Is it okay for kids to play with ponies?

[Nilenna]

I've heard that the g1 ponies can be poisonus, am I right? Or maybe it's vintage toys in general?

But I'm wondering.. is it okay for kids to play with the ponies? Or shouldn't they? Is it babies that put stuff in their mouth that's bad? Can a 6-7 year old play with them? 

[Leave a Whisper]

*quickly shoves special sunglasses over extra eyeballs and puts 3rd arm behind her back* of course it is.

Seriously, yes. It is perfectly fine, we played with them and didn't die or have any serious health probs and kids today can play with them too.

[LunaDehligt]

I Think it is okay to play with Them and my san loves them and plays with them every day and hi is fin and me to

[Nilenna]

Yes.. we played with them a lot    That's why I think 6-7 year olds and up can play with them.
Also I don't know how 'safe' the toys being made today are either so..

But babies should probably not 'play' with them though. Don't think I would let them anyways.. 

[CoonhoundBetty]

My niece has been playing with G1 since she was a year old, or maybe younger...I can't remember when I started giving her ponies LOL DD has a bunch of G1, and she's 5. As long as they aren't moldy or smoozey or sticky, I'm fine with my kid and nieces playing with the older ponies.

[Whippycorn]

I'd say yeah, as long as they aren't sucking on them!

[Katika]

I (have no way to prove it, but) really feel like the "toxic G1" thing was something that was started by a collector somewhere that was just trying to guilt ponies out of a friend that wanted their kids to play with their same childhood ponies.  I'm in the same boat of saying that I played with them almost exclusively from the time I was 2 until about 10 and as far as I can tell, they did nothing detrimental to my health.  Now that I'm collecting them as an adult, however... that might be detrimental to *something*

[Einhornbaby]

As much as I think that what the others said, I need to throw the following in :
Leaking plasticiser / plastic breakdown can harm your kid. Most G1 are still fine plastic-wise but I have seen some that were definitely not in the state a good toy should be in. So, chose wisely! Keep an eye on sticky surfaces, it might be caused by leaking plasticiser which is definitely not healthy for kids.

My daughter owns some G1 too since she was 1yo (shes 11 now) and shes healthy as can be! But we had to take one or two ponies out of her toybox when they started to feel sticky. Better safe than sorry!

[banditpony]

I still think a part of it is that toys from the 80s were held to different standards then today. So they wouldn't meet today's toy standards. So I think its up to every parent to make that decision.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some chemical in todays plastic things that might be detrimental to our health. We just wouldn't know yet since its newer and we dont know long term effects.

I agree 100% any toy that seems to be breaking down should not be played with. Correct me if im wrong--- there are a few g3s that are doing that-- and they aren't even vintage yet.

[Featherwurm]

I (have no way to prove it, but) really feel like the "toxic G1" thing was something that was started by a collector somewhere that was just trying to guilt ponies out of a friend that wanted their kids to play with their same childhood ponies.  I'm in the same boat of saying that I played with them almost exclusively from the time I was 2 until about 10 and as far as I can tell, they did nothing detrimental to my health.  Now that I'm collecting them as an adult, however... that might be detrimental to *something*

My sentiments exactly!  I mean, sure, those of us who had the G1 ponies even at our smallest are now only in our 30s, so any truly long term detriment is hard to calculate, and we had them when they were new (therefore before any breakdown in plastisiciser or what have you), buuuuuttt... as someone with no neurological or physiological disorders, and especially ones that can be attributed to various contaminants (including lead) I'm going to hazard a guess that the toys I had as a kid were fine to play with.  Granted, I'm an entire sampling of one so it's hardly a scientific study.

I think as long as said ponies aren't a mess of leaky plastisiser and no one is chewing on them, I can't think they're tremendously dangerous.

I know there's a warning that goes out about '70s and 80s' toys in general, but, as others have said, it's a result of toy manufacture being held to a different standard (the standard now is higher than ever it seems), and probably should be taken in conjunction with anecdotal evidence of the toy line in question.  Especially since toy lines from two decades will vary very heavily in quality of production and production means.  I'm sure in that sampling there will be toys that contain lead paint and other issues, but I don't think MLP is a terribly worrying line of toys in that regard.

[Nilenna]

I have a pony that feels a bit sticky (maybe others too). Is it breaking down then? Or can I just wash it? Do others have ponies like this? What do you do?

[Lady.Arachnia]

My childhood Skydancer is feeling a little sticky to...so i do not hope to find a puddle of yellow plastic someday with rainbow hairs sticking out off it....

[Nilenna]

My childhood Skydancer is feeling a little sticky to...so i do not hope to find a puddle of yellow plastic someday with rainbow hairs sticking out off it....

Haha, sorry.. but eew. Sounds less than pleasant. 

[AlmostApplejack]

I would say so, agreeing with checking for plastic breakdown but I would also make sure than since it's an old toy that it was entirely sanitized too just to make sure there's nothing old lingering on it

I don't think I would let a baby play with a pony. Aren't they recommended for ages 3 y/o+? I would stick with Hasbro's recommended age appropriate guide for them 

[Strawberry Swirl]

Yeah, I'm also really doubting that all this talk about G1's being somehow toxic really doesn't have any basis.
I feel like if it were true, why would the signs start to show 30 years later? Wouldn't any symptoms of poisoning due to them
be happening when they were made, in the 80's?

I dunno. It just doesn't feel very real. I would think as long as the pony you wanna give your kid isn't full of mold/rust/other grossness
and it isn't a ridiculously expensive Nirvana, you should be fine.