"What happened in your childhood?"

[paradise-estate]

Reading these stories is very interesting (and awful with those sadder of tales :-() and on many levels  I can relate. However, luckily my childhood was fairly normal and I think my collecting is purely to hold on to those good old days of innocence and old fashion fun with toys. Nowadays you don't see many ten year olds playing with toys anymore. It's more about computers and iphones lol. Having ponies as friends was a great source of escapism for me. I used to get so mad when my sis wanted to stop playing!
Not many of my friends know about my collecting though, but I honestly dont feel the need to tell them. My housemate obviously knows but she won't allow me to display them lol. Hence I need a bigger place! I suppose im lucky that I have my sister to collect with and have pony chats too! :-)
I don't think anyone should be ashamed of what gives them joy when it comes to collecting! I think its amazing that my little ponies still have that affect on people no matter what age! 

[Princess-Sparkles]

To be fair, in my case I don't think I've ever 'grown up or grown out' of toys. When I was younger I was picked on in primary school as when all the girls seemed to move onto popbands and makeup I still wanted to play with toys. I didn't have a bad childhood really apart from the bullying, secondary school was a pretty big rough patch but other than that it wasn't too bad all in all.

I enjoy having my room filled with the things I like as it means when it's been a long day I've got something to look at to make me feel happy. I enjoy sorting my collection, cleaning, restoring and searching for new additons.

I like ponies, I like cuddly toys I like action figures and don't see me stopping collecting or wanting them anytime soon. But of course there's that stigma that only certain things are apparently 'suitable' to collect. Apparently no one looks twice if you spent 200 quid on a pair of shoes but spend 6 quid on a plastic toy, you must have a problem.

Honestly, I collect toys, I game, I read, I draw and do other geeky/weird things. Yet I don't smoke, don't go out getting plastered every week, don't do drugs, haven't been arrested and would say I'm a realtivley healthy adult so I don't see why there's such a stigma.  I'm healthy and that's more important than the fact I happen to still like little plastic ponies.

I couldn't have put that better myself.

I honestly never wanted to grow up, I knew it wouldn't be any fun and yep, I was right.. In a way. Seriously paying bills, housework, responsibility. Ugh no fun at all, ponies, Pokemon toys and anime take my kind off it all. I'll admit I do love designer clothing and shoes, but yeah you can't cuddle them when you've had a bad day.

I'm sometimes tempted to play with my G3's when I'm by myself. Playing with toys when I was a kid always took my mind of things and was a lot of fun.

[KarentheUnicorn]

I never really cared what other people thought about me liking toys or collecting MLP. I still really don't care if people think it's weird or think I'm weird. I started collecting ponies in when the first uni's and pegs came out and I was older than most kids who were into MLP. I would have been around 11.

But if people said anything or commented on me collecting I really sort of ignored them. I don't remember any of my friends saying anything out of the way. And those rare instances where someone did choose to ridicule me, at this point it's water under the bridge and it doesn't really matter anymore. I'm grown and I can pretty much do whatever I want with my money. So everyone else can just stay off my back is pretty much how I feel about it.

The only thing I can really remember being said on a few separate occasions is one of my aunt would say, "what are you going to do if your husband doesn't like ponies".

Firstly I was a kid/teenager at the time. I didn't have a husband and I didn't have a boy friend. So even as a kid/teen I would just sort of look at her like she was crazy and my usual responds, why would I marry someone who 'hated' ponies? I mean ya know, anyone who hooks up with me has got to realize this is part of me.

Also I don't really consider collecting ponies so much reliving my childhood or bringing back my childhood. Since I started way back in 1983 I have never really stopped collecting or liking ponies. This has followed me from 11 years old till now which is like 29 years I think. It's my childhood, teenage years, young adult years and middle age years and clearly it's going to follow me over the hill right up till I'm a very old pony collecting lady.

It's more than just my childhood. Accept me, accept my ponies and we'll all get along just fine

[lovesbabysquirmy]

In my childhood, my mom was fully supportive of my going to thrift stores and yard sales to expand my pony collection.  She's always been that way, and she has stopped me from getting rid of them many times over.   

So, nothing traumatic happened in my childhood that affects my pony collecting.    I was inspired to collect in my childhood!

[Radiance]

I've reached that happy point in life where I just do not give a crap about what others think of me. My friends think it's weird that I collect dolls and ponies, but they respect me enough to keep their opinions to themselves. If they didn't, they wouldn't be my friends! And my DH knows it brings me happiness so he's cool with it. He's even said my dolls and ponies make good photography subjects! Don't let anyone keep you from your ponies if they're making you happy.