Why are there so many Mib/Moc ponies from the 80's?

[Kaeldre]

My theory is that a lot of them are gifts that people just forgot about.

[appleponygal]

I tend not to buy any MOC or MIB ponies just because now, even as an adult, I could not resist the temptation to release them!

I admire those with the willpower to keep them though 

Yeah, I'm like that although I havent' had time to debox all my ponies yet! I like to keep dolls in boxes though like rare Barbies 'cos I do know they definitley sell for more in their boxes. as most of the poor girls end up losing their accessories.I fI buy G1 ponies I liek to get them already deboxed.

[shabbychicdee]

i often thought of that too BigBrotherPony.
yes i reckon a couple of things, they were old stock that shops had out the back or old liquidation stock.
also a lot of people mainly granny's had gifts stored away and forgotten about, recently i have bought a coupe of mib/mocs of someone who's girls had them as kids so i guess they were old presents that were never opened

[mlp4me]

Those mib/moc/mip 1980's ponies aren't hanging around here...
I've been fortunate to get some playsets with their boxes and a box from bridal beauty, but I've never saw an original pony still in box/on card in 24 years...

[FarDreamer]

There's always been an adult fanbase.  Not as large as now because most current G1 collectors grew into it, but with the gorgeous backcard art and detailed accessories, G1's have always caught the eye of toy collectors.

I think you're right about there being a mix of reasons that so many MOC's have survived.  I know of adult collectors, who were adults in the 80's, who have died and their completely MIB collections sold off, and stories of warehouses, storage units, etc. discovered with a bunch of MOC, MIB ponies inside.

No offense, but the G4 fanbase has absolutely nothing to do with the staying power of G1.  Hard core MLP collectors were around nearly 30 years before G4.  I don't think the G4's will be worth what G1's are.  Partially because of quality and also what you said about more people holding onto them MIB.  How G3's fare will be a good test of this.  I wonder if their price won't go up because so many G3 collectors gave up when they weren't selling and opened theirs to help save space.  Check back in 30 years . . .

[coinoperatedgirl]

One of my uncles grew up with a friend whose mother would buy duplicates of every present their kids got as children back in the 50's-60's, because she figured that they would be worth more with the packaging.  She'd give one of the toys to the kid, and saved one in its box.  The kids had no idea, and eventually the mother sold off all these awesome dolls and games and action figures in their mint boxes for a very tidy profit.

[josiekat]

People buy things and forget about them. I have 6 MIB Fairy Tail Birds because my Grandma had gotten them, and put them in the attic to save for Easter Presents. Well, they sat in the attic for about 22 years until I found them cleaning out her attic. It was like hitting the lotto for me. lol. Plus, like others have said, stores selling off old stock just as people were getting old enough to become collectors. I'm glad that they survived.

Oh, to the person who asked about the original 6.....I have Cotton Candy and Bluebelle. I would love to get my hands on the other 4 someday. I know that there is a Blossom, Butterscotch and Minty out there. I have yet to see a Snuzzle though.

[shabbychicdee]

One of my uncles grew up with a friend whose mother would buy duplicates of every present their kids got as children back in the 50's-60's, because she figured that they would be worth more with the packaging.  She'd give one of the toys to the kid, and saved one in its box.  The kids had no idea, and eventually the mother sold off all these awesome dolls and games and action figures in their mint boxes for a very tidy profit.

W   O   O   D   Y   
sings woody's roundup

People buy things and forget about them. I have 6 MIB Fairy Tail Birds because my Grandma had gotten them, and put them in the attic to save for Easter Presents. Well, they sat in the attic for about 22 years until I found them cleaning out her attic. It was like hitting the lotto for me.

OMG yes, thats awesome, what a dream for many of us, sadly all my grandparents are long gone

[Lancer]

I'm sure the MIB G1s come from a variety of places, most of which have already been mentioned in this thread.  A lot of children are just 'collector minded' from an early age.  If I ever got a duplicate toy from a relative or competition win, I'd keep it in the package in case it was worth something one day!  My mum used to buy toys in sales with an eye to giving them as presents later on.  Then, they wouldn't be needed and would just sit in the "other people's presents" box for years.  I know we had some Lion King toys sitting in that box for about a decade...then I sold them a couple of years ago for a nice profit!

[minamarie]

last year i bought 3mib furniture sets for cupcake dolls in a toystore here, this year the mlp lullabye nursery   i always think about calling small toystores all over the country to ask them about old forgotten toys

[babystarz]

Some of my MOC/MIB ponies came from old abandoned toy stores, where they were left sitting around until an enterprising person got in and sold them off. Many are also from moms of the 80's who bought them and stored them away in an attic or closet and just simply forgot about them, until they found them and their kids were too old to want them. Those are probably the two biggest sources I've encountered

I also think some kids just prefer, for whatever reason, to keep their toys in the packaging. I would never have done this, but I have a cousin who was meticulous about keeping her collector barbies in their boxes even as a very little girl.

[nollilols]

As a child I would never have dreamed of keeping a pony in a box. Even now, I would never buy a MOC pony as I would have to open it. I absolutely understand the appeal of them in theory, but for me, I like being able to touch and style and examine every detail of the things I have - a pony stuck to a card would frustrate me massively, and MOCs really hold no appeal for me as a result. Except for the idea of opening one, and having a never-before-opened pony in my hands. But that would be unfair to the people who do want MOCs, so I don't do it.

[popyduggan]

My theory is that a lot of them are gifts that people just forgot about.

I still have some moc Captain Planet/Ninja Turtles in the attic from gifts we were going give back in the 90s, but didn't for some reason...so that's a good theory.

[rtattles]

How I wish I can still get backlogged G1 MOCs in stores around me. That would be AMAZING!!!!!

My friend Juli and I used to know a guy who found some MOC baby seaponies from a Philippines warehouse during his travels. He sold them to us for like $15 each, but even then it's a steal. Some of the packaging turned yellowed and crummy from the storage because the place was dank and the cards got wet. I eventually had to release Baby Sea Shimmer because there was moisture in her bubble and I thught mold was starting to form. I didn't have pearly Sea Shimmer, and I had her complete that way. She cleaned out to be MINT and PERFECT. I have a lot more $$ than I used to, so how I wish someone can find me deals like this again. I promise I'll share the extras by selling

[blonde2themax]

This is extremely interesting.  I've never wondered where they came from but it seem like all your explanations are very possible and probably true.