The last time I really tried out a pop-up book was when I was a kid, so curiousity won out with the Castles of Equestria announced a while back. The earlier screenshots made this thing look epic, especially when comparing to the artist's other works on Game of Thrones.
So, good readers of Equestria Daily with your insatiable need for all things pony... how does it hold up? Is "The Castles of Equestria" worthy of your hard earned money? Head on down below the break to check it out!
My first major surprise was how big the actual castles themselves could get. The book itself is relatively small, matching most square shaped childrens books out there. But don't be fooled by the cover, these things are massive when fully blown up. Celestia's castle here has all sorts of neat little details, and it doesn't end on just the front. All of these are full 3D, meaning both sides of the castle are detailed out, sometimes even more-so in the back.
The Crystal Empire castle is probably the most impressive in terms of size. I had to call in some assitants to hold it up for me for the pictures. Daring Do and Trixie only came to about half it's height.
When it comes to canon, the Ancient Castle of the Two Sisters is probably the most interesting. All of the ponies from the Hearths Warming Eve episode are in attendance in their classic forms.
Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie
As notced above, this is an example of a backside that has even more detail than the front. The rest of those ancient-ancestor ponies make their presense here, along with Starswirl the Bearded.
I have no idea who these two are. Perhaps a future episode will reveal it?
It also includes a look at the current form of the Castle of Two Sisters, complete with your elements of harmony tree on the side.
The final castle in the book is Twilight's new one.
Cheerilee, Discord, and some pony I've never seen before adorn one wing. Again, future character? It seems like most of the ponies on this are background ponies or at least mentioned in the show at some point.
Here's the real interesting point. Two Sea Ponies are swimming around in Twilight's moat, both with vastly different snout designs. I'm gunning for #2 if we ever see them in the show. I'd be more than alright with an episode based on that.
And finally, the book includes standees of all the princesses and Spike. I know a few peolpe out there who regularly send me angry Spike emails that will be more than happy he was included in the major pony cast here. Princess Spike returns!
Overall, this book would make a really neat addition to any pony collection. The only flaw I could find was a lack of those interactive wheels and things that pop-up books sometimes come with, but I think they were aiming more for detail this time around, as opposed to playsets.
If this all looks interesting to you, the book can be ordered over on Amazon, just released!
