Lil' Sebastian

Pawnee's beloved celebrity miniature horse.

Li'l Sebastian is a miniature horse beloved by the residents of Pawnee, Indiana, and the focus of the episode "Li'l Sebastian," which originally aired on NBC on February 10, 2011. The episode centers on the parks department preparing a memorial service for the horse after his death. Li'l Sebastian was first introduced in the episode "The Camel," written by Norm Hiscock. The writers considered having a human character die instead, but decided that an animal character's death felt less morbid and more appropriate for a comedy series.

Quick Facts

Species: Miniature Horse

Lore & Background

Li'l Sebastian's memorial service becomes a major event in Pawnee, drawing the entire community together. The episode features Andy Dwyer writing and performing a tribute song titled "5,000 Candles in the Wind," which he describes as being 5,000 times better than Elton John's "Candle in the Wind." The service includes an eternal flame, though a mix-up with a propane tank and a spark from a lighter causes a huge fireball that singes Ron's eyebrows (but not his mustache or hair). The crowd applauds, believing the fireball was staged. Entertainment 720, a production company run by Tom and Jean-Ralphio, provides entertainment for the event, which proves to be a hit with the crowd. The final scene of the episode 'The Bubble' was filmed in a completely white, 15,000-square-foot office that series co-creator Michael Schur called 'maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series.'

Reader's Guide

Li'l Sebastian's memorial service showcases several key character developments. Andy's tribute song "5,000 Candles in the Wind" becomes a fan-favorite moment, and the episode ends with Tom and Jean-Ralphio in their new Entertainment 720 headquarters — a completely white 15,000-square-foot room with modern decor and unusual furniture. Series co-creator Michael Schur described this setting as "maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series" and "like a hallucinogenic nightmare." The episode also features guest appearances by Megan Mullally as Ron's ex-wife Tammy, Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio, and retired basketball player Detlef Schrempf as himself. Schrempf, who played for the Indiana Pacers, appears in the episode hired by Tom's company to simply hang around the office and play basketball. The episode originally aired back-to-back with "The Bubble" on May 19, 2011, and was seen by an estimated 3.72 million household viewers. Combined with "The Bubble," the two episodes' ratings were about even with the previous week's episodes.

Did You Know?

The writers considered killing off a human character like Mayor Gunderson or Councilman Bill Dexhart instead of Li'l Sebastian, but decided an animal death was less morbid for a comedy.
Retired NBA player Detlef Schrempf, who played for the Indiana Pacers, appears as himself in the episode 'The Treaty,' not in the Li'l Sebastian memorial episode.
A 'Producer's Cut' version of the episode with an additional six minutes of material was made available on NBC.com immediately after the episode first aired.