Derpy has been modified! The Last Roundup was released on ITunes but sadly she was modified... Rainbow Dash doesn't name her and her voice is different. Watch it after the break! However, the Frriendship Express DVD is still Derpy.
SAVE Derpy!
Kreoss, an FIM Animator from Topdraw, showed a bit of information about the Derpy change on Deviant Art. You can find it below!
It seems there has been alot of buzz about Derpy being "fixed". I saw the New version of Derpy in "The Last Round-Up" and I do admit it didn't settle well with me. I still enjoyed the original. I didn't like the reason why they had her change. It didn't seem at all offensive in my opinion. When I first saw the scene in the animatic, I literally burst with joy. But I had a feeling that it might not settle with some fans and some people. Especially since people already have their own version of Derpy and people might get the wrong idea of her character.
Its not often that cartoons show fan content. Cause sometimes when you include Fan content, it usually can result to something negative (to fans or to others). And sometimes it also endangers the identity/essence of the show. Or if people like it, they will probably expect a lot more.To the point they might expect TOO much. So you could imagine my surprise when they decided to name Derpy and give her a voice.
Derpy has became more than just some fancy Easter egg in the show. She's became an Icon, a symbol to the fans of MLP:FIM. Though Derpy was created in a studio, her character was created by the fans. You can probably say that she represents all Bronies everywhere. Fans have enjoyed Derpy whenever they see her in the background until the point when she talked. The entire studio loves her as well. I was there in one of those Livestream chatrooms when people first heard her talk. It was quite entertaining how happy people were. So its no surprise to see people get really upset by this.
In a way, I understand why majority of fans are upset but blaming, pointing fingers and throwing hate around is not the way to do this. You're forgetting your own motto "Love and Tolerance". You bronies are one of inspiration and our greatest achievement. Don't sully your name by spreading Hate and intolerance. Remember, Tolerance is not the same as acceptance. If you are upset with something, display it in a more positive way. You'll get your message across much better than lashing it out with hate. Show some respect. Show some humility.
Oh I also want to address on a artist name Yamino. I've heard that she has been garnered a lot of hate by the Brony Community due to her not liking Derpy's portrayal. Let it be known, that she had NOTHING to do with the sudden change. She expressed an opinion on Derpy. That is all. She did not ask me to do this or anyone on the staff. I had to say this because the hate she's been receiving is unnecessary. So leave her be.
Also don't spam notes and messages to the people who work on the show. You're probably not going to get much out of it.
On the issue on Derpy whether she'll have the same Derp face expression and stuff. As an animator of the show, rest assured, she'll be fine. The show will still go on and I hope you will continue to support the show. Though Derpy is a great character, she is not essentially the reason why the show is awesome (though she is one of the Reasons). If Derpy never existed on that fateful scene in the first episode, would MLP be a bad show? Remember MLP is a great show because for what it is. I didn't know about Derpy until someone from the Studio pointed it out. I hope you'll still enjoy the show no matter what happens.
I hope this message will ease some of your minds. Thank you.
Hasbro has a reply from this Derpy takedown! Take a look!
"The 'My Little Pony Friendship is Magic' series has always been about acceptance and inclusion, and the series strives to convey that through the playful antics of a diverse cast of characters," Hasbro spokeswoman Nicole Angello told us over email. "Some viewers felt that aspects of the episode 'The Last Roundup' did not stay true to the core message of friendship which is the heart and soul of the series. Hasbro Studios decided to make slight audio alterations to this single episode."
Also, over on Gawker an article has appeared about this Derpy problem as well. You can find the article here! Remember that there's some negative in the article though!
Here is Amy Keating Roger's response to Derpy Hooves! Thank you!
Whew, this controversy has been overwhelming and exhausting!
I actually had no idea that fans were really upset about the "Derpy Change" until your email. And I didn't actually know about the change until I got an email last week from a fan telling me about it!
Let me try and put some rumors at rest and calm the fans. And to do that, let's go back to the beginning.
When I first wrote this episode, the character under such harsh scrutiny was named Ditzy Doo. We had already established in previous episodes that she was clumsy (she is not the pony you want on your moving crew). And we named her Ditzy Doo thinking of her as a being a bit dingy.
The scene I wrote was originally longer and had a flashback explaining exactly what Ditzy Doo had done to damage Town Hall. She and Rainbow Dash were "Bucking Bolts" out of the clouds during a storm. Ditzy Doo was bucking too close to Ponyville central. Rainbow kept trying to yell over the noisy bucking for Ditzy to move away from town. But Ditzy could not hear her and thought that Rainbow was complimenting her for her great buck bolting. Ditzy then hit Town Hall with a bolt. And, thus, the damage.
For the second draft, I was asked to change Ditzy's name to Derpy as a "tip of the hat" to the fans. So, not knowing that Derpy meant anything beyond klutzy and clumsy, I did as requested And then I was finished with this episode.
I had nothing to do with the original voice casting. In my mind, she was ditzy, as her original name implied. But that's not anything I was ever involved with MLP. The scene was made shorter because the script was too long and because the story wasn't about Ditzy/Derpy. It was about Applejack.
When this episode first aired, I did not see it until after I started getting emails either thanking me or berating me for Derpy's portrayal. The angry emails really freaked me out because I knew that I had not written a scene that could possibly be interpreted as being insensitive to people with disabilities.
So, when I got home, I watched the episode. I saw that the scene was shorter, which did not surprise me. That happens all the time. I listened to her voice and it was deeper than I expected. However, I was not offended by any part of the scene in any way.
But I got about 10 emails saying how offended folks were. People labeled me an "ableist" (a word I'd never heard of) and said that I was being insensitive to the disabled by calling this character "derpy." I then did a search on what derpy meant and the first things that came up were "embarrassing" and "awkward" which is what I thought. But then when I did more in-depth searches, I discovered that one definition is "retarded."
Now, you have to realize that reading that made my heart sink. My son Soren (of Soarin' fame) is severely disabled. We do not use the word "retarded" in our house because it really has become an offensive slur. And while I knew that it was only a minority of people that defined "derpy" this way, it still upset me that I was the writer that put that name out there. It was painfully ironic and goes against the fact that I'm an advocate for the disabled.
I also want to note here that while I got 10 negative emails, I also got about 200 positive ones! I knew that the majority of fans were not offended. I got emails from fans with siblings with disabilities and parents of kids with disabilities and fans who had disabilities themselves and none of them were offended. At first, I tried to answer all these emails, but then I just became too overwhelmed. Still, I want to thank you all for your support!
But I was not the only one getting contacted regarding Derpy's portrayal. Positive and negative feedback was also being sent to Hasbro and the Hub. Someone at the Hub who knows about my personal connection with disabilities contacted me asking my opinion. We talked about various options of what to do.
1. Do nothing.
2. Cut Rainbow saying "Derpy" but keep Derpy's voice.
3. Cut Rainbow saying "Derpy" and change Derpy's voice.
4. Find a creative way to change Derpy's name in a future episode
And I was honestly torn about which action should be taken. I went back and forth and back again. It was a no win situation. Fans were going to be offended no matter what. And while I was not personally offended by the scene, I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone that was. I know that if I was offended by something that I thought was disparaging against the disabled, I would want my voice heard. But then I also knew that an insensitive portrayal of someone with disabilities was never our intention, so why change it?
When that call ended, no decision was made. And it was not my decision to make. I am just a freelance writer here, not a network executive. That decision was up to Hasbro and the Hub. I am sure they weighed what was best for the MLP brand, the show, the network, and they may have even weighed in my personal situation. Maybe they wanted to spare me from getting anymore more hate mail and people calling me offensive names. It may have been only 10 emails, but each one made me feel absolutely horrible If the effect on me was part of their motivation for the change, I think that's really amazing, incredibly sensitive, and very commendable.
In the end, Derpy's voice was re-voiced to be more ditzy. And while, again, I had nothing to do with the casting, this is closer to the voice that was in my head. And as for cutting her name, if it truly can be defined as "retarded," then I am personally glad that name is gone. I wouldn't want my writing to perpetuate children--our target audience--to call other children "derpy" with that meaning behind it.
So, I know the fans are upset. But please don't be upset at Hasbro or the Hub or DHX Media or the "Anti-Derpy" fans or me. Let's remember what the message of MLP:FiM is--tolerance, kindness, understanding, and, most importantly, friendship.
All my best,
Amy
Happy Derpy Day everypony! Share muffins, letters, and friendship!
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