Do you have a good support system with your collecting?

[oddish]

My boyfriend actually encouraged me to get back into collecting! He collects Transformers, Star Wars, DC Universe figures, and comic books, and he likes Friendship is Magic. So he was really happy when I decided to start collecting again. So I'm lucky in that the person that matters most thinks it's awesome. But when we move into together I am afraid of where we are going to keep all of our stuff...

My parents... I don't know yet. My mother was supportive when I was collecting G3s in high school and would buy them for me. I've been kind of nervous about what she is thinking about all of these packages coming in for me the past few weeks. My dad never really seemed to get it and I doubt he'd be happy about it now. I'm not really close to my parents though and don't talk to them much, so whether they do or not it's not going to be a big deal, but it's easier when they do I suppose.

While I don't have many friends, close or otherwise, those that have said anything about it seem to think it's cool. Pretty much all of my friends are into anime and D&D and other nerdy hobbies, so toy collecting isn't that bizarre to them. Plus a lot of them are 'bronies' and such...

[apanda0622]

My mom, boyfriend, and best friend support my pony and other 80s toys collecting.  They keep a look out for toys all the time--lol.  I have my boyfriend collecting vintage GI Joe now.  And my mom and best friend collect baby face dolls now too--lol.  My brother and my dad think I waste my money and I have too many toys but they still listen to me talk about toys.  I just tell my dad the resale value is good and my brother doesn't seem to mind when I buy him vinatge TMNT--lol.

[Dawn]

It's interesting hearing everyone elses stories :-)
Although my boyfriend isn't exactly an active supporter (he gets up too late to come with me to flea markets! x) he's generally pretty cool with it though, and listens patiently while I natter on about the newest episodes of FiM and show him my newest pony finds. The only small problem is that he doesn't really like the ponies being in the living room where we have guests, which I can understand, so I'm planning on getting some shelves in the bedroom/spare room when we move into a new flat :-)
My mum seems a bit confused that I've started buying toys again at age 21, but other than that she doesn't seem to mind as long as I don't overspend (she's partly financing me since I'm at university and can only work part time). 
My uni friends think I'm slightly crazy, but they knew that anyway! My old friends from school thought it was pretty cool though I think, my best friend even let me adopt some of her childhood ponies, which is amazing because I remember playing with them as a kid 

So yeah, tl:dr - all my friends and family know I'm a bit quirky anyway, so I guess it didn't surprise them much when they found out I started collecting kids toys!

[vinzydesigns]

My friends and family and partners all support me thankfully

[WickedWonderland]

My mom is totally supportive. She says it's nice that I have a positive hobby and we enjoy thrifting for ponies together.


My friends think the sheer size of my collection is insane and love to tell people about it.


My girl... Idk. I don't think she likes my collection much, but she likes FiM and watches it with me sometimes. And when we first started going out she sent me a My Little Pony wallpaper for my phone which I thought was adorable.

[DazzleKitty]

My mom thinks I don't need anymore plastic horses in my room. My dad....he understands  my collectors mentality. I believe I got it from his side of the family anyways.

[SaphTalon]

My roommate has more ponies than I do. She collects mostly G1, but comes with me on my shopping trips. My dad doesn't know I like ponies, but buys me Pokemon cards and Transformers sometimes (bestdad!). I had an old friend over yesterday and he told me he's jealous of my toy collection. I've yet to come across somebody that has a problem with it, save for the odd looks I get from cashiers when I tell them the toys are for myself.

You know I buy birthday cards with mine. Sadly I don't have the guts to say they are mine. I barely make it out of the toy isle without wondering what people are thinking about me.

[Chi]

My mom finds it ridiculous and says she will never understand why people buy nirvanas for so much, but she agreed to let me have some money so I could buy the Paseo Heart Throb from a seller in Argentina after I explained how much restoring ponies means to me. It's a birthday gift, by the way. 
As for my boyfriend, I guess he just tolerates it and somewhat supports it. Though when I was sick for a few days and the previous wave had just come out, he texted me to ask which ones I didn't have and got them for me. He also is buying me a Peruvian Applejack for Valentine's Day but is paying me back the money since I'm the one with the PayPal account, hehe. Applejack will look lovely with some flowers and candy. *excited*

[Brightglowpony]

I am lucky in that my family is extremely supportive.  My closer friends know I collect and have even bought me ponies, but not everyone knows the extent I collect.  My coworkers do not know- I work in a medical setting and I am afraid I will not be taken seriously   

[invaderhorizongreen]

my sister supports me and i support her with her action figure and random figures collection she has a really nice dungeons and dragons dragon lion cross figure i want to seal it!

[mana-maiden]

My parents, and my sis-in-law are my biggest supporters. My spouse, gives me some AMAZING creative ingenuity advice on mechanics of my customizing. He also does leather work, and donates strips and scraps of his leather to me for my customs, lol.

There are haters, though. And it's hard. Art groups on deviantArt; the staff of the groups shun my work every now and then because they think "ponifications aren't art". They think I just slap paint on a pony and call it art, and they refuse to listen when I explain the craft I put in- I don't BUY them looking the way they are, I do the expressionism paint textures, hair plugs and styling, hand-sewn outfits, metal craft and leather craft and resculpt body and face features...

they either go "LALALALALA" with their ears plugged by their fingers, or they simply tell me they can't assist me any further. I point out that they're discriminating and in a way, censoring my art by doing that just because I don't use a human doll base for my custom dolls, but because they hate ponies, I still have to leave the art groups.

I really wish there was a rule against staff members of groups behaving that way.

[Chi]

My parents, and my sis-in-law are my biggest supporters. My spouse, gives me some AMAZING creative ingenuity advice on mechanics of my customizing. He also does leather work, and donates strips and scraps of his leather to me for my customs, lol.

There are haters, though. And it's hard. Art groups on deviantArt; the staff of the groups shun my work every now and then because they think "ponifications aren't art". They think I just slap paint on a pony and call it art, and they refuse to listen when I explain the craft I put in- I don't BUY them looking the way they are, I do the expressionism paint textures, hair plugs and styling, hand-sewn outfits, metal craft and leather craft and resculpt body and face features...

they either go "LALALALALA" with their ears plugged by their fingers, or they simply tell me they can't assist me any further. I point out that they're discriminating and in a way, censoring my art by doing that just because I don't use a human doll base for my custom dolls, but because they hate ponies, I still have to leave the art groups.

I really wish there was a rule against staff members of groups behaving that way.

That's absolutely awful! I'm so sorry you're treated this way. I suppose it's best to stick with pony-based art groups on DA, huh?

[RAMChYLD]

My aunt supports it, but my mom doesn't.

[ZettaMomo]

Pretty much all of my friends and family knows. My close friends are cool with it, but I think a few of my other friends think it is a little weird. They don't say anything rude, but I can tell they don't understand.
My parents are pretty supportive of me. Mom helps me with buying ponies online since I don't have my own PayPal yet. Dad sometimes buys me ponies if we are out shopping and he has a small AppleJack army that I put together for him. Sometimes he 'teases' me about it a little, but nothing really bad.
My boyfriend is really supportive about it. He wasn't too sure about it at first but I got him into FiM and helping me care for my collection. This weekend he even helped me pick out G1 ponies for my want list. He does have a small herd of pony customs I have made for him and a McDonald's Rainbow Dash.

I don't really think my Aunts and Uncles really know too much about my collections, but I had my one Aunt say to me before that she didn't really care to see my "kiddy stuff". My Aunts and Uncles has thought I was a little weird my whole life and I have been slightly ridiculed about it for my whole life by them, so it's nothing new. Thankfully I don't have to see them that often.

[mana-maiden]

I suppose it's best to stick with pony-based art groups on DA, huh?

That's the safest bet... it's nice to just take risks and bite the bullet now and then and join groups based around the subject matter of your customs. A lot of those groups send me invites anyways, it's only been 2 groups that have been completely biased over the fact my doll bases are ponies.

I don't really think my Aunts and Uncles really know too much about my collections, but I had my one Aunt say to me before that she didn't really care to see my "kiddy stuff". My Aunts and Uncles has thought I was a little weird my whole life and I have been slightly ridiculed about it for my whole life by them, so it's nothing new. Thankfully I don't have to see them that often.

lol, I think we all can relate with that. After my grandma died, I've pretty much lost touch with all my aunts and uncles... if you're not a millionaire, you're automatically "odd" to them.

A way you can think of it, is people who are comfortable with themselves (and are happy with who they are) aren't afraid to support their friends and family members in what ever it is that makes them happiest.

A person can harp on you about liking ponies, while they turn around and run into their closet squealing over Legos and Yu Gi Oh! cards.

It's all about insecurity...