The MLP Arena

Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: starstrider on May 10, 2018, 08:02:12 AM

Title: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: starstrider on May 10, 2018, 08:02:12 AM
I came across a YouTube video with some of the old MLP commercials from the 90s, and I found myself smiling with the nostalgia without even realising it.  It made me wonder why DO we continue to place such value on these toys and why are we still collecting them decades later? What drives us to collect them and prize them the way we do?

For me, I think that somehow these pretty little ponies are a link to my childhood, and having them helps to keep my inner child happy and healthy.  I live with MDD and a few other not so fun issues, so finding something that lifts my spirits is really important.  Everyone has different collecting goals, of course.  But why do YOU collect My Little Pony?  What does it mean to you? 

Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: kingluke on May 10, 2018, 08:14:50 AM
I collect them because they make me very happy, and I've been looking to collect and focus all my attention on since monster high and ever after got that 'reboot'.
Other then that I simply adore them and bringin new life into them makes me really happy. I just have to find a way to make clothes for them :biggrin:
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Mami Tomoe on May 10, 2018, 08:26:12 AM
They're adorable
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: TheBeatlesPkmnFan42 on May 10, 2018, 08:26:20 AM
They make me really happy! My Little Pony is my main special interest and taking a look around my room and seeing all my wonderful ponies makes me very happy. :lovey:
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Nemesis on May 10, 2018, 09:09:25 AM
I’ve been enchanted by MLP for as long as I can remember... I still have all of my ponies from early childhood (G1/G2). When I was in my tween years, they released G3 and I was ecstatic. XD As an adult, I got into G4.

So I guess ponies have been with me all my life! As to the “why” of it... I’m a child at heart. (I even play with my pony collection when no one is looking. XD) They bring me joy, and relief from a lot of the stressers in my life. Everyone has a hobby—toy collecting is mine. ^3^
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Einhornbaby on May 10, 2018, 09:17:22 AM
I collect them because they make me happy and fill me with good thoughts. They make memories come back from back then when life was good and easy and the worst you had to worry still sounds like fun compared to today <3
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Kazzellin on May 10, 2018, 09:25:45 AM
As others have already mentioned, they make me happy. They’re cheerfully colorful, and the designs can be quite fun. :) Also, hunting down all the little bits and bobs they came with is a nice challenge. :lol:
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: poniesthatsparkle on May 10, 2018, 10:05:24 AM
They make me happy! I love their bright, cheerful faces and pastel colors. Many of them have such gorgeous color schemes and designs that bring joy to my life. It's so nice coming home after a long day and seeing so many little ponies smiling at you. They aslo have hair that's fun to brush and style!
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Sky_Rocket_Sammie on May 10, 2018, 11:34:59 AM
I collect them because I often wasn't allowed to have them as a kid. Plus I had a really crappy childhood and some of the happier moments included ponies. So it's a fresh start and they make me smile every time I see them. They don't even have to be mine and I smile.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: cyberunicorn on May 10, 2018, 11:42:33 AM
I don't actually know why I collect them to be honest. I think I just enjoy looking at them as they remind me of simpler times
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: PoserBeachball on May 10, 2018, 11:42:54 AM
They make me smile every time I look at them, they are such fun.
Love the variety of colours and poses and the creativity in restoring those that have seen better days.

Also because they are Pony, as opposed to horse, models/toys with pony proportions and cheeriness  (I've been a pony-nut since my first real-life Welsh Mountain as a wee kid - still have native ponies now as an adult). 
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: emily_katie on May 10, 2018, 12:27:39 PM
As a child I didn't actually have ANY interest in MLP (I grew up with G3). Instead I had a fascination with 'old' toys as they fed into my interest in history and the past at the time  :P I collected 90s polly pockets, and I still have them all. I haven't collected anymore since simply because I have not found any since about 2009?

Back to ponies. I started my small collection in January, for a number of reasons.
One because I enjoy searching for vintage toys of any kind, its like a treasure hunt in my eyes.
Two because I saw a large lot of G1 in a games shop and I realised 'huh, they are ADORABLE'  :lovey: .
Three because as I said earlier I love vintage toys, I love giving them a happy retirement and if they need it a good clean, its very satisfying  :happy: 
Four, I also think they display better than any other vintage toys that I own, Some of them are close to being 40 years old and you wouldn't think that, a real testament to the love that was put into their design and build :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Esbayne on May 10, 2018, 12:37:23 PM
As everyone else has said, they make me happy and are wonderful stress relievers!
I love artsy, colorful, whimsical things, and I love fantasy and horses. Also, they're so adorable.
It started when I saw ONE pony commercial for G3 (this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIuUBZDIInU specifically) when I was what, 6? and that was it. I was hooked. I NEEDED PONIES! So I asked for nothing but ponies for Christmas and got two + the Cotton Candy Cafe which came with four bonus ponies, for a total of 6 first ponies.

I love how each and every one of them is unique, and there are an insane amount of ponies to collect- Everyone can have a ton of ponies but no one's collections will ever be the same! It adds so much variety! I love the color schemes, their poses, their whimsical names, their symbols, their history, their weird and lovely gimmicks, everything really. And, as much as it can be a pain sometimes, I love their real brushable hair. I also do enjoy pony-hunting and fixing them up.
I could gush for hours about everything I love about ponies... They truly do rope you in and keep you captivated for life. I also got into dolls a few years ago, fantasy/sci-fi/horror dolls, BJDs, anthro cats, etc. While I do love them all dearly and am admittedly also very obsessed with all of them, I'll be honest and say I love the ponies more, and I always will. They've been with me for life and have been through everything with me, the good and the bad. Funny how hundreds of simple, little rainbow plastic ponies can have such a huge spot in my heart.

I've been obsessed ever since and never stopped collecting! I still have all of my childhood ponies, along with like, a billion more now. >.>

Also I want to throw in there, I love the community- that's always been a big factor for me too, having awesome people to talk with about ponies. Hands down, Pony People (that's my official term for all you guys xD) are the nicest and most interesting bunch of people I've ever associated with. A lot of other toy collecting groups, oddly enough, are very full of anger and hate and judgement and prejudice and all sorts of other weird crap that makes no sense and has no place in a hobby as fun as toy collecting. Every so often something bizarre like that pops up in the pony community, but it's pretty rare and gets shot down quickly. Overall, Pony People seem to all look out for eachother and go out of their ways to help out others or do nice things.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on May 10, 2018, 02:11:22 PM
I've always had ponies as long as I can remember, but they weren't always the complete focus of my childhood, nor the only toy I ever was into. If you look at early photos of me, you see me more often with my fraggle toys or other things than ponies, up till I was about five. From then I was really into ponies, and I am sure it has to do with the comic and how much I connected to the characters. I never played pony games according to the stories, but things that stay with me are usually things that captured my imagination, not just the hoarding instinct to collect.

I don't think that it is a reminder of simpler times for me. I don't really remember childhood as being particularly simple. I wasn't diagnosed with autism till I was 23, and there were a lot of challenges for me as a kid growing up, a lot of misunderstandings because I was "bright" therefore must be doing things wrong out of defiance.  I was picked on at school by the staff and headteacher, and I often had arguments at home with my family because of a difficulty in communicating things that I couldn't explain. Then my mother got sick when I was about nine, and everything got even more complicated for a while.

I guess the stable thing throughout all of this was my imagination. Also, my close bond with my sister. I had friends as well who played with ponies. It was a common ground we had and shared although I know I was definitely engaged in buying new ponies for longer than any of my friends, even if they still played with them. I had ponies to mark important events, and as presents, but we never had extraneous cash to buy lots of ponies at a time, and as my sister likes to joke, I got her instead of a whole lot more ponies. But because we both shared that love for them, it was something we both kept going even to now. I think that it's still something I am more obsessive about than she is, possibly because autism makes interests more vivid. But I think I still love ponies this much because they are a part of my life, good and bad.

I've had other collections, and still do - but if I had to choose only one to keep, this would be the one.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: cookifaa on May 10, 2018, 02:45:35 PM
I think I still collect them because they remind me of when times were simpler and when everything used to go over my head.

I've not had an easy life at all, I'm only 16, but I've been through things that most people won't ever experience and so for me my ponies are the only link back to the childhood that I lost. I am still technically a child so I am trying to hold onto that for as long as possible, and plus, they make me incredibly happy!

I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety back when I was 10 after an accident, and I lost a lot of love for many things I used to dote on including my ponies. But now, looking back, I've realised that through all the tough times I have always gone back to the ponies. There are actually pictures of me at my Year Six Leavers Party holding my aunties Cotton Candy. So even though I've drifted, I've never really left them! I've also noticed that when I feel myself getting really anxious, I gravitate towards them and I spend ages playing with their hair. Probably not the best thing to do >.<

They also hold a great amount of sentimental value for me and my mother. Like me, my mum had an incredibly hard childhood, and so she tends to also randomly buy ponies. She loves my collection as much as I do.

I guess they're just small pieces of happiness we hold onto to remind us of those long gone days?

This got depressing really fast wow.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: invaderhorizongreen on May 10, 2018, 04:18:26 PM
They make me happy, and lull visitors into a false sense of security before I show them the horror movie collection.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Nemesis on May 10, 2018, 05:02:25 PM
I think that it's still something I am more obsessive about than she is, possibly because autism makes interests more vivid.

I’m autistic as well (also diagnosed in my early 20s), and I like the way you phrased that: about interests being more “vivid”. :) That’s something I love about ASD... For most of my friends and peers, the ability to take joy in little things like toy ponies and 80s cartoons faded away as they grew older. For me, that joy is still there, and as “vivid” as ever. That’s a great gift, as far as I’m concerned. ^_^

Of course, one doesn’t have to be autistic to love toy collecting or ponies! But I do think it’s enabled me to hold on to that wonderful, childlike sense of excitement when it comes to toys and such.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on May 10, 2018, 05:37:27 PM
I think that it's still something I am more obsessive about than she is, possibly because autism makes interests more vivid.

I’m autistic as well (also diagnosed in my early 20s), and I like the way you phrased that: about interests being more “vivid”. :) That’s something I love about ASD... For most of my friends and peers, the ability to take joy in little things like toy ponies and 80s cartoons faded away as they grew older. For me, that joy is still there, and as “vivid” as ever. That’s a great gift, as far as I’m concerned. ^_^

Of course, one doesn’t have to be autistic to love toy collecting or ponies! But I do think it’s enabled me to hold on to that wonderful, childlike sense of excitement when it comes to toys and such.

Yes, this exactly :D I once explained it to someone as saying, I grew up but didn't grow out of things I grew up with. So I can enjoy books and films and such aimed at adults, but I can also still enjoy stuff aimed at children and don't see a problem with that.

I also connect very strongly to ideas and imagination and creative stuff around things. They say we have no empathy, but I have empathy for people *and* objects which apparently is not unusual for autistic folk but somewhat annoying at times. It means I can't walk by the scribbled on pony at the carboot sale without wanting to rescue her...and don't even get me started on how I feel when some food item passes its expiry date and I have to throw it out. Yes, I have apologised to expired food before.

But all this is part of the 'vivid' and I think it makes interests fun. It's not that other people can't enjoy them too and I think sometimes those people enjoy them in total other ways that maybe I can't ever reach out to - but I like being able to make that connection and thus enjoy something in depth :D
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: invaderhorizongreen on May 10, 2018, 05:51:08 PM
I think that it's still something I am more obsessive about than she is, possibly because autism makes interests more vivid.

I’m autistic as well (also diagnosed in my early 20s), and I like the way you phrased that: about interests being more “vivid”. :) That’s something I love about ASD... For most of my friends and peers, the ability to take joy in little things like toy ponies and 80s cartoons faded away as they grew older. For me, that joy is still there, and as “vivid” as ever. That’s a great gift, as far as I’m concerned. ^_^

Of course, one doesn’t have to be autistic to love toy collecting or ponies! But I do think it’s enabled me to hold on to that wonderful, childlike sense of excitement when it comes to toys and such.

Yes, this exactly :D I once explained it to someone as saying, I grew up but didn't grow out of things I grew up with. So I can enjoy books and films and such aimed at adults, but I can also still enjoy stuff aimed at children and don't see a problem with that.

I also connect very strongly to ideas and imagination and creative stuff around things. They say we have no empathy, but I have empathy for people *and* objects which apparently is not unusual for autistic folk but somewhat annoying at times. It means I can't walk by the scribbled on pony at the carboot sale without wanting to rescue her...and don't even get me started on how I feel when some food item passes its expiry date and I have to throw it out. Yes, I have apologised to expired food before.

But all this is part of the 'vivid' and I think it makes interests fun. It's not that other people can't enjoy them too and I think sometimes those people enjoy them in total other ways that maybe I can't ever reach out to - but I like being able to make that connection and thus enjoy something in depth :D

I am autistic as well, and so much of this describes me.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Goanna on May 10, 2018, 06:24:44 PM
They're just so pretty and make me smile!
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: lockette on May 10, 2018, 07:37:15 PM
I loved my ponies growing up and always wanted more (I had 23 including babies).  now I can have as many as I want, and it's not only nostalgic (nothing smells exactly like ponies, they have a VERY specific smell to their plastic) but I feel like I'm doing something for my past self.

also I just love them for aesthetic reasons.  G3s aren't nostalgic but I thought they were SO CUTE.

and as a teen I'd always wanted some kind of serious proper collection, but nothing ever really caught me.  amassing more ponies gives that pleasurable little ping to my hoarding squirrel brain feels good, as does gazing upon my booty lined up on a shelf.  mmm dat dopamine (or seratonin? whichever chemicals give you that little "high" from collector behaviors)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Mewtwofan1 on May 10, 2018, 09:22:38 PM
I never really had mlp growing up, but I do remember my friends having them. As I developed, I wanted a career in the arts. And mlp is what eventually convinced me to create animated content. Content that’s good, and made many, many people happy. I saw how happy mlp fans are, regardless of age or what they liked. Everybody was so happy, and I guess it caught on!
I think I collect for two reasons. First is that collecting makes me happy. I love the characters of this good feels franchise. And second, as a reminder. Someday, I’m going to create something that’s just as good, and makes people just as happy as mlp does, for all people of all generations.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: NightGliderSA on May 11, 2018, 01:13:09 AM
At the risk of sounding like everyone else: ponies make me happy. I love looking at them and for them. I find their history and variations fascinating. And I really love getting a disgustingly filthy pony and 'rescuing' her. It is just so darned satisfying.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: SkyCakes on May 11, 2018, 06:25:30 AM
I collect them because they were part of my childhood. The happier part of my life. I think also out of nostalgia. I like to look back on the "good old days of my past" Ive learned alot of things about them now I feel more knowledgeable. I also love the happiness I get from completing a set of ponies. I get excited when I get new ones too. :) I used to only have 100 when I was a kid. I think I surpassed that number and then some. I just love ponies.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Stellaluna on May 11, 2018, 07:27:41 AM
I don't collect them as much anymore, but I've always been attracted to their soft colors. Just looking at a row of pastels is very pleasing to the eye and almost relaxing in a way, so that's why I enjoy them.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Leave a Whisper on May 11, 2018, 08:48:00 AM
1 part nostalgia and 1 part love. They're beautiful toys and make me happy when I see them. Especially as I have been slowly  rebuilding my childhood faves and getting all the lovely g1s and g3s, I've missed out on.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: ghouldilocks on May 11, 2018, 11:51:21 AM
I collect them because they still make me so happy! I grew up during G1 and they were my absolute favorite toy. I started collecting again after high school when G3 started, because seeing them showing up in the stores was so nostalgic for me. Very little de-stresses me quite like ponies!
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: starstrider on May 12, 2018, 08:21:53 AM
Everyone's reasons seem to be overwhelming similar.  Ponies just make people happy!  It gives me a real glow to share a passion for collecting such special toys with so many awesome people :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: northstar3184 on May 12, 2018, 12:20:57 PM
I've loved G1 since I was a child. I had a herd of about ~15-20 as a kid. However, my parents didn't feel it was appropriate for a boy to have My Little Ponies so my time with many of them was relatively short, as my parents pushed me to get rid of them when I was 6 or 7. I kept a couple for a couple more years, and because I missed the ones I'd gotten rid of I picked up 2 more at yard sales and 1 at a store. So I guess part of the reason I collect them is about being able to enjoy something that I felt robbed of as a child.

My other reasons are the same as many others': nostalgia, I love the bright colors, etc....
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: PrincessNikki on May 13, 2018, 06:51:22 PM
My cousin's were rich so I got all the hand-me-downs from my cousin who was 5 years older. When she grew out of stuff, it always came back to me. That's were 90% of my ponies came from. That began my obsession. It's an obsession that has waxed and waned throughout my years, but it's never actually gone away. From when I was born('86) until now, ponies have been there consistently. any time I saw a pony out i the wild like a flea market, garage sale, thrift store, I always bought it. My mom and I would try and hunt down MLPs, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Littlest Pet Shop and other of my favorites. It was a huuuuge part of my pony adventure. It felt like a treasure hunt. 

They just make me so happy and I don't know why. All my friends had them growing up as well and I remember wanting them all. An insatiable need for these plastic horses.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Zapper on May 14, 2018, 08:29:17 AM
Nostalgia for the most part. The other parts are cuteness factor and my love for restoration and toy design.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: lovesbabysquirmy on May 14, 2018, 10:48:14 AM
Because I want to.

No, really, because they are cute and a display of toys looks way more awesome to me in a home, rather than the stuff I see portrayed in interior decor magazines.  Buy another coffee table or "update my sofa"?  ............. why?    Change out my towels seasonally. What ?
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Miniature Sheep on May 14, 2018, 01:39:38 PM
Definitely nostalgia - I set out to collect ponies in order to replace my childhood favourites, which I have mostly succeeded in doing and they do bring back some nice memories, even though they're not my actual childhood ponies. I find them quite relaxing as well, with their fun colours and cute designs; seeing as I've tried to make my surroundings at home nice and dreamy, the ponies tie into that really well. :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on May 14, 2018, 01:48:31 PM
Because I want to.

No, really, because they are cute and a display of toys looks way more awesome to me in a home, rather than the stuff I see portrayed in interior decor magazines.  Buy another coffee table or "update my sofa"?  ............. why?    Change out my towels seasonally. What ?

I don't understand the people who do that.

I put it down as one of the mysteries of society that I will never fathom out.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: PoserBeachball on May 15, 2018, 04:23:31 AM
Because I want to.

No, really, because they are cute and a display of toys looks way more awesome to me in a home, rather than the stuff I see portrayed in interior decor magazines.  Buy another coffee table or "update my sofa"?  ............. why?    Change out my towels seasonally. What ?

I don't understand the people who do that.

I put it down as one of the mysteries of society that I will never fathom out.

It's marketing, pure and simple. I doubt if it's as widespread as those mags would have you believe.

and as for changing out towels, that's hilarious - so I change one set of slightly scruffy old white towels for another set of slightly scruffy old white towels?      yeah right, I'll have to remember to do that :) :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: ColdRuru on May 15, 2018, 04:46:29 AM
I aked that myself recently. Thinked of how my life was not interresting these days and then, it hits me:

Because collecting is keeping me safe from boredom. Simple as "you'll never be happy if you've got nothing you want to archieve". It's always a good vibes to go hunting everywhere you go like flea market, thrift shop, etc. and hunting on internet also. Then you've got the pleasure to get a box to open in your mail, that's always a moment of joy and delight.
Also it feels satisfying to add new stuffs on your shelves.
And in the end it keeps my creativity in as I play with and took pictures also, spending time thinking of what to do next.

I bet if I choose ponies (and other horses stuffs) it's because of nostalgia and my love of horses as well.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Khoufu on May 17, 2018, 08:36:32 PM
I was a 90s kid and my mom babysat 80s kids. I always wanted their toys, so we'd pick them up at thrift stores when I was little. Ponies are something that I just never stopped collecting, simple as that.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Loa on May 18, 2018, 03:27:10 PM
Because they were my childhood toy and because I love colour!
Plus, I am a collector of nostalgia. :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: goddessofpeep on May 18, 2018, 06:06:35 PM
There's a lot of nostalgia for MLP for me, but a lot of it is that I'm just hardwired to collect things.  MLP is by far my biggest and longest collection, but it's not the only one.  I am a collector, and that's just who I am.  My choice to aim that at MLP has a lot to do with my love of MLP as a child.  If you look at it a certain way, MLP was probably my first collection.  I played with them since they were my favorite toys, but I did have more than any child really needed to play with at one time.  By the time I "outgrew" ponies, I probably had about 100 of them, and most of the USA released playsets. 

I *loved* MLP as a child, and that has carried into adulthood for me.  I grew up with ponies, and the second I discovered the internet when I got to college, they were the first things I looked up.  I've been an adult pony collector for 20+ years now, and I don't see it ending any time soon.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: kissthethunder on May 18, 2018, 09:42:08 PM
They soothe my PTSD. That's the raw truth of it. When I get back repressed memories or I'm going through bad spells, I spend a lot of time in my pony room rehairing, making curls, taking pictures, and generally just being around the calm tender faces of smiling plastic ponies.

For a long time I carried a pony with me as a grounding technique for anxiety and panic attacks.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Nemesis on May 18, 2018, 11:57:43 PM
They soothe my PTSD. That's the raw truth of it. When I get back repressed memories or I'm going through bad spells, I spend a lot of time in my pony room rehairing, making curls, taking pictures, and generally just being around the calm tender faces of smiling plastic ponies.

For a long time I carried a pony with me as a grounding technique for anxiety and panic attacks.

I do the very same things when my anxiety and panic disorders act up... Sometimes just holding a toy pony and combing its mane is the most calming thing in the world.  :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Shaiyeh on May 19, 2018, 01:28:06 AM
I collect them, just like everyone else, because they make me happy! Also for the aesthetics!
(altho I do kind of get the seasonal towel thing... but maybe I'm not doing it like the mags. I don't read them xD But I like [season] themed colours on things throughout the house xD for instance we have two dishes we use for like, nuts or other snacks shaped like autumn maple leaves, that we only use in autumn. And I prefer pastels on hand towels in the bathroom in spring xD )
Honestly, I have so many reasons why now that i think of it. Other than what i said above, I love the thrill of pony hunting in the wild. I love restoring and fixing up sad ponies. I adore the community here, and that's something that's brought me back into collecting when I've been in a pony rut on multiple occasions. And I'm sure I can think of more reasons, but basically, I just love ponies, haha.

They soothe my PTSD. That's the raw truth of it. When I get back repressed memories or I'm going through bad spells, I spend a lot of time in my pony room rehairing, making curls, taking pictures, and generally just being around the calm tender faces of smiling plastic ponies.

For a long time I carried a pony with me as a grounding technique for anxiety and panic attacks.

They help me with my PTSD (and multiple other disorders) too. They were a huge help with coping through the past abusive relationship -that is a big part of my ptsd -while it happened, too. Playing with their hair or even smelling them is so soothing.
At times when i'm doing really bad I just sit in front of my shelves and look at them , especially my collector's pose ponies, and they all seem to have that 'we understand, and it will be okay' look in their eyes. Maybe I'm being super weird here, but legit forever thankful for ponies!
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Khoufu on May 20, 2018, 09:24:15 PM
There's a lot of nostalgia for MLP for me, but a lot of it is that I'm just hardwired to collect things.  MLP is by far my biggest and longest collection, but it's not the only one.  I am a collector, and that's just who I am.  My choice to aim that at MLP has a lot to do with my love of MLP as a child.
I *loved* MLP as a child, and that has carried into adulthood for me.
This applies to me, too. Collecting/hoarding runs in my dad's side of the family so I'm hardwired to do it too. I collect several things, enough so that my friend got me a figurine of the Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy cuz he said I'm "the Collector" in his eyes.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: haircutsandhighlighters on May 21, 2018, 05:40:54 AM
I have PTSD, social anxiety and depression myself, and my collection of pre-loved G2s helps take me back to a time before all that, back to the days spent playing with my original herd in the 90s. I focus on collecting the ones in need of TLC because they make me happiest - the ones who have spent 20 years in a box make me sad and, in my opinion, have less personality. Haircuts and pen marks make me think "who was the child who loved this pony enough to do this?" - hence my username.  :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: SwirlyWhirly on May 21, 2018, 08:47:12 AM
To keep a part of my childhood with me as an adult. MLP are colorful, fun and magical and I think it's nice to spend some time on something like that in all the seriousness of adult life. Restoring ponies is my adult version of playing with ponies.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: SilverLinedStars on May 21, 2018, 04:32:13 PM
MLP has ties to many happy memories in my life! Many of the ponies I received as gifts (and still own!) came from people who I treasured in my life, many whom have since passed away. So, sentimental reasons really. I do love they're rereleasing G1's so I picked up a Butterscotch because I loved her colors.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: MoonStars on May 21, 2018, 05:32:44 PM
The colors. The cheery faces. The sparkly eyes (G2s). Because I was born too soon to have them to play with as a child (and family probably wouldn’t have been able to afford many of them anyway,  but they would have been top on the wish lists for birthdays etc). My son “discovered” them (G1s; he’s not a brony), dragged me to the 2008 Fair, and, first it was “just one” as a souvenir, then, oooh this one is pretty... and, well, here we are. Books, get in your boxes; those shelves belong to MLP now :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Esbayne on May 21, 2018, 08:28:31 PM
They soothe my PTSD. That's the raw truth of it. When I get back repressed memories or I'm going through bad spells, I spend a lot of time in my pony room rehairing, making curls, taking pictures, and generally just being around the calm tender faces of smiling plastic ponies.

For a long time I carried a pony with me as a grounding technique for anxiety and panic attacks.

They help me hugely with this, depression and anxiety, as well. I usually keep a pony in my purse- on my way out, I'll grab a random baby and stick her in there in an inside side pocket or something, different baby every time.

I've been criticized and called childish, immature, unintelligent and out of touch with the world for collecting toys.
The way I've explained it to others is that I am in touch with the world, and intelligent, and mature, but the world is a hard, cruel place- it's nice to be able to escape from that and have something innocent and fun to enjoy, even if just for a while.
I will never understand why some people are so hugely critical of it.

I have PTSD, social anxiety and depression myself, and my collection of pre-loved G2s helps take me back to a time before all that, back to the days spent playing with my original herd in the 90s. I focus on collecting the ones in need of TLC because they make me happiest - the ones who have spent 20 years in a box make me sad and, in my opinion, have less personality. Haircuts and pen marks make me think "who was the child who loved this pony enough to do this?" - hence my username.  :)

This, fully, as well. ^.^ :lovey:
I wish my second-hand (or uh, "innumerable-hand") ponies could tell me their stories.
I bought a G1 lot from the UK a few months ago, all the ponies had 'Lynn' written on their hooves. I'm so curious about her.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: dragonfly on May 23, 2018, 07:37:08 PM
Nostalgia ... it has been a source of comfort in difficult times in the past  .. they’re cheerful  ... always always loved unicorns ... originally it was because I wanted to pick up the last few ponies I wanted as a kid and Mom wouldn’t let me get ... here’s to you, Rosebud and Princess Tiffany. Ironically, I never did pick up either of those two!
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on May 26, 2018, 10:58:52 AM

I wish my second-hand (or uh, "innumerable-hand") ponies could tell me their stories.
I bought a G1 lot from the UK a few months ago, all the ponies had 'Lynn' written on their hooves. I'm so curious about her.

I wonder this all the time too! Especially when I get ponies from other countries. I wonder what kind of places they've been to or seen that I haven't experienced and I wish they could tell me about their previous lives. It would be so interesting :D
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Leave a Whisper on May 26, 2018, 12:08:04 PM

I wish my second-hand (or uh, "innumerable-hand") ponies could tell me their stories.
I bought a G1 lot from the UK a few months ago, all the ponies had 'Lynn' written on their hooves. I'm so curious about her.

I wonder this all the time too! Especially when I get ponies from other countries. I wonder what kind of places they've been to or seen that I haven't experienced and I wish they could tell me about their previous lives. It would be so interesting :D

Definitely! I have a Skydancer from New Zealand.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: ZeldaTheSwordsman on May 26, 2018, 01:53:58 PM
For me, well.. To start, I've never lost my love of collecting and playing with toys. Never ever. Beyond that, the ponies make me happy, I think horses are cool, I really like pastel colors, the cartoons and other fiction have given me attachment to them as characters, I love the fantasy settings..

Because I want to.

No, really, because they are cute and a display of toys looks way more awesome to me in a home, rather than the stuff I see portrayed in interior decor magazines.  Buy another coffee table or "update my sofa"?  ............. why?    Change out my towels seasonally. What ?
I agree with this so much. I mean, it's one thing to rotate towels to spread the wear and free one set up for laundering. But to buy a new set every season as those mags no doubt imply? Bleck.
But also, collecting and playing with toys seems much more fun and satisfying than some of the so-called adult ways of having fun.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: katrine2309 on June 05, 2018, 01:35:03 PM
Pure happiness with great childhood memories! And they are adorable!
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Glitter Yolk on June 08, 2018, 02:00:24 PM
When I was a kid I loved toy horses, both realistic and fantasy ones. I used to play with them all the time. Along with some Barbie horses I only had a couple of fakies that I thought were real, and I also watched the show. Later I put my toy horses down the basement when I got too old for them. Then my mom, my sister and I eventually set to work cleaning out the basement, giving away a lot of childhood toys to Salvation Army.

A little later G4 began, and I started watching it and thinking back on my childhood ponies.

 Years passed and I was home from college for winter break. Christmas had always been an overwhelming affair for my family, and what I did to relieve stress was clean. This time I had decided to clean out my closet, it acted as a storage that was about to burst. Lo and behold, way in the back at the end of my cleaning session I happened upon my box of childhood ponies, the very ones I was sure I had donated way back when. Apparently my mom had convinced me not to give them away with everything else. She knew they held more sentimental value compared to other toys, and were something that belonged to me alone, since I shared most toys with my sister.

I was hit with such a strong wave of nostalgia, finding them after believing I had donated them years ago. I had never experienced this kind of feeling before.

They weren't in the best of conditions so I cleaned them up, and after the reunion I began collecting G1 ponies and some fakies! The end.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Jocelyn on June 08, 2018, 07:04:34 PM
When I was a kid I loved toy horses, both realistic and fantasy ones. I used to play with them all the time. Along with some Barbie horses I only had a couple of fakies that I thought were real, and I also watched the show. Later I put my toy horses down the basement when I got too old for them. Then my mom, my sister and I eventually set to work cleaning out the basement, giving away a lot of childhood toys to Salvation Army.

A little later G4 began, and I started watching it and thinking back on my childhood ponies.

 Years passed and I was home from college for winter break. Christmas had always been an overwhelming affair for my family, and what I did to relieve stress was clean. This time I had decided to clean out my closet, it acted as a storage that was about to burst. Lo and behold, way in the back at the end of my cleaning session I happened upon my box of childhood ponies, the very ones I was sure I had donated way back when. Apparently my mom had convinced me not to give them away with everything else. She knew they held more sentimental value compared to other toys, and were something that belonged to me alone, since I shared most toys with my sister.

I was hit with such a strong wave of nostalgia, finding them after believing I had donated them years ago. I had never experienced this kind of feeling before.

They weren't in the best of conditions so I cleaned them up, and after the reunion I began collecting G1 ponies and some fakies! The end.

That is a very good story :) What a special moment! I keep on hoping I will randomly come across my childhood ponies, but there is less and less of the basement left unturned as the years pass by, lol.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Silver Letter on June 08, 2018, 10:53:39 PM
Well, it's not a part of my childhood or anything like that. I just like collecting. It sort of runs in the family, so to speak. Personally, I adore collecting ponies. It's a cute hobby and I think they're special and collectable. Some people might not get it, but it doesn't matter. I think I'll keep on collecting for years to come.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Glitter Yolk on June 09, 2018, 06:18:18 AM
-snipped!-

That is a very good story :) What a special moment! I keep on hoping I will randomly come across my childhood ponies, but there is less and less of the basement left unturned as the years pass by, lol.

I hope you find your ponies! :o
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: emily_katie on June 15, 2018, 05:38:17 AM

I wish my second-hand (or uh, "innumerable-hand") ponies could tell me their stories.
I bought a G1 lot from the UK a few months ago, all the ponies had 'Lynn' written on their hooves. I'm so curious about her.

I wonder this all the time too! Especially when I get ponies from other countries. I wonder what kind of places they've been to or seen that I haven't experienced and I wish they could tell me about their previous lives. It would be so interesting :D
I love this so much, I always think about how much some of my G1s could have seen over the past 30 or so years, they don't have feelings obviously but if they did would they miss their old owners, do they wish they were still played with?
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: MerryAnvil on June 15, 2018, 06:35:23 AM

I wish my second-hand (or uh, "innumerable-hand") ponies could tell me their stories.
I bought a G1 lot from the UK a few months ago, all the ponies had 'Lynn' written on their hooves. I'm so curious about her.

I wonder this all the time too! Especially when I get ponies from other countries. I wonder what kind of places they've been to or seen that I haven't experienced and I wish they could tell me about their previous lives. It would be so interesting :D
I love this so much, I always think about how much some of my G1s could have seen over the past 30 or so years, they don't have feelings obviously but if they did would they miss their old owners, do they wish they were still played with?

I always liked to think that after a pony has been loved and played with and ultimately makes it into the home of a collector, it's like their 'retirement'. Being a toy of a child was sort of like their job and now they get to enjoy a nice easy life out at 'pasture'  :lovey:

As for the reason I collect: I love the colorful personality and designs the ponies have, and they help me keep in touch with the kindness and innocence of my childhood. They bring a calming, happy, warm feeling to the room whenever they're there. I just can't help but smile whenever I see one. I struggle a lot with anxiety and I have a hard time connecting with others unless we have a common interest (I've been told I likely have some form of high-functioning autism by a few parents who've also had autistic children, but I have no desire to get it diagnosed). Ponies have been one of those helpful outlets for me that helps me connect with other people and gives me confidence. It drives me to go out of the house, even out of my comfort zone entirely, to find them in the wild and talk to others who enjoy them the same way I do.

Also, I've loved horses since the moment I knew what they were. When I was a toddler we lived next to a property that had two horses and we'd always go over to visit them and bring them apples (with the owner's permission, of course). My mom was a Breyer collector so I naturally inherited some of hers, but being an artistic child I think I was drawn to MLP because of all the pretty colors and designs. I found out about them because my parents got me the G2 PC game which I played daily, and I got my first physical My Little Pony when I was five or six (I have a late birthday so I can't remember) and I absolutely loved everything about her. The love of horses played a big role in my pony obsession.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on June 16, 2018, 04:11:27 AM

I wish my second-hand (or uh, "innumerable-hand") ponies could tell me their stories.
I bought a G1 lot from the UK a few months ago, all the ponies had 'Lynn' written on their hooves. I'm so curious about her.

I wonder this all the time too! Especially when I get ponies from other countries. I wonder what kind of places they've been to or seen that I haven't experienced and I wish they could tell me about their previous lives. It would be so interesting :D
I love this so much, I always think about how much some of my G1s could have seen over the past 30 or so years, they don't have feelings obviously but if they did would they miss their old owners, do they wish they were still played with?

I always liked to think that after a pony has been loved and played with and ultimately makes it into the home of a collector, it's like their 'retirement'. Being a toy of a child was sort of like their job and now they get to enjoy a nice easy life out at 'pasture'  :lovey:



The pony comic would retire older characters to a place called Memory Lane, and occasionally they'd appear from here or be visited there (Tootsie I remember in particular). So I guess in a way our collections are 'Memory Lane' - where the ponies go when the kids grow up and move on to other things.

My collection is really multinational now and I sometimes wish I had a map where I could have marked all the places I got ponies from over the years. I have them from all over the US and Canada, all over the Uk and Europe, from NZ and Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Peru...even a couple from Singapore that were sent to me by a friend. And I have one Tropical Breeze who was bought by an American girl in London when on holiday. When she sold her ponies she sold Tropi with the UK box and stuff so I bought her and asked her story. It's so cool to me that she started her life here, went to America, played with American ponies, and now is back in the UK. She's part of my mini-Tropi army because I do actually know her story. :)

I don't think that pony collecting is immature or unintelligent. I feel sorry for people who feel that way. It's perfectly possible to be an adult and understand the real world and its problems and challenges and still love plastic ponies from your childhood. I'm really glad they're a part of my life, even though to the outside world they'd just be seen as an 'autistic obsession'...
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: haircutsandhighlighters on June 16, 2018, 05:38:19 AM
I don't think that pony collecting is immature or unintelligent. I feel sorry for people who feel that way. It's perfectly possible to be an adult and understand the real world and its problems and challenges and still love plastic ponies from your childhood. I'm really glad they're a part of my life, even though to the outside world they'd just be seen as an 'autistic obsession'...

Agreed, 100%.

Although I am also autistic, and I prefer to use the term "passion" or "enthusiasm". Why is it acceptable for an adult to follow everything a particular group of overpaid men do with a ball, but not to still love the toys they grew up with? I for one still have my baby blankies in my bed, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Maybe the world would have fewer problems if it let a bit more whimsy and happiness in.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Jorgito93 on June 16, 2018, 07:50:13 AM
They don't help me with depression, they don't remind me of my childhood because i didn't care about mlp when i was a child.They are just beautiful and adorable and i love to look at them, they give me happiness.I never really stopped to like toys though, so i can understand what some of you are saying.Finishing a day of class at university and coming home to see all of them smiling is an amazing feeling.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on June 16, 2018, 09:31:38 AM
I don't think that pony collecting is immature or unintelligent. I feel sorry for people who feel that way. It's perfectly possible to be an adult and understand the real world and its problems and challenges and still love plastic ponies from your childhood. I'm really glad they're a part of my life, even though to the outside world they'd just be seen as an 'autistic obsession'...

Agreed, 100%.

Although I am also autistic, and I prefer to use the term "passion" or "enthusiasm". Why is it acceptable for an adult to follow everything a particular group of overpaid men do with a ball, but not to still love the toys they grew up with? I for one still have my baby blankies in my bed, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Maybe the world would have fewer problems if it let a bit more whimsy and happiness in.
:iconclap:

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.

I like football too though ;)

And I don't like the word 'obsession' either. Hence the inverted commas. It's the usual negative slur from people outside who don't understand that it's just proof of someone living a more vivid life, because of the pleasure we can take from many small things, as opposed to needing to get blind drunk or plastic surgery or whatever deluded things come under other people's 'obsessions'.


Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Khoufu on June 17, 2018, 06:40:18 AM
If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: emily_katie on June 18, 2018, 08:48:49 AM

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.


If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.

THIS.
I have been hitting a wall with my friend recently over this issue, I think they are embarrassed about me but they wont admit it, I cant wear cute clothes or collect girly toys but they can collect model trains and planes. It annoys me to no end
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: PoserBeachball on June 18, 2018, 11:44:46 AM

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.


If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.

THIS.
I have been hitting a wall with my friend recently over this issue, I think they are embarrassed about me but they wont admit it, I cant wear cute clothes or collect girly toys but they can collect model trains and planes. It annoys me to no end

I find this so sad, though it says more about them and their insecurities than you.
Don't get too disconsolate, just do what makes you happy - your real friends will accept it as it is part of you, and we all come as a 'package'.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Taffeta on June 18, 2018, 01:56:58 PM

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.


If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.

THIS.
I have been hitting a wall with my friend recently over this issue, I think they are embarrassed about me but they wont admit it, I cant wear cute clothes or collect girly toys but they can collect model trains and planes. It annoys me to no end

That is why you need to come to Ponycon. Because the moment you step into that room you realise you are normal and everyone else is odd for not collecting ponies ;) And you will also be in a room full of ponies. Which is never bad.

Seriously, though, that does suck. I found it hardest to be open about my collecting between the ages of about 15 and 22ish. When you get older than that people around you hopefully grow up and get over themselves a bit more. Not that it's a hard and fast rule, but I have no intention of hiding my ponies when people come to visit. One of my friends also still has her ponies back in Israel although she hasn't dug them out yet, she remembers some of them. The first place outside of my family that just accepted it was at my first job where I had ponies on my desk and one of my colleagues made a little daisy sticker for her, another gave her an L plate because I was trying to learn to drive at the time, then someone else added a welsh flag...and she became something of an office mascot. (She was one of the G3s. Pink pegasus. Forget her name but she has a gem symbol. It might be Twilight Pink?) Before that I also had Shenanigans in her school clothing on there. I also had a colleague whose kid was into MLP and so i brought her some back from Ponycon :) It was really refreshing because I felt like I'd crossed that threshold a little.

Unfortunately people want to "be adult" and don't realise that collecting kid's stuff doesn't make you juvenile. Not respecting other people for who they are and what they like is juvenile.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: emily_katie on June 18, 2018, 02:59:02 PM

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.


If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.

THIS.
I have been hitting a wall with my friend recently over this issue, I think they are embarrassed about me but they wont admit it, I cant wear cute clothes or collect girly toys but they can collect model trains and planes. It annoys me to no end

I find this so sad, though it says more about them and their insecurities than you.
Don't get too disconsolate, just do what makes you happy - your real friends will accept it as it is part of you, and we all come as a 'package'.
I attribute it to them not wanting to be seen as not masculine, Its not like I play with the ponies I have, I just enjoy searching them out and giving them a new lease of life. Oh and they are soooo cute. But he doesn't get that  :|

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.


If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.

THIS.
I have been hitting a wall with my friend recently over this issue, I think they are embarrassed about me but they wont admit it, I cant wear cute clothes or collect girly toys but they can collect model trains and planes. It annoys me to no end

That is why you need to come to Ponycon. Because the moment you step into that room you realise you are normal and everyone else is odd for not collecting ponies ;) And you will also be in a room full of ponies. Which is never bad.

Seriously, though, that does suck. I found it hardest to be open about my collecting between the ages of about 15 and 22ish. When you get older than that people around you hopefully grow up and get over themselves a bit more. Not that it's a hard and fast rule, but I have no intention of hiding my ponies when people come to visit. One of my friends also still has her ponies back in Israel although she hasn't dug them out yet, she remembers some of them. The first place outside of my family that just accepted it was at my first job where I had ponies on my desk and one of my colleagues made a little daisy sticker for her, another gave her an L plate because I was trying to learn to drive at the time, then someone else added a welsh flag...and she became something of an office mascot. (She was one of the G3s. Pink pegasus. Forget her name but she has a gem symbol. It might be Twilight Pink?) Before that I also had Shenanigans in her school clothing on there. I also had a colleague whose kid was into MLP and so i brought her some back from Ponycon :) It was really refreshing because I felt like I'd crossed that threshold a little.

Unfortunately people want to "be adult" and don't realise that collecting kid's stuff doesn't make you juvenile. Not respecting other people for who they are and what they like is juvenile.
I am between those ages, I admit I am quite embarrassed about my collection sometimes, I live with 5 other uni students and when they come into my room I can see them looking at my display and it being an elephant in the room. We are all good friends but they don't mention my ponies and I also don't mention them  :shocked: This pony con thing does sound tempting  :P
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: achab1984 on June 18, 2018, 06:50:53 PM
I collect them cause I had them as a child. I did not have many but the ones that I did have I loved! I remember all the times I would go to the store with my mom and run back to the toys! Lots of good memories! I also love there colors and there nice friendly eyes! :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: FiddlePhan on July 18, 2018, 02:06:35 PM
Why do I collect?   

Partly it's because I simply like the look of them.  The different colours are pretty and cheerful.  There's an innocence to them that so many toys today don't have. 

Deeper down though they were a big part of my childhood.   I have over dozen surgeries as a kid because my of severe Scoliosis with one side of the curve crushing my heart and on the other side crushing my right lung.   I loathed the hospital and surgeries and there were many time I wanted to die.   I also wasn't allowed to be active outside or play with kids unless it was at my house because my parents were afraid I'd fall and break or unhook one of the steel rods attached to my spine.  It happened on three occasions from falls when I didn't listen and went out running with other kids, so their worries weren't unwarranted.

I got my first pony, Gusty, from my grandmother and it started being that I got ponies as gifts from my family when I would be in hospital or going to be.  I even have a Magic Hat that a nurse brought me on a surprise visit on her day off.   Those ponies gave me something to look forward to after surgery, a new pony waiting.  I can think of Woosie, Primrose, Sundance and Applejack off the top of my head as hospital time ponies.   

Eventually I made it through all my surgeries and I was able to go out on my own and loved on Saturdays to take my new bike and find yardsales.   Of course it was to find ponies and dang, back there yard sales were gold mines for ponies.   

I'm not at age 40 and still enjoy collecting.  I have my regular every day job and normal life duties, bills etc but I also have fun hunting down new ponies or working on customs.  I still have every one of those ponies that were given to me over the years and they aren't going anywhere.  They're a part of my childhood that wasn't always easy but also bring a lot of good memories.

I got to know Kirk Hindman and his wife through mutual non-pony friends a few years back.

It was awesome to get to attend my first MLP Fair this year and see Bonnie Zacherle and hearing her presentations with her book about making ponies and she'd noted that she's met adults who told them about having ponies when they were sick or in hospital and that it meant a lot to her.  I have to admit that I felt a bit choked up listening to her talk about that and so when it was time for her photo/autograph session, I was glad to have the chance to thank her as having been one of those hospital kids in the past.  That as a child who lost the will to live, ponies were the needed escape that I needed to keep going.  There weren't any hospitals or scary needles or surgeries in that world of play.   

Ponies are a part of me and that's why I collect.  :)
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Leave a Whisper on July 18, 2018, 03:22:39 PM
Why do I collect?   

Partly it's because I simply like the look of them.  The different colours are pretty and cheerful.  There's an innocence to them that so many toys today don't have. 

Deeper down though they were a big part of my childhood.   I have over dozen surgeries as a kid because my of severe Scoliosis with one side of the curve crushing my heart and on the other side crushing my right lung.   I loathed the hospital and surgeries and there were many time I wanted to die.   I also wasn't allowed to be active outside or play with kids unless it was at my house because my parents were afraid I'd fall and break or unhook one of the steel rods attached to my spine.  It happened on three occasions from falls when I didn't listen and went out running with other kids, so their worries weren't unwarranted.

I got my first pony, Gusty, from my grandmother and it started being that I got ponies as gifts from my family when I would be in hospital or going to be.  I even have a Magic Hat that a nurse brought me on a surprise visit on her day off.   Those ponies gave me something to look forward to after surgery, a new pony waiting.  I can think of Woosie, Primrose, Sundance and Applejack off the top of my head as hospital time ponies.   

Eventually I made it through all my surgeries and I was able to go out on my own and loved on Saturdays to take my new bike and find yardsales.   Of course it was to find ponies and dang, back there yard sales were gold mines for ponies.   

I'm not at age 40 and still enjoy collecting.  I have my regular every day job and normal life duties, bills etc but I also have fun hunting down new ponies or working on customs.  I still have every one of those ponies that were given to me over the years and they aren't going anywhere.  They're a part of my childhood that wasn't always easy but also bring a lot of good memories.

I got to know Kirk Hindman and his wife through mutual non-pony friends a few years back.

It was awesome to get to attend my first MLP Fair this year and see Bonnie Zacherle and hearing her presentations with her book about making ponies and she'd noted that she's met adults who told them about having ponies when they were sick or in hospital and that it meant a lot to her.  I have to admit that I felt a bit choked up listening to her talk about that and so when it was time for her photo/autograph session, I was glad to have the chance to thank her as having been one of those hospital kids in the past.  That as a child who lost the will to live, ponies were the needed escape that I needed to keep going.  There weren't any hospitals or scary needles or surgeries in that world of play.   

Ponies are a part of me and that's why I collect.  :)

:( :hug:
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: CherryTreats on July 19, 2018, 08:38:23 AM
I have collected them since I was a child because I found them so enchanting and magical. They brought me a lot of happiness and were a big part of my childhood. My mom would often surprise me with one randomly, when I was sick, etc. For every birthday & Christmas, I always wanted ponies. My closest friends collected them too so we were always playing with ponies. Also, I've always really loved horses, unicorns, rainbows, colorful and sparkly things and MLPs are all of those things combined.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Esbayne on July 20, 2018, 12:48:49 PM

Also, computer games. Gaming is acceptable. Also men collecting toys is often more acceptable. There are a lot of disparities.


If it's socially acceptable to collect He-Man and TMNT toys as an adult, it should be just as acceptable to collect MLP as an adult.

THIS.
I have been hitting a wall with my friend recently over this issue, I think they are embarrassed about me but they wont admit it, I cant wear cute clothes or collect girly toys but they can collect model trains and planes. It annoys me to no end
...

Seriously, though, that does suck. I found it hardest to be open about my collecting between the ages of about 15 and 22ish. When you get older than that people around you hopefully grow up and get over themselves a bit more. Not that it's a hard and fast rule, but I have no intention of hiding my ponies when people come to visit. One of my friends also still has her ponies back in Israel although she hasn't dug them out yet, she remembers some of them. The first place outside of my family that just accepted it was at my first job where I had ponies on my desk and one of my colleagues made a little daisy sticker for her, another gave her an L plate because I was trying to learn to drive at the time, then someone else added a welsh flag...and she became something of an office mascot. (She was one of the G3s. Pink pegasus. Forget her name but she has a gem symbol. It might be Twilight Pink?)
...

Unfortunately people want to "be adult" and don't realise that collecting kid's stuff doesn't make you juvenile. Not respecting other people for who they are and what they like is juvenile.

Agreed fully with everything here! The double standards really get me. Khoufu, I really hope that your friend either comes to accept you as you are or you can find better, more accepting friends. Have you mentioned to them what a double standard that is?
You should never feel the need to tone yourself down around people like that.


And I think that Pegasus might've been Hidden Treasure maybe?
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I absolutely love her, she's one of my favourite G3 pegasus. :lovey: But if I have to be honest, all the G3 pegasus are so beautiful so it's hard to pick a fave, lol!


I agree on that last part so much though, and wish others would realize the same. My close friends and mother have no issue with my collecting, and understand it's just a hobby and something I have been into all my life, and when I said as a kid "I'll never grow out of toys!" I meant it, and I tend to mean what I say. :lol:
My dad, however, came to visit me for the first time in, what, six years? Maybe more? And told me he accepted and understood my hobbies to my face, but was acting weird and over the top about it, like it was some huge deal that needed serious support & acceptance in the first place- then he proceeded to get drunk as all hell and tell everyone who would listen that he has "spent some time with me" and come to the conclusion that I am stuck in a child's mind, and have serious mental issues, and that I am reverting into a childlike state, blahblahblah all this crap. :rolleyes: Just because I collect toys- because really, there's nothing else childish about me, if that even counts as "childish" in the first place.
Title: Re: Why Do YOU Collect My Little Ponies?
Post by: Cloud Dreamer on July 20, 2018, 08:14:36 PM
This is kind of a hard question to answer- I've been collecting for so long, its just a part of my life now.

My first MLP thing ever... I really can't say for absolute certain, but I believe it was the G3 Ponyville Balloon House, and ever since, I have been hooked on them. I don't really know why. It may be strange to say, but they brought me so much happiness and solace as a child through hardships, and they have always been a great source of happiness. I'm one of the younger fans of MLP, but they also bring nostalgia and fond childhood memories. I keep collecting because they still bring happiness to this day, and I also really love the community. We are a good bunch, pony friends  :lovey:
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