July 2025

Epona

admin July 22, 2025

The Celtic and Roman goddess Epona, whose name translates from Gaulish as ‘Great Mare’, was a guardian of horses, asses and mules. Her namesake, Epona, the horse, is a recurring character in the ‘Legend of Zelda’ video game series, chiefly developed and published by Nintendo. Indeed, she has become one of the most recognisable and popular equines in interactive entertainment.

A silver bay mare with a white mane and tail and four white socks, Epona first appears as a foal in the fifth main instalment of the series, ‘ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’, on Lon Lon Ranch. She is cared for by Malon, the daughter of the ranch owner, Talon, who teaches the main protagonist, Link, ‘Epona’s Song’ when he is still a child. As an adult, Link summons Epona by playing the melody on an ocarina and wins ownership of her by racing against ranch employee Ingo.

Having made their escape from the Lon Lon Ranch, Link can summon Epona to any practicable outdoor location by playing the refrain on his ocarina. Thus, Epona provides a useful, and enjoyable, means of traversing the central setting for the series, fictional kingdom of Hyrule, which is too vast to explore on foot, and meeting the other characters.

As a trusty steed and loyal companion of Link, Epona, along with her accompanying theme, appears, in various iterations, in further instalments of the series, including ‘Majora’s Mask’, ‘The Minish Cap’, ‘Twilight Princess’, ‘Breath of the Wild’ and ‘Tears of the Kingdom’. In ‘Twilight Princess’, Link can call her by whistling on horseshoe-shaped horse grass and later, a similarly-shaped woodwind instrument, known as the Horse Call, or Ilia’s Charm, which is gifted to him by Impaz, an elderly woman who is the sole remaining inhabitant of the Hidden Village.

Throughout the series, each of the multiple versions of Epona is similar, but by no means identical, to the last. In ‘Ocarina of Time’, for example, she has a more slender, athletic build and an energetic and enthusiastic personality. In ‘Twilight Princess’, befitting the passage of time, she has become a heavier, more powerful draft horse, capable of carrying an adult Link and his possessions, and more ‘business-like’ in temperament.

Champion

admin July 20, 2025

“The time will come when everyone will know the name of Champion the Wonder Horse”, or so sang Frankie Lane in the theme song to ‘The Adventures of Champion’, or ‘Champion The Wonder Horse’, as the television series was known in Britain. A horse called ‘Champion’ – a dark chestnut with three white socks and a distinctive white blaze – first appeared in the silver screen alongside his owner, Gene ‘The Singing Cowboy’ Autry, in the 1935 Western musical ‘Melody Trail’. However, it is worth noting that, down the years, Autry also owned two similar, but not identical, horses, known as ‘Champion Jr.’ and ‘Television Champion’. The former appeared in films between 1946 and 1950 – the original Champion having died in 1943 – while the latter appeared in films and, as his name suggests, on television between 1950 and 1956.

A lighter chestnut gelding with four, rather than three, white socks and his mane and tail dyed flaxen, for continuity, Television Champion appeared in 91 episodes of ‘The Gene Autry Show’, which was screened on CBS between 1950 and 1956 and, latterly, 26 episodes of ‘The Adventures of Champion’, which was originally screened on the same network between 1953 and 1956. The second of the two was repeated by the BBC, in the school holidays, throughout the succeeding decades, such that anyone who grew up in Britain in the seventies, including your correspondent, really did know the name of Champion the Wonder Horse.

Set in the Southwestern United States – but filmed on location in the Far West, in California – ‘The Adventures of Champion’ features the exploits of adventurous, but rather hapless, 12-year-old Ricky North, played by Barry Curtis, his German Shepherd, Rebel and, of course, Champion, a wild stallion whom he has befriended. Ricky invariably sails close to the wind, but with the help of his Uncle, Sandy, and his constant canine and equine companions – in the case of Champion, aided by several uncredited stunt horses – repeatedly manages to extracate himself from challenging, and often perilous, situations. The show served to exemplify the strong, reciprocal bond between humans and animals and how it can be strengthened by positive, shared experiences.

Bullseye

admin July 20, 2025

Bullseye is a vintage, stylised, ragdoll horse toy, who features as a supporting character in the multi-billion dollar ‘Toy Story’ franchise, created by Pixar Animation Studios. He is first introduced in ‘Toy Story 2’ (1999), but also appears in ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010), ‘Toy Story 4’ (2019) and the television special ‘Toy Story Toons’ (2014).

A bay horse, with a pink muzzle, and equipped with a detachable Western saddle, Bullseye was a main cast member in the fictitious television show ‘Woody’s Roundup’, in which he was the horse belonging to the lead character, Sheriff Woody. However, by the time of ‘Toy Story 2’, he is – along with former fellow co-star, Jessie, the yodelling cowgirl – in the possession of Albert ‘Al’ McWhiggin, a greedy, middle-aged toy collector, and has been kept in storage for many years. Stolen by Al, a.k.a. the ‘Chicken Man’, during a yard sale, Woody is reunited with the former members of the ‘Roundup’ gang and discovers his heritage.

Unlike Woody and Jessie, Bullseye has no pull-string and consequently no voice, as such, although he does have soulful, expressive eyes and neighs and whinnies, as might be expected of a horse. Bullseye is, nonetheless, a highly animated character, whose behaviour is often more akin to that of a dog than a horse. He is fiercely loyal and affectionate towards other characters, not least Jessie and Woody, and is known for his carefree, playful spirit, and his gentle, sweet, if rather sensitive, disposition. Bullseye is not short of courage, but does tuck, or clamp his tail, and hide, often behind Jessie, when anxious or afraid. At the lighter end of his emotional scale, his doglike behaviour extends to licking the other characters when he is excited. At such times, he can also be delightfully uncoordinated.

Woody often tells his trusty steed, “Ride like the wind, Bullseye!” and in the airport scene in ‘Toy Story 2’ Bullseye does just that. In the first instance, he catches up with a baggage train, while carrying both Woody and Buzz Lightyear and, in the second, somehow manages to keep up with an airliner approaching take-off speed.

BoJack Horseman

admin July 20, 2025

As his name suggests, BoJack Horseman is a bipedal, anthropomorhic horse, who is the titular character of the animated television of the same name, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. A Netflix original series, BoJack Horseman was screened exclusively on that platform for six seasons, comprising 76 episodes in total, between 2014 and 2020.

Voiced by Canadian-American actor and comedian Will Arnett, BoJack Horseman had previously portrayed ‘The Horse’, a young, bachelor horse in the popular situation comedy ‘Horsin’ Around’, which purportedly premiered on ABC in 1987 and lasted for nine seasons. However, in the wake of the show, living mainly on royalties rather than new projects, he has become a bitter, misanthropic, curmudgeon, self-loathing and, often, self-destructive, yet nonetheless prone to wallowing in self-pity.

Arnett once said that he was drawn to the BoJack Horseman character because of his ability to be “lovable and unloveable at the same time”. A largely unrepentent narcissist, depressive, alcholic and drug addict, BoJack struggles to form, and maintain, positive relationships with the people around them. Indeed, he is frequently guilty of selfish, cowardly, and wicked acts that make him easy to hate. However, even so often, despite his struggles, Bojack demonstrates that he is, at heart, an intelligent, throughtful and sympathetic person, who does actually care deeply about the few people he calls friends.

Bojack Horseman deals with dark, adult themes, as well as sexual content, but balances the gloomier moments with outrageous, often hilarious, humour. The stark reality of its existential narrative is tempered by a genuinely satirical look at the city of Hollywood, California and its culture, celebrity status, or lack of it, and so on. Indeed, the series has been critically acclaimed for all these reasons, plus its character development, animation style and the profundity of the voice performances, not least that by Arnett.

Various real-lif celebrities, including Matthew Perry, Chris Farley, Bog Saget, Tim Allen and David Letterman, have been suggested as providing inspiration for the BoJack Horseman character. However, Bob-Waksberg has said that he is, in fact, a composite archetype, based on numerous celebrities who found fame during the era in which the fictional ‘Horsin’ Around’ series was set, in the late eighties and early nineties.

Mr. Horse

admin July 20, 2025

As his name suggests, Mr. Horse is an anthropomorphic horse, who makes various cameo appearances in the ‘Ren & Stimpy Show’, an animated comedy television series that was created by John Kricfalusi and originally screened on Nickleodeon for five seasons, and 52 episodes, between 1991 and 1995. For the uninititiated, the titular characters are Ren Hoek, a neurotic chihuahua, and Stimpson ‘Stimpy’ J. Cat, a dopy, but obliviously joyful, and harmless Manx cat. Mr. Horse was voiced by series creator John Kricfalusi for the first two seasons and thereafter by Billy West, who also took over the role of Ren Hoek.

Routinely bipedal, but occasionally quadrupedal – when depicting a regular horse – Mr. Horse is a rather eccentric, but nonetheless straight-talking, thoughtful character, who acts as a foil for Ren and Stimpy in some of the diverse, often bizarre, plotlines. The Ren & Stimpy Show is characterised by surreal, often disturbing, content, dark humour and satirical themes. However, Mr. Horse appears in a wide variety of smaller, intermittent roles, often unconnected to the main plot, in which his dry, sarcastic wit and deadpan delivery provide provide a perfect contrast to the main protagonists, thereby emphasising their absurdity. His oft-repeated catchphrase, “No sir, I don’t like it,” usually uttered after weighing up a product, or situation, is a recurring joke throughout his various appearances.

As such, Mr. Horse is one of the most popular recurring, supporting players in The Ren & Stimpy Show. His various roles include a tester for kitty litter, a soldier, a spokesman for the United Nations, a dog show judge, a pilot and a party guest, to name but a few. In ‘Rubber Nipple Salesmen’, which is the fifth episode of the second season, Mr. Horse plays a prospective customer who, it is strongly implied, keeps a captive walrus as a sexual slave. In the break with the norm, he displays panick-stricken paranoia, believing that Ren and Stimpy are, in fact, FBI agents. Having realised his mistake, and turned down the offer of rubber nipples, Mr. Horse produces a distressed walrus from behind his back, who implores the pair, “Call the police.”