Pinkie Pie's Z&R model party cannon in Sweet and Elite. (She never leaves home without it.)
A party cannon is a cannon that fires party-related items from its barrel, such as balloons, confetti, and pastries. Pinkie Pie's party cannon serves as a running gag throughout the series and other media. The model name Z&R is a nod to IDW cover artist Zander Cannon.[1]
Depiction in the series
Season two
Pinkie using her cannon against a changeling.
Pinkie Pie's party cannon first appears in the season two episode Sweet and Elite. It has a light blue barrel and two pink wheels with flowers painted on, it is operated via pull-string, explosive fuse, or trigger button, and when it goes off, it is often accompanied by a distinctive "squeak" sound. Pinkie states, "I never leave home without my party cannon!", and she uses her cannon to produce a birthday party for Twilight Sparkle in an instant. Pinkie later uses the cannon to disrupt the Canterlot Garden Party.
In A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2, Pinkie Pie uses her party cannon to fight against an invasion of changelings.
Season three
Pinkie's party cannon briefly appears in The Crystal Empire - Part 1 when she uses it to express her excitement about traveling to the Crystal Empire.
In Spike at Your Service, Pinkie suggests using her cannon as part of an elaborate plan to have Spike save Applejack's life. In Games Ponies Play, she uses it in her and her friends' Crystal Empire welcoming cheer for Ms. Peachbottom.
Season four
Cheese Sandwich's party cannon.
In Pinkie Pride, when Pinkie Pie is surpassed by fellow party pony Cheese Sandwich, she briefly seals her party cannon away in a closet. However, she uses it later in a goof-off against Cheese.
In addition, Cheese uses his own model of party cannon. This cannon, referred to in song lyrics and merchandise as the Cannonball Surprise, is much larger than Pinkie's and has several cannon barrels and tank-like wheel treads. The Cannonball Surprise serves as one of the centerpieces of Rainbow Dash's birth-iversary party.
Season five
In Castle Sweet Castle, Pinkie Pie hides numerous party cannons around the Castle of Friendship to make it feel more like a home for Twilight. In Amending Fences, she uses her party cannon for Moon Dancer's party.
Season six
In The Gift of the Maud Pie, Pinkie trades her party cannon away to a shady pony for a rock pouch for her sister Maud Pie. When Maud discovers what Pinkie gave up for her, she arranges a return trade to get the party cannon back. The cannon also makes an appearance in Newbie Dash. Pinkie at first intends to set off a party cannon at the Party Palace in The Saddle Row Review, but Rarity objects. The cannon makes a brief appearance in Pinkie's closet in 28 Pranks Later.
Depiction in films
In My Little Pony Equestria Girls, Pinkie Pie's human counterpart laments not having a party cannon of her own. In My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, she owns two large electronic cannons, which she and Sci-Twi use to kick the "Welcome Crystal Prep" party into high gear. Unlike pony Pinkie's party cannon, human Pinkie's cannons are pink and yellow, and they don't have wheels.
Depiction in the comics
On My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issue #1 page 16, Pinkie Pie uses her party cannon to blast changelings with cake batter. On Issue #12 1 million cover A, an advertisement on the back of Shining Armor's comic offers a party cannon among its items for send-away order. On Issue #32 Baltimore variant cover RE, Pinkie Pie fires herself out of her party cannon through an inter-dimensional portal; on Issue #33 pages 15-16, Spike uses Pinkie's cannon to fire a meteorite into the atmosphere. Party cannons also appear on Issue #34 page 14, Issue #35 pages 13-15, and Issue #37 page 10. In Issue #44, Pinkie converts her party cannon into a real cannon that fires live ammunition.
In My Little Pony Micro-Series Issue #5, pony entertainer Ponyacci recognizes Pinkie's party cannon as a "Z&R model".
In My Little Pony: Friends Forever Issue #1, Pinkie Pie uses a portable party cannon called a "Z&R Mark IV". Her regular cannon also appears on My Little Pony: Friends Forever Issue #22 page 2. On Issue #26 page 17, Prince Blueblood offers mini-party cannons to the yaks of Yakyakistan.
In the My Little Pony Holiday Special comic, Pinkie Pie uses her party cannon to kick off her Hearth's Warming Eve party.
Other depictions
One of Pinkie Pie's lyrics in the It's a Pony Kind of Christmas song Twelve Days of Christmas is "two party cannons".
Chapter books
In Princess Luna and the Festival of the Winter Moon, Pinkie Pie's "party cannon artillery" is mentioned in chapter 5, "News from Canterlot". In Lyra and Bon Bon and the Mares from S.M.I.L.E., Pinkie once again uses her party cannon against changelings in chapter 14, "The Saddle Hawkins Square Dance".
Commercials
In the Hot Topic online promotional video Hot Minute with Pinkie Pie, one of Pinkie's questions is "PARTY CANNONS: HOW MANY", to which she answers, "Three!"
Software
Pinkie Pie's party cannon is featured in Hasbro's online game Pinkie Pie Cannon Blast.
In Gameloft's mobile game, Pinkie Pie's party cannon and Cheese Sandwich's party tank are among the decor items that can be obtained in the Pinkie Pride-inspired community event "The Ponyville Party".
In My Little Pony: Puzzle Party, the party cannon is used as a power-up to clear away all cubes in a selected 3x3 grid.
Merchandise
In the second wave of the Friendship is Magic Collection series of toys, a Z&R model party cannon is included in the Welcome Wagon Large Story Pack with Cranky Doodle Donkey. The cannon is also packaged in the Explore Equestria Donut Shop Playset and with a Pinkie Pie figure and Boneless figure in the upcoming Guardians of Harmony toyline.
In Enterplay's collectible card game, Canterlot Nights expansion set card #64 F of Tall Order lists the quots "I'm afraid that Ponyville Town Code, section 7, sub-paragraph B, clearly states: no firing of party cannons in Town Square after dusk." High Magic expansion set card #103 U is of Cheese Sandwich's Cannonball Surprise.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Ted Anderson (2014-08-16). Annotations: My Little Pony Micro-series #5, Pinkie Pie!. Electrified Fooling Machine. Tumblr. Retrieved on 2016 April 24.
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