The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: StayGoldPonyboy on May 11, 2019, 01:44:06 PM
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I just don’t see the appeal in keeping your ponies in a box!!! You can’t see them properly or play with them at all! Why do people do this it seems so boring and pointless. I’d rather not have the pony at all than have it in a box. If I ever buy a boxed pony for a reasonable price you bet I’m busting that thing open and freeing the pony
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i agree that i wouldn't get one, personally... though i wouldn't debox one either. they have value as collectors items after all :P i can't see the appeal myself, but i do think a wall of MOC is very satisfying... but in that case, i'd have to have all in their package or none in their package (and i've opted for none, its much gentler on my wallet!)
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I feel the same way about MOC. I hate to see them all boxed up. I am not saying that all look weird to me just some. But by this I am mostly referring to G-3's.....
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People like the art/design of the packaging, it brings back that feeling of looking at MLPs in a toy store when you're a kid, some may like that the pony inside is eternally mint and pristine (although their condition can deteriorate inside the package too) and when it comes to G1 there are very few of them left so people want to preserve the ones that still exist. These are some of the reasons people may have for collecting MOCs/MIBs. Many would argue it's pointless for adults to collect childrens' toys anyway, regardless if they're in or out of their original packaging. Everyone's free to enjoy whatever they like in whatever way they like.
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People like the art/design of the packaging, it brings back that feeling of looking at MLPs in a toy store when you're a kid, some may like that the pony inside is eternally mint and pristine (although their condition can deteriorate inside the package too) and when it comes to G1 there are very few of them left so people want to preserve the ones that still exist. These are some of the reasons people may have for collecting MOCs/MIBs. Many would argue it's pointless for adults to collect childrens' toys anyway, regardless if they're in or out of their original packaging. Everyone's free to enjoy whatever they like in whatever way they like.
This. Preserving the boxed/carded ponies of past generations is important. If you don't want a pony MIB or MOC, please, please, please buy the pony loose and don't unbox or decard one. If you somehow end up with one and don't want it, sell it and use the money you get to buy the pony loose. People need to be responsible and not further dwindle down the ones that are still out there.
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People like the art/design of the packaging, it brings back that feeling of looking at MLPs in a toy store when you're a kid, some may like that the pony inside is eternally mint and pristine (although their condition can deteriorate inside the package too) and when it comes to G1 there are very few of them left so people want to preserve the ones that still exist. These are some of the reasons people may have for collecting MOCs/MIBs. Many would argue it's pointless for adults to collect childrens' toys anyway, regardless if they're in or out of their original packaging. Everyone's free to enjoy whatever they like in whatever way they like.
This. Preserving the boxed/carded ponies of past generations is important. If you don't want a pony MIB or MOC, please, please, please buy the pony loose and don't unbox or decard one. If you somehow end up with one and don't want it, sell it and use the money you get to buy the pony loose. People need to be responsible and not further dwindle down the ones that are still out there.
100% this. I collect MOC/MIB ponies. I just love the way they look all pristine in their original package with the art and bubble all intact. Everyone has their own opinion. What may seem boring and pointless to you is fun and exciting for me. There are plenty of lose/minty ponies that can be found. There are getting to be less and less MOC/MIB ponies.
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People like the art/design of the packaging, it brings back that feeling of looking at MLPs in a toy store when you're a kid, some may like that the pony inside is eternally mint and pristine (although their condition can deteriorate inside the package too) and when it comes to G1 there are very few of them left so people want to preserve the ones that still exist. These are some of the reasons people may have for collecting MOCs/MIBs. Many would argue it's pointless for adults to collect childrens' toys anyway, regardless if they're in or out of their original packaging. Everyone's free to enjoy whatever they like in whatever way they like.
This. Preserving the boxed/carded ponies of past generations is important. If you don't want a pony MIB or MOC, please, please, please buy the pony loose and don't unbox or decard one. If you somehow end up with one and don't want it, sell it and use the money you get to buy the pony loose. People need to be responsible and not further dwindle down the ones that are still out there.
100% this. I collect MOC/MIB ponies. I just love the way they look all pristine in their original package with the art and bubble all intact. Everyone has their own opinion. What may seem boring and pointless to you is fun and exciting for me. There are plenty of lose/minty ponies that can be found. There are getting to be less and less MOC/MIB ponies.
Wholeheartedly agree with all of the above - in some cases there is only one MOC known of a pony. From an archiving and collecting perspective, it's best not to destroy that.
Personally, I love MOCs. G1s especially, since the artwork is so pretty, and it's something preserved from before my time. I only have one MOC (baby Wave Dancer) and I love her dearly.
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The lure of having MIB and MOC ponies is they are like historical artifacts. It's very rare for ponies to survive 35 years without being opened, and they add some distinction and uniqueness to your collection too I think.
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I also agree on not decarding G1 MOC ponies. There are so few of them left and some might be the only remaining MOC example of a certain pony. I was able to get a MOC last year from a friend. She's so pretty. I think it's really interesting that she has stayed sealed all of this time.
I agree with the others who have said not to by a G1 MOC/ boxed and debox it. In the past I have seen collectors bragging about spending the money for a MOC G1 and then immediately after it arrived deciding that "they like the pony better off the card" and turning the pony in to a loose mint pony instead of a MOC pony.
Ponyfan
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I know right, whats the fun in having a pony you cant touch. However I wouldn’t open the box if I somehow get one (Im not gonna buy one) I wont open them because it might be someone’s dream to have them moc/mib.
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I would like at least one. But the temptation to open others would be too much.
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It is a bit boring, just having it in the box and never playing with it. But I do understand the appeal. While I don’t seek MIB or MOC ponies on purpose, if I come across one...I might pick it up to display in box. I would never remove it from the box or card though. I have one g2 MOC keychain, and I will never, ever de-card her.
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Ponies stored in their packaging aren’t always as minty as we imagine them to be. They can still get age spots, staining and discoloration and don’t look as nice as when they were in the package. The worst part is, we don’t always know until we open them.
Personally, I think selling it on and using those funds to buy the pony I really want is the wiser option. I love minty ponies out of packaging. They do exist in greater numbers than MIB/MOC.
If I ever do buy one on card, it will be because of the artwork. It’s often very beautiful. And it can be destroyed when removing the pony. Even when being careful, it does look odd to have a big empty bubble in the center of it. :shrug:
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I mostly collect loose ponies but I love some mib ponies to add dimesions in displays. Moc I don't like so much has they are tricky to display since I don't hang them
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I like ponies and I like backcards (some of them are so pretty!) but ponies still attached to backcards are not for me. I like to play with my ponies! So I buy loose ponies and the occasional loose backcard or box and leave the MOCs to people who are into that sort of thing. That way everyone's happy.
I'm not really interested in opening an MOC; none of my ponies (except G4) came in boxes so it's not as if I have fond childhood memories of deboxing ponies and need to recreate the experience.
I can understand wanting to keep ponies in boxes as historical artefacts. But if I want to see boxed ponies, I can look online, I don't feel the need to personally own one. Other people are out there preserving boxed ponies and enjoying it; I'm enjoying owning my loose ponies. Happy pony collectors all round :).
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As much as I love how MIB/MOC ponies look, I don't think I could ever buy one just because I'd be so tempted to take it out of the packaging (and it would break my heart to do so)!
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I am somewhat package obsessed, so I love MOC ponies. It's also a quest of mine to try and get as many of my childhood ponies mip as possible, though some will probably be impossible as right now no surviving examples exist.
I am fine with other people not liking them. I don't get the "I feel sorry for them" argument, though. It's not Toy Story, and in some ways a common pony MOC is going to be more valued than if she were loose (for example MOC Bow Tie gets attention, loose Bow Tie might be left at the thrift).
I feel strongly that if you don't like MOC, don't buy MOC. If you end up with MOC, sell it and get the pony loose. Please do not take any more MOC ponies from circulation. I've seen a few collectors in the last few years who have sold up whole collections of decarded ponies. In one case one collector had taken 200 ponies out of circulation, only to sell them some years later. It's fine to think "my pony, my choice", but thus far I've seen so many decarders sell up that actually, it has bigger ramifications.
For me decarding a MOC pony is like cutting a piggy pony's hair because you personally don't like the piggies, even though there are 50 other people who do and would give it a good home. And at some point we have to stop and recognise that this collectible is finite and everything we do to it has a wider impact.
I care a lot about keeping MOC ponies MOC, partly for nostalgia, but also because they are our main source of information about pony releases around the world. Over the years we've already lost several websites. A lot of information that was generally and widely known in the past has somehow disappeared - I see a lot of questions asked now that ten years ago people wouldn't have asked because they already knew the answers. That suggests a lot more newer collectors coming in in a time after some of those sites disappeared into the ether, as well as greater reliance on less comprehensive sources of information.
MOC ponies are a surviving piece of history. They help us to understand the years they're sold, the types of card, the accesssories, and so on - many of those mysteries have been partially solved by MOC examples. Regional variations in accessories have also been brought to light by MOC examples. For example, we only know that y3 Posey in the US and y3 Posey in the UK had different accessories, despite being the same pony, because we have surviving MOC examples from those two countries. And if you collect accessories, its useful to know what accessories are likely to come up in your locale, and who they belong to.
I feel this from a UK perspective as well, as there are a lot more surviving US ponies MOC than there are for most European and especially UK sets. The US market was just so huge, I guess more lasted. But there are some pony releases in the UK for which no known surviving MOC currently exists (3/6 Mountain Boys have never surfaced yet, 5/6 1987 Twinkle Eyes, 1988 Newborn Twins, 1987 Megan and Sundance, the list goes on). We have some surviving backcards for these but we're still missing information.
It's nobody's fault those ponies don't exist - the UK seems to have exhausted its supply of ponies as most all surviving examples of MIP Mountain Boys, etc come from Scandinavia. But there are still differences between releases there and here - it's much rarer to find a carded movie star pony with a sticker, because they weren't sold in Scandinavia with stickers - they were sold in the UK with them for a while, but I only know of a few examples that survive in the whole collecting community. Decarding just one of those robs future collectors of the MOC, but also potential accessory knowledge later down the line.
Basically I follow the precept of do no harm. Especially to other collectors and their grails. Some people have MIP grails. If you don't like a certain type of pony, it's better not to buy it, or to sell or trade it if you don't want it. Someone else will :)
I feel like if you can feel sorry for the pony in the package, yoiu can definitely empathise with the collector whose grail is a MOC pony that's really rare or may no longer exist due to decarding. We all need to take better care of each other in these situations. MOC prices have gone way up since the late 1990s when they were more plentiful. This is a supply and demand issue, but it's been aggravated by serial decarders like the one I mentioned above.
Of course there are occasional moments when a MOC pony is seriously mouldy or something on those lines when it's a different matter and about saving the pony. But those are rare. It's my hope that the retros will lead to a complete stop of decarding of G1 ponies at the very least. But I guess we'll see. Ponies decarded for display only are the saddest kind of pony to me.
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I could never open a G1 but I would also never get one sealed. Too expensive :P
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Of course there are occasional moments when a MOC pony is seriously mouldy or something on those lines when it's a different matter and about saving the pony. But those are rare. It's my hope that the retros will lead to a complete stop of decarding of G1 ponies at the very least. But I guess we'll see. Ponies decarded for display only are the saddest kind of pony to me.
I totally agree with everything Taffeta said. :)
I had to partially debox my G3 MIB Styling Cherelle due to mold damage. :bawl: I didn't like having to do it but didn't want the mold to damage the pony.
Ponyfan
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I prefer backcards because they are cheaper, but still have the lovely art! That said, I'm sure a few years down the line when I am more secure in my income and have collected most of the ponies loose, I'll want a Wave Runner MoC beacause she's my favorite. I have a bunch of G4 MiB just because I got too lazy to open them all, and I'm gaining a bit of appreciation of them. They do make for very nice display!
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Oh dear, you've opened up a can of worms here ^^; Personally I'm with you, MOC just isn't my thing.. buuuut that said, I just stick to getting loose ponies instead of MOCs. No point wasting money on a MOC when I could get a nice minty loose pony for much cheaper, ya know? ;)
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I wouldn't get one simply because I love to hold my ponies and style their hair... I know I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to open it so what's the point of paying the MIB prices when I'm only going to open it and make it so there's one less of that pony MIB for collectors who like them that way
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I used to be a bit against MIB/MOC purely because they take up more space.
Now I have a few MIB/MOC things, including my beloved Sweet Stuff! I'd never open them, for reasons that people have said. It just wouldn't feel right.
I do adore MIB G2 more than G1, but at the end of the day I prefer loose ponies and toys because I like to pose and display them. I just wouldn't have the space for a MIB collection (nor the money :lol:)
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Oh dear, you've opened up a can of worms here ^^; Personally I'm with you, MOC just isn't my thing.. buuuut that said, I just stick to getting loose ponies instead of MOCs. No point wasting money on a MOC when I could get a nice minty loose pony for much cheaper, ya know? ;)
Yeah, this kind of thread has erupted into flaming in the past, but this time everyone is being quite calm so fingers crossed we've evolved xD.
I think not liking MOC is not controversial. It's the things Ponyfan mentioned that are...and hopefully the desire to open a G1 pony is being sated by the retros, leaving everyone much happier.
Though I said above I love MOC, and I do, I am still pretty picky about them. I have some US MIP ponies but my priority is UK or European ones. If sets have multiple card versions of course I want more than one pony from the set on different cards or the same pony on different cards is fine too. I think that probably means that the cards are more to me than the nostalgia overall...I love seeing pictures of people's SS MOC ponies, for example, but it doesn't make me want to go buy all of them myself.
I count the MOC ponies as part of my backcard collection, which is around 300 now including the MOCs...so getting examples of as many different cards is a major thing for me. I would so love one day to have a room where these could all be displayed properly. Right now the MOC ponies are mostly in cupboards and tubs and the backcards in boxes and folders in drawers...
But with all that said, the desire to recreate the wall of flutters I remember from when I was five years old trying to choose a pony is very real...I think I maybe have enough empty boxes, winged flutters, and MIB flutters to make a reasonable job of it -if only I had the space to do it!
With G2/G3/G4 my rule is basically I don't open something that's no longer being made. But in terms of displaying - G2 are awesome on card. I see not much appeal in G3 or G4 in package except that the G3 stack quite nicely. The packages are dull compared to the G1 line. So I don't look for G3 or G4 ponies MOC. But if I get them MIP and they're no longer in production or rarer for some reason I might leave them in package.
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MOC are wonderful due to a little bit of toy history being captured in a pony time-capsule, keeping them intact serves to guarantee what accessories were available to those particular ponies. Also, being so rare, they become rather expensive (as we continue to see from current auction sites).
But yeah, as beautiful as G1 packaging was, as a child I just could not resist releasing the pony to play with! Oh, and to take a little sniff of that "new pony plastic" smell too! :lol:
I personally am happy to leave those expensive MOCs to the "serious" collectors and I am happy to buy loose ponies, even in baity condition.
Considering 35th A G1s - well, I have bought a few and some are loose, others intact, my reasons being that the artwork is so pretty and it is easy to store these rectangular boxes - plus they are (relatively) inexpensive :biggrin: I have only selected a few of my favourite ponies to keep mint, others have been opened for my kid to enjoy, so it's a bit of both worlds for me :cool: oh and I have two of Confetti because... pristine white ponies... :drool:
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I’m not really a MIB/MOC collector, but I do think they’re a really neat piece of history! :) I have a couple MIB G3 ponies since they are the generation I primarily grew up with. It brings me a little nostalgia to still se them in the box, and I love the art.
I’m in the camp of if you end up with a MOC pony and don’t want to keep it that way, you should sell it to someone who does. I get that it’s your pony and all, but it just seems so sad to take a pony who managed to stay in their package this long out just because you want to play with it. The funds you get from selling a MOC pony would easily let you buy that pony loose and possibly even more! :P It seems like a win win to sell imo!
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People like the art/design of the packaging, it brings back that feeling of looking at MLPs in a toy store when you're a kid, some may like that the pony inside is eternally mint and pristine (although their condition can deteriorate inside the package too) and when it comes to G1 there are very few of them left so people want to preserve the ones that still exist. These are some of the reasons people may have for collecting MOCs/MIBs. Many would argue it's pointless for adults to collect childrens' toys anyway, regardless if they're in or out of their original packaging. Everyone's free to enjoy whatever they like in whatever way they like.
This. Preserving the boxed/carded ponies of past generations is important. If you don't want a pony MIB or MOC, please, please, please buy the pony loose and don't unbox or decard one. If you somehow end up with one and don't want it, sell it and use the money you get to buy the pony loose. People need to be responsible and not further dwindle down the ones that are still out there.
100% this. I collect MOC/MIB ponies. I just love the way they look all pristine in their original package with the art and bubble all intact. Everyone has their own opinion. What may seem boring and pointless to you is fun and exciting for me. There are plenty of lose/minty ponies that can be found. There are getting to be less and less MOC/MIB ponies.
This. I do not collect them myself (I do not have the will power to keep them in that box), but I fully understand where MOC/MIB collectors are coming from. It IS history and so I feel that it is very important to us as collectors to responsibly try to preserve the history of what we collect as best we can.
I love to touch and move my ponies and give them spa days etc and this is what gives me joy in my collection. However I would hate to destroy a piece of history in order to do this: I would sell the pony to someone who would love it for what it is.
This is just my own opinion in this (very, very, very) controversial subject.
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I wouldn’t buy a MOC/MIB vintage pony. It makes me cringe to think of deboxing a historical artifact like that, especially knowing how many people would give their right arm to own some of them.
For my part, I like to play with my ponies. XD The only packaging I care about are old backboards, pamphlets, ads, etc. I do own two MIB G3 ponies that came in Easter-themed packaging. I’ve left them in there (so far...) because they make nice Easter decorations every year. If I ever figure out how to get them out without harming the boxes, though...
I guess I can understand why some people would like to relive the feeling of seeing brand-new G1s on toy store shelves. I get that. But I much prefer to see loose ponies on MY shelves, waiting to be played with, lol.
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I guess I can understand why some people would like to relive the feeling of seeing brand-new G1s on toy store shelves. I get that. But I much prefer to see loose ponies on MY shelves, waiting to be played with, lol.
I am one of those greedy folk. I like and have both :D
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I guess I can understand why some people would like to relive the feeling of seeing brand-new G1s on toy store shelves. I get that. But I much prefer to see loose ponies on MY shelves, waiting to be played with, lol.
I am one of those greedy folk. I like and have both :D
Isn’t that breaking some ancient law of the toy collecting universe? =O Jk, lol. X3
I confess to having ONE MIB Sweetie Pup, purchased at the same time as her loose counterpart. That was a special occasion though (I had just rescued an actual Bichon Frise, and she looked identical to the toy—her nickname is now “Sweetie Pup”). That’s it for me...
...Well, except for those odd toy lines that are easier and cheaper to find MIB than loose. I will guiltily admit to unboxing a few of those. XP
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I guess I can understand why some people would like to relive the feeling of seeing brand-new G1s on toy store shelves. I get that. But I much prefer to see loose ponies on MY shelves, waiting to be played with, lol.
I am one of those greedy folk. I like and have both :D
Isn’t that breaking some ancient law of the toy collecting universe? =O Jk, lol. X3
The ponies made me do it O.O
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Oh boy I’ve been super sick so I didn’t see this had exploded 😂
I would never buy a MIB/MOC that was super expensive anyways, I’m mostly a g3 collector. If I buy a g3 in-package I’m gonna open it bc they’re not worth crazy amounts of money and imo they’re not displayed well in the packaging. 1-2 I just wouldn’t be able buy it packaged anyways even if I was inclined to open it (which I’m not) unless it was one of the repros.
edit: also the reason I would buy an in-package g3 is because I love the accessories and none of the loose ones ever keep theirs
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On the last comment, I am not sure that we're (yet) at a point where deboxing G3 creates such horror reactions as deboxing G1 and G2 have, in part I think because a lot of collectors bought and kept them MIB so there is a bigger supply of them surviving. But I don't know how anyone else feels - I don't debox G3 ponies now. I did when they were out in stores and in production, but not now they're done.
As for the accessories - G3 ponies are much more likely to be sold with their accessories than G1 in my experience - because of that fact of collectors buying them and then later selling them on. I've bought a lot of loose G3 over the last few years with their packages and accessories all included (most recently the white adult and orange baby set, absolutely mint, loose and complete) so they are out there...
But I am not sure if opening G3 is a problem yet. Maybe it will be, if people keep opening them - but not sure right now.
I do agree that G3 packaging doesn't display the ponies well. It's ugly and repetitive compared to the prior 2 gens, which maybe makes it less appealing. They are quite easy to store in box though - most of them - except the easter egg ones ><
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I don't think opening g3 mib/moc will ever be the same level of controversy because there were many many many more produced than g1. And many collectors bought and kept them in package. G1 there were not many straight up Collectors, 99% of us were children.
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I don't think opening g3 mib/moc will ever be the same level of controversy because there were many many many more produced than g1. And many collectors bought and kept them in package. G1 there were not many straight up Collectors, 99% of us were children.
Too true. I have a few in packaging. I didn't even think of them when the discussion started. I originally bought them to give to my newborn niece when she was older but by the time arrived she was into something completely different so I got her that instead. Now those g3 ponies are buried in the back of a closet. I don't think they have much value.
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I don't think opening g3 mib/moc will ever be the same level of controversy because there were many many many more produced than g1. And many collectors bought and kept them in package. G1 there were not many straight up Collectors, 99% of us were children.
Yeah, this is probably true. I just don't want to make a sweeping assumption as a G1 collector. I feel like - and this is just for me, not a moral rule for anyone else - that if something is still in production, it's fair game. If it isn't, then I won't open it. Because to be frank, I don't know what G3 ponies are rare, what's sought after, what might command value or interest or whatever. So I'm not going to alter the market any xD. G1 - I know that. G3 - I'm just going to not do anything...
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I have a few MIB G3s. I did have to partially debox my MIB Styling Cheerilee due to mold damage that was spreading inside her box.
Ponyfan