So why do /you/ collect ponies?

[TogoMimori]

Back in the dark depths of middle school (which I don't think was a good time for anyone, but nonetheless) I was struggling really bad with depression and anxiety. Obviously I latched on to my little pony as a coping skill. Seeing as g4 was brand new at that time it was very easy to get into the fandom. I then found the joy that the toys can bring and started collecting them. I honestly can thank mlp for saving my life and bringing me constant joy (why I joined this site, its so nice to talk to other collectors!).
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So to go back to the topic of the thread, I'd like to hear how some of y'all got into mlp and collecting!!

[Rainbowrific Renia]

I've always wanted to collect something and I've always been interested in so many things that I wasn't sure where to start.  If anything, I guess I was a collector of posters as my old bedroom in my grandparent's house is still filled with them.  I also liked anything relating to Spongebob, so I had a few toys here and there, but nothing much. 

When I was 21, I moved out and into an apartment with my then boyfriend (now fiance) and he's sorta the one that got me started with ponies.  I had gotten into FiM earlier that year, so he got me a few shirts from We Love Fine for Christmas.  While we were at Walmart, I saw the ride-along Rainbow Dash toy and asked him if he'd get it for me, which was awkward because I don't like asking people to buy me things... but I didn't have a job.  Anyway, soon after that the blind bags started coming out, so he'd buy those for me since they were cheap, and then a few months later the Rainbow Dash and Funko figures were released, and our roommate picked them up for me since he knew I liked MLP. 

Basically, I didn't go into this thinking I'd collect ponies.  I enjoyed the show and that was enough for me, since My Little Pony was certainly not something I ever saw myself liking.

So, over the next few months, I got some more toys and branched out into other merchandise, but the Funko figures and blind bags are what really did it for me.  I was going through a depression after moving, so having brightly colored ponies in my room really did help cheer me up.

G1 grew on me last year and I started collecting them once I was more active on this site.  I've since added about 30 G1's to the herd.

Now it's 2015, 4 years after I got into collecting and I'm preparing for the "pony room" I'll be having in our new house that we're moving into next month.  I've been working at my current job for over a year, so I can buy whatever I want with my money, and that just happens to be ponies (among other things, but mostly ponies). I have sooooo many G1 and G4 ponies and they all make me so happy, so I think that's really why I collect...because they make me happy.''

So yeah, to answer your question: I collect ponies because they put a smile on my face and I enjoy the hunt for new toys!

Oh!  I have to add that it absolutely does not help that one my best friend's also collects ponies. We're always buying each other ponies.

[Jordan]

my story is kinda similar to Moonbeams, I've always wanted to collect something, but nothing really caught my eye. until I got my first G4 rainbow dash toy....and from that toy comes all the rest of my ponies

plus I like pink sparkly things! it's perfect!


oh! and I collect because I have nothing better to do and ponies make me happy :>

[Princess Lala]

Well I grew up with Pokemon so I have the kinda 'gotta catch em all' habit! xD I swore I would only collect a few G4s.... then after my 5th I couldnt stop! I LOVE pastel colors and pretty toys so ponies are perfect!!! I love ponies!!!! <3 They have the cutest faces!!! <3

[Miniature Sheep]

I originally set out to replace my favourite childhood ponies, then ended up seeing others that really appealed to me, so I ended up getting those as well. I like to keep my herd small though, so they're easier to look after.

[Snapdragon]

I collected them as a kid, and collecting makes me feel nostalgic as an adult! I find them aesthetically pleasing to look at (pastel! chubby pony shapes! big sparkly eyes!), and I enjoy setting up little dioramas for them, as well as photographing and customizing them! ^_^ 

[thecakeissisley]

My answer is quite simple: because I love them. That's about it. I have loved them ever since I saw my first G3s. And I love collecting toys in general, so that adds to it

[doxiechic16]

I grew up collecting G1 ponies as a child in the late 80s and early 90s.  I've always had a tendency to collect things at various points in my life: ponies, plush animals, trading cards, Littlest Pet Shop, Beanie Babies.  I got back into collecting MLP a few years ago, initially just replacing some ponies from my childhood and buying ponies that I had always wanted as a kid, but could never find.  (I was absolutely thrilled to buy my very own Baby Lickety Split and Spike: I had been obsessed with them as a child because of the MLP Movie, but couldn't find them in "the wild.")   

When I started looking around online, I discovered there were tons of ponies released in the UK/Europe that I never knew existed that I just had to have. (I remember thinking "OMG, MUST HAVE!" the first time I saw a Baby Applejack.)  Over time, I wandered into the Nirvana area of the Arena and discovered that there are even more beautiful, amazing ponies out there that I might need........      

[daffodil101]

I got my first pony (Hula Hula) when I was about 3 or 4, and collected all through my childhood and then in early high school when I met my then best friend who collected too.  I stopped collecting when the G1 line ended and the second hand markets dried up due to Sunday trading coming in and the venues for flea markets (shopping centre car parks) disappeared.

For years I didn't give them much thought until my mum moved out and I tried to help her out by selling the 'spares' as we called them and clean out the garage.  I was dealing with a lot in my life and as I started getting into ebay selling, I rediscovered them and slowly got back into collecting.

I've only been on the Arena for less than a year but it's so cool to connect with lots of other collectors!! 

[Leave a Whisper]

I grew up playing with ponies in the 80s as a horse crazy little girl and started collecting again when G3 came out. There's a lotta nostalgia and love there for me.

[ladybastilla]

I started watching FiM and decided I wanted some of the characters from that. I had joined the Arena a few years ago to discuss Monster High but wasn't into ponies back then. I ended up going to Dream Valley and Strawberry Reef, saw how cute g1 and g3 are, and decided I need some of those, too. (I also like g2 but that developed more slowly and I still don't have any yet.)

My bf bought me my first two ponies: Styling Strands Fluttershy and Rarity. (I love how those two interact on the show.) I'm still very much working my way through actually learning what I love and don't love pony-wise. I only have so much room so I can't just grab and keep everything. Fortunately, we're going to be doing some changes to my room that should make my collecting a bit easier.

My current goals are the g1 Princess ponies and Sundae Best ponies, a handful of g3s I really love (the "Coco" ponies: Coconut Cream, Coconut Grove and Marshmellow Coco, as well as Soda Float and Butterpop.) I also collect via theme a lot: Princesses (obviously), "tea" ponies (I have Tea Leaf so far), "Coco" ponies (I have Coco Berry).

I basically use ponies as decorative art to reflect things that are already true about my life or that were already interests of mine to begin with. I also love ponies that remind me of my friends, family or characters from my novels. (I'm a writer).

[bluerose9978]

I always loved horses. And when I was little, my dad used to goaway on business all the time and he'd bring my sister and I back each a toy. It'd usually be ponies or fashion star fillies or Barbie horses.

So I can really thank my dad for getting me into my little ponies. I collect the G1s and that's it. I have a few of each gen but I'm all about the G1s.

[PinkiePosh]

I started collecting as a kid and just never stopped!

[Kazzellin]

They make me happy. That's reason enough, I think.

[mlp_loving]

They're just cute and it makes me happy to collect them. I always get excited when I receive my pony mail.