907 - She’s All Yak, 908 - Best Frenemies, 916 - A Trivial Pursuit

Big Jim did a quick AMA over on Twitter the other day, revealing a bunch of neat little nuggets of information from his years working with Hasbro and bringing us ponies every week. This includes a few cut ideas and concepts that didn't quite make it to the final production line.I've extracted all of the questions and responses for easy viewing below! There is some really neat information buried in there.A: Weirdly, no. They wanted the Power Ponies initially because they wanted to do them as a toy line. But then it took almost 2 years for that to happen.A: There was a set of the girls as the Power Ponies. And a Comic-Con exclusion of MareDoWellA: Yeah. Lots. I still think there was more to explore with the Y6 (Young Six), especially.A: We liked the idea of the two former baddies trying to be friends. We had no idea it would work as well as it did. I think a lot of credit is due to @KSheridanVoice and Kathleen Barr’s amazing chemistry together.A: I wish. But all of us who worked on the series have moved on to other projects. It would be near impossible to get everyone back again.A: Money. Lots of money can solve almost anything.A: Bat ponies are in their cave, making plenty of guano.We were not informed in what was going on in the comics. Hasbro ran that. So for the longest time, we didn’t even know about Tibbles. Then it became an issue about justifying a new design where one wasn’t specifically needed.A: Yes. I won’t say which ones. I think that would be insulting to the writers and staff who worked on them.A: We pitched that idea to Hasbro, but they weren’t keen on exploring it. We always joked they were in Giraffrica.A: I honestly don’t have much feeling one way or the other. I’m looking forward to it being out to everyone in an official capacity.A: I do, but the project has not been announced publicly yet. So I can’t say.A: Maud, Pinkie, Mudbriar, Limestone.A: ProbablyA: Zero clue! When I started, the show hadn’t even begun airing yet.A: Absolutely. Just look at the show! Not many other Flash shows look like that!A: No. It’s not the kind of show where killing off a character is ever really on the table, so we never entertained those thoughts.A: It’s hard to pick just one! There’s lots I love for different reasons. But I’m pretty proud of 713 (The Perfect Pear)A: A true honour. And so special.A: Keep drawing, and don’t let a rejection deter you from trying. It can be hard to break in, so don’t give up!A: Rainbow Dash! (Actually, it’s Fleetfoot).A: Yup. An executive at Hasbro told us after we pitched some stuff for SS and DT, that they felt their story was “over”.A: Musicals are super hard to do. And ones with tons of characters in scenes.A: I got to voice more than I should have been allowed to, so I think I’m good!A: We always felt that Sunset should stay on EQG. That’s where she originated, and they did her best. She was also the thing that set EQG apart from MLP. Mad respect to @ishiH3Art, @isitlunchyet_t and the EQG crew. They don’t get enough love and respect.A: Sure. But the ultimate decision on things was alway Hasbro’s, especially for major things. For example, we could not have nixed TS getting wings even if we wanted to.A: We really never had the opportunity to figure that out definitively.A: There’s always ideas you have for episodes that don’t always click or come together the way you want. Sometimes those ideas finally congeal in later seasons, and some die forever. We pitched stuff with Zecora’s origins that never went anywhere.A: It really would have depended on what we were crossing over with and the story being told.A: All sorts of things! Subtle references and influences that even I’ve forgotten now!A: I feel very fortunate to have been a part of two amazing shows that fans care so much about.A: Digitally. Paper is great, but so much more time consuming. Most boards are done digitally everywhere now, and have been for the last 10 years or so.A: Once I figure out how to deal with it properly myself, I’ll let you know! I don’t know that I’m good at it. And it’s hard to parse what’s legit critique and what’s personal bitching.A: We’d have to look at the whole season and see if we felt that one of the characters was under represented. Then try to come up with a story to fill that hole.A: More than you’ve got. One, because EQG was done by a separate crew, and two, those crews are all long gone and moved on to other projects.A: I came on in S1 as a storyboard artist. I had a lot of boarding experience, so they made me head of the boarding department in S2&3, then when one of the other directors moved on, I was promoted to director in S4.A: I GOT TO VOICE DIRECT WILLIAM SHATNER!!! WTF IS MY LIFE???A: There’s quite a few., 24-26(Finale).A: We’ll never know. We felt it was important to not nail it down. That way, a viewer to imprint their own personal feelings on whatever happened to them.A: I think it would be great to try. I’m intrigued by the idea of a comedy action series.A: That’s all up to Hasbro. But if they do more, it won’t be with the DHX crew.A: There’s always things you wish you could do differently. But overall, I’m proud of the work we did and the stories we told. And that we got to end it on our terms.A: No sir. Not any of the DHX crew.A: I think she manifested her own dark half by burying her feelings and resentment toward her sister, and those came out as a separate personality.A: Whenever her and Trixie are together, it’s awesome to me.A: That whole special was done through Boulder. The DHX team had zero involvement, so I’m afraid I can’t speak to her origins.A: It’s hard to choose. But looking at them as whole seasons, 2, 4, 5, 7 & 9.A: There’s no such thing as cheating, unless you’re directly stealing someone else’s work. Mannequins, photos, your own body. That’s all reference.A: Everyone gets the full script. Sometimes we have a design for new characters, sometimes we don’t. We figure out that stuff together on the record day.A: Layout.A: I feel like we got to do a lot of what we wanted. It would have been nice to try and have a cliffhanger season ending, but I can understand why Hasbro wasn’t super keen on the idea.A: I think it’s up to individual fans to decide.A: No. I think the Christmas based ones do much better for Hasbro. There’s always a huge block of Christmas programming to fill every year.A: I personally am not a fan of inter-property crossovers. They always feel forced, and the way the two shows get together feels clunky and silly to me.A: AJA: Working with all the amazing cast and crew.A: It’s a real mix. Sometimes the “moral” informed the story, and sometimes it was the other way around.A: A few. And it still happens.A: It developed along the way, but fairly early on.A: There’s a few based on coworkers and their significant others scattered throughout.A: We don’t. And it was never discussed, as far as I’m aware.A: We referenced a lot of mythology. And mythology from different cultures, too. Lauren set it up well in the beginning, so we did our best to honour that.