# Call of the Cutie > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Call_of_the_Cutie > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Call_of_the_Cutie.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_the_Cutie > Source revision: 1334499955 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 12th episode of the 1st season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic "Call of the Cutie" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode Apple Bloom's blank flank is revealed at Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera. Episode no. Season 1 Episode 12 Directed by Jayson Thiessen James Wootton Written by Meghan McCarthy Original air date January 7, 2011 (2011-01-07) Running time 22 minutes Episode chronology ← Previous "Winter Wrap Up" Next → "Fall Weather Friends" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 1 List of episodes "**Call of the Cutie**" is the twelfth episode of the [first season](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_season_1) of the [animated television series](/source/Animated_series) *[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic)*. It originally aired on [The Hub](/source/Discovery_Family#As_Hub_Network_(2010–2014)) on January 7, 2011. The episode was written by [Meghan McCarthy](/source/Meghan_McCarthy). In this episode, [Apple Bloom](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders#Apple_Bloom) becomes worried about not having her [cutie mark](/source/Cutie_mark) and attempts to gain one by any means necessary before Diamond Tiara's [cute-ceañera](/source/Quincea%C3%B1era). ## Plot External videos Call of the Cutie (full episode) — Official upload of the episode onto YouTube My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Equestria Toyline Cutie mark Elements of Harmony Pony Spin-offs My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013–2020)(List of animations) My Little Pony: Pony Life (2020–2021)(List of episodes) Characters Mane Six Twilight Sparkle Rainbow Dash Pinkie Pie Applejack Fluttershy Rarity Supporting Spike Princess Celestia Princess Luna Princess Cadance Shining Armor Discord Starlight Glimmer Trixie Zecora Antagonists Queen Chrysalis Lord Tirek Cozy Glow Minor Derpy Hooves Background Six Cheese Sandwich Quibble Pants The Wonderbolts Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty Equestria Girls Sunset Shimmer Seasons & episodes Season 1 (2010–2011) "Friendship Is Magic" "The Ticket Master" "Applebuck Season" "Griffon the Brush Off" "Boast Busters" "Dragonshy" "Look Before You Sleep" "Bridle Gossip" "Swarm of the Century" "Winter Wrap Up" "Call of the Cutie" "Fall Weather Friends" "Suited for Success" "Feeling Pinkie Keen" "Sonic Rainboom" "Stare Master" "The Show Stoppers" "A Dog and Pony Show" "Green Isn't Your Color" "Over a Barrel" "A Bird in the Hoof" "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" "Owl's Well That Ends Well" "Party of One" "The Best Night Ever" Season 2 (2011–2012) "The Return of Harmony" "Lesson Zero" "Luna Eclipsed" "Sisterhooves Social" "The Cutie Pox" "May the Best Pet Win!" "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" "Sweet and Elite" "Secret of My Excess" "Hearth's Warming Eve" "Family Appreciation Day" "Baby Cakes" "The Last Roundup" "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" "Read It and Weep" "Hearts and Hooves Day" "A Friend in Deed" "Putting Your Hoof Down" "It's About Time" "Dragon Quest" "Hurricane Fluttershy" "Ponyville Confidential" "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" "A Canterlot Wedding" Season 3 (2012–2013) "The Crystal Empire" "Too Many Pinkie Pies" "One Bad Apple" "Magic Duel" "Sleepless in Ponyville" "Wonderbolts Academy" "Apple Family Reunion" "Spike at Your Service" "Keep Calm and Flutter On" "Just for Sidekicks" "Games Ponies Play" "Magical Mystery Cure" Season 4 (2013–2014) "Princess Twilight Sparkle" "Castle Mane-ia" "Daring Don't" "Flight to the Finish" "Power Ponies" "Bats!" "Rarity Takes Manehattan" "Pinkie Apple Pie" "Rainbow Falls" "Three's a Crowd" "Pinkie Pride" "Simple Ways" "Filli Vanilli" "Twilight Time" "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies" "Somepony to Watch Over Me" "Maud Pie" "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" "Leap of Faith" "Testing Testing 1, 2, 3" "Trade Ya!" "Inspiration Manifestation" "Equestria Games" "Twilight's Kingdom" Season 5 (2015) "The Cutie Map" "Castle Sweet Castle" "Tanks for the Memories" "Slice of Life" "Amending Fences" "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?" "Made in Manehattan" "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" "The Hooffields and McColts" "The Cutie Re-Mark" Season 6 (2016) "A Hearth's Warming Tail" "The Times They Are a Changeling" Season 7 (2017) "The Perfect Pear" Season 8 (2018) "Grannies Gone Wild" Season 9 (2019) "The Last Crusade" Series finale Media Films & specials My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) My Little Pony: Best Gift Ever (2018) My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip (2019) Music Theme song "This Day Aria" Movie Soundtrack "Rainbow" "Off to See the World" Games My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day Gameloft video game Collectible card game Other media Home video releases IDW comics Issues My Little Pony/Transformers Brony fandom Fan works (list) 15.ai Voiceverse NFT plagiarism scandal A Brony Tale Bronies (documentary) Derpibooru Equestria Daily Fimfiction Fallout: Equestria Friendship Is Witchcraft Legends of Equestria Love & Ponystep Ponysona PONY.MOV Them's Fightin' Herds Fandom people 15 hotdiggedydemon Jenny Nicholson Odyssey Eurobeat Sethisto The Living Tombstone Vylet Pony Fan culture Analysis Brony music Bronyspeak Charity Criticism Fan art Clop Ponysona Fan fiction Military bronies /mlp/ Online communities My Little Pony conventions BABSCon BronyCAN BronyCon Czequestria Everfree Northwest GalaCon Ponyville Ciderfest RuBronyCon TrotCon UK PonyCon Vanhoover Pony Expo v t e In the Ponyville Schoolhouse, [Cheerilee](/source/List_of_My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_characters#Cheerilee) teaches young ponies about [cutie marks](/source/Cutie_mark), and Diamond Tiara uses the lesson as an opportunity to embarrass [Apple Bloom](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders#Apple_Bloom) for not yet having one. After class, Diamond Tiara invites Apple Bloom and Twist to her [cute-ceañera](/source/Quincea%C3%B1era) while she and Silver Spoon tease them for being "blank flanks." At Sweet Apple Acres, [Applejack](/source/Applejack_(My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic)) reassures Apple Bloom that every pony gets a cutie mark eventually and points out that their family tends to be late bloomers, which leads Apple Bloom to conclude her talent must be related to apples. However, when her overzealous sales tactics at the market cause more harm than good, she becomes even more frustrated and discovers that Twist has just received her cutie mark for making sweets. Determined to get her cutie mark before the party, Apple Bloom seeks help from various ponies around town. [Rainbow Dash](/source/Rainbow_Dash) coaches her in numerous activities including [juggling](/source/Juggling), [hang-gliding](/source/Hang-gliding), [karate](/source/Karate), and [roller derby](/source/Roller_derby), but none succeed in getting her a cutie mark. At Sugarcube Corner, [Pinkie Pie](/source/Pinkie_Pie) suggests Apple Bloom might be good at making [cupcakes](/source/Cupcake), but despite an upbeat song ("Cupcake Song") and multiple attempts, each batch ends up burned and Apple Bloom grows increasingly discouraged. Apple Bloom desperately begs [Twilight Sparkle](/source/Twilight_Sparkle) to use magic to make a cutie mark appear, but the conjured magical marks quickly disappear and Twilight explains that not even magic can force a cutie mark to manifest. Apple Bloom decides not to attend the party due to her continued blank flank, only to discover that Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera is taking place at Sugarcube Corner where she already stands. She tries to leave unnoticed but bumps into Applejack, who pushes her in front of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, forcing Apple Bloom to cover herself with a tablecloth and claim she got her cutie mark but doesn't want to outshine the birthday pony. When she stumbles and exposes her blank flank to all the party guests, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon mock her publicly. [Scootaloo](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders#Scootaloo) and [Sweetie Belle](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders#Sweetie_Belle) emerge from under a table to defend Apple Bloom and reveal their own blank flanks, arguing that having no cutie mark shows potential rather than lack of talent since it means she could become anything from a great [scientist](/source/Scientist) to the [mayor](/source/Mayor) of Ponyville someday. The three fillies receive supportive comments from Twilight and Applejack and become surrounded by excited party attendees, which aggravates Diamond Tiara enough to make her storm off. The three cutie mark-less fillies introduce themselves and form a club dedicated to earning their cutie marks, eventually settling on the name "[Cutie Mark Crusaders](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders)". ## Reception Sherilyn Connelly, the author of *Ponyville Confidential*, gave the episode a "B" rating.[1] In her review of the episode in *[SF Weekly](/source/SF_Weekly)*, she commented on the trio's mission to gain their cutie mark: "As [crusades](/source/Crusades) go, it's healthier than most."[2] In a critical analysis of the episode, author Jen A. Blue described "Call of the Cutie" as "very nearly as good" as writer [Meghan McCarthy](/source/Meghan_McCarthy)'s first episode ("[Dragonshy](/source/Dragonshy)"), while identifying the introduction of the Cutie Mark Crusaders as representing both the show's target audience of young girls and the [adult brony fanbase](/source/Brony_fandom) seeking to establish their identities. Blue wrote that the Crusaders function as "the audience" because they are "[geeks](/source/Geek) among geeks" who are "[picked on and disliked by their peers](/source/Bullying)". She analyzed Apple Bloom's character as existing "in a tension between old and new, between the desire to grow up and establish her identity, and the desire to stay a child and retreat to the comfort of family," with this conflict [externalized](/source/Externalization_(psychology)) through her advisors Applejack and Rainbow Dash. According to Blue, Applejack represents the comfort of taking time to discover one's cutie mark naturally, while Rainbow Dash pushes Apple Bloom to try new things quickly, and that Twilight Sparkle's suggestion for the Crusaders to "revel in their potential" rather than obsess over their path is "a reminder that we hold our destinies in our own hands," which she called a vital lesson of the episode. Blue connected the episode to the show's future direction; the conflict between Applejack and Rainbow Dash represents the show's own search for its identity between traditional *[My Little Pony](/source/My_Little_Pony)* values and contemporary animated programming.[3] Tara Rittler of *TulsaKids* praised the episode's moral lessons, describing them as relatable to both children and adults. She wrote that "Call of the Cutie" offers valuable guidance about being patient when uncertain about one's life direction and not stressing when you don't know what you're supposed to do with your life—a feeling she described as being "all too familiar with."[4] Feminist author Melanie Hurley analyzed the role of cutie marks in "Call of the Cutie" as symbols for female [body positivity](/source/Body_positivity) and bodily development ([puberty](/source/Puberty)). Hurley wrote that the episode creates "a positive narrative around puberty, shifting the conversation around the female body from one of menstrual shame to one of the acceptance of nature." She wrote that the acquisition of cutie marks is a [metaphor](/source/Metaphor) for [menarche](/source/Menarche): ponies treat receiving their cutie mark as a major life milestone, the characters discussing cutie marks in the episode are predominantly female, and Diamond Tiara's [cute-ceañera](/source/Quincea%C3%B1era) explicitly frames cutie mark acquisition as a [rite of passage](/source/Rite_of_passage). Hurley commented that this coding allows the show to present bodily changes as something to look forward to instead of something to be ashamed of.[5] ## Home media The episode is part of the Season 1 DVD set, released by [Shout Factory](/source/Shout!_Factory), on December 4, 2012.[6] ## See also - [List of *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* episodes](/source/List_of_My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_episodes) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Connelly (2017)](#CITEREFConnelly2017), p. 77 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Connelly, Sherilyn (2012-04-11). ["My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 1, Episodes 11 and 12"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120416140513/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/03/my_little_pony_recap_season_1_episodes_11_12.php). *[SF Weekly](/source/SF_Weekly)*. Archived from [the original](http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/04/my_little_pony_recap_season_1_episodes_19_20.php) on 2012-04-16. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blue-S1_3-0)** Blue, Jen A. (2013-08-31). "Everything is going to be just fine (Winter Wrap-Up, Call of the Cutie, Fall Weather Friends, Suited for Success)". *My Little Po-Mo: Unauthorized Critical Essays on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season One*. pp. 127–150. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Rittler, Tara (2017-12-19). ["Cupcakes for Pinkie Pie: Lessons learned from Season One of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic"](https://www.tulsakids.com/cupcakes-for-pinkie-pie/). *TulsaKids*. Retrieved 2025-06-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hurley-2023_5-0)** Hurley, Melanie (2023). "Jem, She-Ra, and My Little Pony Combating Misogyny, Homophobia, and Racism in Girl-Centered Reboots". In Laist, Randy (ed.). *The '80s Resurrected: Essays on the Decade in Popular Culture Then and Now*. McFarland. pp. 217–231. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-4855-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-4855-2). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 1"](https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B0096W47NO). [Amazon.com](/source/Amazon.com). 2012-12-04. Retrieved 2012-12-04. ### Bibliography - Connelly, Sherilyn (2017-04-01). [*Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ponyville_Confidential/E3VPDgAAQBAJ). McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-6209-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-6209-1). ## External links - ["Call of the Cutie"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1832713/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes Seasons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Season 1 "Friendship Is Magic" "The Ticket Master" "Applebuck Season" "Griffon the Brush Off" "Boast Busters" "Dragonshy" "Look Before You Sleep" "Bridle Gossip" "Swarm of the Century" "Winter Wrap Up" "Call of the Cutie" "Fall Weather Friends" "Suited for Success" "Feeling Pinkie Keen" "Sonic Rainboom" "Stare Master" "The Show Stoppers" "A Dog and Pony Show" "Green Isn't Your Color" "Over a Barrel" "A Bird in the Hoof" "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" "Owl's Well That Ends Well" "Party of One" "The Best Night Ever" --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Call of the Cutie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_the_Cutie) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_the_Cutie?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.