In the days following the passing of legendary racehorse Grass Wonder, Filipino fans of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby came together in a way that perfectly captured the heart of their community. Members of the Facebook group Umamusume: Video Karera Posting, along with some of its admins, organized a collaborative art tribute on WPlace—an online, pixel-by-pixel mural space where anyone can place colored tiles on a massive shared canvas.
What is WPlace?
For those unfamiliar, WPlace works like a giant digital canvas. Each participant can place one pixel of color at a time (with short cooldowns between placements), meaning large-scale images can only be completed through teamwork. Think of it as a mix between a collaborative art board and a community endurance project—every pixel is a tiny act of contribution, and the final product is a mosaic of shared effort.
Building a Farewell for a Legend
The chosen tribute was a pixel recreation of Grass Wonder in her Uma Musume form, holding a bouquet of flowers against a blue sky backdrop, with the message “Farewell, Grass Wonder”. Around her, the community filled the map with hearts, RIP messages, and personal notes of affection.
What made it remarkable wasn’t just the finished art; it was the process. Fans coordinated placements, worked across different time zones, and encouraged each other to keep going. It was a living, breathing vigil on a digital map, visible to anyone passing by in WPlace.
A Bit of (TBH Unnecessary) Controversy
While the tribute drew overwhelming praise online, some criticism surfaced after it was revealed that the pixel design was based on an AI-generated image. Concerns about AI art in creative spaces are valid, and the discussion around its use is ongoing. But in this particular case, focusing solely on that point risked overshadowing the spirit of the tribute.
The posters explained that the AI source was used unknowingly as a reference, not as a replacement for the community’s own work. One of them apologized publicly, acknowledging the oversight and expressing hope that, at least in this moment, people could put aside debates and focus on remembering Grass Wonder.
The Point That Matters
Regardless of the source image, every pixel in that mural was placed by human hands: fans who gave their time and effort to honor a character that meant so much to them. This was never about the perfection of the artwork’s origins, but about what it represented: a collective act of love, respect, and remembrance.
For Uma Musume fans in the Philippines and beyond, the WPlace tribute stands as a beautiful example of how shared fandom can bridge distances and create something truly memorable. Grass Wonder may have run her final race, but her legacy continues: on the track, in the game, and now, on a patch of virtual space filled with the care of hundreds.
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Read More:
The Life and Legacy of Grass Wonder in Japanese Horse Racing and Uma Musume – VRSUS
