Over the last few years, I’m sure most of us have noticed the surge in retro/“classic” toys like Basic Fun MLPs, World’s Smallest, and ReAction figures. There were always niche, “geek” markets for things like Silkstone Barbies and Masterpiece Transformers, but lately I’m seeing a lot more retro toys entering the mainstream market. Perhaps most amusing to me are these 90s-era repro handheld games. When I was browsing holiday sales last week, I noticed an entire category on Walmart’s website dedicated to “Retro Toys”, up beside ubiquitous categories like “Dolls”, “Cars”, and “Action Figures”.

There have always been retro toys, of course—especially at the holidays, when nostalgic novelty gifts tend to pop up—but it seems like there’s been a much greater saturation in the last half-decade. I’m definitely not complaining, but it does have me curious... I could chalk up the MLPs and such to 80s/90s nostalgia. (From a business perspective, millennials are now largely out of school/uni and in their prime wage-earning years, lol. Whenever a generation hits the 25-35 range, there’s a spike in nostalgia-based goods vying for their wallet.) Some of the retro toys are much... “retro-er” than that, though. 60s and 70s toys and franchises seem to be enjoying a comeback as well. I wonder if the shift to streaming entertainment is having a significant influence on the retro trend? Kids today have greater access to previous decades of entertainment than any generation before them. For that matter, so do nostalgic adults.

So... What are your thoughts on it all? Why do you think there’s such a sudden interest in retro-styled toys? Do you collect any?

It’s time again for my annual attempt to sort and organize everything in my collection... In doing so, I’ve made some interesting observations regarding the effects of different storage methods on ponies and vinyl dolls... I would love to hear any anecdotal discoveries from others who have kept MLPs (or just toys in general) in storage for extended amounts of time! I debate with myself often on what the best/safest way to store things is...

Example 1: G1 ponies. I stored them in direct contact with each other, in cardboard boxes. Aside from a couple of easily-remedied bent horns, they came out looking fine. I’m inclined to believe that “ye olde“ vinyl toys must have used much stronger stabilizers in the plastics, as has long been discussed here...

Example 2: G3 ponies. Stored in the same way as the G1 ponies above. Out of all of them, the only color bleeding occurred when a white, early G3 (softer vinyl) pony was pressed up against an orange, later G3 Scootaloo (harder vinyl, turning head type). Everything else, including my bright orange Sparkleworks army, did fine. Has anyone else seen evidence of late G3 ponies transferring color more easily?

Aside from that, there has been the odd sticky cutie mark on the G3s, but no major problems. Most of my G3s were bought secondhand, and some had stickiness when they first arrived, so that may just be an inevitable part of how the paint sealer ages. (It clears up with a bit of dishsoap and gentle scrubbing.)

A few G3s ended up stashed away in unsealed ziploc bags for 5+ years, and seem to have suffered no ill effects (other than some wasps that decided to crawl into the bags and die—what a fun surprise that was).

Example 3: Equestria Girls. I’ve kept my EQGs in a few different places, depending on when I bought them and packed them up. The most obvious thing I’ve noticed is that the original wave of EQGs (much like early G4 ponies) AGE HORRIBLY. My first wave Pinkie now has a completely orange head, with no trace of the original color. Rarity’s head has yellowed badly, and Celestia’s head from the doll/pony set has turned off-white. Comparatively, my later wave dolls of the same characters look perfect. I had the originals stored in unsealed, acid-free, foodsafe bread bags (not Ziploc type, but a more crinkly, clear plastic). The Rainbow Rocks and later waves were stored identically in the same box, and suffered no ill effects. Other EQGs were kept in a sunless room on open shelving, or stored stacked on top of one another (no bags or tissue) in a cardboard box. No method seems to have caused more deterioration than another.

Upon doing some investigating, I discovered NIB EQGs on Ebay who had severe head/body mismatch. Does anyone have a Wave 1 Pinkie or Rarity without this problem? It seems to have happened to basically every doll I’ve seen for sale.

Example 4: Monster High. I have hundreds of these, and they really run the gamut in terms of aging. Sometimes white vinyl yellows, as with Rarity/Celestia, other times white HAIR turns an icky grey-yellow color. My Meowlody and Purrsephone suffered the hair issue, but were exposed to sunlight on occasion from their shelf. On the other hand, I’m also seeing yellowing of both hair and plastic in dolls that have been in dark, sealed cardboard boxes for years (some bagged, some not). I can’t see any differences between the dolls who were bagged, and those who were simply stacked. As far as my observations go, neither has affected the aging process. Meowlody and Purrsephone did yellow earlier (presumably) from exposure to mild sunlight. Dolls that were in direct contact with each others‘ hair sometimes had gel/product stuck to them, but it cleans up fine.

Example 5: Transformers (various ages). Definitely the easiest to store—no pesky vinyl to change color on you (not most of the time, anyway). Came out of storage looking brand new after being stored in plastic breadbags for years.

Would love to hear what you guys have discovered, and what works best for you in terms of storage! I’ve long heard that you should never leave plastic in contact with other plastic, for fear of fumes and gases being given off that could accelerate aging... I’m curious about what types of plastic were involved in these cases. The bread bags make storage so much easier, and I haven’t seen any negative effects... Does anyone have personal experience with this?

I want to get into sculpting figurines and dolls from polymer clay. I have dabbled before, but mostly with adding accessories or details to custom dolls. I’m wondering if any pony people have opinions about the best way to learn this art? Books? Videos? Lessons?

Are there any tips or tricks to avoid beginner pitfalls? Any must have tools you wish you’d had when you started out?

Honestly, I’d just appreciate any advice at all on getting started. The internet is very overwhelming and there’s so much information overload that I’m not sure where to go for tutorials or even materials.

Zapper and I decided to have a (semi-belated) Halloween swap! My box of goodies arrived on Monday, and I thought I’d share!

Firstly, this funny Steven Universe postcard. :
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Aaand a sticker swap!:
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This awesome She-Ra enamel pin:
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MH Ghoul Sports Spectra, who I’ve been seeking for a long time (she even has all of her tiny accessories!):
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G3 Pretty Parasol! Plus a Bayala foal I had never seen before, and an adorable, pony-scale portrait of my fave G1, High Flyer:
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Aaand of course, no Halloween is complete without... candy! :
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Major thanks to Zapper for the awesome goodies! ^_^ I hope you will love your box as much as I love mine!

I need to replace the eye gems on some adult G2 ponies. I checked Lavender Lagoon’s page on the subject, which was very helpful as far as color-matching goes, but encountered a couple of stumbling points while shopping for Swarovski crystals...

1: LL’s guide says that the correct size for adult G2 ponies is “SS10 or SS12”. But which is the closest to the original crystal’s size? Most of my ponies are missing only one eye, so I’d like the replacements to match as closely as possible.

2: LL’s guide states that the shape of crystal needed is “pointback”, but I’m not turning up any results with that keyword. Has Swarovski renamed the shape? If so, what name should I look for them under? Swarovski sells a dizzying array of shapes and cuts.

Thank you!

I was cleaning a G1 Moondancer today... and beneath the thick, grimy layer of rust and who-knows-what-else... there were mold spots inside. Lots of them. They were black and of a decent size... no way are they pindot or age spots.

Having grown up in a family that was perpetually terrified of every form of mold, bacteria, fume, dust, and basically any other environmental hazard, I get kind of freaked out by these things... Does anyone know if the molds that infest ponies (and other vinyl toys) are very dangerous? And also, how can I make 200% sure that the mold in this pony is completely dead?

(Also, should I toss the toothbrush and whatnot that I cleaned her with? Is it safe to use on other ponies?)

 

My comprehensive wishlist! I’m not terribly picky, and will even buy “bait” ponies at the right price. *s indicates that an item is a priority to me. I prefer not to buy MIB anything, as most everything in my collection ends up unboxed.

Besides ponies, there are a number of other toy lines I’m after! I collect Glo Friends, Sweetie Pups, Fashion Star Fillies, Beanie Babies, Monster High, Ever After High, and much, much more! Feel free to show me any 80s/90s toys that you think I might like.

PM me if you are interested in selling! ^_^

G1 Adult Ponies/Friends

G1 Babies:

G2 Ponies:

G3 Ponies:

G4 Ponies:

Dolls:

Other Toys: