# The Cutie Pox > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Cutie_Pox > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/The_Cutie_Pox.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cutie_Pox > Source revision: 1352574364 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 6th episode of the 2nd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic "The Cutie Pox" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode Apple Bloom (center) shows off her new cutie mark to her classmates. Episode no. Season 2 Episode 6 Directed by Jayson Thiessen James Wootton Written by Amy Keating Rogers Original air date November 12, 2011 (2011-11-12) Running time 22 minutes Episode chronology ← Previous "Sisterhooves Social" Next → "May the Best Pet Win!" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 2 List of episodes "**The Cutie Pox**" is the sixth episode of the [second season](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_season_2) of the [animated television series](/source/Animated_series) *[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic)*. The episode was written by [Amy Keating Rogers](/source/Amy_Keating_Rogers). It originally aired on [The Hub](/source/Discovery_Family#As_Hub_Network_(2010–2014)) on November 12, 2011. In this episode, [Apple Bloom](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders#Apple_Bloom) becomes desperate to earn her [cutie mark](/source/Cutie_mark) and takes a magical flower that causes her to develop the Cutie Pox, an ailment that forces her to uncontrollably perform various talents. ## Plot External videos The Cutie Pox (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 After another failed attempt at earning her [cutie mark](/source/Cutie_mark) at a bowling alley, [Apple Bloom](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders#Apple_Bloom) becomes discouraged, especially after witnessing another pony earning his mark in the alley. Dejected, she wanders into the Everfree Forest and accidentally injures her tooth. [Zecora](/source/Zecora) finds her and brings her back to her hut, where she restores the tooth with a [potion](/source/Potion). Apple Bloom asks Zecora if there is a potion that could help her get a cutie mark, but Zecora insists that only time can bring one. Zecora leaves to gather ingredients, but Apple Bloom remains in the hut and secretly uses a flower called Heart's Desire to brew a potion. The next day, Apple Bloom appears at school with a new cutie mark and demonstrates a talent for hoop tricks. Her classmates are amazed, and her teacher Cheerilee asks her to give a lesson. As she performs, a second cutie mark appears, followed by another talent that she is suddenly able to do—[spinning plates](/source/Spinning_plates). Although Diamond Tiara suspects the marks are fake, Apple Bloom effortlessly performs both skills. That night, [Applejack](/source/Applejack_(My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic)) hears noises and discovers Apple Bloom [tap dancing](/source/Tap_dancing) uncontrollably. Apple Bloom now has a third cutie mark and cannot stop performing. Applejack takes her to [Twilight Sparkle](/source/Twilight_Sparkle), who identifies the condition as the "[Cutie Pox](/source/Chickenpox)", a mysterious illness with no known cure. Twilight and Applejack take her to find Zecora, but on the way, Apple Bloom continues gaining cutie marks and talents. Zecora arrives in Ponyville and explains that she came to replace her missing Heart's Desire. She gives them enchanted seeds that will only bloom when someone tells the truth. Apple Bloom admits that she took the flower and used it to create a potion that gave her cutie marks. The seeds bloom instantly, and the resulting flower cures her. Apple Bloom apologizes to Zecora and the others for stealing and lying. Zecora forgives her, and Twilight asks her to write a friendship report. Apple Bloom reflects on how taking shortcuts does not lead to genuine results, because what the heart truly desires must be earned. However, moments later, she joins Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to visit Zecora again, hoping to earn a cutie mark in potion-making. ## 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)*, Connelly remarked that this episode's friendship lesson was the first without the [Mane Six](/source/Mane_Six) involved at all. She wrote that this episode was a strong end for the character arc where the Crusaders demand their cutie marks by any means necessary.[2] In a critical analysis of the episode, author Jen A. Blue described "The Cutie Pox" as "merely pretty good" and "a bit of a let-down", judging it a step down from the season's earlier high points and criticizing its second consecutive focus on the Cutie Mark Crusaders alongside what she called the "deeply problematic" [tokenism](/source/Tokenism) of Zecora. Blue wrote that the plot hinged on Applejack and Twilight Sparkle making a "huge logical leap" in deciding to seek the zebra healer—an action rendered moot when Zecora arrived unprompted—and that the story left both the origin of the Cutie Pox and the workings of the Heart’s Desire plant unresolved. Blue interpreted Apple Bloom’s rapid succession of cutie marks as an [allegory](/source/Allegory) for a desire for [social validation](/source/Social_validation), linking it to cultural pressures on young adults to measure self-worth through socially sanctioned milestones. Ultimately, Blue suggested that the episode hinted at a subtler lesson for older viewers: Apple Bloom could begin to cultivate self-validation only once she recognized that her value did not depend solely on a cutie mark.[3] [Jeff Lebowski](/source/Jeff_Lebowski) (left) and [Walter Sobchak](/source/Walter_Sobchak) (right) from *[The Big Lebowski](/source/The_Big_Lebowski)*, portrayed as ponies, dodge a bowling ball accidentally thrown by the Cutie Mark Crusaders.[4][5] The character on the left later received speaking lines in the episode "[Slice of Life](/source/Slice_of_Life_(My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic))". Raymond Gallant of *Freakin' Awesome Network* gave the episode a rating of 6 out of 10 and called it his "least favorite episode this season." He praised Apple Bloom as a charismatic and hilarious character and enjoyed seeing Zecora despite noting that "her [rhyming](/source/Rhyming) at times seems a bit stretched." Gallant wrote that he particularly appreciated the episode's [pop culture](/source/Pop_culture) references, especially what he described as "[Big Lebowski](/source/Big_Lebowski) Ponies," writing that the episode was "very heavy in references, more so than any episode I can recall in the past." However, he criticized the episode's pacing as too slow at times, particularly the hooping scene. Gallant also expressed frustration with the absence of [Fluttershy](/source/Fluttershy) for the second consecutive episode and complained that Big McIntosh was "reduced to a simple catchphrase speaker." He wrote that while the episode was decent, it "pales in comparison to some of the stronger episodes we've seen recently."[6] *Anime Superhero News* praised "The Cutie Pox" as "a great solid episode" and commended the character choice, writing that Apple Bloom was the perfect choice because she is "by far the most desperate of the group to get her Cutie Mark." The review highlighted the episode's character work and comedy, stating that "the show did a perfect job of having unique and well-played characters".[7] A review from *Republibot* praised the Cutie Mark Crusaders as well-developed characters, writing that they are "a rare instance of having supporting characters that are the target audience's age and who aren't completely annoying." The reviewer noted that it made sense for Apple Bloom, as the youngest of three siblings, to be the most obsessed with earning her cutie mark. While acknowledging the episode covered similar territory to the first season's "[Call of the Cutie](/source/Call_of_the_Cutie)", the review stated it manages to stay fresh through the [law of unintended consequences](/source/Law_of_unintended_consequences). The reviewer commended the show's writing and the quality of the animation, especially "the transition from the Apple family's house to Twilight's library" where Apple Bloom performs her newfound talents while "the background changes behind her," which "subtly indicates how incessant her compulsions are."[8] ## Home media release The episode was part of the Season 2 [DVD](/source/DVD) set, released by [Shout Factory](/source/Shout!_Factory) on May 14, 2013.[9] ## 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. 78 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Connelly, Sherilyn (2012-05-30). ["My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 2, Episodes 5 & 6"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120602180032/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/05/my_little_pony_recap_season_2_episodes_05_06.php). *[SF Weekly](/source/SF_Weekly)*. Archived from [the original](http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/05/my_little_pony_recap_season_2_episodes_05_06.php) on 2012-06-02. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blue-S1_3-0)** Blue, Jen A. (2014-10-25). "You don't have any cutie marks either? I thought I was the only one! (The Cutie Pox)". *My Little Po-Mo: Unauthorized Critical Essays on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season Two*. pp. 53–57. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hobbs, Priscilla (2015-04-23). "Everypony Has a Story: Revisions of Greco-Roman Mythology in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". In Berti, Irene; Carlà-Uhink, Filippo (eds.). *Ancient Magic and the Supernatural in the Modern Visual and Performing Arts*. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 197–198. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781472532213](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781472532213). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Veale, Kevin (2013). ["Capital, dialogue, and community engagement—My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic understood as an alternate reality game"](https://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2013.0510). *[Transformative Works and Cultures](/source/Transformative_Works_and_Cultures)*. **14**. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3983/twc.2013.0510](https://doi.org/10.3983%2Ftwc.2013.0510). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Gallant, Raymond (2011-11-14). ["My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2, Episode 6 Review"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140309102303/http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2011/11/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-2-episode-6-review/). *Freakin Awesome Network*. Archived from [the original](http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2011/11/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-2-episode-6-review/) on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2025-06-12. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** SammyT (2011-11-14). ["MLP: Friendship is Magic "The Cutie Pox" Recap"](https://animesuperhero.com/mlp-friendship-is-magic-the-cutie-pox-recap/). *Anime Superhero News*. Retrieved 2025-06-12. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Church (2011-11-19). ["EPISODE REVIEW: Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Pox"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220910195307/http://www.republibot.com/content/episode-review-friendship-magic-cutie-pox). *Republibot*. Archived from [the original](http://www.republibot.com/content/episode-review-friendship-magic-cutie-pox) on 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2025-06-12. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 2"](https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00C0YUY4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top). *Amazon*. February 27, 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210404071625/https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00C0YUY4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2013. ### 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 - ["The Cutie Pox"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071866/) 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 2 "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" --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Cutie Pox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cutie_Pox) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cutie_Pox?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.