The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: LadyAmalthea on June 13, 2020, 07:59:10 AM
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So my son's 5th birthday is next week. It used to be easy to buy him presents; for 2 or 3 years he was super into Disney's Cars, and the die casts were easy and cheap to find. He is a very obsessive child when he finds something he likes (as was I :lol:), and he becomes very single-minded about it.
For the past 6 months or so I have been trying to clean up/rebuild my childhood G1 MLP collection after a flood in my family's basement, and I've really enjoyed becoming an adult collector. Well, my son has kind of glommed onto my hobby as well...who wouldn't, they are colorful and cute! We have spent the blah winter/spring months watching the old movie and TV episodes (although we have since stopped, as he has picked up some of the less desirable 80's slang/attitude language they say in those :crazy:), and literally ALL he wants for his birthday is ponies.
I gave him a couple of my G1s to play with; my old Baby Surprise and Baby Firefly, because I had found mintier ones in lots I purchased on Ebay, as well as an adult Firefly that came in a bait lot (since what bait lot doesn't come with at least one Firefly, right?). But these have become so grubby that a little part of me cringes every time I see them. I tried getting him into FiM, and buying him some G4 ponies as a diversion from my collection, but I think many share my frustration at the lack of characters produced as toys there, and given his collector mentality, there is no place to go now that he has the 6 ponies that are easily available. All he wants are G1 ponies, especially the ones that he recognizes from the movie/show. I have a few set aside for him, mostly duplicates from my own collection, and I have ordered a couple of lots off of eBay for him as well. I just hope they aren't in minty condition when they arrive, because they won't be for long once they are in his death clutches. I tried searching bait lots, but quite frankly people seem to want just as much for baits as they do decent-looking ponies it seems.
How do you feel about children playing with vintage toys? Is it considered destroying remaining copies of something that can't be replaced, or is it giving these toys another chance to be loved by another child? (They WILL be loved by him, have no doubt about that). My feelings are so mixed on this. One thought I have is, the more of them he has, the less focus he will place on any one individual pony, thus spreading the abuse around more evenly... :huh:
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let the kids play with them. unless they are really HTF or expensive to collectors. Please don't let him gnaw and drool on Rapunzel LOL
This is why the 35th anniversary ponies are great - they don't cost much more than a baity vintage pony and you don't have to worry about the vintage part
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Good point on the 35th anniversary ones!
They're toys, I think it's nice to see kids still take interest in them. Plus, most of the ponies that appear on the show aren't expensive or hard to find.
What about G3 ponies? Would he have any interest in those?
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It's a big nope to me.
I tried to trust my 11 y/o niece at the time. She seemed interested in my collection, we went to a few flea markets together and she was starting to make her own collection. She saw me give some spa time to my newcomers and she would do the same to hers. All was going extremely fine and I assumed she would be careful with my own ponies.
One day, she was holding Majesty, I asked her to put her somewhere for some reason and she just threw her across the room to get the job done. That was dreadful.
Since then, I got certain in my opinion that I shouldn't let kids handle any pony at all and nothing can change my mind. I just can't trust them.
I use myself as an example as well. Even though I used to be careful with my ponies, I still did some mistakes, because I was a kid. Even as an adult I can still make mistakes here and there.
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let the kids play with them. unless they are really HTF or expensive to collectors. Please don't let him gnaw and drool on Rapunzel LOL
This is why the 35th anniversary ponies are great - they don't cost much more than a baity vintage pony and you don't have to worry about the vintage part
Haha, he would love a Rapunzel pony! He was obsessed with Disney's Rapunzel for a season or so until he got distracted by Frozen, and now ponies. I'm just not going to clue him in that she exists in pony form, haha. I saw Rapunzel listed on eBay a month or 2 ago for a grand, and I showed the listing to my husband just to see his shock, and the first thing he said was, 'our son can NEVER know about that!'
No, all of the ones I am giving him are common...Posey, Peachy, Glory, and a ton of babies, mostly BBE ones. Also yes, 2 of the 35th anniversary ones that I picked up for less than a dollar, but are brand new! (That poor Starshine won't be bright white for long, though!) Wish I lived closer to a Target so I could scope out what they have there...I would definitely feel less guilty about him playing with those!
Post Merge: June 13, 2020, 08:24:54 AM
It's a big nope to me.
I tried to trust my 11 y/o niece at the time. She seemed interested in my collection, we went to a few flea markets together and she was starting to make her own collection. She saw me give some spa time to my newcomers and she would do the same to hers. All was going extremely fine and I assumed she would be careful with my own ponies.
One day, she was holding Majesty, I asked her to put her somewhere for some reason and she just threw her across the room to get the job done. That was dreadful.
Since then, I got certain in my opinion that I shouldn't let kids handle any pony at all and nothing can change my mind. I just can't trust them.
I use myself as an example as well. Even though I used to be careful with my ponies, I still did some mistakes, because I was a kid. Even as an adult I can still make mistakes here and there.
Oh no!! I would have thought an 11-year-old would know better than that. I guess though, I also think back to my own childhood, and remember the Baby Surprise that I mentioned above going with me everywhere, including the lake and swimming pool when we were on a vacation once...yuck!
Post Merge: June 13, 2020, 08:29:52 AM
Good point on the 35th anniversary ones!
They're toys, I think it's nice to see kids still take interest in them. Plus, most of the ponies that appear on the show aren't expensive or hard to find.
What about G3 ponies? Would he have any interest in those?
I thought about G3s...I think I would have to get him interested in the TV shows or movie specials to pique his interest first though. Sad that kids seem to need that influence nowadays...I remember getting into the toys first as a kid and then later being delighted when the movie/show came out about them, but it was always first and foremost about the toys. It's a good suggestion though and I might try it, G3s are cheap and plentiful!
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Depends on the kid. Ponies are sturdy so they can still withstand average play. If the kid is respectful of their own toys and the belongings of others, go for it. If they aren't, they can forget it until they learn to be. Maybe grab him some of the Basic Funs and sneak some G3s in there. They're of a similar height and look.
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My daughter would treat my toys kindly, so that isn't an issue there... but every kid is different, and accidents DO happen.
That said, old toys leak plasticizer and I'd rather not have her have nasty chemicals on her hands.
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Linking a few similar threads in case you want 'em ;)
I've never had children near my collection and I probably never will. There's a lot of things that could go wrong, lol. And I'd rather not redo hairstyles :P
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Oh no!! I would have thought an 11-year-old would know better than that.
That's what I thought as well ! This is why I trusted her in the first place. I would have never let any kid younger than that approach my ponies. Maybe that's egotistical or mean from a certain point of view, but I'm all about preservation. =/
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I don't have kids but i would never let my young niece/nephews touch my herd.
They are just too hard to find and have had their 'play time' moment. I couldn't stand the thought of them being in kids hands getting ruined and having less vintage ponies in the world.
On the other hand, 35th anniversary ponies sounds like a great replacement.
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I would say no, unless I was sure the pony wouldn’t leak..
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That said, old toys leak plasticizer and I'd rather not have her have nasty chemicals on her hands.
This is my big concern, I wanted to give some super common G1 ponies I got in a lot to my friend's kids, but especially with ones that have visible discoloration/fading/greasiness of the plastic, I worry about this kind of thing.
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That said, old toys leak plasticizer and I'd rather not have her have nasty chemicals on her hands.
This is my big concern, I wanted to give some super common G1 ponies I got in a lot to my friend's kids, but especially with ones that have visible discoloration/fading/greasiness of the plastic, I worry about this kind of thing.
I think this would be the number 1. There are enough common ponies to supply lots of kids without even getting the attention of the collector community, but we don't know enough about the long term damage to the plastic and that would be an issue I think.
We played with them when they were new, and although there have been some studies about old toys and chemicals, the one that did lab studies involving MLP didn't explicitly name those things being found in MLP. But we do know pony plastic isn't stable, so I would get him the retro ponies (Basic Fun could probably use the help anyway) and keep the real ones away for now.
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That said, old toys leak plasticizer and I'd rather not have her have nasty chemicals on her hands.
This is my big concern, I wanted to give some super common G1 ponies I got in a lot to my friend's kids, but especially with ones that have visible discoloration/fading/greasiness of the plastic, I worry about this kind of thing.
I think this would be the number 1. There are enough common ponies to supply lots of kids without even getting the attention of the collector community, but we don't know enough about the long term damage to the plastic and that would be an issue I think.
We played with them when they were new, and although there have been some studies about old toys and chemicals, the one that did lab studies involving MLP didn't explicitly name those things being found in MLP. But we do know pony plastic isn't stable, so I would get him the retro ponies (Basic Fun could probably use the help anyway) and keep the real ones away for now.
Exactly, the new Basic Fun ones are heavily tested for all the bad chemicals. the actual G1s? not so much
I am sure that if you are too far from a Target, that a pony friend would be able to help you out!
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(although we have since stopped, as he has picked up some of the less desirable 80's slang/attitude language they say in those :crazy:)
I can't think of a single thing said in the 80s MLP that could possibly be bad for little kids to hear.
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I would say absolutely not, like some people said, mostly because of the plastic not having the best ingredients to begin with, and it being old and leaking things. Yummy yummy phtalates... :silly:
But also because there's a finite number of ponies in good condition, and the number will only dwindle as time passes.
I'd go for the basic fun ponies, and if you need more characters than available from the BF collection released so far, why not customize them to his favourite characters? :)
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(although we have since stopped, as he has picked up some of the less desirable 80's slang/attitude language they say in those :crazy:)
I can't think of a single thing said in the 80s MLP that could possibly be bad for little kids to hear.
I have to admit I was also really curious what specifically that meant!
Agreeing with everyone else though that Basic Fun or G3 would be a great way to go! (And as Taf said Basic Fun could use the support right now lol.) but also for reasons such as the chemicals in ponies, and the limited number of originals that others have stated that would be a shame to get ruined, as not all kids are as gentle with their toys.
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I would say absolutely not, like some people said, mostly because of the plastic not having the best x to begin with, and it being old and leaking things. Yummy yummy phtalates... :silly:
But also because there's a finite number of ponies in good condition, and the number will only dwindle as time passes.
I'd go for the basic fun ponies, and if you need more characters than available from the BF collection released so far, why not customize them to his favourite characters? :)
If you're concerned about chemicals in old ponies, customs might not be a good solution, since I doubt if the various paints and varnishes used in customs are exactly free of chemicals. Customs are also often more unstable than mass-produced ponies.
And I'm also curious to know what was unsuitable in the 80s cartoon. Most of the weird stuff only seems weird after you grow up (e.g. Heartthrob lusting after a human prince :lol:). But your child, your rules obviously; you know best. I'm just curious.
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I would say absolutely not, like some people said, mostly because of the plastic not having the best x to begin with, and it being old and leaking things. Yummy yummy phtalates... :silly:
But also because there's a finite number of ponies in good condition, and the number will only dwindle as time passes.
I'd go for the basic fun ponies, and if you need more characters than available from the BF collection released so far, why not customize them to his favourite characters? :)
If you're concerned about chemicals in old ponies, customs might not be a good solution, since I doubt if the various paints and varnishes used in customs are exactly free of chemicals. Customs are also often more unstable than mass-produced ponies.
Of course, there's lots of paints not suitable for children, I was thinking along the lines of non toxic craft acrylics :) I mean, the basic fun ponies have paint and glitter on them, too. I definitely don't want to suggest customs with FBRs, or painted with nail varnish or anything like that (which you shouldn't use on pony plastic to begin with^^'). I was thinking more along the lines of a simple symbol repaint. :)
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My 6-year-old used to love the pony room, but he doesn't anymore. There were rules, and there is a reason it is the only room in the house with an actual LOCK on it, but as he has gotten older, he likes his own things, not the ponies. So I am a little jealous that your kid still loves ponies.
I used to let him play with the old ones, but not when he was little enough to put them in his mouth. It sounds like this child is definitely past that stage, so the phalates shouldn't be as much of an issue. His favorites were the G4 blind bags, though- small enough to have adventures and hide, no pesky hair to get in the way!
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When my kid was a bit younger, she loved to help with spa days for my G1s, of course, I would only let her handle inexpensive ones.
Then Basic Fun came along and YAY she had the fun of opening packaging, getting stickers and having her own Parlour, too!
And I had the reassurance that the plastic was new, clean, more safe and I did not need to be too precious about how she handled the ponies.
They were her very own "G1" ponies and she still loves them, along with the FIM G4s -even though she is addicted to Minecraft and Animal Crossing at the moment! :lol:
:silly:
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My primary concern would be with a kiddo potentially ingesting some kind of plasticizer that's on the surface of the plastic (maybe not pony into mouth, but pony into hands into mouth without washing first), but you are a very conscientious collector, which is awesome!
I'd say, if you feel uncomfortable with the state of the ponies, then you have your answer right there. You're the one who has to live with their state! I'd say hunt for some (nicer) bait ponies, ones that aren't absolutely gone to tatters, and if he likes those then as time passes (aka he ages out of the destructo stage), he can move up to the nicer ponies. I will admit, I was pretty rough on my ponies as a kid too, so I can't blame him too much! Some of my most beloved toys, even now, are the ones I loved so hard they almost went to pieces. The Velveteen Rabbit comes to mind, the whole 'when you are truly loved, you don't mind your fur wearing off' and so on.
I also second the idea for the Basic Fun ponies! There's quite a few of them, and there's some fan favorites coming, like Lickety Split and Gusty! No concern about aging plastic, no concern about scarcity for the collector group! But there are also many ponies who are, well, basically dirt common! Firefly springs to mind, if he's ever seen Firefly's Adventure! She also got remade by Basic Fun, along with her co-star Medley!
Happy collecting! It sounds like a great experience for you two to share! Enjoy it, and don't worry too much about rarity! You only live once, you know?
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well, he's your kid, you know him better than we do. I have to admit I winced at the thought of perfectly good G1s being beaten up, though ^^;; Plus there's the whole plasticizer thing, we don't really know how safe original G1s are. Basic Funs would be safer - and keep the original G1s for people who'd be able to handle them a little more delicately ;)
Personally I'd never give a kid a G1 - but I'm also never going to be in that sort of situation, so it's a moot point.
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Thank you everyone for your input. I'm kind of regretting ordering the 2 lots off of Ebay that I did for him. I guess I'll wait and see what condition they are in once they get here before deciding whether or not to give them to him or not.
As far as the plasticizer leakage goes, I have so far been lucky enough to not have ever experienced this. Kind of surprisingly, really, since aside from the 4 years I spent in the western US, my childhood herd has lived in humid conditions and stored/played with in basements. But it's something to look out for, and the minute any ponies start showing the signs of it I won't allow him to play with those ones anymore.
I'm telling all family members who ask what to get him to buy him Basic Fun retros...I'm happy to support them as a company, and my mom actually informed me today that they are also available at Meijer stores! Not that I have one of those near me either, but just thought I'd throw it out there for any of you who do. I do have a BF Snuzzle and a Starshine for him that he will be getting, as well as their Pretty Parlor playset.
I feel bad that he sees my collection all the time and isn't allowed to touch. My grandma had this pony, a yellowed, tailless Glory that she purchased for 10 cents at a yard sale, and she kept it up in a shadow box and we would beg her to let us play with it. She would take it down once in a while and we would be so excited. It wasn't even in as good of shape as our ponies, but, you know, forbidden fruit and all. My mom always thought it was cruel of her to tease us with it. My son made a comment one day...'they're toys, Mama, they're meant to be played with.'...and my husband gave me this pointed look like, he has a point. (Ironically, that old Glory is now in my possession and is in the pile of ponies I had marked for my son...how's that for poetic justice! :P)
Post Merge: June 14, 2020, 02:25:43 PM
(although we have since stopped, as he has picked up some of the less desirable 80's slang/attitude language they say in those :crazy:)
I can't think of a single thing said in the 80s MLP that could possibly be bad for little kids to hear.
Oh, it's not that there is anything bad...it's more of an attitude that he picks up from some of the characters, for example Gusty says a few mean things after she gets smoozed, 'it IS your fault, Shady, IT IS!!!' (substitute family member's name in there) or 'you have GOT to be kidding me!' complete with eye roll. His newest favorite: 'how DARE you!!!' in response to being asked to do something unpleasant, such as a chore, and apparently even said that to his teacher once (although to be fair, that may have come from Rarity in FiM...not sure, but I know he got it from a pony show and not Mister Rogers!) Basically he has found new ways to talk back to authority figures, even when he doesn't even understand the context of some of these phrases.
I have to keep in mind that I was 8 or 9 when I watched these shows, and at that age I knew better than to use those phrases to talk to my parents, and didn't even think anything of it. He is 4 though, and has had very little cultural exposure yet, so much of the phrasing (or values to be learned from the consequences of those characters acting bratty) goes over his head, but he just sees a catchy phrase that sounds cool and gets a big reaction on screen so he repeats it. I probably just need to sit down and watch it with him again and explain why such-and-such wasn't a very nice thing to say, and why we don't talk like that.
Post Merge: June 14, 2020, 02:27:34 PM
My primary concern would be with a kiddo potentially ingesting some kind of plasticizer that's on the surface of the plastic (maybe not pony into mouth, but pony into hands into mouth without washing first), but you are a very conscientious collector, which is awesome!
I'd say, if you feel uncomfortable with the state of the ponies, then you have your answer right there. You're the one who has to live with their state! I'd say hunt for some (nicer) bait ponies, ones that aren't absolutely gone to tatters, and if he likes those then as time passes (aka he ages out of the destructo stage), he can move up to the nicer ponies. I will admit, I was pretty rough on my ponies as a kid too, so I can't blame him too much! Some of my most beloved toys, even now, are the ones I loved so hard they almost went to pieces. The Velveteen Rabbit comes to mind, the whole 'when you are truly loved, you don't mind your fur wearing off' and so on.
I also second the idea for the Basic Fun ponies! There's quite a few of them, and there's some fan favorites coming, like Lickety Split and Gusty! No concern about aging plastic, no concern about scarcity for the collector group! But there are also many ponies who are, well, basically dirt common! Firefly springs to mind, if he's ever seen Firefly's Adventure! She also got remade by Basic Fun, along with her co-star Medley!
Happy collecting! It sounds like a great experience for you two to share! Enjoy it, and don't worry too much about rarity! You only live once, you know?
Ooh, Lickety Split and Gusty...I'm excited about that! Those are 2 of the characters he wants for sure.
Post Merge: June 14, 2020, 02:31:52 PM
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Linking a few similar threads in case you want 'em ;)
I've never had children near my collection and I probably never will. There's a lot of things that could go wrong, lol. And I'd rather not redo hairstyles :P
Thank you for these links! I couldn't get the first one to load, but the other 2 did, and it was helpful to read even more perspectives.
I hate redoing hairstyles too...why is it that it always seems like the first pony a child picks up when they sneak into your display area is the one that you spent the most time curling...urgh.
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You say he says things like, “toys should be played with,” and even though your husband seems to back him up, this could be a great opportunity to learn! I think something like, “yes, they are toys. However, they are *my* toys, and if someone doesn’t want to share, it’s important we respect that, okay? Some of my toys are for sharing, and some are not.” It’ll be a vital lesson once he gets to Kindergarten!
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Depends on the age of the kid and their aggressiveness of play, I think. At the bottom line, toys are allowed to and should be played with. That’s the job of a toy. Buuuut...from a collector’s standpoint....hm. Hmmmmmm. I definitely wouldn’t want mine any where near the grubby little sausage hands of kids.
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I used to let my neice play with my g3-g4s, and any g1s in the "to customize" bin. For some reason their hair alllways got greasy after...such is tiny kid hands I guess. I never let her play with my display ponies, and she never seemed bothered. She liked looking at them all pretty :+) she had a bin of ponies to play with, she didn't need all of them.
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As Shaiyeh said, there are a limited number of G1 ponies remaining, and they will dwindle further as time passes. In the coming decades as the ponies age, their conditions will deteriorate as the plastics naturally break down with time. That leaves fewer in circulation for collectors. G1s are just getting so much older now that I think they deserve to be retired from child's play. Perhaps my motives are selfish for wanting to keep them in good condition so that they can be appreciated by collectors, but I always cringe inside when I see kids playing with G1s.
G3 ponies are easier to come by at good prices and are still common, and the Basic Fun repro ponies are a great option for play as well.
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You say he says things like, “toys should be played with,” and even though your husband seems to back him up, this could be a great opportunity to learn! I think something like, “yes, they are toys. However, they are *my* toys, and if someone doesn’t want to share, it’s important we respect that, okay? Some of my toys are for sharing, and some are not.” It’ll be a vital lesson once he gets to Kindergarten!
I like this way of saying it! It's hard to explain to a young child the difference between a toy and a collectible, especially in this case when the lines are blurred.
Post Merge: June 15, 2020, 08:20:20 AM
Depends on the kid. Ponies are sturdy so they can still withstand average play. If the kid is respectful of their own toys and the belongings of others, go for it. If they aren't, they can forget it until they learn to be. Maybe grab him some of the Basic Funs and sneak some G3s in there. They're of a similar height and look.
You are right, they are sturdy! I was shocked at how well my childhood ponies have cleaned up after years of poor storage and several children playing with them. We also have a house rule that inside toys do not go outside...a rule that my parents didn't implement, because I know mine were played with in our tree house, and at least in the case of my poor Baby Surprise, a swimming pool and lake!
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Ponies are ponies, and they're toys! Nevermind if they're vintage. If you've purchased certain ponies for display only, that's one thing, but otherwise I would not have an issue with this.
One time, I donated an entire box of G1s to the daycare where I worked, inc. some HTF euros. Would it be possible for you to keep a box of play-condition ponies around for the kiddos and keep your collection items on the shelf or even out of view (if there's a door you could close)?
But - don't let them play with anything you wouldn't want to get messed up, you can't replace, or you'd be sad/mad if something happened to it.
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Ponies are ponies, and they're toys! Nevermind if they're vintage. If you've purchased certain ponies for display only, that's one thing, but otherwise I would not have an issue with this.
One time, I donated an entire box of G1s to the daycare where I worked, inc. some HTF euros. Would it be possible for you to keep a box of play-condition ponies around for the kiddos and keep your collection items on the shelf or even out of view (if there's a door you could close)?
But - don't let them play with anything you wouldn't want to get messed up, you can't replace, or you'd be sad/mad if something happened to it.
I will have a place for them soon...I'm getting a hobby room once our basement remodel is completed, can't believe my husband is actually letting me use it, but I think he's sick of ponies taking over the linen closet in our bathroom! I'm regretting getting rid of a couple IKEA bookcases I had a couple years ago before I got back into collecting...oh well.
Oh man...I'm a bit envious of that daycare and that box of HTF euros! I'd trade them for my box of baits and duplicates any day! Funny though...if kids of today get to play with G1 ponies, maybe it is helping to breed a whole new generation of collectors, as they may grow up and be nostalgic of them.