By: Joe Comicbook on February 5, 2013
My Little Pony artist Andy Price recently made an appearance at the Murfreesboro Anime and Comic Kon. When one fan asked if Hasbro would ever bring back a popular cross-eyed pony named Derpy, Andy Price talked about the Derpy controversy and why My Little Pony fans are unlikely to ever hear that name again.
Andy Price said, “The short version of it is somebody somewhere made a mild complaint that Derpy could be taken derogatory. Hasbro, they cut it off before anything happened. They’re like you know what, if this is the case, then we don’t need to go there. Let’s not poke the bear, which they are protecting themselves. Derpy is there, but you’re not going to hear that name. For example, at San Diego Comic Con, they put out the exclusive figure of Derpy. That word is nowhere on the box.”
Andy Price continued, “It was an accident that the fans went nuts over. Derpy was an animation booboo, why her eyes were like that, it was a goof in the animation. And somebody somewhere went, ‘Look at that pony, she silly.’ And she took off, and then they gave her that little scene with her and Rainbow Dash where she calls her Derpy. Somebody somewhere said that could be taken wrong, and Hasbro said we’re shutting the book on it right now before anything happens.”
Andy Price explained “If you’ve got Mickey and Donald and Goofy, then you could say Goofy’s kind of derpy. And that’s how I take it, I take it as like Goofy. But it has also been used as a derogatory term, so Hasbro’s like better safe than sorry. So you’ll see her in the background all the time, but I seriously doubt you will ever hear that name again.”
