The Equestranauts

"The Equestranauts"
Bob's Burgersepisode
Bob disguised as an "Equesticle" at a pony cartoon convention.
Episodeno.	Season 4 Episode 17
Directed by	Tyree Dillihay
Written by	Dan Mintz
Production code	4ASA05
Original air date	April 13, 2014(2014-04-13)
Guest appearances
Kurt Braunohleras Sunpuddle Paul F. Tompkinsas Bronconius Ron Funchesas Horseplay David Hermanas Pony Danza

"The Equestranauts"is the 17th episode of thefourth seasonof theAmericananimated television seriesBob's Burgers,and the 62nd episode overall. It was written byDan Mintzand directed by Tyree Dillihay, and was released on April 13, 2014.Parodying the "brony"fanbase of the animated children's cartoonMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,the episode's plot centers on Tina discovering her favorite animated pony cartoon has a fanbase of adult men, one of whom tricks Tina out of her rare toy pony, forcing Bob to go undercover and try to get it back.

Plot

Tina, Gene, Louise, and Linda visit an "Equestra Con" convention based on Tina's favorite animated show,The Equestranauts,based on a toyline of pony dolls. Bob refuses to attend, disregarding it as being exclusive to young girls, but is told by Teddy that it is actually a meeting ground for a subculture of adult male fans of the series who call themselves "Equesticles" because "they havetesticles."Tina is surprised to find that all the convention's attendants are middle-aged men wearing horse costumes, and feels out of place among them. She encounters a group of Equesticles led by asuperfanwho calls himself Bronconius, and befriends them over their shared interest in the series. Noticing Tina's "Chariot" pony doll, Bronconius coaxes her into trading it for a new toy, and promptly leaves. Louise overhears him gloating over the swindle and tells Tina about it.

The Belchers learn online that Tina's Chariot doll is a collectible with a rarecamel toedefect. Tina devises a plan for Bob to steal the doll back by disguising himself as an Equesticle nicknamed "Bobcephala" and infiltrating Bronconius' circle of fans, to which Bob reluctantly agrees. In order to convince the fans of his disguise, she has Bob studiously review everyEquestranautsepisode and book to ensure his complete knowledge of the series. At the convention, Bob impresses Bronconius with his display ofEquestranautstrivia, and begins to partake in various Equesticle activities with the group, such as face-painting, eating from atrough,and getting drunk on cocktails the fans call "horse medicine." Meanwhile, Tina looks through Bob's studying material to discover that it includes her self-writtenEquestranautsfan fictionthat isnon-canonicalto the series, and realizes that Bob will ruin his cover if he brings it up.

At a hotel after-party, Bronconius shows Bob a safe where the Chariot doll is kept, and tells Bob his intent to achieveimmortalityby "merging mouths"with the doll. Bob openly recalls a zombie character from Tina's fan fiction as if that werecanon,exposing him to Bronconius as a pretender to the fandom. Bob's family arrives to rescue Bob as Bronconius prepares to give Bob a largetattooon his back in the shape of a horse with his own face on its posterior. Bronconius sets the other Equesticles on the family, but Tina turns them against him by arguing that he is using their core value of acceptance to achieve his own ends. As Bronconius gloats that they still won't be able to recover the doll, Bob then abruptly calls the front desk to open the safe. However, Tina decides she has outgrown the doll and packs it away, thanking Bob for retrieving it anyway. Angered that his whole fandom ordeal (which resulted in a small, nondescript, unfinished tattoo which remains for the rest of the series) may have been for nothing, Bob orders Tina to play with the doll before she goes to bed.

Reception

Alasdair Wilkins ofThe A.V. Clubgave the episode an A, saying it "offers a master class in the careful construction and destruction of its absurd scenario, and this is a feat that takes considerable skill. After all, such intentional undercutting of the story could backfire, especially with a premise like tonight's." He also praised the episode's knowledge of theMy Little Ponyfandom,writing, "[This] real-world counterpart feels less like a target for mockery and more like an inspiration for affectionate parody and a jumping-off point for something far stranger."Robert Ham ofPastegave the episode a 9.8, writing "Maybe I don't watch enough TV because I have to wonder what took a series this long to mock the brony phenomenon [...]. Well, the wait was worth it becauseBob's Burgersdamn near excoriated it. "

The episode received a 0.8 rating and was watched by a total of 1.83 million people. This made it the fourth most watched show onAnimation Dominationthat night behindAmerican Dad!,The Simpsons,andFamily Guywith 4.39 million.

External links

• "The Equestranauts"atIMDb