What has been your favorite year of MLP releases?

[Twizel]

I was going through my pony collection today, and realized something.
Even though I like the physical design of g3 ponies the best, my g3 pony purchases have been small and sporadic, whereas the ponies that were released in the 1980s are represented in my collection in large batches!

The years that I bought the most ponies (because I buy based on designs I like, and not necessarily in terms of spending wisely) are 1989, 1988, and 2006. I really like the '80s sparkle ponies, and the g3 cutie cascades and 2006 holiday ponies have also been insistent on nipping cash from my wallet.

I wondered what years had the best releases to all of you? Hence the poll ^

EDIT: I know the years are off! I know releases are kind of confusing, especially internationally, so I just listed approximate years, instead of Year 1, Year 2. Sorry for any confusion!

[LadyMoondancer]

G1 Year 2.  The ponies from that year are just classics and they were the first ones on my want list when I started collecting ponies.

[ponycake]

Year 10, which was 91-92 so I had to select both options. I loveeee the late years of g1. I liked more gimmicky stuff instead of basic ponies.

[buddyboymama]

My favorite year was 88-89 (Year 7). A lot of those sets were represented in my childhood collection: Merry Go Round, Dance 'n' Prance, Loving Family, and I could go on ... Even the sets I didn't have any of as a kid are awesome: Perfume Puffs, Windy Wing, Candy Cane. But best of all, that was the year of Sparkle ponies!

[Strzyga]

1992-1995 (g1), i remember all my sister G1 ponies and her beautiful G1 Show Stable, i haven't got anything of her ponies because she selling everything 

1997-1998 (g2), my first ponies from my dad, SweetBerry (Magic Motion Tea Party) & Light Heart (Canopy Bed).

 

[SilverHorsey]

2005-2006 G3. I really love the Butterfly Island year ponies, they have so much color! My personal favorite is Seascape c:

[Ivy]

Your years are a bit off since year 1 technically was '83 - But my favorite year of releases would be Year 5 (Which your missing by the way the '87-'88 range) or '87 that year saw the releases of the Big Brothers, Princesses, Newborn Twins, Twice As Fancy and so many other great sets!

[Taffeta]

Uk years are a bit different from the US years and some things came out at different times so I have chosen based on my own childhood. I had my first pony in 1984 and a few others between but the time it really took off for me was around 1987. I had more ponies from this year than from years before and the 2 playsets I associate with 1987 in the UK are 2 of my favourites (pe and the hair salon.)  The year is probably 1987-8 for the UK but we had princesses and dragons, mountain boys, flutters, twins and party ponies...it is the first year I remember articulating specific wants, choosing my own ponies and really building a herd. From this year I had Sapphire and Smokey, Milky Way, Strawberry Fair, Dancing Butterflies, Fireball Thundercloud, Sunburst, Shady, Tropical Breeze and Dream Castle.

Some if my most beloved ponies come from earlier years, 83-5, but since Hasbro never released them here, they belong to someone else's childhood more than mine.

So 1987 for me.

[ValeofSpring]

G1 Year 2.  The ponies from that year are just classics and they were the first ones on my want list when I started collecting ponies.

This! These have always been my favorites

(And yes your year options make the voting a little difficult--Year 2 would be 1983-84, although it gets complicated b/c while they are stamped 1983 (when the molds were made), none of these were in stores until early 1984. Same with Year 3 (1985), Year 4 (1986)--lines typically introduced late winter/early spring with full line out by summer or so. But a great question regardless!)

[Taffeta]

That dating doesn't work for all sets. I saw someone confidently state Mountain boys were out in 1988 only based on something Hasbro related, but since my sister was born nov 87 and I had Sunburst when she was born, that is clearly not so clearcut.

We see from Hasbro now that distribution is far from uniform even in the same country. I don't really believe in the y1 y2 ckassifying system, but the stamps I have jnside pony playset boxes over here suggests to me ponies arrived to be in stores the autumn before their official release year. This also makes sense with Xmas rush. Unless the entire US dating system is wrong, I imagine 1982 dated ponies hit stores late autumn 1982 and so on for future years of production, and so on.

[Rainbowrific Renia]

I'm not too familiar with release years for G1 ponies, even though I collect them.  I didn't start collecting them until last year, so it's still very new territory for me.  I have plenty of favorite sets from each year, so I think it would be hard for me to choose.

I do know that I've enjoyed the ponies that have been released between last year and this year (even the ponies that we should be seeing before the end of the year) for G4.  In my 4 years of collecting, this has been the most exciting year for me as far as expanding my collecting.  Plus, Hasbro released the first playset I've ever cared about when it comes to G4 (the giant castle with Celestia), so that's definitely saying something.

[Haruna]

I love the Year 2 and Year 3 releases ('83/'84, '84/'85 here in the U.S.) -- I love how the line diversified in these years and started the foundation of the line. You know -- we saw the first unicorns, pegasi, rainbow ponies, babies (yay!), sea ponies, Spike, Firefly, Dream Castle . . . The babies are among my most favoritest parts of Year 3. Plus I love the pastel-y, fantasy emphasis in these years. Because of when I was born I actually grew up buying the Year 9 and 10 ponies (which I love as well), but perhaps because I got movie version Firefly with Firefly's Adventure/Rescue From Midnight Castle I was converted to a love of the early line. I received a lot of older ponies secondhand, too.

[zombienixon]

I do know that I've enjoyed the ponies that have been released between last year and this year (even the ponies that we should be seeing before the end of the year) for G4.  In my 4 years of collecting, this has been the most exciting year for me as far as expanding my collecting.  Plus, Hasbro released the first playset I've ever cared about when it comes to G4 (the giant castle with Celestia), so that's definitely saying something.

It's mostly the same for me, too, since I mostly collect G4.  I don't know what was released in what years as far as G3s go, so I'm going to go with 2010 - 2011, since that was the year that had a lot of variety in characters, and some interesting ideas like the Shine Brights.

This year also is one of the most interesting for me, especially the stuff that hasn't come out yet, like the Power Ponies, Fashion Style Coco Pommel, and Starlight Glimmer.  They really did a great job with the Apple Family blind bags and playsets, and the Canterlot Castle is incredible.

I really hope they can keep the momentum up for next year. 

[BethyVic]

I picked 86/87/88  (year 7) because that year my favorite set was made: Sundae Best.  Two of the 6 ponies I had as a child were Sundae Best ponies so they hold a special place in my heart. 

[otocolobus_manul]

Probably the 2005-2007ish era for me - Butterfly Island and Crystal Princess were definitely my favorite g3 lines, so many pretty designs and color combos