| Rtitle: | Crusaders of the Lost Mark |
| Season: | 5 |
| Episode: | 18 |
| Director: | Denny Lu Jim Miller |
| Based On: | Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) |
| Producer: | Devon Cody Stephen Davis Meghan McCarthy Kirsten Newlands Jayson Thiessen Sarah Wall |
| Music: | "We'll Make Our Mark (Prelude)" "The Vote" "The Pony I Want to Be" "Light of Your Cutie Mark" "The Pony I Want to Be (Reprise)" "We'll Make Our Mark" |
| Airdate: | October 10, 2015 |
| Guests: |
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| Prev: | Brotherhooves Social |
| Next: | The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows |
| Season Article: | My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 5 |
| Episode List: | List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes |
"Crusaders of the Lost Mark" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated television series . Written by Amy Keating Rogers, it is one of four musical episodes in the series, alongside "Magical Mystery Cure", "Pinkie Pride", and "A Hearth's Warming Tail". The episode aired on October 10, 2015, on Discovery Family. It is among the highest rated Friendship Is Magic episodes.[1]
The episode, which is loosely based on the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, follows the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they continue searching for their cutie marks. They end up as the campaign managers for Pipsqueak, who is running for student pony president. Pipsqueak's opponent is the Cutie Mark Crusaders' longtime rival, Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara loses the election and is heavily criticized by her mother afterwards, causing the Crusaders to sympathize with her. They then invite Diamond Tiara to their clubhouse and allow her to redeem herself. Diamond Tiara stands up to her mother and helps Pipsqueak rebuild the school playground. The Crusaders then agree to stop searching for their cutie marks and instead work together as friends to help other ponies understand their special talents, which causes the three to get their cutie marks together. They celebrate the accomplishment with their friends and family.
Being one of Friendship Is Magic
The episode aired on October 10, 2015, on Discovery Family to 299,000 viewers.[2]
According to IMDb, "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" is the sixth highest rated episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic with a 9.2/10, following "Slice of Life" and followed by "Amending Fences". Daniel Alvarez of the website Unleash the Fanboy called the episode "a masterpiece" and among the most memorable in the series.[3]
At the 2016 Leo Awards, Daniel Ingram was nominated for and won the award for "Musical Score Animation Program or Series" because of the songs he composed "Crusaders of the Lost Mark".
A picture book adaptation of the episode titled My Little Pony: Crusaders of the Lost Mark was released on February 9, 2016. Written by Magnolia Belle, the book is rated 3.74/5 on Goodreads.[4]
"Crusaders of the Lost Mark" was released as part of the complete Season 5 DVD set.