The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Heelys on January 24, 2022, 08:12:27 AM
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I'm crossposting this from MLPTP to get more exposure, so you might feel some deja vu.
I mean I'm here for DRAMA. Specifically, an incident that happened last year that piqued my interest and made me laugh a lot.
I'd like to compile some sort of piece about the eBay Rapunzel incident from 2021. You know, the eBay listing that fluctuated between $10,000-$20,000 and had a dramatic description about a child proudly declaring that this garage sale plaything with a clearly damaged mane would pay for a college tuition (in, may I add, THIS economy). I've also been told that the seller responded poorly to inquiries about the price, and made some declarations about how they, as the sole seller online at the moment, controlled the market.
Come on, man. I got a B- in high school economics, and even I see the holes in that.
So... what am I looking for?
Well, sources! I'd like to either write an article or produce a YouTube video discussing the incident, and journalistic integrity is important to me. If you have any of the following, and would like to help in this project, I would be most obliged:
Screenshots of the eBay listing during its active time.
Screenshots of any relevant online correspondence with the seller. Don't worry-- you can redact your screen name or request that I not include it.
Links or screenshots of online discussion of the events during or near the time stuff went down.
idk, whatever you think is relevant.
If at all possible, please include a date with your evidence (gosh, that sounds serious for a funny pony story). I'm trying to put together a timeline of events. There's a single archive.org snapshot of the webpage from a European user on April 22nd (kudos to the savy user who thought to document it!), when the price was $20,000, but no description is available. But I also have screenshots and discussion from the previous day where the price is to $10,000, and a great deal of discourse has already gone down.
WHY is this important to me?
I dunno. Niche drama is fun! I found the whole situation entertaining, and I feel like if the story is shared with those who haven't heard of it or know nothing about the collecting community, it will be entertaining to them. I just love a good story, and wacky stories about treasured toys and hobbyists are a particular favorite of mine. Like, ask me about the 1999 Furby Scare sometime. It involves the Pentagon and NASA.
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Oh yea...I remember a little about the Rapunzel thing. Which, I would never ask question of anyone selling a pony for whatever price they want. I think the issue was when people asked questions about the item and the description they were met with...hum...hostility or straight-up deception.
I messaged the seller to simply ask them to measure the mane length (as I wanted to be sure it was correct and wasn't cut). I honestly can't remember right now if they PM'ed me back if they did or not I'll have to go back and see if I can find it, but I do think I remember them changing the description to say something about they wouldn't measure the mane because of...meh, people trying to copy the pony or some such nonsense? Honestly, I forget the wording at this point.
I remember in the description the seller at some point had the Rapunzel listed as only 3 on earth. Which most of us long time collectors can show ours to prove there are more than 3 on earth. Then I think there was a whole thing about people making copies, and I'm like yo uh...I still have my proof of purchase from hasbro :/
I did back then made this drama representation to share with everyone If there were only 3 on earth, what happened to all the rapunzel. Hopefully the image link will work. But I was just being silly and trying to make light of the situation.
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Most long-time collectors would be happy for anyone who made $10,000 or Whatever they could make on a pony, more power to anyone. But it's more the incorrect information I think most people, including myself, have a problem with...you can't straight up say there are only 3 on earth if you don't know, and when people point that out you get hostile to potential buyers. That is a sure-fire way of making you look like a scammer instead of a legitimate seller.
Edit: Oh, I went back and looked when I made the image and No, not 3 they had it only listed as 1 on earth. "SCARCE MLP My Little Pony G1 Mail Order RAPUNZEL 1987 Only 1 on Earth for Sale"
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Yes, I remember that part of their description-- they seemed to mean it was the only one on the market at the time, but the wording was pretty obtuse. And yeah, it's the attitude that gets my interest more than the price-- this individual refused to be wrong, and jacked up the price when people started asking questions. I recall the seller making up figures, like saying that there were exactly 100 produced and that all unsold stock was destroyed.
I find it a little hard to believe the seller had sources for these claims, given that they listed the production year as 1987. I get that it's a common mistake to list the year on the foot, but if you're trying to be a reputable seller of something worth thousands... come on, man.
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Not dissimilar to the thread discussion over the '10 rarest ponies' which claims Rapunzel is the rarest pony of all of them - which she isn't...wondering if that was influenced by this.
I don't have anything to add specifically, except that whatever you do with it, it's better to make sure that the seller, even their ID, remains anonymised.
Having seen and been on the receiving end of plenty of 'drama' over the years in and around this and other communities, I feel like adding more is mostly unnecessary, but at the very least it shouldn't be traced back to the original person. Even if they were foolish in how they behaved.
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Not dissimilar to the thread discussion over the '10 rarest ponies' which claims Rapunzel is the rarest pony of all of them - which she isn't...wondering if that was influenced by this.
I don't have anything to add specifically, except that whatever you do with it, it's better to make sure that the seller, even their ID, remains anonymised.
Having seen and been on the receiving end of plenty of 'drama' over the years in and around this and other communities, I feel like adding more is mostly unnecessary, but at the very least it shouldn't be traced back to the original person. Even if they were foolish in how they behaved.
That's a good point. While trying to do research earlier, I found that the eBay user doesn't exist anymore, but I'll avoid sharing other details about the seller if I find them. Scammer or not, I don't want to cause trouble for someone. I just want to tell a good story.
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Wow this is my first time hearing about this story. Sounds like an absolute rollercoaster! Best of luck collecting all the information you need!
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Oh, THESE Shenanigans! I was laughing for days over it! There's even a Facebook group about and making fun of all the nonsense. You can find a Archive.org snapshot of the original listing here: https://web.archive.org/web/20210419192831/https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCARCE-MLP-My-Little-Pony-G1-Mail-Order-RAPUNZEL-1987/274764813359
These images are all from the Facebook groups Vintage My Little Pony *G1* and Big Pun MLP Fan Club.
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I'm pretty sure there's more info in other MLP Facebook groups. I left several of them last year because they wouldn't let me link to my website to sell ponies and I figured I'd just simplify my life by leaving the groups entirely. I have too many items to manage selling on ten different pages without being able to say "If it's on the website, it's available. If it's sold there, it's not." But, that's an entirely different kind of drama and not related to this topic ;)
I may have screenshots on my old phone too. I'll have to find what box I threw it in and get it charged to check.
PLEASE be sure to share the link to your video when you get it done! This whole thing was an absolute delight when it happened and I'd love to see your perspective on it.
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Oh, THESE Shenanigans! I was laughing for days over it! There's even a Facebook group about and making fun of all the nonsense. You can find a Archive.org snapshot of the original listing here: https://web.archive.org/web/20210419192831/https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCARCE-MLP-My-Little-Pony-G1-Mail-Order-RAPUNZEL-1987/274764813359
These images are all from the Facebook groups Vintage My Little Pony *G1* and Big Pun MLP Fan Club.
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I'm pretty sure there's more info in other MLP Facebook groups. I left several of them last year because they wouldn't let me link to my website to sell ponies and I figured I'd just simplify my life by leaving the groups entirely. I have too many items to manage selling on ten different pages without being able to say "If it's on the website, it's available. If it's sold there, it's not." But, that's an entirely different kind of drama and not related to this topic ;)
I may have screenshots on my old phone too. I'll have to find what box I threw it in and get it charged to check.
PLEASE be sure to share the link to your video when you get it done! This whole thing was an absolute delight when it happened and I'd love to see your perspective on it.
omg, thank you SO much this is so much help. I will be sure to link the final product!! and I love the memes
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You can see how many times the listing was edited here: https://www.ebay.com/rvh/274764813359
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yeah that story sounds a little shady to me. those claims about Rapunzel being rarer than she is make me think that they were trying to sell the item to someone as an investment. and that bothers me. but maybe they just needed money and were a little too aggressive about it. idk.
i don't really care what people decide to price items they sell either. its the false claims that both me. ponies aren't a necessity like food or shelter so whatever. but it seems like that seller is forgetting that there are 2 sides to a market. they can price Rapunzel crazy high and the market can choose not to pay. in theory that seller should keep dropping the price until it sells or do an auction.
i've been thinking a lot about pony prices and collecting with all of the NFTs are the new beanie babies hoopla. it irritates me when people treat collectibles like pure money making opportunities. i know the beanie babies were a whole thing. i was a kid and i just thought they were cute so i do still have some. a lot of people collect because they just like ponies and being able to sell and at least get what you paid back is a side effect. this story is reminding me of that time my old landlord saw my pony collection and asked me if that was my retirement plan. i think he was mostly joking but i was a little annoyed. most of my ponies are worth $20 or so. sure i'll retire on that.
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i don't really care what people decide to price items they sell either. its the false claims that both me. ponies aren't a necessity like food or shelter so whatever. but it seems like that seller is forgetting that there are 2 sides to a market. they can price Rapunzel crazy high and the market can choose not to pay. in theory that seller should keep dropping the price until it sells or do an auction.
Trust me, that was pointed out. I'm sure the following memes can give you an idea of what the seller's response was ;)
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PS- I'm not providing reference for who made which meme because I only have their real names from Facebook and not their Arena ID's. I don't want to be passing out that info without permission.
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oh yeah. i think even a free market true believer would have something to say about that. the market chose not to participate.
also Marie Antoinette wasn't a super greedy royal. she was completely unprepared to make any real decisions about governing. she was as much a victim of a corrupt system as anyone. this is a hill i will die on. i don't like that meme at all.
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Eh, the intended effect of the meme is to invoke the extravagance and lavish lifestyle of regency France instead of just being about the queen. But this isn't a discussion of 18th century European politics. Just one royal in particular-- one made of plastic at the beginning of the 1990s.
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oh I thought this was Baby Shenanigans drama again >.< thankfully no
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Eh, the intended effect of the meme is to invoke the extravagance and lavish lifestyle of regency France instead of just being about the queen. But this isn't a discussion of 18th century European politics. Just one royal in particular-- one made of plastic at the beginning of the 1990s.
lol it's just personal pet peeve of mine. that's all. i really don't like someone trolling the mlp community
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oh I thought this was Baby Shenanigans drama again >.< thankfully no
I feel like I shouldn’t ask… I’m asking anyway, but you don’t have to answer.
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oh I thought this was Baby Shenanigans drama again >.< thankfully no
Proof we've both been here for a donkey's age!
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wow, reading about this was a ride from start to finish :drunk:
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I totally missed this when it happened. Wow.
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That was a fun read :lol:
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This is just scratching the surface. There's a bunch of stuff that hasn't been posted here, like the infamous "i Control the market" message, the facts and figures pulled out of thin air, the fact that the user only raised the price to 20k out of spite after people started to ask questions about the 10k price... this is why it's glorious to me.
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Ah, I remember seeing some of this stuff on Instagram. XD I don't have any links, but might be worth poking around there if you haven't.
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This is just scratching the surface. There's a bunch of stuff that hasn't been posted here, like the infamous "i Control the market" message, the facts and figures pulled out of thin air, the fact that the user only raised the price to 20k out of spite after people started to ask questions about the 10k price... this is why it's glorious to me.
Don't forget the edit where they claimed to be Native American and can get free college anyway! the whole thing is insane, start to finish.
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then arguing with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
Don't forget the edit where they claimed to be Native American and can get free college anyway! the whole thing is insane, start to finish.
Huh, I never saw that one. Probably won't dwell on that, but it's another colorful thread in the tapestry.
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
I laughed way to hard at this lmao!
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I admin the Big Pun Facebook group. Just approved your membership.
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
:lmao:
I remember a lot of great memes going around Tumblr regarding the Rapunzel Incident, it's actually how I found out about it!
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If only tumblr had a search function that gave more accurate and reliable results than throwing a dart while blindfolded, I'd be all over the tumblr memes...
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
Yeaa, my face probably qualified as a meme when she said it.
And that was very similar to my question, Signed, by who? A random employee dress up in a mouse costume?
The other thing about it was her ponies were not neatly displayed or anything, they were just piled up in a rubbermaid plastic container. It was like she'd got them out of her garage or storage to sell without even going through the container.
It's one thing to as $5, $10, $20 for ponies if you've taken the time to both research them BUT, actually clean them up and make them look decent for the buyer. I'd be willing to pay more for a pony someone has given a little attention to, even a common one.
It's another to have a random container of ponies that are in 'ok' condition and some in meh condition and expect to tell customers you want $$$$ money for them. At least clean them and brush their hair!
It's no different from the Rapunzel the thread is about. The photos of her look like they didn't even take the time to clean/style the pony and take decent pictures.
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It reminds me of the time I was at a toy fair and this vendor had a bunch of really common ponies lined up on the table at something like £10-£15 apiece. We're going back 15 years and these were lSunlight and Peachy and such. Under the table was a box of 'damaged' ones they were selling for 30p each. One of which was Spanish Strawberry Fair/Sugarberry...
I guess it's not as bad as being told rubbish by a stallholder about pony rarity, but let's just say it was a well spent 30p that day.
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It reminds me of the time I was at a toy fair and this vendor had a bunch of really common ponies lined up on the table at something like £10-£15 apiece. We're going back 15 years and these were lSunlight and Peachy and such. Under the table was a box of 'damaged' ones they were selling for 30p each. One of which was Spanish Strawberry Fair/Sugarberry...
I guess it's not as bad as being told rubbish by a stallholder about pony rarity, but let's just say it was a well spent 30p that day.
omg. My head's a little slow today so my American brain was trying to remember if 30p indicates pounds or pence, but you said they were damaged, so I'm guessing that's...pence?
Like, either way, hell of a story. Good purchase. VERY good purchase.
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It reminds me of the time I was at a toy fair and this vendor had a bunch of really common ponies lined up on the table at something like £10-£15 apiece. We're going back 15 years and these were lSunlight and Peachy and such. Under the table was a box of 'damaged' ones they were selling for 30p each. One of which was Spanish Strawberry Fair/Sugarberry...
I guess it's not as bad as being told rubbish by a stallholder about pony rarity, but let's just say it was a well spent 30p that day.
omg. My head's a little slow today so my American brain was trying to remember if 30p indicates pounds or pence, but you said they were damaged, so I'm guessing that's...pence?
Like, either way, hell of a story. Good purchase. VERY good purchase.
It's about 50 cents. :)
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Thank you, I like to think I spaced on that bc I'm a little sick, but maybe I just didn't know :P come on, me! you've traveled in Europe! Get it together!
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You'd think i'd remember stuff like this a lot better than I do. I'd love to see a video essay about this sort of thing actually. It's definitely the most egregious example of something that's more common now among every day people who know pony collecting exists. Right now there's a Crumpet fakie on Poshmark that's priced at $30...>_> Soooooo annoying.
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For non-ponypeople, every plastic version of a pony/horse is a MLP.
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I remember ages ago there was a G3.5 rainbow dash plush on Amazon listed for 1 million dollars by a seller that legitimately thought it was worth that much, i even managed to dig up a photo from the original thread (photobucket watermark thankfully doesnt obscure the price lmao)
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I highly doubt that they believed what they were shilling.
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I said it on the other thread about the rarest ponies, but the sad thing is that we talk about these cases of people outside of MLP high pricing ponies, actually as pony collectors we're mostly the ones who jack up the prices for each other.
We don't do it on purpose, it just kind of happens over time. And the more it happens, the more people see collectors selling x pony for x price, the more that pony becomes cemented in at a higher price. I've been thinking about this especially with some of the crazy Mimic prices over the last couple of years...and the way that some Nirvana prices have remained jawdroppingly high.
We complain about and laugh at the people at markets or on websites who have silly prices and wrong information. But some ID websites still have wrong information and we still pay silly prices among ourselves...both of which are more trusted than the outside people. At the end of the day, we don't buy those silly priced market stall ponies. But we do buy stuff from one another.
I'm getting philosophical but it feels like what we should really be examining is how much collectors have inflated pony prices simply by getting caught in bidding wars with one another and creating sudden demand as certain ponies go in and out of fashion...
Because Rapunzel DOES sell for 1k$ quite a lot. And even giving time and inflation, she was never selling for anywhere close to that amount when I started collecting. I know 10k is ludicrous. But I've always thought that 900-1k$ for any pony is also crazy :/
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I said it on the other thread about the rarest ponies, but the sad thing is that we talk about these cases of people outside of MLP high pricing ponies, actually as pony collectors we're mostly the ones who jack up the prices for each other.
We don't do it on purpose, it just kind of happens over time. And the more it happens, the more people see collectors selling x pony for x price, the more that pony becomes cemented in at a higher price. I've been thinking about this especially with some of the crazy Mimic prices over the last couple of years...and the way that some Nirvana prices have remained jawdroppingly high.
We complain about and laugh at the people at markets or on websites who have silly prices and wrong information. But some ID websites still have wrong information and we still pay silly prices among ourselves...both of which are more trusted than the outside people. At the end of the day, we don't buy those silly priced market stall ponies. But we do buy stuff from one another.
I'm getting philosophical but it feels like what we should really be examining is how much collectors have inflated pony prices simply by getting caught in bidding wars with one another and creating sudden demand as certain ponies go in and out of fashion...
Because Rapunzel DOES sell for 1k$ quite a lot. And even giving time and inflation, she was never selling for anywhere close to that amount when I started collecting. I know 10k is ludicrous. But I've always thought that 900-1k$ for any pony is also crazy :/
Yeah but when they do go high there's often a reason to seller missed that doesn't apply to their pony. Like trying to sell a dirty haircut pony for as much as one that is so pristine it looks like it was just removed from it's packaging yesterday. Or seeing the handmade plush go for ridiculous prices and expect a normal factory plush to go for the same amount.
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True, but you're missing my point :) I'm not saying that it's ok that ridiculous prices happen from people who don't have a clue. I just think it's interesting that the prices within the community have gradually gone up and up over the years and that's more likely where collectors will actually spend the money.
Thinking particularly of the Glowing Magic/GnS set, whose prices have gone insane now for literally no reason except that collectors kept paying and charging more for them over a period of time...
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True, but you're missing my point :) I'm not saying that it's ok that ridiculous prices happen from people who don't have a clue. I just think it's interesting that the prices within the community have gradually gone up and up over the years and that's more likely where collectors will actually spend the money.
Thinking particularly of the Glowing Magic/GnS set, whose prices have gone insane now for literally no reason except that collectors kept paying and charging more for them over a period of time...
I feel the same way about the TAF ponies namely Munchy, Yumyum and Nightglider. They used to be around 75ish when I started collecting few years ago, now they're over 150!
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.
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maybe they just needed money and were a little too aggressive about it
I agree. I find the tone of it all really cringey and it makes me a bit sad! Like they were genuinely delusional. There is a tiny possibility the person was a troll doing it just to see what people would say.
it irritates me when people treat collectibles like pure money making opportunities
People still ask me whether I'm going to sell my pony collection and make a fortune. In a cost benefit analysis 1. I like them and 2. it takes a lot of work to sell them and keep going to the post office etc. So unless I end up enemployed with a baby (you never know) I'm not going to sell them.
a lot of people collect because they just like ponies
Most people I know!
this story is reminding me of that time my old landlord saw my pony collection and asked me if that was my retirement plan
Heh, that sounds typical!
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Probably this makes me odd, but a signed pony is entirely worthless to me. It's a pony with scribbles on it, thus wrecked. The idea of anyone signing a G1, no matter who they are, makes me shudder and cringe inside.
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Probably this makes me odd, but a signed pony is entirely worthless to me. It's a pony with scribbles on it, thus wrecked. The idea of anyone signing a G1, no matter who they are, makes me shudder and cringe inside.
Agreed. I can see maybe an exception if it was written on bc it was, like, a production sample? But generally it’s atrocious.
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This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.
I know that at pony fair and other conventions, people get famous pony people to sign their ponies. Like Bonnie, the lady that first came up with the concept of MLP. Or even I remember sometimes vendors would have fellow pony collectors sign a particular pony, sort of as a momento of the event.
But in all seriousness most of the time if you're getting into an actual autograph related collectible of a famous person or even trying to sell something like that which is legitimate in the collecting world, you're going to have to have some kind of proof of authenticity that the signature is real. I've even seen where people go through the process of having to prove a signature is real when it's a high valued collectable.
Especially with something ambiguous like this, an 'employee' of a fast food restaurant, dressed up as the mascot, writing on children's toy ponies? I don't particularly see how that adds or increases the value to the pony, especially without proof. Then getting into the passage of time involved and the fact that it's a childrens toy and a lot of kids had a tendency to write on their ponies.
So unless there was some kinda thing the restaurant gave with the pony, as a proof of signature. I just have a hard time seeing how this situation increases the value of the pony.
Personally, I never went to a Chuck E. Cheese back in the 80's when this pony was offered. I know there was not one near me during my childhood/teens. So I have no info on the process to aquire this pony. I've been to a CEC in the last 10 or so years with family members who have kids. However, I am curious now, was the pony a prize you could win? Did you have to turn in tickets to get her? Or was she mail order, I have no clue on her. I've never been that much invested in her history as I was able to acquire her online at some point.
I just find it unusual that someone would put more 'value' on a pony that a random restaurant employee signed back in the 80's with no proof who or when it was actually written on.
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Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza
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Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza
LOL
You'd think that there would be a Freddy's pony in-universe if we have a CeC one. I'd kill for one of those actually.
Post Merge: January 29, 2022, 12:07:39 PM
This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.
Agreed. Actually maybe technology has come far enough in the last 40ish years that a robot that is programmed to be able to write its name is now within the realm of possibility. Or maybe it's more like how the characters at Disney are schooled to write their character's signatures *just* so...
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Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza
I remember back in the day I took a ponies with me on a disney world visit, I guess i was a missed opportunity to get Mickey and Minnie to sign my ponies :/
Darn, to bad I didn't have Chuck E Cheese pony back then, it could have been a conflict of mouse signatures.
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Mouse wars.
Production sample is a different kind of signing. But I have an active hatred of people getting ponies signed. I guess I'm more ok with it if it's G4, since G4's core fanbase are centred around the series. But wrecking a pony is wrecking a pony. There are plenty of folk who feel strongly about even marking the hooves on a rehair because they consider it permanent damage (which it is, but so is a rehair, in fairness). Scrawling some random person's name across the pony's body is just...sorry, not even if that person was Bonnie Z.
I have a pretty low view of people who think a pony's value would be improved by their signature as well, incidentally. I mean, heck, I wrote my name on my ponies' hooves when I was 4 or 5. If I become famous, does that mean they're suddenly more valuable? ...No.
And it just doesn't need to happen, especially when there are a finite number of good condition ponies from older generations (esp. G1).
It just isn't necessary. I have the autographs of Christy Marx, Anne Bryant, and Ellen Bernfeld from the Jem series (the writer, the composer and the singing voice of Pizzazz). None of them are on dolls, nor would I ever have wanted them to be.
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Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza
LOL
You'd think that there would be a Freddy's pony in-universe if we have a CeC one. I'd kill for one of those actually.
Post Merge: January 29, 2022, 12:07:39 PM
This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.
Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????
Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.
Agreed. Actually maybe technology has come far enough in the last 40ish years that a robot that is programmed to be able to write its name is now within the realm of possibility. Or maybe it's more like how the characters at Disney are schooled to write their character's signatures *just* so...
That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!
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if I was going to get a celebrity to sign a pony, I would have them sign a cardstock piece, and keep it with the pony inside a grading box or something. Like how people display sports jerseys. but not ON the pony!
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Yeah I don't care for autographed ponies (or autographed merch in general, really). Aside from anything else - we know plasticizer breaks down, etc - who's to say that time will be kind to that autograph? What if the worst happens and you end up with a mess that no longer looks like an autograph? Eh. Plus I just don't think they even look that good to begin with - big name scribbled across the pony - no thanks :p We'd hate it if it was some random kid who'd done it, doesn't make a difference to me if it's a kid's signature or Mr. Celebrity's!
Can't imagine signing a G4. Their bodies are so tiny! Barely any space for their symbol, let alone a signature XD
I like Squirmy's idea of getting a card to keep with a pony though.
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I think aside from wrecking the pony, there's also the fact that ponies are not the production of one person. Even Bonnie came up with the concept but left Hasbro before it became what it ultimately did, on a different trajectory to her original intention. There are lots of people involved - designers, writers, as well as all the people in the actual physical production of that item.
With G4, like I said, with the collectable so tied into the show, getting a voice artist or a writer to sign something makes more sense, but I still don't really like it.
I'm entirely with what Carrehz said about plasticizer and stuff as well.
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I've seen peoples' photos of their signed ponies (usually G4s) years after they got the signature in Sharpie and it has of course, started to bleed...
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That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!
Um...what is? A robot that can sign its name? And how?? 0_o
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That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!
Um...what is? A robot that can sign its name? And how?? 0_o
Assuming the bad example was the idea of getting a toy signed, ie scribbling on a toy and defacing it?
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That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!
Um...what is? A robot that can sign its name? And how?? 0_o
Assuming the bad example was the idea of getting a toy signed, ie scribbling on a toy and defacing it?
I don't agree that it's always bad if a kid writes on or "defaces" their toys. Of course it depends on why they are doing it since there's a difference between wanting to be creative or destructive (tho sometimes it's just because they don't want their friend to take home the wrong pony). If it's like that little girl in one of the Toy Story movies who ended up with Stinky Pete rather than like Sid. Tbh dog chewed ponies get me the more upset because that's a careless kid leaving their toys laying around with a puppy.
I can't stand when some thrift stores write the price directly on a toy though. What kid wants to play with a pony with 50¢ written on its side?
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Eh, chewed-on toys don't always mean the kid was careless. Sometimes you think you left the toy in a safe place, only to find out the dog thought otherwise, you know? x) *hides noseless Beanie Baby that fell victim to darling puppy*
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I don't think there's anything wrong with a kid altering their own toy by cutting its hair or writing on it or whatever. It's theirs. (Just don't do it to someone else's possessions.) Don't give a toy to a kid if you want it to remain pristine.
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I marked my Kenner LPS as a kid so mine wouldn't get mixed up with my best friends LPS. We had a lot of the same sets so I put a black dot on the bottom of all my pets and accessories. I don't regret it or think it makes them worth less. I was very particular about my toys. I also gave some haircuts to stuffed animals, mainly around the eyes because they couldn't see :lol:
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I must have missed this whole thing. Too bad...it's amusing! Looking forward to your 'documentary' or whatever you do with it...I'll totally watch it!
Post Merge: February 06, 2022, 06:04:19 PM
As for thrift stores writing on their merchandise:
I have 3 of those ponies that I got in the same lot. They all had prices written on their sides with Sharpie. Who DOES that?!? 2 years later, I have successfully sunfaded Cherries Jubilee, and Peachy is about 95% cured, but I'm afraid poor Bowtie is going to have to live with her prison tat.
(I tried to quote the post, but it was long with lots of sub quotes, and I tried to cut it down to the relevant part, but I screwed it up, sorry!)
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I wrote on the hooves of my ponies when I was a kid, they all had to have my name on if they went with me to school. ANd damage happened from play and a couple of unfortunate incidents at school.
My post got quoted but I was just clarifying the implication of what was said previously, I wasn't stating any particular position on the idea.
...That said, I grew up in a household where there was not a lot of money. I was taught to take good care of my toys because if they broke, or got wrecked, they wouldn't be replaced. I don't think that kids should be expected to keep their toys pristine. I do think they should learn to take care of what they have in the best way they can, or at least to understand that if they permanently change a toy, there's no replacement or quick fix.
I remember being in floods of tears when Star Gleamer's tail caught on Songster's by accident when I had them close together one time. Because Mum had to cut a small section from Star Gleamer's tail. To me cutting a pony's hair when I was a kid was literally an abomination, especially on a bng, because playing with the hair was so important to me. Although Mum did it so nicely you can't even see there's anything missing.
...So yeah. Kids shouldn't be expected to keep their toys pristine, but it isn't a bad thing to teach a child to value their possessions, especially if there's not a lot of spare cash around to buy new. This is especially true if there are several kids and toys need to get handed down through all of them, rather than being able to buy entirely new for each kid.
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I wrote on the hooves of my ponies when I was a kid, they all had to have my name on if they went with me to school. ANd damage happened from play and a couple of unfortunate incidents at school.
My post got quoted but I was just clarifying the implication of what was said previously, I wasn't stating any particular position on the idea.
...That said, I grew up in a household where there was not a lot of money. I was taught to take good care of my toys because if they broke, or got wrecked, they wouldn't be replaced. I don't think that kids should be expected to keep their toys pristine. I do think they should learn to take care of what they have in the best way they can, or at least to understand that if they permanently change a toy, there's no replacement or quick fix.
I remember being in floods of tears when Star Gleamer's tail caught on Songster's by accident when I had them close together one time. Because Mum had to cut a small section from Star Gleamer's tail. To me cutting a pony's hair when I was a kid was literally an abomination, especially on a bng, because playing with the hair was so important to me. Although Mum did it so nicely you can't even see there's anything missing.
...So yeah. Kids shouldn't be expected to keep their toys pristine, but it isn't a bad thing to teach a child to value their possessions, especially if there's not a lot of spare cash around to buy new. This is especially true if there are several kids and toys need to get handed down through all of them, rather than being able to buy entirely new for each kid.
I wrote my initials on my ponies as a kid, or at least some of them. My best friend and I played together with ponies frequently, and I tended to keep mine in better shape than she did, so there was no way I wanted them mixed up. We even had some duplicates between sisters in my household. I had the foresight enough to make the initials tiny, in only a corner of their hooves, and with a pink pen, which I felt was less obtrusive than black. I made slight tail trims if there were hairs that got pulled out longer, but I never would have dreamed of defacing them. I did re-pink with a highlighter once! They weren't pristine; some of my favorites went everywhere with me, including the lake and pool, but they were loved.
Not to mention, I would have gotten in trouble if I had intentionally damaged my toys; my parents probably would have taken objection to my tiny initials on them! My parents believed that responsibility began with our own possessions. I was the oldest of several kids, and our toys did have to last through all of us...with the exception of a couple of 'special' toys, they weren't just ours; if you ruined it, you ruined it for everybody.
I've been struggling with this with my own kids. They write and draw on everything despite my rules, threats, and bribes for good behavior. If there is even one writing utensil left laying around, it will be used for destruction. I stopped letting them have markers...it is colored pencil only (that's what my son prefers) because it is easily removable with magic eraser. Scissors are no longer allowed since some forelocks got cut once. I don't know if I'm just a weaker parent than my parents were or what. My kids are just a different kind of kids than my siblings and I were I guess. Stronger willed or something. I try to give them plenty of creative outlets that don't involve being destructive, but my 3-year-old twins seem to just take joy in being subversive and naughty...they laugh in my face at my discovery of their handiwork where I would have shrunk back in fear as a child. With my son, it's probably more about putting what he feels are creative touches on things...he's gotten better about not drawing on/cutting up toys.
Sorry if I've strayed off-topic a bit. I get ramble-y sometimes!
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or at least to understand that if they permanently change a toy, there's no replacement or quick fix.
That's another reason why I think it's fine for kids to mess up their toys. It's a lot better to learn "oh, I should think things through and use foresight" over something harmless like scribbling on a toy, rather than when you're riding a bike without a helmet and are about to hit something, lol.
I also think it's just important for everyone to have something they have ultimate control over, and for kids what else is there but toys? Adults decide pretty much every other detail of their lives (which is understandable because, yeah, you can't let a kid eat nothing but chocolate cake, skip school, etc.) It just seems like a healthy boundary--the adults being like "You can do whatever you want to your toy, but if it breaks I'm not replacing it" and then the kid having fun with the toy whichever way they choose. (Maybe not for toddlers because they still need to be taught rough vs gentle, but I'm talking like six year olds and up.)
I once got a lot of ponies from their original owner which included a So-Soft Magic Star who had her green hair cut off, yellow troll hair hot glued on, had nicks all over her body, and pen mark on her. I was curious about this, since the rest of the ponies in the lot were near mint. The owner explained that Magic Star had been "the Troll Pony" in her games who would terrorize the other ponies, and had been decorated accordingly. Magic Star clearly got a lot of playtime / love and I found her so endearing that she sits on my pony shelves to this day, troll hair and all. <3
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or at least to understand that if they permanently change a toy, there's no replacement or quick fix.
That's another reason why I think it's fine for kids to mess up their toys. It's a lot better to learn "oh, I should think things through and use foresight" over something harmless like scribbling on a toy, rather than when you're riding a bike without a helmet and are about to hit something, lol.
I also think it's just important for everyone to have something they have ultimate control over, and for kids what else is there but toys? Adults decide pretty much every other detail of their lives (which is understandable because, yeah, you can't let a kid eat nothing but chocolate cake, skip school, etc.) It just seems like a healthy boundary--the adults being like "You can do whatever you want to your toy, but if it breaks I'm not replacing it" and then the kid having fun with the toy whichever way they choose. (Maybe not for toddlers because they still need to be taught rough vs gentle, but I'm talking like six year olds and up.)
I once got a lot of ponies from their original owner which included a So-Soft Magic Star who had her green hair cut off, yellow troll hair hot glued on, had nicks all over her body, and pen mark on her. I was curious about this, since the rest of the ponies in the lot were near mint. The owner explained that Magic Star had been "the Troll Pony" in her games who would terrorize the other ponies, and had been decorated accordingly. Magic Star clearly got a lot of playtime / love and I found her so endearing that she sits on my pony shelves to this day, troll hair and all. <3
That's adorable! Do you have any pics of troll pony Magic Star? I'd love to see her.
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Just went and took a pic . . . here she is. <3
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or at least to understand that if they permanently change a toy, there's no replacement or quick fix.
That's another reason why I think it's fine for kids to mess up their toys. It's a lot better to learn "oh, I should think things through and use foresight" over something harmless like scribbling on a toy, rather than when you're riding a bike without a helmet and are about to hit something, lol.
I also think it's just important for everyone to have something they have ultimate control over, and for kids what else is there but toys? Adults decide pretty much every other detail of their lives (which is understandable because, yeah, you can't let a kid eat nothing but chocolate cake, skip school, etc.) It just seems like a healthy boundary--the adults being like "You can do whatever you want to your toy, but if it breaks I'm not replacing it" and then the kid having fun with the toy whichever way they choose. (Maybe not for toddlers because they still need to be taught rough vs gentle, but I'm talking like six year olds and up.)
I once got a lot of ponies from their original owner which included a So-Soft Magic Star who had her green hair cut off, yellow troll hair hot glued on, had nicks all over her body, and pen mark on her. I was curious about this, since the rest of the ponies in the lot were near mint. The owner explained that Magic Star had been "the Troll Pony" in her games who would terrorize the other ponies, and had been decorated accordingly. Magic Star clearly got a lot of playtime / love and I found her so endearing that she sits on my pony shelves to this day, troll hair and all. <3
I agree with you there; every child is different and i personally got so upset when my toys even got a scratch! But i dont judge kids who experiment and make mistakes with one of the only things they own :)
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Oh yeah, I was actually also a very picky child--at least about ponies! I wouldn't let my mom write my name on my pony's hooves, lol . . . and I cried when my sister braided SS Angel's hair because she had "ruined" her hair, i.e. it didn't look like it did right out the packaging.
But I also put eyeshadow in a vintage (probably from the 70s) Red Riding Hood doll, which never came out . . . I have no regrets, she looked great. I also cut holes in a bunch of doll clothes because I wanted to dress up my Pound Puppies and they needed tail holes, of course!