Now that G3's are nearing 20 years old...

[LadyMoondancer]

I've always heard "20 years is vintage, 50 years or older is antique".  Some people / collectors have different definitions, but those are the ones I hear the most often, and the ones I go with. 

I think G3 doesn't seem that old because a lot of us remember them being "new".  But for those of us who grew up with G1, think back to when you were 5 years old.  (For me that would have been 1984.)  Would a toy from the 1960s have seemed "not that old" to you back then?  To me it would have seemed ancient! 

I'm sure a lot of 40-somethings back then were also saying "Listen, 1964 wasn't that long ago."  But, counterpoint, yes it was.    Two full decades is a looong time.  Anyway, that's why I go with "20 years or older = vintage."  It seems right.

[Taffeta]

When Wondermint had her display of ponies in Dudley museum, I remember being there with my Dad and there were some kids with their parents, telling their parents proudly how the G3 ponies were the 'old ponies' and the G4 the 'new ponies'. It gave me a different perspective that to those kids the G1s were what the wartime tin soldiers or 50s bakalite dolls were to me visiting museums as a kid - so that is a great point. I also had that feeling teaching recently - teaching stuff that happened in my lifetime didn't seem like history, somehow xD. (I was born in 82).

But I think also the messed up categories and the complete wrecking of the listing system adds into the use of those terms. I am so sick of G4 rubbish coming up when I try to search for MOC items. And not all sellers will use the same search terms so it is so annoying. I don't want nor care about G4 merch MOC and I never will. Not being able to screen most of those out is a pain, so vintage is a term that seems to be used now to distinguish between "current" and "not current."

Just another reason to hate ebay.

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

Reminds me of going to vintage car shows and the debate over vintage vs classic and where to draw the line. Get off my lawn kids! Wow! can't believe it's been that long, I was just getting started living on my own and going to jr college. G3 was my introduction to this forum *waves*.

Remember walking into Toys R Us and stumbling on a display of the first four, or was it six? My memory is fuzzy.   And nearly died of shock, it was so much fun to buy them new and I still like finding them while thrifting.

[Harmonie]

If something that was released while I was in high school is going to now be considered 'vintage', I'm not sure I can handle that. 

[allymer]

Are they considered "vintage"?
I've seen a few auctions where they are labelled as such, and I have snorted dismissively.
But then I had a wee pause. Are they now 'vintage'?!

OMG

1. i feel so old now
2. never thought about it, it feels like it was yesterday that g3 ponies were rumbling the toys stores...
3. im not sure about the term vintage- i mean how many years should pass before something consider vintage? theres probably a real definitaion of the term.

but alas

G3 ponies are indeed getting older and older so eventuslly they will sell as vintage items.

[Galactica]

Wow-  20 years since those new fangled "G3"s came out.  I still look around in super old toyshops (when I find them) in the hopes of finding some leftovers... haha 

I do feel a bit old.

[Taffeta]

G3 weren't really that much of a surprise if I remember right in the community. A lot was leaked out and then they showed up soon after in stores in the US. Around summer 2003 I am pretty sure, maybe even late spring. I graduated with Rainbow Dash and it was a tight deadline - my friend found her in Stoke TRU about 2 weeks before my ceremony in July, but they were out in the US before that as someone tried to send me one (but she ended up taking 6 months to get here!).

So we were eagerly hunting and playing catch up. Kind of like it was for the retros - the first find was a surprise but after that everyone's just been shelf watching.

It's been a long time since unexpected ponies have happened in stores for me Long gone are the days my parents could surprise me with a pony that I didn't see out yet...

*goes to look up old people stuff on ebay*

[allymer]

The latest ones were just released 10 years ago, so I'd hesitate to label them as being vintage. Maybe in, like, 5 years I'll be more willing to label them as such.

that is also true ...

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

I found a Party Cake at my local Rite Aide in 2011, so not that long ago And she lingered for several years until she disappeared one day. Kicking myself for not picking her up, that little bit of pony history.

[Rad]

Personally I wouldn't even call the line vintage until the last ones are 20+... but that's because it makes me feel old. Yeah three-ish years ago I saw people listing later G3s and G4s on Etsy as vintage... noooo... I agree that the definition varies too widely.

[Carrehz]

I think "retro" gets overused these days, too.. to me "retro" means something that is made to look like an older product, not something that is actually from that era. The Basic Fun ponies are retro.. the originals aren't. 

But I do agree that probably a lot of the problem lies with eBay's lack of specific categories >.< It's a real pain trying to pick through eBay searches these days.

[Leave a Whisper]

Id say not for another 5-10 years.

[caseysealia]

G3's came out in 2002 right? So 17 years. I know songs and such are oldies at 18 years, so I'd say 2020 is when they would be considered "vintage". Super weird that my childhood toys are so old.

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

G3's came out in 2002 right? So 17 years. I know songs and such are oldies at 18 years, so I'd say 2020 is when they would be considered "vintage". Super weird that my childhood toys are so old.

IIRC 2002 is when they began making them, as this is the year some molds have stamped on them, but they began releasing in 2003.

[Zapper]

They're about to be called vintage. Personally, I can't even call G2 vintage because that's a term I associate with much older things.

I think "retro" gets overused these days, too.. to me "retro" means something that is made to look like an older product, not something that is actually from that era. The Basic Fun ponies are retro.. the originals aren't. 

Truth and facts. Hence why Hasbro uses the words "classic" on the Basic Fun ponies and "retro" for the new G3ish ponies they released for SDCC and the M6 set, despite these molds being newer than the G4 reboot molds.