My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (or simply Equestria Girls) is a fashion doll and media franchise launched in 2013 by American toy company Hasbro, as a spin-off of the 2010 relaunch of the My Little Pony toy line.
The franchise features anthropomorphized versions of characters from the Friendship Is Magic television series; as with My Little Pony, the dolls have colorful bodies and hair, while incorporating their pony counterparts' "cutie marks" in their clothing. Along with licensed merchandise, Hasbro (through its subsidiary Allspark Animation) has commissioned several animated works to accompany the doll line, including four films, eight television specials, and multiple short-form series.
The setting of Equestria Girls is established as a parallel universe to the main world of Equestria in the 2010 incarnation of My Little Pony, populated by humanoid versions of the "Mane Six" and other characters; Hasbro's marketing materials describe them as "full-time students and part-time magical pony girls".
Premise Equestria Girls takes place in an alternate version of Equestria resembling modern-day Earth, which is populated by humanoid counterparts to the pony characters of Friendship Is Magic. This world is accessible through a magical mirror that was once kept in the Crystal Empire, before being relocated to Twilight Sparkle's castle sometime later. In Equestria Girls media, pony characters from Friendship Is Magic who travel through the mirror assume humanoid forms in the alternate setting and vice versa.
Most Equestria Girls characters are similar to their Friendship Is Magic counterparts in terms of appearance and personality. Several locales in the parallel world serve as counterparts to the main cities and establishments in Equestria: Canterlot High School (CHS), for example, corresponds to Canterlot in Equestria, and is run by Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, who are counterparts of Equestria's rulers Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Characters
The main characters are collectively referred to in merchandise as the "Equestria Girls". Beginning with Rainbow Rocks, they are also the members of a rock band called the "Rainbooms". In Legend of Everfree, they are granted magical abilities from geodes they discover at the titular camp.
Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong, singing voice by Rebecca Shoichet) – Two different versions of Twilight Sparkle appear in the Equestria Girls franchise: Princess Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn with wings who appeared in Friendship Is Magic, transformed into a humanoid teenager after traveling from Equestria. In Rainbow Rocks, she temporarily assumes the role of vocalist in the Rainbooms. Twilight Sparkle ( Sci-Twi), the alternate universe counterpart, formally debuts in Friendship Games as a student at Crystal Prep Academy, who eventually transfers to Canterlot High School after being saved by Sunset Shimmer from being transformed into her evil alter ego Midnight Sparkle. She joins the Rainbooms as a backup vocalist and has telekinetic powers. Spike (voiced by Cathy Weseluck) – As with Twilight Sparkle, two versions of Spike have appeared in the franchise: His Friendship Is Magic incarnation, a dragon, is transformed into a dog upon traveling through the portal from Equestria with Princess Twilight Sparkle. He retains the ability to speak in this form. His alternate universe counterpart is an ordinary dog and Sci-Twi's pet, formally introduced in Friendship Games. He gains the ability to talk after exposure to Equestrian magic. Sunset Shimmer (voiced by Rebecca Shoichet) – A unicorn from Equestria who resides in the parallel world as a CHS student. Originally the main antagonist of the first Equestria Girls film, she reforms and becomes the leader of the parallel world's counterparts of the main characters. She joins the Rainbooms as a rhythm guitarist and can read people's minds by physically touching them. Applejack (voiced by Ashleigh Ball) – A CHS student who works on her family's farm. She is the Rainbooms' bass guitarist and has super strength. Rainbow Dash (voiced by Ashleigh Ball) – A CHS student and star athlete, stated to be the captain of every sports team the school has. She is the Rainbooms' electric guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter, and has super speed. Pinkie Pie (voiced by Andrea Libman, singing voice by Shannon Chan-Kent and occasionally Libman) – An eccentric and friendly CHS student. She is the Rainbooms' drummer and can make candies and sugary foods explosive. Rarity (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, singing voice by Kazumi Evans) – A CHS student and talented seamstress. She is the Rainbooms' keytarist and can create diamond-like force fields. Fluttershy (voiced by Andrea Libman) – A CHS student who volunteers at the local animal shelter. She is the Rainbooms' tambourinist and can communicate with animals.
Antagonists – The main antagonists of Rainbow Rocks. The Dazzlings are a villainous trio of sirens consisting of leader Adagio Dazzle (voiced by Kazumi Evans), abrasive Aria Blaze (voiced by Diana Kaarina, singing voice by Shylo Sharity), and airheaded Sonata Dusk (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse, singing voice by Madeline Merlo in Rainbow Rocks and by Shannon Chan-Kent in Sunset's Backstage Pass). The Dazzlings were banished to the parallel world by Star Swirl the Bearded, and seek control of the population through their enchanted singing. They also appear in Sunset's Backstage Pass as minor characters. (voiced by Iris Quinn) – The main antagonist of Friendship Games. Cinch is the strict principal of Crystal Prep Academy, a prestigious rival to Canterlot High School, and is obsessed with maintaining her school's reputation by manipulating her prized pupil, the alternate universe counterpart of Twilight Sparkle. In "Dance Magic", it is mentioned that she was replaced as Crystal Prep's principal by Dean Cadance, the counterpart of Princess Cadance. (voiced by Enid-Raye Adams, singing voice by Kelly Metzger) – The main antagonist of Legend of Everfree. Gloriosa is a misguided counselor at Camp Everfree who, in an attempt to save the camp from closing, seizes geodes imbued with Equestrian magic that turn her into a creature named Gaea Everfree. (voiced by Ali Liebert) – The main antagonist of the 2017 specials "Movie Magic" and "Mirror Magic". The niece of film director Canter Zoom, Juniper sabotages her uncle's production in "Movie Magic" in hopes of being cast as the lead actress. In "Mirror Magic", she finds an enchanted mirror that traps the main characters and corrupts her into a fame-obsessed giantess. (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent) – An antisocial student and the main antagonist of Forgotten Friendship. Ignored by the school population and resentful of Sunset's evolution from hated bully to beloved friend, Wallflower uses a mystical, memory-erasing stone to turn Sunset's best friends' against her. (voiced by Tegan Moss) – The main antagonist of Rollercoaster of Friendship. Vignette is the public relations director for the new Equestria Land amusement park and relies on social media to promote it. A wisp of Equestrian magic later enchants her smartphone, allowing her to create holograms. – The main antagonists of Sunset's Backstage Pass. PostCrush is a pop music duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Kiwi Lollipop (K-Lo; voiced by Lili Beaudoin, singing voice by Marie Hui) and drummer Supernova Zap (Su-Z; voiced by Mariee Devereux, singing voice by Arielle Tuliao). Disastisfied with their performances, they use an Equestrian artifact called the Time Twirler to create a time loop, inadvertently causing Sunset Shimmer to relive the first day of the Starswirled Music Festival.
Supporting characters Principal Celestia (voiced by Nicole Oliver) – The principal of Canterlot High. Vice Principal Luna (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – The vice principal of Canterlot High and Celestia's younger sister. (voiced by Nicole Oliver) – A teacher and librarian at Canterlot High. (voiced by Richard Newman) – A grumpy teacher at Canterlot High who is also a driving test instructor. (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – Applejack's grandmother and a cafeteria worker at Canterlot High. (voiced by Vincent Tong) – A CHS student and Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend, who takes a romantic interest in Twilight but is seen renewing his relationship with Sunset after her reform. His Equestrian counterpart, a royal pegasus guard at the Crystal Empire, appears in the first film and Forgotten Friendship, and has brief appearances in Friendship Is Magic. Cutie Mark Crusaders (voiced by Michelle Creber, Claire Corlett, and Madeleine Peters) – A club consisting of three younger students, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are the sisters of Applejack and Rarity, respectively. (voiced by Lee Tockar and Richard Ian Cox) – Two troublemaking younger students who act as Sunset Shimmer's assistants in the first film. DJ Pon-3 – A mute disc jockey and CHS student who helps the Rainbooms defeat the Dazzlings in the second film. (voiced by Peter New) – A CHS student who is Applejack's laconic brother. (voiced by Kazumi Evans) – A cellist and CHS student. (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – A CHS student who is a pretentious photographer often accompanied by two silent assistants, Violet Blurr and Pixel Pizzaz. Trixie Lulamoon (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – A braggart magician and CHS student who is a minor antagonist in Rainbow Rocks, where she and her bandmates trap the Rainbooms under an amphitheater stage. In Forgotten Friendship, she helps Sunset Shimmer find the Memory Stone. – The Shadowbolts are Crystal Prep's sports team that opposes Canterlot High's Wondercolts team. Apart from the counterpart of Twilight Sparkle, the team includes: the blunt Sugarcoat (voiced by Sienna Bohn), two-faced Sour Sweet (voiced by Sharon Alexander), hyper-competitive Indigo Zap (voiced by Kelly Sheridan), disdainful Sunny Flare, (voiced by Britt Irvin) and rocker girl Lemon Zest (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent). (voiced by Brian Doe) – Timber Spruce is the younger brother of Gloriosa Daisy and another counselor at Camp Everfree. He is introduced in Legend of Everfree and becomes a love interest for Sci-Twi. (voiced by Ryan Beil) – Fluttershy's brother and a CHS student.
Development and release The 2010 incarnation of the My Little Pony toy line and its associated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, despite targeting younger children, attracted an unexpected cult following of older male fans in their 20s and 30s, known as "bronies". Artwork produced by these fans included re-imaginings of the Friendship Is Magic cast as humans. Hasbro saw this art and came up with the idea of developing the spin-off with a similar aesthetic.
The earliest known official use of the "Equestria Girls" name occurred in 2011 when the American television channel The Hub (a joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro; now known as Discovery Family) released a promotional trailer for Hasbro Studio's Friendship Is Magic television series, featuring a modified version of Katy Perry's "California Gurls". However, the trailer had no connection to the later-launched franchise.