Maud Pie's Earliest Mentions and Appearances

These moments are where it all started -- Maud Pie's earliest mentions and appearances. I researched this all a fair bit, but I'd like to apologize in advance if anything's incorrect.

The first thing that could be considered even a hint to Maud's existence was on April 15, 2011 with the airing of the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic episode "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" where a portion of Pinkie Pie's family is introduced during a flashback. Among them are two sisters reminiscent of Maud, but she herself is yet to be introduced.

Maud's first specific mentioning, though not by name, was in a book titled "My Little Pony Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party!" (or sometimes, evidently, "My Little Pony Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Pony Party") released July 2013. When Pinkie Pie sees the four family members mentioned above visiting Ponyville, she says, "Hi, Mom! Hey there, Dad! How's it going, Marble? What's new, Limestone? Where's--?" and then her father cuts her off, saying, "Your older sister is keeping an eye on the farm," This "older sister" is, of course, referring to Maud.

The first time Maud actually appears in the show is in the episode "Pinkie Pride" (first airing February 1, 2014) when she's seen in a family photo as a filly along with her three sisters, her mother, and her father. Pinkie Pie says of the photo, "Oh, I remember this one -- my first party ever." Since her first party was depicted in the aforementioned flashback, it suggests the photo was taken during those events, meaning it's probable that Maud was merely absent for the beginning duration we saw and joined mid-party. Pinkie Pie also goes on to say, "My whole family was there", and the "Rockin' Ponypalooza Party!" book also seems to confirm that Maud was there, saying, "Usually, a little laughter and fun could ease even the worst problems! It had even worked the day Pinkie had gotten her cutie mark. She'd thrown her very first party for the whole Pie family, and they'd all laughed and danced and smiled!"

Then, on March 15, 2014, the episode "Maud Pie" first aired, and Maud truly appears in person (or is that "in pony"?) for the first time. She's heard speaking, seen moving, is no longer a filly, and is actually given a name for the first time. This episode is what made her an instant legend... what else can I say?

Back when I first saw "Pinkie Pride", I totally missed the fact that the family photo showed a sister not in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", and when I first saw "Maud Pie", I just assumed Maud was one of the sisters from that episode, too. I'm guessing this happened with a lot of people, but it's still sorta surreal thinking back to it all now -- I mean, I was witnessing Maud in the making without even knowing that later on she'd become my second favorite pony.