What did you think of MLP as a kid?

[Pheasant]

Well, I still am a kid, and my opinion is that they're really cute. But I'll give my opinion of what I thought when I was younger:

I can't recall what I initially thought of ponies the very first time I saw them. I was around four, and I faintly remember finding G1 Baby Sleep Tight at a thrift store, and my mom handing me G1 Cotton Candy that she found during a thrift store trip. About a year later, I remember walking with my mother through the toy aisle at a store and seeing these pretty little ponies. (This was shortly after G3 was released.) I secretly wanted one, but for some reason never asked.
When I was six, my parents threw me a birthday party, and one of our neighbors surprised me with a brand-new Pinkie Pie, with a VHS of 'A Very Charming Birthday'. From there, the rest is history. My ponies and Barbies co-existed, but the ponies were always my favorites.

[WrittenEmber]

I don't recall ever seeing the show or the movies as a kid, but I was born in '88 so perhaps I was just too young to remember. (And I wasn't allowed much TV, anyway.) I do remember the toys, though, and that I had quite a few of them. The memories are a bit vague; my mom tells me I liked them as a toddler and was very into them from 4 or so up until about age 7, at which point they began to take more and more of a backseat to Littlest Petshop. All I really remember is the strangely absorbing activity of moving the whole herd from place to place by "walking" each pony forward by a few inches at a time and taking turns with them all so that they would all stay together as they traveled...

My clearest memories of them are actually of rediscovering them when I was about 11 or 12, but I didn't play with them then so much as just set them up on a shelf because they were pretty. (Mostly I got my horse-and-pony fix from Grand Champions at that age.) I remember being irritated that their hair was messed up from being in storage, and frustrated that I couldn't fix it. All I had to work with was warm water and the little plastic brushes that come with Barbies; is it any wonder I failed? 

The second time I rediscovered them I was in my late teens, but I was under a lot of pressure then to "rehome" the majority of my old toys, so a good chunk of the ponies that had survived storage (not all of them did -- some succumbed to Dread Mold) went to live with my nieces. Am I mean for kind of wanting them back? (I would never do that, though, my youngest niece loves them and I'm glad they are getting played with and enjoyed.)

[PrincessKelliee]

I grew up with G2's and I had a few G1's that were given to me, My mom told me that I also had the Dream Castle, Pretty Parlor, Show Stable AND the Nursery when I was a kid. I bought those a while ago and when I was dragging them into the house my mom went like "You had those when you were younger!"  That's why I probably had the urgency to buy them 

Still, I loved playing with my G2 Ponies. I remember having some playsets, but I don't remember a lot. I do know that I loved to play with long haired Ivy, in a... castle? I don't know   

[hathorcat]

Oh gosh I loved them! Hence why I came back to them as an adult to collect.

MLP were my beloved and treasured childhood toys. I was rather possessive over them and while Sindy may occasionally suffer a hair cut or some elaborate make up...the ponies were treated like royalty

[PrincessKelliee]

Oooh hahaha I remember I never cut my Ponies either! But I cut up my Barbie's hair, drew on them with a pen and such. I really hate myself for doing that tho 

[UrocyonFox]

I grew up playing with my cousin's g1s. (we were the same age) but because I never had any of my own they were always a magical special treat that I only got to play with when I was visiting family 13 hours away. I still remember going home and being bummed that I had no ponies so I pretended I was Clipper (who I use to call Sailboat, go figure) and sat in a cardboard box rocking back and forth like I was in the ocean pretending to be the pony, acting out the scene I had played with him in. My little ponies were just so special to me and like some grail that I always wanted. They always brought back memories of family, adventure, holidays, long trips, and good times.

[Sandi]

I grew up with G1 and G2. I had a few G1s that I got from an older cusin. One of my friends also had a whole bunch of G1s that we used to play with. My own collection were mostly G2s though. I liked them very much too and had several playsets. I also watched the G1 cartoons and played the G2 PC game a lot.

[partypony566]

MLP and I are practically the same age, so they've always been around. I adored them then (in the 80s) and I adore them now.

Ditto that...well I am a few years older than mlp actually but yeah...loved them then, still love them now just the same

[Haruna]

I don't recall ever seeing the show or the movies as a kid, but I was born in '88 so perhaps I was just too young to remember. (And I wasn't allowed much TV, anyway.) I do remember the toys, though, and that I had quite a few of them. The memories are a bit vague; my mom tells me I liked them as a toddler and was very into them from 4 or so up until about age 7, at which point they began to take more and more of a backseat to Littlest Petshop. All I really remember is the strangely absorbing activity of moving the whole herd from place to place by "walking" each pony forward by a few inches at a time and taking turns with them all so that they would all stay together as they traveled...

My clearest memories of them are actually of rediscovering them when I was about 11 or 12, but I didn't play with them then so much as just set them up on a shelf because they were pretty. (Mostly I got my horse-and-pony fix from Grand Champions at that age.) I remember being irritated that their hair was messed up from being in storage, and frustrated that I couldn't fix it. All I had to work with was warm water and the little plastic brushes that come with Barbies; is it any wonder I failed? 

The second time I rediscovered them I was in my late teens, but I was under a lot of pressure then to "rehome" the majority of my old toys, so a good chunk of the ponies that had survived storage (not all of them did -- some succumbed to Dread Mold) went to live with my nieces. Am I mean for kind of wanting them back? (I would never do that, though, my youngest niece loves them and I'm glad they are getting played with and enjoyed.)

Yeah, your story reminds me of mine, WrittenEmber. I was born about the same time you were, and I was very into ponies until Littlest Pet Shops and Grand Champions became my favorite toys. (I still liked my ponies; I just didn't play with them as much.) I love how you had your herd travel together. And I also rediscovered my ponies about the same time, when I was 10 or 11, and then kind of drifted away from them in my teens. And now I'm back.

[starflyer425]

i also missed out on g1, but i adored  g2 and g3. i remember how mad i was at my cousin because she had SO many more ponies then i did, nearly filled their families basement with them, but didnt take great care of them... (pen marks and frizz galore, ugh!) i inherited some of my sisters g1s (namely gusty and heart throb) and took great pride in my g3s (minty, sparkle works, tinka tinka too, sweet berry, cotton candy and citrus sweetheart) and, funnily enough i only had 2 g2s (ivy and lightheart). i also had the g2 and g3 computer games, wore those out pretty quick.  now im an avid collector of g4, and loving every second of it!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Ahhhh I have had a pony in my hands as long as I can remember.    And I chewed them, buried them, pulled their heads off, drew on them with pen... I still have them and I love them dearly.  Some have been sunfaded, others are just the way they are.  Some have serious age spots and regrind but I don't care.  I would NEVER replace them!

I loved everything about and for MLPs as a child but very rarely ever got a new pony.  I envied the playroom at the lady down the street who did foster care because she had a Dream Castle for the kids to play with.  You could have given me a cardboard box and I would have been thrilled to turn it into a playset.   

[EmeraldEyesPhoenix]

I remember being 3~ish in the 90s and seeing MLP on TV at the daycare I went to. I was also really enamored with my cousin's G2 Morning Glory. I remember really liking her backpack with the rainbow ribbons in it.

[Cool.Breeze]

I was a MLP fanatic as a kid. Any pony I got was precious to me, I especially adored sea ponies. We didn't have a lot of money when I was young and we only got one gift a year from Santa. My brothers and I were okay with that. My most wanted more-than-anything item when I was 3 was a Paradise Estate sleeping bag. I somehow still remember opening it ^^ The following year after we moved, I got the big Birthday Celebration pack for my birthday. I still remember opening that, too. I would carry my ponies with me everywhere in a grocery bag inside my backpack. Oh how I wish I still had them! I loved the cartoons and movies too <3 I'd give anything to have my original baby Moondancer back.... I do have a stand-in that I bought, but.... not the same ; 3;

[SkyCakes]

I think I was excited about the pony line. I bought lots of things from it right away. Since I was around 8-9 when the ponies first came out. Like the dream castle and the show stable. I remember I had about 100 ponies that I loved to play with at the time. I really do miss my old childhood ponies. Though now I only have two of them. I was very careful around them. I tried to play nicely with them as much as I could. Even though my dog at the time liked to chew them up. :/