shifting ponies" that gain power by feeding off of ponies' love for each other.[90] She first appears in "A Canterlot Wedding", where she leads an invasion of Canterlot by impersonating Princess Cadance to control her fiancé Shining Armor, only for the changelings to be driven off by the couple's combined magic. She also features in "To Where and Back Again", where she is deposed by Thorax (voiced by Kyle Rideout), a benevolent changeling who persuades the rest of their kind to share love rather than steal it. Chrysalis makes additional appearances in the comic series, seeking revenge against the ponies responsible for her defeat from the television series. Character designer Rebecca Dart drew Chrysalis and the other changelings with an insect-like design after reading the character's name in the script, drawing inspiration from manga artists Junko Mizuno and Hideshi Hino.[91]
King Sombra (voiced by Jim Miller) – Sombra is a tyrant unicorn king who first appears in "The Crystal Empire". Described as a "snarling black-hearted monster", he is said to have enslaved the crystal ponies until Celestia and Luna banished him as a shadowy mass during Equestria's history.[90] His efforts to reclaim the Crystal Empire are thwarted when he is destroyed by the magical Crystal Heart that protects the city. The comics explore Sombra's role as an "umbrum", a shadow pony who embraced his kind's monstrous nature after being rejected by the crystal ponies, only to be restored to life and redeemed by Radiant Hope, his childhood friend. Miller based his performance on the vocals of Mastodon song "Crystal Skull".[92]
Lord Tirek (voiced by Mark Acheson) – Tirek is a red-skinned, bull-like centaur who first appears in "Twilight's Kingdom". Based on the character of the same name from the animated My Little Pony special Rescue at Midnight Castle, he is depicted in Friendship Is Magic as an ancient and diabolical tyrant who escapes from the prison realm of Tartarus, manipulating Discord to help him steal all magic from Equestria's ponies. The Mane Six eventually defeat and reimprison him with their "Rainbow Power", a more formidable magic acquired from the Tree of Harmony. Character designer Phil Caesar strove to make Tirek appear as intimidating as he could without being deemed "too scary" for younger audiences, giving him design elements such as a black upper body to "tone down the intensity".[93]
Starlight Glimmer (see above)
Pony of Shadows (voiced by Bill Newton) – First mentioned in "Castle Mane-ia" as the subject of a ghost story, the Pony of Shadows first appears in "Shadow Play". He is the alter ego of Stygian, a resentful unicorn who is mistaken for a traitor and shunned by his allies, the Pillars of Old Equestria, and bonded with a malevolent entity that takes the form of a shadowy, alicorn-like monster. He is inadvertently freed alongside the Pillars by the Mane Six, thwarting the heroes' millennium-long effort to contain him in limbo. Stygian's innocence is eventually recognized by the Pillars, who work alongside the Mane Six to separate him from the shadow creature, which is returned to limbo in his place.

text: Other characters[edit]

text:
Gilda (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse) – Gilda is a female griffon featured in the season one episode "Griffon the Brush Off". She is introduced as a childhood friend of Rainbow Dash, who later ends their friendship when Gilda tries to assert herself over Rainbow Dash's pony friends by bullying them.[94] The two later reconnect in the season five episode "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone".
Trixie (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – Trixie is a traveling unicorn magician and braggart who exaggerates her magical abilities, calling herself "The Great and Powerful Trixie". She makes appearances in the show and various spin-offs as either an anti-hero or villain,[95] beginning as a rival to Twilight Sparkle in the season one episode "Boast Busters", but becoming more apologetic after seeing the error of her vengeful actions in season three's "Magic Duel".[94] She appears in various episodes during seasons six and seven, forming a friendship with Starlight Glimmer, another reformed unicorn.
Dragons – The dragons that appear throughout the series are generally depicted as selfish and reclusive creatures, and their level of greed determines their physical size.[96] They are governed by a Dragon Lord, the gargantuan Torch (voiced by Matt Cowlrick), who is succeeded by his moody yet compassionate daughter, Princess Ember (voiced by Ali Milner), in the season six episode "Gauntlet of Fire". A teenage dragon, Garble (voiced by Vincent Tong), leads a gang of "bad-natured bullies" and becomes an adversary of Spike.[97] Begin describes the dragon designs used in the show as "traditional", while finding that their "exaggerated noses and large heads resting on exceptionally skinny necks" is evocative of the show's humor.[98]
Zecora (voiced by Brenda Crichlow) – Zecora is a zebra shaman and herbalist who always speaks in rhyme and lives in the Everfree Forest, a "mysterious" forest on the edge of Ponyville.[99] The townsfolk misjudge her as an "evil enchantress" until the Mane Six befriend her in the episode "Bridle Gossip", often turning to her for her wisdom afterwards.[100] Her appearance and mannerisms are influenced by African tribal cultures.[101]
Apple family – The Apples are Applejack's extended family of earth ponies that live throughout Equestria. Family members include Braeburn (voiced by Michael Daingerfield), Applejack's cousin from Appleloosa, a "Wild West" town;[69][102] her "high-society" Aunt and Uncle Orange (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain and Brian Drummond) from the "bustling city" of Manehattan;[102] Hayseed Turnip Truck (voiced by Trevor Devall), a yokel-type odd-job worker; Babs Seed (see Cutie Mark Crusaders); Auntie Applesauce and Apple Rose (voiced by St. Germain and Ashleigh Ball), two older relatives and friends of Granny Smith; Goldie Delicious (voiced by Peter New), an old cat lady who hoards family heirlooms; and Grand Pear (voiced by William Shatner), Applejack's maternal grandfather and patriarch of the rival Pear family. A possible distant relationship between the Apple and Pie families is uncovered in the season four episode "Pinkie Apple Pie", but is never confirmed.
Pie family – The Pies are Pinkie Pie's family who live on a rock farm outside of Ponyville. They are depicted as a clan of dour, drably colored earth ponies in contrast to Pinkie's bright appearance and personality.[52] They consist of Pinkie's father Igneous Rock (voiced by Terry Klassen in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" and Peter New in "Hearthbreakers"), mother Cloudy Quartz (voiced by Andrea Libman in "Hearthbreakers"), and three sisters (all voiced by Ingrid Nilson): Limestone Pie, the surly oldest sister; Marble Pie, Pinkie's withdrawn, younger twin; and Maud Pie, an older sister who rarely expresses emotion and is obsessed with rocks, introduced in the show's fourth season.
Starswirl the Bearded (voiced by Christopher Britton) – Starswirl is a unicorn and historical figure in the series, originally envisioned as an archetypal wizard character with a prominent beard, similar to Merlin.[103] As detailed in the series and various tie-in media, he mentored Equestria's co-founder Clover the Clever and served as Celestia and Luna's royal adviser in their youth.[44] Starswirl's spellbook is a key figure in "Magical Mystery Cure", where Twilight is directed by Princess Celestia to finish Starswirl's "unfinished masterpiece" written within, resulting in her ascension as an alicorn princess of Equestria. He is depicted in the seventh season finale "Shadow Play" and the accompanying Legends of Magic comic series as the leader of the Pillars of Old Equestria, six legendary ponies responsible for creating the Elements of Harmony. He and the other Pillars are brought into the present era after being released from a millennial imprisonment in limbo alongside the Pony of Shadows, forming a tense alliance with the Mane Six to defeat and ultimately rekindle his friendship with the villain.
Flim Flam Brothers (voiced by Samuel Vincent and Scott McNeil) – Flim and his mustachioed brother Flam are two traveling unicorn "salesponies" and con artists who use song and dance to enthrall ponies into buying their usually faulty wares.[104] Writer M.A. Larson said he "particularly enjoyed" writing for Flim and Flam, saying that "their energy and optimism infuses the actual writing".[104]
Daring Do (voiced by Chiara Zanni) – Daring Do is a pegasus and main character of the fictional Daring Do adventure novel series parodying Indiana Jones.[105] Author Begin describes her as "essentially a different-colored Rainbow Dash in a hat".[106] In the season four episode "Daring Don't", the books' author A.K. Yearling (a parody of J.K. Rowling)[107] is discovered to be Daring Do herself, who writes her books after her real adventures, such as her encounters with the Aztec mythology-based villain Ahuizotl (voiced by Brian Drummond) and criminal pony Dr. Caballeron (voiced by Michael Dobson).[108]
Coco Pommel (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) – Coco is an earth pony fashion designer who works in Manehattan. She is introduced in the season four episode "Rarity Takes Manehattan" as the assistant to Suri Polomare (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain), Rarity's chief rival in a fashion competition, and quits after observing Suri's unscrupulous tactics for winning. Her name is a reference to fashion designer Coco Chanel; it was later changed to "Miss Pommel" prior to the show's sixth season for "legal reasons".[109]
Young Six[110] – The "Young Six" are six adolescent creatures who attend the School of Friendship run by the Mane Six in season eight. They consist of Smolder (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent), a cocky and competitive dragon; Ocellus (voiced by Devyn Dalton), a timid changeling who prefers to assume other creatures' forms; Silverstream (voiced by Lauren Jackson), Queen Novo's hyperactive niece who can alternate between the forms of a hippogriff and seapony; Yona (voiced by Katrina Salisbury), a friendly and clumsy yak; Gallus (voiced by Gavin Langelo), a sarcastic griffon; and Sandbar (voiced by Vincent Tong), a laid-back earth pony.

text: Background characters[edit]

text: The show features an extensive cast of over 200 minor characters, also designated "background ponies",[111] that are used to fill out crowd scenes and serve as visual gags in episodes.[3] Several background ponies have been well received by the show's brony fanbase, who have assigned names and more detailed personalities to them.[3] As a response to fan interest, the series' creative team have given these characters expanded roles in later episodes and media,[111] such as the show's one-hundredth episode "Slice of Life", which presents the characters' daily lives as the episode's central focus.[112]

text:
Derpy/Muffins[113][114] (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – "Derpy" is the name assigned to a cross-eyed pegasus who makes several background appearances in the show. Originally the subject of an overlooked animator's joke in the first episode, the character was dubbed "Derpy Hooves" (based on the Internet slang word "derp") and characterized as a well-meaning klutz by 4chan board users.[3] The creators have since recognized "Derpy" as the fandom's mascot and included her in scripted easter eggs throughout the show.[3][115] She was addressed by name and given lines during the initial broadcast of the second-season episode "The Last Roundup" as a direct call-out to the fandom. Following complaints from viewers who felt her appearance and actions negatively reflected those of mentally handicapped people, the scene was modified to remove the character's name, alter her voice, and reduce the degree to which her eyes are crossed.[116] Amidst concerns that Derpy would be removed from the series due to these responses, the character was re-introduced in the fourth season as a "surprise" for fans after having been reduced to background cameos in previous episodes.[117] According to Miller, the character was renamed "Muffins" for "legal reasons that I don't understand" prior to her credited appearance in "Slice of Life".[118]
DJ Pon-3/Vinyl Scratch – DJ Pon-3 (/poʊnˈθriː/) is a silent unicorn disc jockey rarely seen without headphones and sunglasses, first seen in "Suited for Success".[76] The names "DJ Pon-3" and "Vinyl Scratch" were created by the fan community, with the former being used in official products, such as the "Equestria Girls" music video parodying Katy Perry's song "California Gurls".[119]
Dr. Hooves/Time Turner (voiced by Peter New) – An earth pony background character, his name was coined as "Doctor Whooves" by fans for his purported resemblance to David Tennant's portrayal of the Tenth Doctor in the British television series Doctor Who.[120] He appears in later episodes as Ponyville's eccentric timekeeper, and he exhibits similarities to his namesake in episodes such as "Slice of Life". He is voiced by various actors besides New, who performs him in his major speaking appearance in "Slice of Life".
Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops (voiced by Ashleigh Ball and Andrea Libman) – The unicorn Lyra and earth pony Sweetie Drops (also named Bon Bon after the "G1" pony) are two incidental characters who appear together as best friends in several scenes; one such scene in "Slice of Life" outs Sweetie Drops as a disavowed secret agent living in Ponyville under the assumed identity "Bon Bon". They are voiced by various actresses, with Ball voicing Lyra and Libman as Sweetie Drops in "Slice of Life" and the Friendship Games film and shorts.
Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts (voiced by Rebecca Husain, Tabitha St. Germain and Ashleigh Ball) – Often appearing separately as incidental characters, these three unicorns are given focus in the series premiere and season five episode "Amending Fences" as Twilight Sparkle's often neglected friends from before her move to Ponyville, while Minuette and Twinkleshine appear alongside Lyra Heartstrings as Princess Cadance's bridesmaids in "A Canterlot Wedding". Among various other actresses, they are voiced by Husain (Minuette), St. Germain (Twinkleshine), and Ball (Lemon Hearts) in "Amending Fences".
Octavia Melody (voiced by Kazumi Evans) – Octavia is an earth pony who plays the cello, originally seen in "The Best Night Ever".[76] She is featured in a scene in "Slice of Life" where she rehearses an "electric cello dubstep" number with fellow musician DJ Pon-3 for Cranky and Matilda's wedding; Octavia's portion of the song was performed by Tina Guo.[121]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The characters of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic have received praise, and are cited as one of the reasons the series' older fans, called "bronies", became attracted to the show.[122] In his review of the show, Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club complimented the characters' stylized appearance and defined personalities, while favorably noting that "the show uses them well to come up with fun stories and bounce solid jokes off of each other."[50] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media, an organization focusing on the parenting aspect of children's media, felt the characters posed a positive influence on children with themes tolerance and respect for one another, and that they "don't let their diverse personalities keep them from forging relationships." However, she advised parents to be wary of the "influence the characters might have on their kids' desires, since it's rooted in a well-known product line of books, toys, and just about everything in between."[123] Los Angeles Times critic Robert Lloyd praised the show's diverse female characterization, but noted the smaller male cast by comparison, calling them "largely beside the point".[124]

text: Kathleen Richter of Ms. was dismissive of the characters in her critique of the show in comparison to other girls' shows, which she considered "so sexist and racist and heteronormative". For example, she suggested that the character of Rainbow Dash was used to promote the stereotype that "all feminists are angry, tomboyish lesbians." She also considered that the only darker-colored ponies shown at the time were in positions of servitude towards the "white pony overlord".[125] Lauren Faust responded to these claims by stating that while Rainbow Dash was a tomboy, "nowhere in the show is her sexual orientation ever referenced" and "assuming [tomboys] are lesbians is extremely unfair to both straight and lesbian tomboys", and further stating that "Color has never, ever been depicted as a race indicator for the ponies."[2] The portrayal of the character Derpy in the second season episode "The Last Roundup" received a negative response from some viewers, who felt her crossed eyes and klutzy mannerisms were insulting to mentally handicapped persons;[116] Hasbro's subsequent modifications to the scene to reduce such character traits were also received poorly.[116]

text: Notes[edit]

text: Jump up ^ Libman provides Pinkie Pie's singing voice for some songs.

tag: ol


document_title: Iron Chef America

question_text: when do iron chefs learn the secret ingredient

text: Iron Chef America

text: The Iron Chefs[edit]

text: On this version of Iron Chef, the Iron Chefs have either been previous Food Network personalities, are current personalities, were part of the original Iron Chef, or earned their position on The Next Iron Chef.[3]

text: Iron Chef statistics[edit]

text: The win/loss data is based solely on the performance of the participant as an Iron Chef in Iron Chef America: The Series and the Battle of the Masters (BOM).

text: Current[edit]

text:
Iron Chef
Seasons
Specialty
Win
Loss
Draw
Total
Win %[a]

Flay, BobbyBobby Flay
BOM, 1 – 12
Southwestern
43
16
2
61
.721

Forgione, MarcMarc Forgione[b]
9 – 12
Modern American
7
7
0
14
.500

Garces, JoseJose Garces[c]
8 – 12
Latin Fusion
16
7
0
23
.696

Guarnaschelli, AlexandraAlexandra Guarnaschelli[d]
11 – 12
Modern American
4
3
0
7
.571

Morimoto, MasaharuMasaharu Morimoto[e]
BOM, 1 – 12
Japanese
26
17
1
44
.602

Symon, MichaelMichael Symon[f]
5 – 12
Mediterranean
34
7
1
42
.821

Zakarian, GeoffreyGeoffrey Zakarian[g]
10 – 12
Modern American
9
5
0
14
.643

text:
Jump up ^ Based on weighted average (.5 victory for a draw). The win/loss data is based on the performance of the Iron Chef in Iron Chef America: The Series and the Battle of the Masters.
Jump up ^ Forgione's record does not include his victory over Marco Canora in the finale of The Next Iron Chef as Forgione did not hold the title Iron Chef during that battle.
Jump up ^ Garces's record does not include his defeat of Flay in Battle Melon, or his victory over Jehangir Mehta in the finale of The Next Iron Chef as Garces did not hold the title Iron Chef during either battle.
Jump up ^ Guarnaschelli's record does not include her loss to Cora in Battle Farmer's Market, nor her victory over Amanda Freitag in the finale of"The Next Iron Chef" as Guarnaschelli did not hold the title Iron Chef during either battle.
Jump up ^ Morimoto's record includes his battle as a competitor in the Battle of the Masters, but does not include his battles against Bobby Flay while an Iron Chef on the Japanese program, nor does it include his 16-7-1 record as an Iron Chef in the original Japanese program.
Jump up ^ Symon's record excludes his loss to Morimoto in Battle Asparagus, and his victory over John Besh in the finale of The Next Iron Chef, which took place prior to his becoming an Iron Chef.
Jump up ^ Zakarian's record does not include his loss to Morimoto in Battle Sardines, or his victory over Elizabeth Falkner in the finale of The Next Iron Chef as Zakarian did not hold the title Iron Chef during either battle.

text: Former[edit]

text:
Iron Chef
Seasons
Specialty
Win
Loss
Draw
Total
Win %[a]

Batali, MarioMario Batali
BOM, 1 – 6
Italian
19
5
0
24
.792

Cora, CatCat Cora
1 – 10
Greek/Mediterranean
21
12
1
34
.632

Puck, WolfgangWolfgang Puck[b]
BOM
California cuisine
1
0
0
1
1.000

text:
Jump up ^ Cite error: The named reference auto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Jump up ^ Wolfgang Puck was an Iron Chef for one battle, during the Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters mini-series; he defeated Iron Chef Morimoto. When the show was picked up as a regular series, Puck could not remain an Iron Chef, and was replaced by Morimoto. He is considered as a retired Iron Chef.

text: Jackets[edit]

text: Each Iron Chef wears a specially designed chef's jacket, a simplified version of the more stylized attire worn by the Japanese Iron Chefs, along with an apron and trousers of their choice for each battle. Through the Battle of the Masters and the show's first six seasons, the Iron Chefs wore contemporary denim chef's jackets with individualized solid-colored patches and trim: Batali's jacket trim was red, Cora's pink, Flay's blue, Morimoto's white, Puck's green and Symon's black. On the left shoulder of each jacket was a flag representing the Chef's country of origin.

text: During the show's sixth season, designer and Iron Chef America judge Marc Ecko designed new jackets for the Iron Chefs, which were first worn on the 2008 "Thanksgiving Showdown" episode. The jackets are individualized for each chef and include features such as short sleeves for Symon's jacket that make it resemble the black shirts he wears at his restaurant, Lola, or men's kimono styling and colors for Morimoto's jacket that suggest the costume he wore on the original Iron Chef. With the exception of Symon and Garces (whose long sleeves were shortened for his second season on ICA), the jackets have long, turn-back sleeves. Colors differ by chef: charcoal grey (Flay), black (Symon), light blue (Cora), silver with a red undershirt (Morimoto), white with light brown trim (Batali), white with green trim (Lagasse, for Battle White House produce), brown with wide red edging (Garces), grey with white trim (Forgione), grey with black trim (Zakarian), and black with white trim (Guarnaschelli). "Iron Chef" with the chef's last name underneath is embroidered in the font from the show's logo on the left front side of the jacket, in the manner of a traditional chef's coat. The jackets also include a large embroidered Iron Chef patch on the right arm also bearing the chef's name, and an American flag on the left sleeve.

text: History[edit]

text: Iron Chef America first aired as a special titled Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters. Unlike Iron Chef USA, Iron Chef America quickly earned legitimacy with the appearance of Iron Chefs Hiroyuki Sakai and Masaharu Morimoto. (Chen Kenichi was also originally slated to appear, but he was absent due to a scheduling conflict.) The first Battle of the Masters involved Sakai and Flay, with the theme of trout. There, Sakai had made two dishes of note: one was gift-wrapped to commemorate the opening of Kitchen Stadium America, while the other was trout ice cream, a dish that would be repeatedly recalled and referred to later on when anyone used the ice cream maker. Other battles in Battle of the Masters were Morimoto taking on Batali, Morimoto taking on Wolfgang Puck, and a tag team battle where Morimoto and Flay teamed up against Sakai and Batali. Battle of the Masters was largely successful and a regular series was commissioned.

text: The regular series is taped in New York, while Battle of the Masters took place in Los Angeles at Los Angeles Center Studios. Because of his other interests, Puck was forced to decline to appear in the regular series, and Morimoto took his place. Later that season, Cat Cora debuted as an Iron Chef during "Battle Potato", becoming the first female chef to hold the rank.

text: The second season of Iron Chef America began airing in July 2005. This season saw its first and second ties on the American show: the first aired on July 31, 2005, with both challenger and Iron Chef receiving 45 points. In this case, unlike Iron Chef, there is no overtime, although a rematch was suggested by Alton Brown. The third such tied result occurred in Season Three, when Susur Lee challenged Bobby Flay in Battle Bacon.

text: Starting November 2006, Australia's SBS, the domestic rights holder to the original Iron Chef program, started airing Iron Chef America: The Battle Of The Masters, replacing the original Japanese incarnation of the program. On December 9, Season 1 of Iron Chef America began airing. The show was scheduled to run until February 17, 2007, but due to viewer feedback, SBS ended broadcast of Iron Chef America three weeks early and resumed showing the original Iron Chef on February 3, 2007.

text: Starting in Season 8, Mario Batali was dropped from the show's opening sequence, though he continues to appear in on-air promos for the show. Despite his appearance during the special battle in which he was teamed up with Emeril Lagasse against Flay and White House Chef Cristeta Comerford, it is not clear whether or not he will return to compete in Iron Chef America on a regular basis. In a July 2010 interview with Slashfood's Allen Salkin, Batali explained that his absence from the series was due to travel conflicts with the show's summer shooting schedule and expressed a desire to appear in 2-3 battles for Season 9.[4] However, in a May 2012 interview with The Atlantic, Batali later explained that he resented the decision to move away from serious food critics to "skinny little actresses" and other personalities he felt weren't credible enough to judge his cuisine.[5] After the 2014 season, the show was put on hiatus; it has not returned as of 2017 and many important personnel have moved on to other projects.

text: On July 25, 2017 Alton Brown tweeted and Food Network announced that Iron Chef America would be returning in last quarter of 2017 as "Iron Chef Showdown". [6][7]

text: Format[edit]

text: After the active Iron Chefs are introduced by Alton Brown, the challenger chef is introduced. The Iron Chef introduction sequence is sometimes skipped in the holiday shows and other specials. In the first two seasons, the Chairman announced the challenger's Iron Chef opponent. Starting with Season 3, the show returned to the format of its predecessor, where the challenger chef selects the Iron Chef they will battle. In reality, the match-ups are determined well in advance in all three incarnations of the show, which is not to say that the challengers have no influence on the selection of their opponent.

text: An ingredient or group of ingredients (referred to as the "secret ingredient(s)") is revealed, and the cooking begins. On occasion, the ingredients are actually a 'theme meal;' for example, eggs, bacon, potatoes, etc. are revealed and thus the "secret ingredient" is breakfast. Just as with the original Iron Chef, the "secret" ingredient is not truly secret. Both the competitor and the Iron Chef are given a list of three to five ingredients before the battle, of which one will be the secret ingredient.[8]

text: Unlike Iron Chef, where chefs had roughly 5 minutes to discuss their strategy before the battle begins, the revelation of the theme ingredient occurs 45 minutes before the start of the battle. However, this segment is not shown on television, and it is a common assumption that the battle starts immediately after the secret ingredient is revealed. This practice was described on an episode of Unwrapped.

text: The Chairman announces the start of each battle with:

text:
"There's the Chairman's familiar "Allez Cuisine!" the French phrase that calls the Iron Chefs to culinary battle."

—Alton Brown (Flay v. Tsai)

tag: div

text: "Allez cuisine!" (loosely translated as "Go cook!" or "Start cooking!") is the phrase that started battles in the original Japanese series (hence the reference to his uncle, Chairman Kaga).

text: On Iron Chef America, both the challenger and the Iron Chef have 60 minutes to prepare a minimum of five dishes based on a theme ingredient. Starting with Season 11 (2012–13), the first course is due to the judges 20 minutes after the start. After that point, a "culinary curveball" is announced by the chairman. It can be an ingredient, piece of equipment, or plating device. Each chef is required to integrate the item into at least one of their remaining dishes, and receives scoring from the judges based on their use.

text: After the first commercial break, Brown typically asks Kevin Brauch to introduce the judges. Generally, Kevin pays homage to the program's origins by adding, Konban Wa (Japanese for "Good evening") to his introduction. Unlike the original series, none of the judges participate in the running commentary, although Brown or Brauch visit with them roughly mid-battle for their comments on the ongoing action and the secret ingredient. Over the course of the cooking hour, Brown may also provide further information on the theme ingredient, using visual aids as required.

text: The dishes are tasted by the chairman and a panel of three judges, two of whom are professional food critics (a contrast to the original Iron Chef, which typically had one professional food critic as a judge). Like the original Iron Chef, each chef can be awarded up to 20 points by each judge; consisting of 10 points for taste, 5 for plating (the appearance or presentation of the dishes), and 5 for originality. The rules are explained by Kevin Brauch before judging. The chef with the higher score is declared the winner. If there is a tie, it remains as the final result, unlike Iron Chef, where an overtime battle was immediately called with a new theme ingredient; however, if the overtime battle also resulted in a tie, that would be the final result. (Also in contrast with the original, the final scores are subdivided by category, rather than by individual judge.) Starting with Season 11 (2012–13), an additional 10 points per judge is also available: up to 5 points for the first dish presentation, and up to 5 points for the use of the "culinary curveball". The scoring for the first dish is revealed shortly after the dishes are presented to and tasted by the judges, and the total score (including the "culinary curveball" points) is reserved for the judgment and revelation of the winner.

text: Iron Chef America is not affiliated with any culinary institution, unlike Iron Chef, which was associated with Hattori Nutrition College. Chefs also bring in their own sous-chefs. Like Iron Chef, each chef is allowed two sous-chefs. In tag-team or two-on-one battles, both chefs on one side each bring one sous-chef. On the original Iron Chef, early episodes had two chefs without sous-chefs, while later episodes had two chefs and one sous-chef per side. The sous-chefs employed by the Iron Chefs are as follows:

text:
Batali – Anne Burrell and Mark Ladner
Cora – Lorilynn Bauer, David Schimmel, Ed Cotton, Richard Blais (other sous-chefs have been employed on occasion)
Flay – Flay employs a rotating staff of sous-chefs from his restaurants
Morimoto – Ariki Omae, Makoto Okuwa, and Jamison Blankenship (other sous-chefs have been employed on occasion)
Symon – Cory Barrett and Derek Clayton
Garces – Dave Conn, MacGregor Mann, Jessica Mogardo
Forgione – rotating staff of sous-chefs from Forgione's restaurants
Zakarian – Paul Corsentino, Eric Haugen, Alex Guarnaschelli (before her promotion to Iron Chef)
Guarnaschelli – Ashley Merriman and Wirt Cook

text: All of the sous-chefs for both the Iron Chef and challenger are informally introduced at some point in the contest, unlike the original Iron Chef. Sous-chefs have occasionally entered into battle against Iron Chefs, including the Iron Chef under whom they worked.

text: The rules in Iron Chef America are thought to favor the Iron Chef less[citation needed] than the original program, however, some challengers have noted favoritism in the selection of theme ingredients.[11] On Iron Chef, the Iron Chef's food was always tasted second, while on Iron Chef America, the chef whose food is tasted first is determined by toss of coin before the show.

text: Since the tasting and judgment take upwards of 45 minutes to complete (although it is edited down in post-production), the chef serving second is allowed to reheat his or her dishes, as was allowed on Iron Chef.

text: Several of the secrets to how the show is taped were revealed in an episode of Unwrapped entitled "Food Network Unwrapped 2." It was stated that the chefs find out what the secret ingredient is about 15 minutes before the battle begins because the opening sequence is recorded many times. It is only the final taping of this sequence where the words "Allez cuisine!" are said and the battle begins. Moreover, at the end of the one-hour battle, the chefs must still prepare 4 plates of each of their 5 dishes for the judges and the Chairman. This is done during a 45-minute period after the battle ends and before tasting begins. They consider this to be part of the competition, and it is timed, but it is not recorded or shown to the viewers. The plates which the audience sees prepared during the one-hour battle are the plates used to obtain close-up footage of the dish for use in the final episode. Usually, on taping days, two different battles will be taped, one beginning at about 10 a.m. and the second at about 4 p.m. A Food Network crew has about 90 minutes between each show to clean the set and prepare for the second show.

text: Chefs provide the producers with shopping lists for each of the possible secret ingredients. Consequently, they can surmise what the secret ingredient will be just before it is officially revealed, based on which of their items were purchased.[11]

text: Special battles[edit]

text: ICA will occasionally stage special themed battles, generally during the holiday period. The first of these was held on November 12, 2006. A special 90-minute episode of Iron Chef America pitted two guest Food Network personalities, Giada De Laurentiis and Rachael Ray, the latter of whom does not consider herself a chef due to lack of formal training, against each other after they each received tips and training from Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Mario Batali, respectively. While the early part of the episode made it appear as though it would be a head-to-head battle, the Chairman announced just prior to the secret ingredient reveal that it would in fact be a tag-team battle, with each of the women joined by the Iron Chef who trained her. The secret ingredient for the special was cranberries. The expanded timeframe allowed for longer cuts of the competition hour and the tasting segments to be presented, and the show as a whole had a more laid-back feel than regular ICA episodes. Plenty of joking and good-natured ribbing took place on both sides of the kitchen, such as Batali's effort to "bribe" the judges with cranberry bellini cocktails. The battle was won by Iron Chef Batali and guest chef Ray.

text: A second special holiday episode premiered on Sunday, November 25, 2007. This special, titled Iron Chef America: All Star Holiday Dessert Battle, paired Iron Chef Cat Cora and popular Food Network personality Paula Deen against fellow Food Network chefs Tyler Florence and Robert Irvine, with sugar as the secret ingredient. While this special was the usual 60-minutes in length, the tone was similar to the previous ICA special, with lots of "smack talking" and teasing among the four chefs. Iron Chef Cora and guest chef Deen's team emerged victorious.

text: On October 26, 2008, a Halloween battle took place between Iron Chef Michael Symon and former Next Iron Chef competitor Chris Cosentino. The theme ingredient was offal (organ meats, pig trotters, coxcombs, etc.), an ingredient with which each of the chefs is known to cook routinely. Igor and the Monster from the Broadway production of Young Frankenstein also made a special appearance, assisting with the presentation of the secret ingredient. The victory went to Iron Chef Symon.

text: A 90-minute "Thanksgiving Showdown" premiered on November 16, 2008. The secret ingredients were foods that might have been used at the first Thanksgiving feast: duck, lobster, heritage turkey, venison, leeks and walnuts. This battle marked the first time in ICA history that the American Iron Chefs competed against each other, with the team of Bobby Flay and Michael Symon battling against Cat Cora and Masaharu Morimoto. There were two floor reporters for this special: regular floor reporter Kevin Brauch covered Flay and Symon while ICA judge Ted Allen covered Cora and Morimoto. In addition, Mark Ecko appeared early in the episode to present the new Iron Chef jackets and describe the design process. Iron Chefs Flay and Symon defeated Iron Chefs Cora and Morimoto by one point.

text: First Lady Michelle Obama's White House Kitchen Garden was featured in a new special episode on January 3, 2010. The episode, called "The Super Chef Battle", featured Iron Chef Mario Batali and Super Chef Emeril Lagasse against Iron Chef Bobby Flay and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford in a battle that required the chefs to create an American meal, with the produce from the White House garden as the secret ingredient. First Lady Michelle Obama made a special appearance, welcoming the chefs to the White House, and announcing the secret ingredient.[12] This battle was also notable as the first for which the Chairman was not present in Kitchen Stadium. Although the Chairman appeared on video, and presented a supplemental range of sustainable foods to be used in the battle, it fell to announcer Alton Brown to start the battle with the traditional "Allez cuisine!" This battle was also the first that carried a prize: $25,000 was donated to City Meals, a New York charity similar to Meals on Wheels in the names of the winning team. Iron Chef Flay and Chef Comerford defeated Iron Chefs Batali and Lagasse.

text: On January 2, 2011, "Battle Deep Freeze" aired. The show featured Iron Chef Michael Symon and Chef Anne Burrell facing off against Iron Chef Cat Cora and Chef Robert Irvine. There was no formal secret ingredient, just the theme "deep freeze." The chefs had to prepare 5 dishes, each with a frozen component, on the following five themes: Fruits and Vegetables, Meat, Aromatics, Seafood, and Alcohol. The dishes were either served in or accented by ice carvings.

text: Greatest moments[edit]

text: On November 16, 2008, the Food Network preceded its "Thanksgiving Showdown" ICA special with a half-hour retrospective of the 10 best ICA moments. In the program, the Chairman presents each moment, followed by a female voice-over narration describing the challenge the Iron Chefs face, including live fish, big ingredients, time, the ice cream machine and unorthodox cooking methods. The introduction is followed by a clip of each moment interspersed with comments by the Iron Chefs and ICA judges.

text:
Number
Title
Battle
Competitors
Moment

1
It's Alive!
Cobia
Mario Batali v. Jamie Oliver
Sous chef Gennaro Contaldo's distraction antics

2
Sugar Smack
Sugar
Cat Cora/Paula Deen v. Tyler Florence/Robert Irvine
Paula Deen's verbal warfare

3
The Bird is the Word
Garlic
Mario Batali v. Chris Cosentino
Chef Cosentino presents squab brains and talons.

4
Better Dining Through Science
Beets
Masaharu Morimoto v. Homaro Cantu
In an upset, the molecular gastronomists take the battle.

5
Trout in the Machine
Trout
Bobby Flay v. Hiroyuki Sakai
The infamous trout ice cream

6
Edible Art
Asparagus
Masaharu Morimoto v. Michael Symon
Morimoto's "stained glass" sushi

7
I Fought the Clock and the Clock Won
Scallops
Masaharu Morimoto v. Roberto Donna
Donna fails to complete his five dishes.

8
The Wheel's on Fire
Parmigiano Reggiano
Mario Batali v. Andrew Carmellini
Batali's Parmesan bowl filled with flaming grappa

9
Smokin' Hot
Chiles
Masaharu Morimoto v. Tim Love
Morimoto struggles with an unfamiliar ingredient: a jalapeño chile.

10
Size Matters
Elk
Bobby Flay v. Kent and Kevin Rathbun
The chefs battle each other and the largest secret ingredient ever.

text: Production details[edit]

text: Kitchen Stadium[edit]

text: Located at the Chelsea Market in New York City, Iron Chef America's version of Kitchen Stadium has a more modern appearance than the one from Iron Chef. Much of the equipment in the kitchen is top-of-the line; appliances include six burner stove tops, an infrared grill, blast chillers, convection ovens, deep fryers, cutting boards, a plethora of small electrical appliances like blenders and food processors, as well as pantry stations. Both kitchens in Kitchen Stadium are set up with the same appliances, and each pantry station has the same food items including expensive items like saffron. Challengers may also sometimes bring their own equipment to their sections; most notably, postmodern chef Homaro Cantu brought a Class 4 Laser, liquid nitrogen, and an inkjet printer with edible inks and paper for his signature dishes.[13] One of the most infamous appliances in the kitchen is the ice cream machine (dubbed by the commentators as the Ice Cream Machine of Doom), which is often used to create unusual and abstract flavors of ice cream when chefs attempt to make a dessert course with the theme ingredient.[14]

text: The commentator's station has Alton Brown standing in front of two large monitors feeding him camera angles from both sides of Kitchen Stadium. To stay informed, he also keeps his laptop open to reference an extensive food database and, in later seasons, an iPad to look up ingredients on the fly. An earbud allows him to be fed information from the culinary producer, who in turn is fed information from two culinary spotters on the floor.[15] The station is much closer to and on the same level as the cooking stations, allowing Alton Brown to converse with the competitors and ask brief questions. Alton Brown has made frequent comments about Kitchen Stadium being "an orbiting space station" or "an underwater facility." Brown has also called Kitchen Stadium "Kitchen Stadium Number One, Two, and so on until number seven as of Battle Eggs.

text: There is a small section in the back of the stadium reserved for the studio audience, which is mostly composed of guests of the chefs. During the first two seasons, the audience is almost never mentioned or shown on camera unless there is a special guest in the audience. Starting with season 3, the show again takes a cue from its predecessor and gives a little more attention to the audience, particularly when someone close to the challenger or special guests are present. The audience is also now sometimes heard applauding the chefs, although they are ignored by cameras.

text: Despite Kitchen Stadium America's state-of-the-art appearance, problems arose during the first season. In her battle against Mario Batali, Chef Anita Lo had trouble getting her burners hot enough to cook her food. At one point, one of Lo's assistants took a pot over to Mario Batali's side of the kitchen to use his stove, to which Batali happily agreed.[16] In several battles contestants have experienced technical problems with the ice cream machine. Though there have not been serious injuries in Kitchen Stadium America, several contestants have suffered minor cuts from knife slips.

text: In the Behind the Scenes: Iron Chef America special, Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai voices his distaste for the modern look of the American Kitchen Stadium. Sakai referred to the kitchen as "cold."

text: Subtitles and dubbing[edit]

text: Morimoto speaks English with a thick Japanese accent, and he sometimes speaks in Japanese when describing his dishes. Consequently, his voice is at times dubbed by Joe Cipriano. Cipriano, a veteran TV announcer and Los Angeles radio personality, also provided the voice for Hiroyuki Sakai in Battle of the Masters. When his voice is not dubbed, subtitles may be provided to help viewers understand what Morimoto is saying. In the episode Battle Eggs, Takashi Yagihashi had subtitles when the screen showed whom he challenged (Michael Symon).

text: Companion shows[edit]

text: Countdown[edit]

text: Iron Chef America Countdown premiered in 2012. Each half-hour episode features a countdown of five moments on a theme from the television series. The show uses clips from Iron Chef America, as well as commentary from people who participated in the featured moments.[17]

text: The Next Iron Chef[edit]

text: In 2007, a competition was held to determine who among eight chefs would become the next Iron Chef. The show ran for six episodes, and followed the contestants through a series of eight culinary challenges taking place in the United States, France, and Germany. Contestants were eliminated by a panel of judges at the end of each episode, until the final two chefs returned to the United States to compete in Kitchen Stadium. The final battle featured swordfish as the secret ingredient, and was judged by Iron Chefs Flay, Cora, and Morimoto. Chef Michael Symon was declared the winner of the competition and subsequently joined Iron Chef America.[18]

text: A second season of The Next Iron Chef pitted ten chefs against one another for the title of Iron Chef beginning in October 2009. This season ran for eight episodes, during which the contestants competed in culinary challenges held in the United States and Japan. Contestants were eliminated by a panel of judges at the end of each episode until the finale, in which chefs Jehangir Mehta and Jose Garces returned to the United States to compete in Kitchen Stadium. The final battle featured various racks and ribs (pork, buffalo, and beef) as the secret ingredient, and was judged by the panel along with Iron Chefs Flay, Morimoto, and Symon. Chef Jose Garces was declared the winner of the competition, and joined Iron Chef America as its newest Iron Chef. Garces made his debut as an Iron Chef on January 17, 2010 against Seattle chefs Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi in Battle Hawaiian Moi, with Iron Chef Garces emerging victorious. Jose Garces went on to receive the first perfect score ever in Season 9 (see List of Episodes).

text: Food Network launched its third season of The Next Iron Chef in October 2010. Competition took place in Los Angeles, before moving to Las Vegas. The final battle took place in Kitchen Stadium between Chefs Marco Canora and Marc Forgione, with traditional Thanksgiving proteins, such as turkey, lobster and venison as the secret ingredient. Chef Marc Forgione was declared the winner of the third season of "The Next Iron Chef" on November 21, 2010. His first battle took place on November 28, 2010, against Washington, D.C.-based Chef RJ Cooper.

text: In October 2011, a fourth season of The Next Iron Chef premiered featuring super chefs like Alex Guarnaschelli, Anne Burrell, Robert Irvine, among others. The December 18 battle in Kitchen Stadium featured Geoffrey Zakarian and Elizabeth Falkner. Zakarian prevailed and was named the winner. His first battle aired on December 25, 2011 during which he emerged victorious, being the second chef ever to receive a perfect overall score of 60 on Iron Chef America.

text: The fifth season of The Next Iron Chef in November 2012 featured 8 chefs who had previously competed on the show, plus 2 newcomers. In the final battle, Alex Guarnaschelli defeated Amanda Freitag, becoming the second female Iron Chef, as well as the first female to win the competition. She made her debut as an Iron Chef on December 30, 2012 against Judy Joo from Iron Chef UK. Iron Chef Joo previously judged season 4 of The Next Iron Chef, in which Guarnaschelli had competed and lost. Iron Chef Guarnaschelli was ultimately declared the winner.

text: Video game[edit]

text: An Iron Chef America video game, titled Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine, was developed for the Wii and Nintendo DS by Black Lantern Studios and published by Destineer. Both versions were released on November 6, 2008, having been delayed from the original release date of September 23, 2008.

text: The game features "a series of fast-paced and intense culinary challenges" and includes the voice acting and likeness of The Chairman (Mark Dacascos), commentator Alton Brown and Iron Chefs Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora, who players can either play or compete against.[19][20] The Wii version of the game has received mediocre to slightly unfavorable reviews, with an average score of 42% determined by critical score aggregator Metacritic.[21] The DS version of the game has received overall better scores, with median review score of 62%.[22]