Missed Opportunity - Littlest Pet Shop (2012)

There are many reasons why I would like to call the animated TV series "Littlest Pet Shop" from 2012, produced by Hasbro Studios and DHX Media, a severe case of "Missed Opportunity!".

Firstly, the character of Minka Mark is a pink spider monkey, and I always looked forward to the day when she would erupt into some chest beating… Because she could have a temper, sometimes.

But there were some special episodes that I feel were true "Missed Opportunities". Like "What's So Scary About The Jungle? Everything!", the seventh episode of this series' third season. Here we had an episode that was all about gorillas, but still, we never got to see a single chest beat. Not even a little thump. I mean… Seriously?!

And then there was "Spendtrifty", the eight episode of this series' fourth season. Here Blythe gets a baby doll that is so realistic, that it cries unstop, and doesn't even have an off-switch. So when Blythe decides to leave it with the pets to take care of it while she's in school. The problem is that the baby doll never stops crying, and finally, Vinnie Terrio, the gecko, have a horrible daydream where the baby doll is King Kong, and he's in the roll of Fay Wray, while the other pets try to save him from the monster doll, at the top of Empire State Building.

Yes, this episode did include a King Kong spoof… And guess how much chest beating we got to see here?! Nothing! Absolutely nothing at all!

And then, finally, we have the last disappointing episode from this series. It's called "Snipmates", and is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of this series. In this episode, while Blythe is taking part in a fashion design contest, the pets are having some big troubles with Sugar Sprinkles, the otherwise sweet and very mellow cat, who for some reason is nothing but depressed and angry today. The pets soon discover that she is missing the sugar sprinkle pieces that usually sit on her head, and they deduce that her sudden aggressive behaviour is somehow connected to the sprinkles being gone, so they try to put new sprinkles on her head, which isn't quite so easy, when the cat in question has gone fully Hulk-mad.

Yes, Sugar Sprinkles does actually go full Hulk, and starts to smash everything in sight, even speaking and yelling "Sugar Sprinkles, SMASH!!!", in the same primitive, simple way as the Hulk.
The reason why I include this episode here, is that, ever since the Avengers movies and TV series, as well as the "Lego Marvel Super Heroes" video games, have all portrayed the Hulk as a chest beater, I have come to expect some chest beating when ever someone goes complete Hulk. But guess how much chest beating Sugar Sprinkles does in this episode?! None. Absolutely nothing. All she does is run around, slicing up any inanimate object that gets in her way, and attack all the other pets, like a wild tiger. But no chest beating, what so ever.

It really pains me to say this, because I really enjoyed this series. Actually, when "Transformers: Prime" finished its last season, in 2013, this show, along with "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" and "Sofia The First", were among the few modern TV series that I actually enjoyed following. But, as much as I liked this show, it did let me down when it comes to chest beating, by not including any, at all. I mean, seriously! When you have a show that features a lot of animals, it's somewhat unnatural not to include any chest beating. Hasbro Studios, DHX Media… You guys really managed to create a true "Missed Opportunity!" with this one. Let's just hope Hasbro Studios don't make the same mistake with the new "Littlest Pet Shop" series, which they are producing together with Boulder Media, scheduled for release this year, 2018. Hasbro Studios, get it right this time!

Deviantart Artwork - By Me - Rainbow Dash Going Into Battle

https://optimusv42.deviantart.com/art/Rainbow-Dash-Going-Into-Battle-738651074

I've also made this drawing, again using Muro, of Rainbow Dash from the "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" episode "Swarm Of the Century", when she beats her chest and yells like a warrior going into battle, before she sweeps up all of the Parasprites with a tornado.

I hope you'll enjoy it. I myself am not so pleased with how this one turned out.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - S07E15 - Triple Threat

In the "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" episode "Triple Threat", Spike The Dragon accidentally invites both Ember, the female Dragon Lord, and Thorax, the new leader of the Changelings, to the same event in Ponyville. And when Spike starts to think of how different they are, he automatically assumes that they will not like each other, and even begins to fear that they might declare war against each other. So when Ember and Thorax arrives, he tries to keep them away from each other as much as possible. But that plan gets an unexpected complication, when the Friendship Map summons him to solve a friendship problem, in Ponyville.

When Thorax and Ember finally meet, it's because of a simple misunderstanding. Thorax sees Ember yelling at Spike, and believes she's intent on hurting him. So, Thorax transforms into a big bear, and jumps in to defend Spike. And when Thorax changes into the bear, he stands up on his back legs, and beats his chest, to show that he means business.

"This scene has one kind of strange element to it. Namely the fact that Thorax performs a chest pound, even though bears don't do that. But, in all honesty, I don't really care, because he looks already so awesome as a bear, that the chest pounding just adds to his might."

"But I am still a bit disappointed in this episode, because Ember, the Dragon Lord, is the kind of girl whom you would expect to do a chest beat, in response to Thorax's challenge. And yet, she never does it. She just goes on to defend Spike, because she thinks Thorax is out to hurt him, and she does it without responding to Thorax in a similar manner. In short, a missed opportunity, if ever I saw one. Nice way to miss the goal, Hasbro."

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - S01E10 - Swarm Of The Century

In the "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" episode "Swarm Of The Century", Fluttershy brings back to Ponyville a seemingly harmless creature called a Parasprite, which turns out to become a problem, as soon as it starts to multiply.

When the ponies managed to drive all of the Parasprites back into the Everfree Forest, they return to Fluttershy's cottage, only to find it swarming with more Parasprites, just because Fluttershy couldn't stop herself from keeping "just one". When Twilight Sparkle realises that they can't round up all of the Parasprites, Rainbow Dash suggest that they "call in the weather patrol", after which she flies up into the air, and prepares to create a tornado, to catch all of the Parasprites in one sweep. Before she makes the tornado, Rainbow Dash puts on her flying goggles, and proclaims that it's "Time to take out the adorable trash!", after which she flies in, yelling like a warrior going into battle, and beating her chest.

(Between you and me, this was the absolutely first scene I ever saw from "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic", and it shaped my whole perception of the character of Rainbow Dash. It actually took me a while to grasp the fact that she was a girl. I truly believed that she was a boy. But she turned out to be a tomboy, instead. Believe me, I wasn't at all disappointed when I found out that she was a girl. In fact, it filled me with joy when I realised that she was an extreme tomboy. I'm actually still waiting for her to do some chest beating in the "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls" series. Hehe.)