Seinfeld Declassified Episode 3: Does the pony remark ring true?

Hey, guys. Now that our nightmare hellscape is over, we can get back to the fun of doing what really matters: declassifying the greatest series of all time. So before we jump into this week’s episode, I want to just explain how this is going to work from here on in. So I decided that I want to go in chronological order hereafter.

So, naturally, I went all the way back to season 1 to see if there was anything there to declassify. Obviously, the fact that we’re starting with season two should be a pretty big red flag that I was unable to find anything in the inaugural season (but just for the record, in case you were wondering, no, the clapco d29 is not in fact a real lock).

So let’s jump right in here, shall we? In the classic episode, Jerry‘s vaguely-defined relative, Manya, makes reference to the fact that she (along with the rest of her family) owned ponies but does this align with what we know about ponies in Poland at the time? Well, here’s where it gets interesting. As it happens, not only are ponies common in Poland but there is actually a type of pony endemic to the nation known as a Konik. And among those, there are two different breeds, the Malpolski and Wielkopolski. Here’s a picture of a Konik.

As you can see, it’s probably not what most would consider a beautiful pony but I suppose it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Anyway, now there’s only one thing left to address. Would a family like Manya’s be able to afford or take care of ponies like that during that time period? Well, it’s not an easy question to answer. I mean we know little to nothing about their socioeconomic status, class or even the type of residence in which they were living.

But we can infer quite a bit. Seeing as he is pretty much middle-class (probably upper middle-class considering he can afford to live in a spacious apartment on a comedian’s salary), I think it’s safe to say he comes from a (at least somewhat) affluent background. And seeing as farms are quite common in Poland (taking up more than 60% of their total land area, if you can believe it), I think it’s safe to say it’s entirely plausible they could have had both the means and opportunity to raise ponies.

And there we have it. The pony remark does, in fact, check out and if you ever go there, be sure to keep your eye out for some of those beautiful ponies. So that’s about all I have for you guys today but thank you so much for reading. Have a great week and I’ll see you back here next time for a brand new episode of seinfeld declassified.