Save Derpy
| Fan Campaign | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Save Derpy, Save Derpy Hooves, Derpygate |
| Type of Campaign: | Petitions, Fanart and videos, Hashtags |
| Aims: | Bringing Derpy's original uncensored scene to an episode of the show |
| Participants: | Bronies and other MLP fans |
| Date Started: | 2012 |
| Fandom: | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic |
| Campaign Website: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Save Derpy was an unsuccessful attempt at bringing back Derpy Hooves' original name and scene in a My Little Pony episode. The episode was edited due to complaints of ableism.
The Controversy
After Derpy's popularity with the show's fandom, the show's staff started adding her more often to the background, and making her cross-eyes a consistent feature of her character design.
The biggest nod to the character at the time came in the season 2 episode The Last Roundup, where a entire scene with dialogue between Rainbow Dash and Derpy occurs, with the name "Derpy" even being said. However, some time after the episode's release, it was pulled from rotation and from iTunes, and when it was put back, Derpy's dialogue was redubbed with a slightly different voice, her eyes were edited a little to be less crossed, and the mention on the name "Derpy" removed.
According to a letter to the website Equestria Daily by showwriter Amy Keating Rogers,[1] the staff received a few emails from parents and fans complaining about the portrait of Derpy in the episode, saying that it came of as ableist, with the name being perceived as a slur. She was horrified to learn that the name could be offensive to some people, especially because she is a known advocate for the disabled because of her son, and didn't want anyone to feel offended by the show. She did add that a lot more emails about the episode were positive, but also explained that Hasbro was also receiving comments about the scene, and that after talking with her about it, they decided to take out the word that could be considered offensive, and make the voice and design different.
Save Derpy
The controversy led into a fan campaign to bring back the original Derpy scene to the episode, and a lot of talk about the scene and the character of Derpy in general.
Some fans didn't care about the removal, or found the commotion useless; others argued that there was no reason for the changes and temporary removal of the episode, since it was only a very small amount of people that had any issue with the episode according to Amy Keating; it also included some disabled fans talking about liking Derpy, and finding the change unnecessary, but also some fans talking about how the scene could have been better, since Rainbow Dash berating her makes the scene come across as a unnecessarily aggressive. There was also a group of fans that didn't have a problem or didn't care about the specific censorship, but were afraid that the controversy would make Derpy stop appearing as a cameo in future episodes.
There were petitions created both in favor[2] and against[3] the changes in the episode, and also a lot of drawings, videos and emails written against the changes. All of these led into Amy Keating Rogers' letter to Equestria Daily explaining what happened, which made some fans agree with the censorship, but not all.
Amy Keating's official response also made the controversy visible to people outside the fandom, with some articles being written about it.[4] [5]
Save Derpy Content
- The Save Derpy Website on the Internet Archive
- Save Derpy by Alligator in the Tub on Youtube
- Save Derpy by Skeptic-Mousey on Deviantart
- SaveDerpy artwork, SaveDerpy - It's not over yet. and Farewell, Derpy by SterlingPony on Deviantart
- DerpyGate at the Derpy News Website
Aftermath
At the end, the petitions didn't change a lot about the episode, that was released in it's original form in one DVD, but continued in it's censored form in reruns and other physical re-releases. Most people ended up moving on from the controversy, and it is often remembered as something a little cheesy, with the fanarts made for it being seen as dramatic later on. It did make some people think more about how they represented her in fanworks, with some either clarifying that she is just clumsy, or trying to create better representation.
Despite what fans feared would happen, Derpy continued making cameos throughout the series, even if less frequently than in the first two seasons, and even got to have bigger roles in episodes like Equestria Games and Slice of Life, the latter of the two even giving her more dialogue. She continued to get merchandise and even inspired a character from the series' fifth generation, Fifi. What did change was her name, with most merchandise and speaking roles after the incident giving her other names: Ditzy Doo, which was used for a background character before her, and was going to be her name in The Last Roundup before the decision to make a nod to the fans; Muffins, in homage to some headcanons many had about her favorite food; or less often, a picture of a Muffin representing her name.
Links & Resources
- the rise and fall of Derpy Hooves | the most "controversial" My Little Pony character by Youtuber Shunks
- After the Fact: The Derp of the Author by Youtuber MLP-Silver-Quill
- Save Derpy on Known Your Meme
References
- ^ Amy Keating Rogers' Response to Derpy Hooves by Sethisto on Equestria Daily, February 29, 2012
- ^ Petition asking for a change in the episode by John T on Change.org
- ^ Petition against the censorship in the episode by Alex Shen on Change.org
- ^ A more negative article about the controversy by Adrian Chen on Gawker, February 28, 2012
- ^ A more positive article about the controversy by Lauren Rae Orsini on Daily Dot, Mar 1, 2012