Rarity fighting a giant crab
Rarity fighting a giant crab is a meme within the brony fandom. As the name implies, it invariably portrays Rarity engaging or about to engage a giant crab in combat through various means.
Origin[edit | edit source]
The earliest known instance of what would become the Rarity fighting a giant crab meme was posted on DeviantArt on November 29, 2012, which depicted Rarity using her magic to wield what appears to be a gemstone shard in defense against a very oversized crab.[1] This image, and a large number of the initial images in the meme appear to have been commissioned by Whatsapokemon between November 2012 and March 2013,[1][2][3] with them crediting an illustration of Rarity being disgusted by a regular sized crab as inspiration for the commissions.[4]
Spread[edit | edit source]
The concept, popularized by the surreal situation presented, began to spread and mutate a few months later. The earliest known instance of the memes use past the original wave of commissions was posted on March 11, 2013, which utilized screenshots of giant crab enemies from the games Viewpoint for the Neo Geo and Vagrant Story for the PlayStation and edited them to include Rarity fighting the enemy crab instead.[5][6]
Variations of the meme rapidly became prevalent, including one featuring Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama posted on March 12,[7] a sprite edit of Rarity fighting the Pokémon Kingler on March 17,[8] and a version where Pinkie Pie is a crab on March 19.[9] The first fan fiction relating to the meme, "Rarity fights a freaking giant crab" was uploaded to FIMFiction on April 6.[10] A song based on the meme, where the crab is implied to be infatuated with Rarity, was released by Cats Millionaire on the album Fun Fun Fun in August 2013.[11]
The meme quickly caught attention of the Friendship is Magic staff, with story editor and co-executive producer Meghan McCarthy joking that she could no longer use the concept for the show's season four finale.[12]
A mutation of the meme, "crab fighting a giant Rarity", which typically depicts a regularly sized Rarity fighting a regularly sized crab, appeared in April 2013.[13]
The meme was potentially referenced in the show. The season six episode "P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)" (aired October 2016) featured Rarity finding a crab in her mane. The Equestria Girls shorts "Aww... Baby Turtles" and "Too Hot to Handle" (both originally aired March 2018) features Rarity and the other members of the Human Six (sans Twilight Sparkle) dealing with sometimes aggressive crabs.
As of October 2020, Derpibooru has 294 images tagged as either "rarity fighting a giant crab" or "crab fighting a giant rarity".
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Input-Command. Rarity fighting a Giant Crab (gif) (November 29, 2012). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ Drakeven. Rarity Fighting a Giant Crab (January 10, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020. “Don't ask, blame whatsapokemon”
- ↑ WillDrawForFood1. Rarity Gets A Little Crabby (February 5, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020. “Commission for whatsapokemon”
- ↑ Whatsapokemon. Comment on DeviantArt collection (June 11, 2014). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ Jryvn. Untitled Derpibooru upload (Viewpoint) (March 11, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ Jryvn. Untitled Derpibooru upload (Vagrant Story) (March 11, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ Crowley. Don't mind me, just taking the "Rarity Fighting A Giant Crab" trend through its natural cycle… (March 12, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ vulcan539. Untitled Derpibooru upload (March 17, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ capnpea. i herd da rumour dat sweety belle was invisable dinasaurs, sounds stupid i know. (March 19, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ Ganondox. Rarity fights a freaking giant crab (April 6, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ "Rarity Fighting a Giant Crab" (August 1, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ @MMeghanMcCarthy. “So much for the Rarity vs Giant Crab battle I had planned for the #MLPseason4 finale. Why r all the best ideas already taken by the fandom?!” (Tweet). Posted on March 27, 2013. Retrieved on October 10, 2020.
- ↑ rainbownebula. Untitled Derpibooru upload (April 3, 2013). Retrieved on October 10, 2020.