The history of our fandom has been filled with a number of newspaper endorsements, celebrity nods, and references in pop culture, but back in late 2012 something truly unique happened as a special airline jumped on the pony train.
Welcome back to Pony History my friends, it has been quite awhile hasn't it? Today I'll be diving into a unique event in our fandom that went on for a short but sweet two months in late 2012 that started with some innocent tweets by the JetBlue company Twitter and blew up into a fun little event for everyone.
Get the full story after the break!
The Saga Begins
Back in August 2012 everything began thanks to our fandom's ever inquisitive Foalpapers. I'm not sure what prompted his initial question but if I remember correctly the company's Twitter had put out pony related tweets in the past and Foal was now testing the waters.
After asking a question about MLP, Foal and myself were greeted with this lovely message:
Without someone obviously a pony fan behind the JetBlue Twitter account Foal upped the ante with by asking for a brohoof from the account and succeeding in getting one!
Things Start to Ramp Up
While being mostly a cool observation and nothing more, things were quiet for about a week before an artist by the name of hezaa created an OC to represent the company:
Surprisingly the JetBlue Twitter not only loved the little filly but went so far as to ask the pony community what to name her and even went so far as to put a picture of their little pony in the restroom where staff worked.
In fact, it wasn't just a single staffer into pony, it turned out a large portion of the Twitter staff had been taken to the pony side! A meeting was apparently held where it came up where one attendee was upset that the pony didn't have a proper pony name. Plus while not being Bronies in the strictest sense, they enjoyed the theme of the show and even knew about EqD!
The Race is On: Name That Pony!
While the name JetBlue would make a good pony name in of itself, the name at the time was actually taken already by an existing racing horse and the team wanted something unique. After much brainstorming the initial choices came down to:
Magic Blue
Airheart
Chipper Blues
Blue Flier
Bluebell
This list eventually expanded to include a number of other names thanks to the discussion on the original naming post and a poll on EqD led to decision: Jet Stream.
Holy cow look at the number of votes back then! Also I can't find the source but I believe that the name Wild Blue Yonder was suggested by Lauren Faust herself.
Everything Comes to a Head
Even as a name was being chosen the love for JetBlue continued to come in as custom maker Eliza and Tetrapony chipped in to add to the Jet Stream love by making a custom for the team and an awesome pic of Jet Stream:
The team even wrote Eliza a letter back in thanks:
The End?Hi Eliza,
Wow, what can I say? The pony is amazing! We’re also loving the artwork on the box!It’s been great to connect with you and the other MLP fans on Twitter. Since our team works from home most of the time, it’s going to be a couple weeks before we can get a group shot. For now the pony has a place of honor on a shelf, where it’ll be proudly displayed for everyone who comes into the office.The pony really is a mascot for us – it’s an outward expression of what our goal is as a team and as a company – which is to connect with our customers and build relationships.The pony has already brought many smiles and will bring many, many more.Brohoof!Laurie
After this point the JetBlue hype died down and for several years I haven't heard anything back from the team in regards to their little part in pony history. But as fate would have it when I was asking folks yesterday about what to include in this segment, mentioning I'd be continuing with the JetBlu saga I received this simple and lovely tweet:
And their link?
Aww, we love you JetBlue~
So next time you fly JetBlue, remember that you have some pony folks on your side: the Official Airline of Equestria!
Fun Facts:
Some fun facts to help you guys understand Jet Stream's cutie mark and the wonderful people behind this.
Finally, links to the Twitter accounts of the great people at jetBlue making this happen!
@MHJohnston - Manager of Corporate Communications at jetBlue
@TisStef - jetBlue Tweeter that originally started all this!
@Fahrenheit350 - Another pro pony jetBlue Tweeter
@MHJohnston - Manager of Corporate Communications at jetBlue
@TisStef - jetBlue Tweeter that originally started all this!
@Fahrenheit350 - Another pro pony jetBlue Tweeter
The cutie mark is actually a blue potato! It's a reference to a blue potato chip snack served on jetBlue flights.
Well guys, I hope you enjoyed this little bit of pony history! It isn't Weird Al joining ponies or fandom changing history, but it is the little things that have made this journey a blast and I hope that they will continue for many years to come.
Calpain, signing off!
Twitter: Calpain
