Why do you like Collecting MOC Ponies?

[Skeen]

I think G3 is safe to open (in most cases) because a collecting community was well established then and bought with the intent to keep MOC. 

[Shabi]

I like boxes. Lmao.
I intend to sell MOC ponies I buy in stores and buy them loose years later. I just don't want to open a box thinking that some person wants this exact pony MOC and may never find it. Also, money. MOC is always pricier than loose.

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

I like how they look on display plus I live in a very dusty area. So cleaning them is easier when they're containerized.  Also, I have cats, harder to knock around a box then a pony.

[Wildshadow]

OH I just realized I never actually mentioned my 'like' for collecting MOC, Only one reason I have two things is because of Surprise! The holiday wear where Surprise is about to take a cruise, had to have a mint one so her body could be fully on the card ^.~ The other was an Italy Firefly where she is on the front or the back... I forget at the moment...

The other set I had to have was the lamb and baby pony set, the name is hiding in my mind right now D= but they were a childhood set and the time I got it, the Delaney's had them at a VERY reasonable price since they had a few of them.

Some of the others I got was because they were cheap on ebay at the time ^-^"" But I sold one of them cause my sister finally got me to realize I didn't need it

[WaterDraw]

I like how they look on display plus I live in a very dusty area. So cleaning them is easier when they're containerized.  Also, I have cats, harder to knock around a box then a pony.

Oh yeah, cats are the ultimate pony-knocker-overs 

Why do we still say g3s are 'safe' to open? They've been off the shelves for close to 10 years. The only thing that's really safe, in my opinion, would be something that's still being sold. Granted there are a lot more g3 MIB than g1, since pony collecting was way more widespread, what with the Arena and TP and other collecting communities, but at some point we would have to start thinking differently about opening g3s, right? Genuine question, not directed at anyone in the thread. I just see this said a lot ^^'
Maybe I just love MIB g3s too much

Mmm. For me, personally, g3s seem like only yesterday so maybe many people still have that mentality. I think maybe in about another 5 years or so the opinion might change. I feel like once g5 gets up and going everyone will really realize how long ago g3 was.
It might be because it feels like there's still a lot around. I know in certain walmarts there are STILL g3s being sold (leftover stock and I believe you have to order it online, but still).
But that's just my theory

[Jorgito93]

I personally see the point of MOC, though i'm really not interested in them. Like Taffeta said here, it's an awesome piece of MLP history, but i just want to be able to touch my toys.Decarding g1s seems dumb to me though, of course you do what you want with your collection but i can't see a reason for doing that.You lose a pony that hasn't been opened for 20-30 years just to have one you could've bought already unboxed for cheaper, that makes no sense to me.Are those 5 minutes of opening the box worth an MOC pony disappearing ? i don't think so.I also don't like the "you can decard if there are a lot of MOCs of that pony left" point because it seems like such a slippery slope to me, if everybody said that and did that the number of MOCs of that pony would get low.

[Leikin]

I collect MOCs mostly because I find them beautifull. The colourfull cards and boxes ^^. Also I love the tiny bits of information you can get from cards, and also the accessory bit.
I have a bunch of MOC pony wear that is much prettier displayed with their cards, then on the ponies (imo) and how would I dosplay it otherwise? I want the symbols to show on my ponies, and thus cannot dress them, and I dont want to have a bunch of extras just for clothing display
On the other hand, I also collect loose ponies. Not because I play with them or like combing their hair or so, but just want to be able to touch and display them with other ponies in a way that is quite limited if they are still in box.

I kind of agree that decarding is a way of destroying a pony, like with haircuts and penmarks. I understand that you dont see it that way, if you only see the value of the pony itself, and that would still be untouched, but if you see the pony and the card/box as one unit, it is destroying it to take it apart as it can never be the same again.
Also considering it would be a common pony, if everyone decarded just because a pony was common, then at one point, someone would have the last one, and maybe decard it.
And there are very few times I actually agree with decarding a pony, even if the pony itself would be better off decarded because of mold or anything  like that, but the pony itself is probably still more common loose, and even in better shape then the decarded "saved" pony, so you are not really saving a pony for the collectors comunity, but destroying a MOC/MIB in historical value for the comunity. I hope I make sence here. If you have a, lets say MOC Mimic, and she was starting to gain mold. There would still be a lot of mint Mimics out there, but if its decarded it would loose significant value, not only for the MOC itself, but for the comunity as a whole.
I have a MOC baby Fifi in bad shape, but would never discard her, as she is the only one I have ever seen on this card, and to my knowledge might be the only one existing. the only thing I would gain from discarding her is a baby Fifi, that is quite easy to get hold of without decarding this one.
The only time I feel its ok to decard if the pony is already falling of the card and there is no way to save it.

[Khoufu]

I've seen quite a bit of G1 ponywear for under $20 MOC, and I've heard that some pieces are easy to lose, like the pocket buddies, so I'm kinda curious if it's currently cheaper/easier to get some complete ponywear sets MOC instead of loose? I.e. I have the bunny costume MOC and it was $13ish before shipping. Meanwhile, I see it listed loose and complete for $20+ before shipping. I don't intend to open mine but I'm curious if that type of price difference would be an exception for anyone.

Personally I just love the art and that's the only reason I like MOC ponywear, since it's a cheaper way to get intact backcard art.

[katrine2309]

I was one of those who really did not understand this discussion as I’ve always believed it is your own decisions what to do with your own things. Then I got older.

And now I see things a little differently, because what you do to you own things might impact something bigger than your own beliefs and emotions on opening a nostalgic toy. I am currently trying to find out about historic releases on G1 and without MOC collectors that would have been MUCH more difficult.

And the argument of “ponies need to breathe” and “poor pony, trapped in plastic!” is actually a little off-putting to me. Not because I don’t understand it or don’t use it myself because I do! “Poor baby pony, sitting in that box...alone...in the dark...” I’m one of those people who will pick that pony up, cuddle her and let her sit on my nightstand so she won’t be alone

However, when it comes to MOC ponies it’s not about that one pony. It really isn’t. To me it is about the toy line, the MLP story and preserving something of that history. I know that there are many collectors who are not so occupied about the story of the brand- perhaps because some parts of it is straight-forward enough (such as North American releases). But other parts of the MLP story is still a story with lots and lots of holes. We need those MOCs and MIBs and we need the stories connected to them. Where were they found or sold originally? So when collectors buy MOC or MIB ponies with the intention of de-carding I feel a little robbed myself. Not because I am offended necessarily, but it makes me frustrated that the community loose the opportunity to look at it for explanation. Something that is perhaps obvious for us today, could be a mystery for collectors years from now. Maybe that one MOC who got de-carded by that one person who wanted to “let the pony breathe” could have answered that future mystery...