Big Macintosh

Big Macintosh is Applejack’s and Apple Bloom’s older brother, of the Apple family. His first appearance is in the first episode, where he is seen walking idly in Ponyville the moment Twilight Sparkle first arrives. He is later introduced during the Apple family reunion, although he has no speaking roles until the fourth episode, Applebuck Season. He is soft-spoken, and often replies with a simple “eeyup” or “nnnope”. He is called by the nickname Big Mac in The Cutie Pox.

Development and design

Big Macintosh’s original name was Big Apple, but it was changed at the request of Hasbro’s legal department. The new name alludes to the McIntosh variety of apple, which is mostly red with green streaks on its skin. Big Macintosh’s design (“size and furry fetlocks”) is inspired by G1 Big Brother Ponies.

His appearance is that of a draft horse: his tail is cropped, a common practice with work horses to prevent it becoming tangled in the harness or cart shafts, and he wears a yoke in all his appearances, including the younger version of him in The Cutie Mark Chronicles. He is generally seen with a sprig of wheat hanging out of the side of his mouth. He and Applejack have similar large, light “freckles” on their cheeks. During his first appearance in Friendship is Magic, part 1, his cutie mark is depicted with twinkles around the apple which are not present in following appearances, but they return in Sisterhooves Social.

Lauren Faust noted in a comment on her deviantArt page that an idea for a Big Macintosh-centered episode was pitched to Hasbro, but it was turned down. The episode revolved around Big Macintosh gently keeping the peace in the Apple homestead, with a running gag that his sisters and granny are very verbose while he only responds with facial expressions.

Depiction in the series

Personality

Big Macintosh has a rather calm and easy-going demeanor in contrast with his sister Applejack’s more stubborn and rushy attitude. His appearance matches his demeanor; his eyes are generally half closed and he looks slightly bored.

He is presented as a pony of few words and, like the rest of his family, he speaks with an accent suggestive of the Missouri Ozarks, where many apple orchards can be found. He speaks calmly and slowly and never raises his voice. He seems to have a practical sort of wisdom, certainly greater than his younger sister Applejack, who gets angry at him for “using his fancy mathematics” on her in Applebuck Season. He tends not to elaborate on a point if a simple “eeyup” will suffice.

In Lesson Zero, he displays his concision, as well as both a softer side and considerable physical strength. He is dog-piled by the majority of the citizens of Ponyville, but he throws them off in a cartoonish explosion, sending some of them over the horizon in the process. Once the spell is lifted from the Smarty Pants doll, he still runs off with it, showing his infatuation with it was at least partly genuine. He cried when Applejack sent the note that she wouldn’t be returning and when she did return he was the first to jump on her after Winona in The Last Roundup.

History

“Eeyup.”
-- Big Macintosh’s characteristic phrase, from Applebuck Season

Big Macintosh first appears walking through town as Twilight lands in episode one. Later in the same episode, he makes a brief appearance at the Apple family reunion. Although he is mentioned by name and referred to in following episodes, he does not speak until Applebuck Season. The episode also presently remains to be the only episode in which Big Macintosh speaks elaborately, and ever spoke in complete sentences.

In Applebuck Season, Big Macintosh is shown to have sustained some form of injury which renders him unable to help with the annual apple harvesting, prompting Applejack to attempt harvesting the entire orchard herself. The injury may have been caused by a bet between Applejack and him, which Applejack can be heard talking about at the beginning of The Ticket Master.
In Winter Wrap Up, Big Macintosh, alongside the other Earth ponies, is seen clearing away the snow in the fields around Ponyville and tells Applejack that Caramel has lost his seeds. In Fall Weather Friends, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom cheer on Applejack during the Iron Pony competition.
Applejack’s flashback, in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, depicts Big Macintosh as a younger pony, much shorter and scrawnier than in the present.

In Season 2, he is seen during the Return of Harmony Part 2. After Discord has taken over Ponyville, his influence causes Big Macintosh to behave like a dog.

A pony with the same color scheme and cutie mark as Caramel is seen in the opening theme song, pulling a cart, however the pony’s design looks like Big Macintosh’s. This was later changed in the remastered theme song, which first appeared in Lesson Zero, where he was replaced by Big Macintosh himself, though the character is used as a background pony in a few scenes in Lesson Zero. Big Macintosh is featured in the episode when Twilight Sparkle slams into him after attempting to break up a fight she started between the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He retrieves Smarty Pants from the fillies, but due to Twilight’s spell, falls in love with it himself, and runs away with the doll. The spell causes dozens of ponies to fight over the doll, and eventually Princess Celestia intervenes and neutralizes the spell. Once everything’s died down, Big Macintosh looks around then grabs the doll and runs off again, neighing with joy.

Big Macintosh is very briefly seen at the beginning of Luna Eclipsed dressed up in his Nightmare Night costume and pulling several ponies in a carriage across the town. He also assists Granny Smith as the race announcer in Sisterhooves Social by whispering the correct words in her ear when she makes a mistake.

In The Cutie Pox, he is seen inside Sweet Apple Acres, during the discussion of Apple Bloom’s cutie marks. He uses his hoof to cure Granny Smith’s sudden charley horse with a gentle knock to her hip. However, he does not comment on his sister’s new cutie marks, simply smiling and echoeing Applejack’s joyful exclamations with a “Eeyup” or “Nnope.”

In Family Appreciation Day, he is seen preparing for the Zap Apple harvest with Applejack, and can be heard speaking a full sentence at the beginning of the episode when he, Applejack and Apple Bloom cheer in unison that the Zap Apples are coming.

In The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, he works alongside his family with the cider production. During the cider sales, he carries the heavy barrells to the stand and hooks them up to the tap so Apple Bloom can dispense the cider. He did not care for Flim and Flam’s unfair business proposition, stamping his hoof on the ground and saying “No deal!” At the cider-making competition, he runs on a treadmill, later with help from Rainbow Dash, to press the apples into cider.

“Nnnope.”
-- Big Macintosh’s less than eloquent phrase, from Lesson Zero

Appearances

Legend

“These are the saying of Big Mac so far”

Season one

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Y N B Y N N B N M B Y M Y N N N N N N N N N Y N N N

Season two

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

N Y Y B Y Y N N N N N Y N Y Y N Y

Merchandise

Big Macintosh is part of the Surprise Bag toys released in early November 2011.