Background Six
The Background Six are six background characters from the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Derpy Hooves, Dr. Whooves, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, Vinyl Scratch, and Octavia Melody. Unlike the official Mane Six, this grouping is not officially canon to the series but represents background characters who gained significant popularity within the brony fandom.
The Background Six began as unnamed background ponies in crowd scenes and were given names, personalities, and relationships by the fan community before they received official recognition from the show's creators. Several of the Background Six were originally created as simple background elements by the animation team at DHX Media but evolved into beloved figures with dedicated followings, fan art, and fan fiction. The popularity of the Background Six has influenced the show's later development, with some characters receiving expanded roles, official names, and merchandise.
Creation and development
The show features an extensive cast of over 200 minor characters, also designated as "background ponies", that are used to fill out crowd scenes and serve as visual gags in episodes. Several background ponies have been well received by the show's brony fanbase, who have assigned names and personalities to them. As a response to fan interest, the series' creative team has given six of the most popular characters expanded roles in later episodes and media, including being featured as the "main characters" in the show's one-hundredth episode "Slice of Life", which presents the characters' daily lives as the episode's central focus."Slice of Life" was organized entirely around the activities of the Background Six, and the Mane Six were relegated to background ponies. The episode starred Derpy Hooves paired with Dr. Whooves, Octavia Melody paired with Vinyl Scratch sharing a house together, and Lyra Heartstrings paired with Bon Bon, with references to the latter's alternative name of Sweetie Drops.
According to show writer M.A. Larson, the show's staff did not think of the background ponies as individual ponies at the time of writing. At a fan convention, Larson told bronies: "They're not characters, they're designs—to you guys, they're characters, but to us, Lyra is just a green pony.... Background Pony #2, that's who she is to me."
The Background Six
Derpy Hooves
Derpy Hooves is a gray pegasus with crossed eyes who works as Ponyville's mail carrier. She originated as an unnamed background character whose distinctive cross-eyed appearance was initially an animation error in the series premiere that fans on 4chan's /co/ board noticed and embraced. The pegasus was collectively named "Derpy Hooves" by the fan community and became a beloved figure who developed her personality and backstory through fan works.Derpy gained official recognition when she received her first speaking role in "The Last Roundup", where Rainbow Dash addressed her by name. However, this decision proved controversial as critics claimed her portrayal perpetuated ableist stereotypes due to her name, voice, and mannerisms—a controversy colloquially called "DerpyGate" by the brony fandom. In response to the backlash, Hasbro modified the episode by changing her voice, straightening her eyes, and removing her name from the dialogue.