candy pony

Bon Bon, also known as Sweetie Drops in later appearances, is a recurring character in the My Little Pony franchise. Debuting as one of the main characters in Generation 1's My Little Pony Tales, Bon Bon was a talented baker who lived in a big family and often felt like she didn't get the attention she wanted. In Generation 4's Friendship is Magic, Bon Bon was rebooted into a secret agent at S.M.I.L.E. who served as a monster hunter and ran a candy shop on the side. In this version, Bon Bon was the proud wife of Lyra Heartstrings.


Bon Bon
(Sweetie Drops)
Friendship is Magic character
Biographical information
SpeciesPony  • Earth Pony
GenderFemale
AgeAdult
OccupationMonster hunter[1]
Candy maker
Business owner
NationalityEquestrian
Relationships
FamilyBon Bon's family
AffiliationS.M.I.L.E.
Real world
VoiceTabitha St. Germain
Andrea Libman (see portrayal)
First
"Friendship is Magic"
Last

Sweetie Drops was an Earth Pony from Ponyville, Equestria. In her civilian guise, she was the humble proprietor of Sweetie Drops Candies, but secretly served as a monster hunter for S.M.I.L.E. under the name of Bon Bon. In her private life, she was the romantic partner of Lyra Heartstrings, whom she would later marry.

History

Bon Bon was raised in Ponyville, first meeting Lyra when her family was visiting the small town, though didn't realized it till much later.[2] She claimed she attended college, however, that may have been a lie.[3] At some point in Ponyville, Bon Bon founded her candy shop, Sweetie Drops Candies.

Personality

Bon Bon is generally a good-humored, laughing at all the misfortunes that come her way, several of which come from her romantic partner, Lyra Heartstrings, who she tries to be the 'voice of reason' for, contrasting a more grounded personality to Lyra's more enthusiastic one.[4] She was patient and agreeable, working well with others.[5] Despite this, in many of her early interactions with the Mane Six or related ponies, she was rather nasty, irritable and quick-tempered.

Relationships

Bon Bon is good friends with Derpy and Berryshine.[6]

Abilities

Behind the scenes

Naming

 
First known instance of the name 'Sweetie Drops'

Sweetie Drops remained unnamed in the television show until season 5's "Slice of Life", however the name "Bon Bon" and "Sweetie Drops" were used interchangeably in toys and merchandise. Notably, "Sweetie Drops" tended to be used more often in more general releases, while "Bon Bon" was used in more 'specific' products aimed at the fandom, such as trading cards rather than broad consumers.

In the episode, "Slice of Life", Sweetie Drops said that Bon Bon was her code name, while Sweetie Drops was her civilian name, was listed under the name 'Bon Bon' in the credits, her first time either of her names were referenced in the television show. Since then, her actress, Andrea Libman, has consistently been credited as the voice of Bon Bon in her subsequent voiced appearances.[7][8][9] The earliest known mention of her name 'Sweetie Drops' was in a 2013 release of Friendship is Magic Blind Bags - "Wave 7", which featured the name on her character card. Interestingly, it was either that same year, or late 2012, was the first known official use of her other name, Bon Bon, which was used in My Little Pony: Magic Princess.

Design

 
happi pony

Bon Bon was an average sized adult mare with a cream complexion, blue eyes and blue-pink mane and tail. In her young adulthood, she held her hair out long, though curled it as a bun as she grew older. Her work clothes as a S.M.I.L.E. agent consists of a black trench coat and thick sunglasses. As a foal, she also wore glasses, though it's unclear if they were for fashion, eye-protection or if she had astigmatism. Her winter attire consisted of a thick, brown coat, resembling a real-world bomber jacket and fluffy earmuffs.

In the advertisement, My Biggest Pony, Bon Bon was depicted as a giant mare who was otherwise unchanged.

Generational legacy

Bon Bon was first the name of a Generation 1 character who appeared in My Little Pony Tales. The two share little similarities aside from a similar interest in cooking, with Tales Bon Bon cooking a whole manner of sweets, rather than just candies. Tales Bon Bon was portrayed by Chiara Zanni, who would go on to voice A.K. Yearling.

Portrayal

In her earliest appearances, Bon Bon (then unnamed) had very few speaking roles, but in those roles she was played by Tabitha St. Germain, with the exception of a single instance where she was instead played by Chantal Strand as a 'walla'. Season 5 onward she was played by Andrea Libman, who would remain her consistent voice all the way until Equestria Girls: Sunset's Backstage Pass, which is to date the characters final speaking appearance.[10]

Reception

 
Insider profile

Bon Bon was among the most prominent background characters among the fandom, with currently 18,000 logged images on Derpibooru and 1,700 fanfics on Fimfiction where she is a prominent character. Bon Bon was featured as among Insider's 259 LGBTQ+ children's characters database, alongside other lesbian characters Aunt Lofty and Aunt Holiday, and much to the fandoms confusion, King Sombra, who was listed as bisexual.

Due to being among the more popular side characters, Bon Bon was sometimes grouped up with Dr. Hooves, Derpy, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody and of course, Lyra, as a sort of 'background six', in contrast to the Mane Six.

Around the world

Flag Region Voice(s)
Brazil Bianca Alencar, Priscila Concepción
Indonesia Nink Junie
Romania Gabriela Codrea, Anca Sigmirean
Spain Carmen Ambrós

Toys

Information
   
Toyline Equestria Girls: Friendship Games
Set Singles
Articulation ?
Exclusive Amazon
Year 2015
References [11][12]
Photo Finish is the school photographer at Canterlot High, and she has an eye for picture-perfect fashion! This fashionable doll comes with an outfit, a pair of shoes, glasses, and a scannable necklace to use in the Equestria Girls app. Get ready to explore Canterlot High with the Equestria Girls app! The Photo Finish doll's necklace comes with a unique code. Scan the code with a compatible mobile device, and then customize an avatar with fun fashions and accessories. Embark on friendship quests to help the Equestria Girls characters and earn cool rewards along the way! My Little Pony, Equestria Girls and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.

Packaging

Official description

Merchandise

Trading cards

Collectable cards

Fashion

Digital merchandise

Appearances

Notes

  • Lyra and Bon Bon were once described as "roommates" on a trading card. In lesbian/women-who-love-women culture, calling a couple "roommates" is often used as a way to conceal the fact that they are in a same-sex relationship. Whether or not this was used intentionally as a nod to the ship or not has yet to be confirmed.
    • Bon Bon's exact residence has been inconsistent throughout other media. In My Little Pony: Magic Princess, it was said she lived in her own house, while Lyra lived in the Homely Apartments, which even her future incarnation lives in, without Bon Bon. Gameloft seems to treat Lyra and Bon Bon's relationship as something that 'may have' happened, like with how Rainbow Dash and Applejack were implied but unconfirmed to get together, only Lyra and Bon Bon did explicitly get married.
  • Bon Bon was once spotted spending the night with Minuette, a recolor of Lyra, implying she might have a 'type'.[13]

References

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