No More Coco · 1:41pm May 25th, 2016
CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6 EPISODE 9. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
If anyone read my review of the latest episode, they would know that I was disappointed with only the brief cameo from Coco Pommel. Internally, I was also highly confused as to why Rarity referred to her friend and fellow fashion pony as 'Miss Pommel'.
Well today, thanks to Derpibooru, I got the answer.
https://derpibooru.org/1162581
Apparently, Hasbro is either worried about pressure, or has already been pressured by, the fashion company Chanel. This company was founded by a woman named Coco Chanel, which of course is the name of which Coco Pommel is a play on.
Suffice is to say, this decision confuses me greatly. Coco Pommel first appeared in the Season 4 episode "Rarity Takes Manehattan", which aired on January 4, 2014. She also appeared in Season 5's "Made in Manehattan", which aired on September 26, 2015. In other words, she has been a character in MLP for over two years now and they are just now deciding to alter her name.
And she is not just some background pony. She is an official recurring character with a particular home (Manehattan), a particular job (Bridleway costume designer), and a unique look. Not to mention that she was the source of one of the keys needed in Season 4 to unlock the box which contained the Rainbow Power used to defeat Tirek.
On top of that, this is far from the first time that MLP has ponified or referenced a famous person. Just this past episode, we saw a ponified J. Jonah Jameson (does that mean Marvel/Stan Lee are going to make a fuss?), and ponified versions of Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta as their characters from "Pulp Fiction". The three sales associates Rainbow hired are also ponified version of famous people in the fashion industry, though I don't recognize them myself.
The list goes on of this trend. Photo Finish is an over-the-top version of Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour. Daring Do is a straight rip on Indiana Jones. Countess Coloratura was a dead ringer for a Lady Gaga impersonator, and even had a pony in her show who looked just like Prince.
Quite frankly, Hasbro has nothing to worry about. In cases such as these, where someone is accused of stealing a name or likeness, the burden of proof falls on the plaintiff (in this case, Chanel) to prove that the defendant's (Hasbro) use would either confuse people or hurt the plaintiff either in profits or reputation. And obviously, no one is going to confuse Coco Pommel, the cute cream-and-blue pony, with Coco Chanel, the internationally-famous designer.
It bothers me that Hasbro would kowtow to the fear of being sued by someone who has no case. It also worries me that this could mean that we will not see Coco Pommel again in the future, which would be a shame.
I'm not usually one for hashtags, but I believe this deserves one.
#FreeCoco
