The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: nessa16 on May 20, 2012, 08:46:37 AM
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So, my mom and I were having a discussion. I mentioned wanting a certain Greek pony that is worth over $300. She started talking about how collectibles are only worth what people are willing to pay. Basically saying that that is too much to pay for a pony and that eventually MLP will be worthless someday just like Beanie Babies were. Do you see yourselves not collecting anymore and the market dying? I don't think so mainly because there are so many of us and I know I want to keep collecting. I have even considered selling pieces of other collections to expand my MLP collection. I know there have been a few people around here that have downsized or gotten out of collecting but it seems like there are plenty of people picking up where they leave off.
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I think ponies will "live" for a while longer, but eventually it will happen, no matter how many collectors there are/will be.
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Interesting topic! And a difficult question. I think it won't die. As you said there are so mich of us.
I hope it wont die I love this communitie so much. I will not stop collecting! Ponies make my live so much better ^.^
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Eventually all collectibles will either decrease severely in value or increase severely in value, depending on the market.
The problem with ponies right now is that the big market probably just passed us - most of the folks who grew up in the G1 era are somewhere in their late 20s / 30s / maybe 40s and may have less disposable incomes. I tend to think G1 will have this weird issue of not a lot of demand but a lot of value for at least a little whlie. G3's... give it another 10 or 20 years and we'll see, but I don't think they'll ever go as high as G1.
G4 will burn quick - I think the prices are high now but it's not going to last.
What happened with Beanie Babies is that everyone said they would be valuable and worth money in several years... meaning everyone bought them. Meaning there's still plenty to go around but no demand whatsoever. Hence why they're so inexpensive. G1 ponies had the advantage of no one thinking that in 20 years' time people would want to pay tons of money for a cute plastic horse.
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I don't want it to die, but it may. I don't like thinking about it.
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I think, with MLP, the G1s are so old at this point that they've become vintage. Even if interest in the other gens dies out, there will probably still be people hunting for mint or NM G1s just because they're so hard to come by.
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While she is right in saying they are only worth what people are willing to pay, some Beanie Babies are expensive, like this one which ended on auction recently :-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TY-Beanie-Babies-Bongo-though-label-said-Nana-and-has-Bongo-label-over-it-/120908641495?pt=UK_Soft_Toys_Bears&hash=item1c26b774d7#ht_500wt_1361 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TY-Beanie-Babies-Bongo-though-label-said-Nana-and-has-Bongo-label-over-it-/120908641495?pt=UK_Soft_Toys_Bears&hash=item1c26b774d7#ht_500wt_1361)
I think people will be collecting ponies for some time yet.
Eventually all collectibles will either decrease severely in value or increase severely in value, depending on the market.
The problem with ponies right now is that the big market probably just passed us - most of the folks who grew up in the G1 era are somewhere in their late 20s / 30s / maybe 40s and may have less disposable incomes. I tend to think G1 will have this weird issue of not a lot of demand but a lot of value for at least a little whlie. G3's... give it another 10 or 20 years and we'll see, but I don't think they'll ever go as high as G1.
G4 will burn quick - I think the prices are high now but it's not going to last.
What happened with Beanie Babies is that everyone said they would be valuable and worth money in several years... meaning everyone bought them. Meaning there's still plenty to go around but no demand whatsoever. Hence why they're so inexpensive. G1 ponies had the advantage of no one thinking that in 20 years' time people would want to pay tons of money for a cute plastic horse.
I agree totally!
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All I know is the one Beanie Baby I do want is so expensive it's not even funny:/ That will probably be how it is with me and ponies in the future.
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No, I don't think Greek ponies and the like will ever devalue like Beanie Babies, although their prices may fluctuate a bit. Since the late 90s, when I started collecting, G1 values have increased across the board.
G3s did devalue rather dramatically, but I think the key there is that lots of collectors wanted every single G3, so they bought them without feeling a connection to them. This made them easy to let go later. And since a lot of people were buying them to keep mint, this pushed down the value of a mint G3. I think they will rebound once more of the people who had them as little kids start collecting.
As for G4, I think they will not be very valuable in the future. Partly because they release the Main Six characters a billion times, so there will be plenty of them to go around. Partly because when the show ends, as it will someday, I think a lot of the "brony" demographic will drift away, selling their figurines as they go.
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I agree with Saply. G1 ponies weren't *particularly* popular in their day (at least, not like Beanie Babies), and folks didn't really hold onto them. People bought Beanie Babies and kept them in mint condition. People bought G1 ponies for their children.
Collectibles are indeed a fickle market, but G1 MLP toys just might be one of those things that sticks. Look at "Star Wars." Through some genius marketing and a little luck, the franchise is an ongoing legacy. There's enough new material out there for people to share with their children. And their children's children, and so-on. The new toys aren't worth much, but the original Kenner figurines can be serious collector's items. These old toys have staying power, and I think that if Hasbro keeps doing what they're doing, MLP might be the same.
EDIT: Moonflower and Soull, I didn't know that some of those Beanie oddities were still sought after. That's pretty cool!
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I guess Beanies just got a little boring to some people after a while. I haven't followed beanies for a while, but I still have a tonnes of them though. I think the ponies are more timeless because there are so many people still interested in them.
@Soull, is it blue Peanut? Or Billionaire Bear!
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Its an interesting thought...and I think to a certain extent it is something we have already seen with G3. A lot of people purchased and kept ponies from this gen in the expectation they would be worth more in the future but with the advent of G4 at the moment the market on them has bottomed to such an extend that sometimes selling MIB G3s for more than retail is impossible. I think G4 will suffer a similar fate when the generation comes to an end simply due to how much larger the collecting community is now than ever before - there are probably more MIB G4 Pinkies out there than any other pony in any previous generation!
Yes, "collectables" will always only be worth what collectors are willing to pay and you need a large and thriving collecting community to keep prices high. However the pony collecting community has survived through a lack of new ponies [the bore 7??] so I think even if HB were to finish the line now the vast majority of us would still all be here logging on, selling/buying ponies and talking about random pony things.
But I think as time passes because there are not as many of them about as there are later gens, G1s will probably pretty much hold value [or decrease a little] - they are still very much retro but they will get to vintage eventually. "Toy collectors" of any type of toy or manufacturer have been around as long as there have been toys and I suspect the same will continue!
I dont think Beanies fit into the same category as they were very much a "fad" - MLP has never been that [ok maybe a little teeny bit with G4 but certainly not with the previous generations]. Beanies were produced in staggering quantities and so many people purchased them in the thinking that they would have future value that by the time the market levelled off to "core collectors" there were more Beanies than there was demand. The odd Beanie such as that linked above is an example of the few which were early enough or not released widely enough that people will still pay.
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beanies went out of style fast, ponies haven't even begin to hit that stage
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well if you think about it my little pony has been popular for like 30 years, while beenie babies lasted what? 10 years>? I think my little pony is one of those toys that has staying power and will remain popular and collectable for a long long time. they are only going to get harder to find. beenie babies does not have the HUGE fan base mlp has
beenie babies was a fad toy like the pet rock and toys like it.
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No, I don't think Greek ponies and the like will ever devalue like Beanie Babies, although their prices may fluctuate a bit. Since the late 90s, when I started collecting, G1 values have increased across the board.
G3s did devalue rather dramatically, but I think the key there is that lots of collectors wanted every single G3, so they bought them without feeling a connection to them. This made them easy to let go later. And since a lot of people were buying them to keep mint, this pushed down the value of a mint G3. I think they will rebound once more of the people who had them as little kids start collecting.
As for G4, I think they will not be very valuable in the future. Partly because they release the Main Six characters a billion times, so there will be plenty of them to go around. Partly because when the show ends, as it will someday, I think a lot of the "brony" demographic will drift away, selling their figurines as they go.
I totally agree with this.
Post Merge: May 20, 2012, 09:41:58 AM
Its an interesting thought...and I think to a certain extent it is something we have already seen with G3. A lot of people purchased and kept ponies from this gen in the expectation they would be worth more in the future but with the advent of G4 at the moment the market on them has bottomed to such an extend that sometimes selling MIB G3s for more than retail is impossible. I think G4 will suffer a similar fate when the generation comes to an end simply due to how much larger the collecting community is now than ever before - there are probably more MIB G4 Pinkies out there than any other pony in any previous generation!
Yes, "collectables" will always only be worth what collectors are willing to pay and you need a large and thriving collecting community to keep prices high. However the pony collecting community has survived through a lack of new ponies [the bore 7??] so I think even if HB were to finish the line now the vast majority of us would still all be here logging on, selling/buying ponies and talking about random pony things.
But I think as time passes because there are not as many of them about as there are later gens, G1s will probably pretty much hold value [or decrease a little] - they are still very much retro but they will get to vintage eventually. "Toy collectors" of any type of toy or manufacturer have been around as long as there have been toys and I suspect the same will continue!
I dont think Beanies fit into the same category as they were very much a "fad" - MLP has never been that [ok maybe a little teeny bit with G4 but certainly not with the previous generations]. Beanies were produced in staggering quantities and so many people purchased them in the thinking that they would have future value that by the time the market levelled off to "core collectors" there were more Beanies than there was demand. The odd Beanie such as that linked above is an example of the few which were early enough or not released widely enough that people will still pay.
I agree with all of this too. Plus, I'd like to add that Beanie Babies never had the marketing that MLP has always had. As for as I know, they never had their own cartoon.
Plus, Hasbro keeps reinventing and redesigning MLP with every generation. As much as I miss G1 (and I really wish they would start producing "art" ponies in g1 molds), I think that the redesigns help keep the collecting community active. Every new generation brings in a new set of collectors and it ensures that old collectors don't get too bored by the same old thing.
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@Soull, is it blue Peanut? Or Billionaire Bear!
Web, he's not the most expensive but I can't justify his price either and it just keeps going up every year.
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I don't think MLP will go the way of beanie babies at all. They've already been around a lot longer than Beanie Babies were.
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Plus, I'd like to add that Beanie Babies never had the marketing that MLP has always had. As for as I know, they never had their own cartoon.
i think if they had a cartoon now, they'd all come back and people would want them.
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Whether or not a toy line continues as a timeless collectible largely depends on the manufacturer's efforts to make it such, IMO.
As long as Hasbro keeps reinventing the brand, I'm sure there will be people who collect. And with each new generation come collectors for that specific embodiment of MLP at that time. Just like G3 and G4 got people to open up to the past of MLP, so will future generations dig into it.
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if my little pony has lasted 30 years I don't think it will ever die out.
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I think the problem with Beanie Babies is, like people have said, they were heavily mass produced. I remember being excited about finding a supposedly 'retired' in store, and purchasing it. This so-called retired beanie stayed on shelves for another 3 years.
Although having said that, Pocket Dragons were also very collectable until the company went bankrupt - Then they kind of went down in price rapidly too.
I think MLP will last a lot longer. After all, when collectors are bored, little girls (and indeed some little boys!) will still want to play with them.
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Beanies were a diffenert story altogether because people bought them expecting them to be super rare and worth tons of money some day. As far as I've seen with the pony community so far (and I can't speak for earlier gens), most people seem to accept that there are so many G4 ponies being made, they probably won't be worth much in the future. G1s and even G2s, however, will probably always have a decent value, becuase of the fact that they're considered "vintage". Once a toy gets to that point, and they're obviously not being manufactured anymore, the toys start becoming less and less in number- becuase people start throwing them out without realizing their worth. The difference with Beanie Babies was that people had the collector mindset while the toys were still in production. So people bought the toys like nuts thinking they were all rare, and the company saw the demand and, in turn, produced more. The cycle continued, and eventually there were so many toys that they weren't worth anything. If everyone in the world has one of something, it's not exactly rare! The difference with ponies is that people are buying the older gens to maybe sell for more money someday, but what's out there is all there is. There won't be any more G1s or G2s or G3s produced no matter how high the demand becomes. There's waaaayyy more G3s and 4s out there than anything else, and G4s are still being produced, but I don't see the G4s being as big a fad as Beanie Babies any time soon.
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It is really an interesting question... I've been pondering this thing myself, actually. But I don't think that "My Little Pony" will die that easily. Having lasted thirty years on the market, it would be difficult to kill this thing off no matter how hard people could try. As long as there are fans and collectors - the franchise will continue to exist for years to come.
Sure, some aspects may die out eventually, like the G4: once the show ends (which I hope won't happen any time soon), I can guarantee that many bronies will leave the fandom and move onto something else. I've actually had this kind of discussion on the polish FiM fan forum - many people went on to say how they disagree with me, and that the FiM fandom will definitely stay strong even after the show ends. But I just know that it's not going to happen.
Just look at other fandoms like "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia": when the movies (or new books in case of Harry Potter) started to come out, the fandom began to gain followers, the popularity of those three was enormous. But once the last movie hit the theaters, the fandom's began to die out a little. Of course, they still maintain a healthy fanbase, but they're not as big of a fad as they used to be.
So, I think that the same thing might happen once the last episode of FiM airs. That's my opinion.
The "My Little Pony" fandom as a whole is sure to exist, like I said, as long as it has devoted fans and collectors. Besides, Hasbro, no matter what people may say about it, has it's own ways of keeping the interest in it's franchises alive and steady.
Just look at "Transformers" - in 2014 the line will celebrate it's 30th Anniversary. And the fanbase is still alive, active and continues to grow and expand, with new toys and media promoting the franchise (movies, cartoons, comic books etc) coming out. There are not many toy lines out there who are that successful. And the old Transformers toys are still of high value to collectors (however it's for entire different reasons, since unlike with ponies, it's much harder to find a mint Transformer: many of them come with broken parts and/or missing accessories, and playware. Also, unlike with the G1 ponies, Hasbro is unable to make reissue of the entire line, because many molds are either broken or missing/stolen by a third party company).
So, the same thing may happen to ponies as well. :)
I'm sorry I had to bring up Transformers for yet another time - I just figured that both of these lines have many things in common (and it's not only the fact that they were produced by Hasbro).
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Slightly off topic here, but i saw someone mention that pocket dragons went bankrupt. I am a collector of pocket dragons... and they never went Bankrupt. Real Musgrave (think thats his name can't find my signed copy of the collector book) retired. Hence all pocket dragons retired. He just decided not to sell the rights on. Since he created the mold etc and did not want someone else doing it.
I don't know if the pony phrase will end, but im not bothered since in my life time im not looking to sell at this moment anyways.
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One thing I have learned is if a company comes out with a product (say pet rocks,beanie babies, baseball cards from the 90's,ect)
and they sell it as a collectable as in collect them all!or limited edition! they make and sell them in huge numbers and as soon as the fad is over the bottom drops out, you want to stay away from that kinda stuff. my little pony was never sold as a collectible it was sold as a buy it ,play with it, throw it away, kind of thing , they are sold as a TOY not as a collectible . which is why my little pony is still going strong with no sign of letting up after 30 years ,while beanbags are a dime a dozen after 10 years and you can buy baseball cards from the 90's for a penny each or less, (I know a guy who just bought 5000 for like 30 bucks) my little pony is one of those things that is only going to get harder to find because they did not make them by the billions back then.
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As far as the original g1s go no I don't think they will ever completely go out of 'style' as BBs did. BBs were a fad toy. They blew up tons of people got them, allot of people got them for the mere reason of reselling them which actually lowered their prices since the market was flooded with them.
G1s have been around for 30 years that's along time. Think along the lines of Barbie she's still popular and it's been 50+ so no I don't think g1s will ever truly go away as far as being a popular collection item. Now for all the generations after I can't say the samething. G2s have their strong following but it's not a huge following and most of the ones worth something were ones the US never got which drives their price up on at least one side of the world.
G3s I think were the start of fad collection as most people have falling quickly out of love with their g3 collection as soon as G4 came out. I don't see these ever being worth much since like the BBs there are allot out there and alot of people got them to resell at a later date.
G4s I see being like the G3s popular now but I'm afraid their popular will die out and only the hardcore collectors will be left. I can't ever really seeing the generations 2-4 ever hanging on as a collectors item like the G1s have. Sad thought but that's just ow I see it.
Please don't take offense to anything I've said it's not suppose to be offensive in anyway.
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Well the biggest difference is that Beanie Babies were marketed as collectibles and My Little Ponies are not, they're children's toys.
Love the theories made in this thread!
-Em
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Well the biggest difference is that Beanie Babies were marketed as collectibles and My Little Ponies are not, they're children's toys.
Love the theories made in this thread!
-Em
glad to see a person who thinks like me.:)
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I'd agree with the "ponies were never collectables they were toys theory"
But I have a disturbing theory I have to get off my chest.
How long will G1 ponies physically last? With things like cancer, plastic decomposition and unnatural factors it will get harder and harder to find, restore and preserve ponies as the year goes by.
Sadly even plastic decomposes, it's a good thing when thinking about litter and garbage but heartbreaking when it comes to ponies. I'd like my grandchildren to have G1s.
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I'd agree with the "ponies were never collectables they were toys theory"
But I have a disturbing theory I have to get off my chest.
How long will G1 ponies physically last? With things like cancer, plastic decomposition and unnatural factors it will get harder and harder to find, restore and preserve ponies as the year goes by.
Sadly even plastic decomposes, it's a good thing when thinking about litter and garbage but heartbreaking when it comes to ponies. I'd like my grandchildren to have G1s.
Actually, I was thinking about this point earlier. It's a two edged sword. On the one hand, your own ponies may decrease in value because they won't look as good as they use to. On the other hand, prices may go up over all because it could potentially make them even rarer than they are now.
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I'd agree with the "ponies were never collectables they were toys theory"
But I have a disturbing theory I have to get off my chest.
How long will G1 ponies physically last? With things like cancer, plastic decomposition and unnatural factors it will get harder and harder to find, restore and preserve ponies as the year goes by.
Sadly even plastic decomposes, it's a good thing when thinking about litter and garbage but heartbreaking when it comes to ponies. I'd like my grandchildren to have G1s.
Actually, I was thinking about this point earlier. It's a two edged sword. On the one hand, your own ponies may decrease in value because they won't look as good as they use to. On the other hand, prices may go up over all because it could potentially make them even rarer than they are now.
I too have thought about this issue. I think although the condition will deteriorate, the value will increase. They are not going to last forever, of course, nothing does...although, maybe if we kept them in the freezer...? lol
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I think MLP is gonna keep on strong until Hasbro stops trying to revamp the series when they start losing their audience. I mean, once Friendship is Magic is over (which will sadly happen some day), some of the brony fandom may still be around, but will probably focus even more on fan made items that are more true to the show. So Hasbro may very well let the ponies rise from the ashes again with another style change. I think it's an endless process for Hasbro, really.
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I'd agree with the "ponies were never collectables they were toys theory"
But I have a disturbing theory I have to get off my chest.
How long will G1 ponies physically last? With things like cancer, plastic decomposition and unnatural factors it will get harder and harder to find, restore and preserve ponies as the year goes by.
Sadly even plastic decomposes, it's a good thing when thinking about litter and garbage but heartbreaking when it comes to ponies. I'd like my grandchildren to have G1s.
I am going to say with what i have seen happen to old plastic. if you take good care of the g1 ponies they should last 100 years under ideal conditions (so we have like 70 years left). the plastisizers slowly evaporate out of the plastic and they become brittle ,crack,discolor. and pretty much self destruct no matter what you do.(this is why i have recomended armor-all in the past to try and preserve them and at least slow down the ageing process
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This is such an interesting thread, I love all the theories and I agree with toys vs collectibles idea. I think it definitely has a lot to do with how the company markets the line and whether people start buying them because they truly like them, or because they think they'll be valuable someday.
And ponies have always had such detailed personalities, even outside the cartoons, with the backcard stories etc. I get way more attached to things that involve characters with storylines. Beanie Babies didn't have very much beyond the little rhymes in their tags, if I'm remembering right.
And then Ty kind of shot themselves in the foot when they 'retired' the BBs (1999?). The people who really liked them were upset and stopped collecting even when the company turned around and decided to keep releasing more. Then there were so many out there and nobody buying...
But, I really don't know. :blink: It seems so random, what sticks and what doesn't!
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I think MLP will stick around. I saw Beanie Babies as more of a fad. Though I admit jumping on the Beanie Baby bandwagon ;) I collected all the dog Beanies and still love them, hehe. FIM seems like a bit of a fad to me, but I think MLP in general will stick around even after the FIM craze is over. So I think we'll have more generations and redesigns to look forward to :)
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Actually, I wonder if this ties back to the "is it because their ponies" thread. Horses are always popular and MLP has rarely ventured outside of the species. Beanie babies had such a huge range of different animals though. But how many collectors really want an octopus or a pelican?
I know most were bears but the stuffed bear has to be one of the most common toys.
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Actually, I wonder if this ties back to the "is it because their ponies" thread. Horses are always popular and MLP has rarely ventured outside of the species. Beanie babies had such a huge range of different animals though. But how many collectors really want an octopus or a pelican?
I know most were bears but the stuffed bear has to be one of the most common toys.
Beanie Babies sold well, perhaps even a bit too well since that is what the problem is. There are just too many of them on the secondary market. If a pony is common *coughPinkiePiecough* she ain't gonna be worth much either.
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This is such an interesting thread, I love all the theories and I agree with toys vs collectibles idea. I think it definitely has a lot to do with how the company markets the line and whether people start buying them because they truly like them, or because they think they'll be valuable someday.
And ponies have always had such detailed personalities, even outside the cartoons, with the backcard stories etc. I get way more attached to things that involve characters with storylines. Beanie Babies didn't have very much beyond the little rhymes in their tags, if I'm remembering right.
And then Ty kind of shot themselves in the foot when they 'retired' the BBs (1999?). The people who really liked them were upset and stopped collecting even when the company turned around and decided to keep releasing more. Then there were so many out there and nobody buying...
But, I really don't know. :blink: It seems so random, what sticks and what doesn't!
yes, and there is a big difference between buying to collect because you like them, and buying because you think they will be worth more latter on and only want the money. i think it has alot to do with them being ponies like others have said also
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yes, and there is a big difference between buying to collect because you like them, and buying because you think they will be worth more latter on and only want the money. i think it has alot to do with them being ponies like others have said also
Yes, this is what I was trying to get at earlier. Beanie Babies *sold* well, but do they *collect* well. Is there a huge number of people actively collecting still? I don't know.
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its kind of a double edged sword, on one hand as long as they stay popular, odds are New ones will keep being made, on the other hand I kind of hope they will, as that would cause the prices to drop. Like it has with the G3s I bought very few G3s when they where being made, because I knew it was a mater of time before they where outgrown and dumped into the second hand market, now that MLPs have moved on to G4s I'm picking up boxes full of G3s for pennies a piece. :) Not so good for sellers but great for a collector with limited funds. I'm doing the same with G4s, picking up the odd one here and there just waiting until they start hitting thriftstores in large numbers for cheap. :)
The thing is if you look at collecting trends, an item will became popular, it will become outdated and will be dumped for the newest thing and will flood the second hand market, then you'll see fewer and fewer, then as the kids who grew up with it become nostalgic adults they will go in search of said item and drive the price back up. ;)
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yes, and there is a big difference between buying to collect because you like them, and buying because you think they will be worth more latter on and only want the money. i think it has alot to do with them being ponies like others have said also
Yes, this is what I was trying to get at earlier. Beanie Babies *sold* well, but do they *collect* well. Is there a huge number of people actively collecting still? I don't know.
i think there are still some diehards collecting them.
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Eventually all collectibles will either decrease severely in value or increase severely in value, depending on the market.
The problem with ponies right now is that the big market probably just passed us - most of the folks who grew up in the G1 era are somewhere in their late 20s / 30s / maybe 40s and may have less disposable incomes. I tend to think G1 will have this weird issue of not a lot of demand but a lot of value for at least a little whlie. G3's... give it another 10 or 20 years and we'll see, but I don't think they'll ever go as high as G1.
G4 will burn quick - I think the prices are high now but it's not going to last.
What happened with Beanie Babies is that everyone said they would be valuable and worth money in several years... meaning everyone bought them. Meaning there's still plenty to go around but no demand whatsoever. Hence why they're so inexpensive. G1 ponies had the advantage of no one thinking that in 20 years' time people would want to pay tons of money for a cute plastic horse.
Yup, this is pretty much it. Beanie Babies didn't last five years, ponies have been going on for 30, and they're still being made. While Dulci is right in that 'peak collecting' has likely been met, I doubt the downfall will be as rapid as it was for Beanie Babies.
I don't think My Little Pony will ever be as widespread as things like the DC and Marvel universe, but it will likely have it's own niche for decades to come.
The latter part of Dulci's point also happened with comics in the early nineties. They were cranking out 'collectible' comics for the sake of it. When 50,000 of something is produced, it's not collectible. Or, in the comics world, it's not collectible. The comics fad died out (much like another, current fad is going to), and the market returned to normal. The best analogy I heard, and I wish I remember who said it, was; 'People thought comics were like arena rock, when really, they're more like club jazz'.
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I don't think so. Beanie Babies came and went fast. They also got a lot more clout. The community of MLP collectors is quite tiny as compared to the BB community. The vintage ones will always be valuable because they are limited. Everyone started to buy up BBs. It's funny.....now you can find them in junk bins at flea markets.
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I definitely think the FiM thing will. People will still sort of hold on to the love of them, but not in this mass insanity that is currently happening. It is a really big fad that is for sure. I also think that eventually some of the rare ones wont be worth as much, because eventually there wont be anyone around who has that nostalgia attachment to them. However, I don't think that will happen for a long long time.
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I just hold onto hope that MLP never dies down! I don't think it will, at least in my lifetime, especially if new generations of children form fond memories of the new stuff and grow up to collect old generations too. I think having the popular shows and stuff help make it live longer because of that.
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Sometimes, I kind of hope they will. Bad Snapdragon, bad! *thwacks self with newspaper* :silly:
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It's a bit different. Beanie babies were pricey and desirable when they were new. Ponies have been around for 30 years now, and the prices are still high on the valuable ponies. As the availability becomes more limited (ie: we all snatch them up for collections), the prices are bound to go up I would think. G4s, on the other hand, I think will be more likely to fizzle. A lot of the bronies seem to be in it for the fad, rather than a real love of ponies. They are helping to drive the prices up and eventually will move on. Those prices are bound to crash when that happens, leaving more ponies for the rest of us and for the bronies who stick around.
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Sometimes, I kind of hope they will. Bad Snapdragon, bad! *thwacks self with newspaper* :silly:
I do too, there's a vintage shop near me with a huge table of beanie babies for £1 each. If only that was ponies! I wouldn't care if I was the only person left who loved them! :p
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I agree with what most people are saying about supply and demand. I laugh a little when I see someone freaking out about deboxing a G4 (no offense), because there are SO many people collecting them MIB right now that I don't think they'll increase much in value- even less than the G3 ponies have. Keep them boxed if you like how it looks, de-box if you want to play with their hair and display them that way. Just enjoy them! I don't see myself shedding tears in the future over letting my kids play with Rainbow Dash. ;)
For G1 I guess the value will always depend on how many people want them- they might become increasingly rare, but if nobody wants them, they'll become worthless. Still, I can't see myself ever not wanting them, and I know a lot of us feel the same about that.
This is why I don't buy ponies based on what I think they'll be worth in the future, though. I buy the ones I love- that way I'll never feel like I wasted my money, even if I can never sell them. I'm paying for the enjoyment I'm getting now. If a pony is worth $300 to you right now in your collection, and you have the money, I say go for it. I just wouldn't buy one as an investment (but that's just me).
So yeah, I'm with Snapdragon (sorry!)- I'd LOVE if they were all only worth a few bucks and I could have all the G1 lovelies I wanted. I don't see it happening, though, and I'm glad it's because there are still so many of us who love them. :lovey:
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Also, the G3 boxes do a very poor job of keeping dust out, due to the way they're constructed. Except the ones that are on actual blister cards. But most are in those little plastic "house" style boxes.
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Doubtful. Ponies were first produced as toys, hardly anyone collected them. So there is a limited supply of what's stil MOC/MIB/MIP G1. :) With all the customizing... there are less loose G1 overall.
Beanie Babies were created as a "collectible" fad of the 90's, like comics and action figures and all those other things. Everyone and their brother were supposed to buy 10 because they were "collectible" - well, when everyone collects them, they're not a collectible, they're kitschy art displays. ;)
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Where are people getting their information from that G1's were not popular in the 80's? I want to know where this theory or fact is coming from. If it's a fact I'd like to know what it is being based off of?
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Where are people getting their information from that G1's were not popular in the 80's? I want to know where this theory or fact is coming from. If it's a fact I'd like to know what it is being based off of?
I don't think anyone is saying that they weren't popular in general, they're just saying that they weren't popular as collector's items. Most of the people who bought G1s bought them as toys, and weren't thinking of what they'd be worth in 20+ years. That's why it's so hard (and expensive) to find a MIB G1.
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MLPs were INSANELY popular in the 80s, particularly Year 2 (Glory, Moondancer, Firefly, etc).
They were popular as children's toys, though, not as "adult collectibles", which I think is what some people mean. Little kids who wanted to "collect all the ponies" did so because they wanted to play with them; adults who wanted to "collect all the Beanie Babies" often did it because they thought they would make lots of money later. Kind of a "stock market" thing, but with plush toys.
I mean, all the fuss about keeping the Beanie Baby tag PERFECTLY PRISTINE and putting them in those little plastic "protectors" and all that . . . and HEAVEN FORBID you snip off the tag. That's not the way it was with G1 ponies. Adults bought them, gave them to the kid, the kid opened the packaging and played with the pony. Some ponies got banged up in the process, which made the ponies who DID remain mint more valuable.
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Where are people getting their information from that G1's were not popular in the 80's? I want to know where this theory or fact is coming from. If it's a fact I'd like to know what it is being based off of?
I don't think anyone is saying that they weren't popular in general, they're just saying that they weren't popular as collector's items. Most of the people who bought G1s bought them as toys, and weren't thinking of what they'd be worth in 20+ years. That's why it's so hard (and expensive) to find a MIB G1.
I've actually gotten into a debate with some over this and that's not the mentality they come at me with. They come at me with Hasbro made ponies just because and that they were not popular. There was no discussion of collectors vs value collectors debate. It was MLP from the 80's was not popular period.
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Where are people getting their information from that G1's were not popular in the 80's? I want to know where this theory or fact is coming from. If it's a fact I'd like to know what it is being based off of?
I don't think anyone is saying that they weren't popular in general, they're just saying that they weren't popular as collector's items. Most of the people who bought G1s bought them as toys, and weren't thinking of what they'd be worth in 20+ years. That's why it's so hard (and expensive) to find a MIB G1.
I've actually gotten into a debate with some over this and that's not the mentality they come at me with. They come at me with Hasbro made ponies just because and that they were not popular. There was no discussion of collectors vs value collectors debate. It was MLP from the 80's was not popular period.
Wow, I've never heard that one before. Doesn't MLP often make lists of stuff notable for the 80's? I agree with the argument that mlp wasn't popular as a "collectible" per se. But I've never heard someone try to say that they just weren't popular at all. G1 lasted 12 years after all. Who was it that tried to argue that with you. Was it a collector? or someone who wasn't a child and didn't have any children in the 80's?
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Well, those people are wrong. Objectively wrong. I have some old "toy retailer" magazines from the 1985-ish, and they talk about how "My Little Pony was the must-have toy this Christmas season. By the end of the sales season, only a few Pretty Parlors were left on the shelves. The rest of the ponies, including Dream Castle and the Show Stable, had galloped away to be with new owners."
I mean, just look at the change from Year 1 to Year 2.
Year 1 - Six ponies, all in the same mold, at a fairly cheap price range.
Year 2 - SEVEN new molds (two new earth pony molds, one pegasus mold, two unicorn molds, one seapony mold, and mail order baby Ember). Fashion "Pony Wear." FOUR new playsets, one of which was huge and expensive (Dream Castle).
Quite the leap from those six ponies in Year 1! And Hasbro simply wouldn't have done it if the brand weren't popular and making money. I mean, why would they?
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So, my mom and I were having a discussion. I mentioned wanting a certain Greek pony that is worth over $300. She started talking about how collectibles are only worth what people are willing to pay. Basically saying that that is too much to pay for a pony and that eventually MLP will be worthless someday just like Beanie Babies were. Do you see yourselves not collecting anymore and the market dying? I don't think so mainly because there are so many of us and I know I want to keep collecting. I have even considered selling pieces of other collections to expand my MLP collection. I know there have been a few people around here that have downsized or gotten out of collecting but it seems like there are plenty of people picking up where they leave off.
MLPs have been there, done that. It's called the G3s! They're truly worth dirt now.
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Where are people getting their information from that G1's were not popular in the 80's? I want to know where this theory or fact is coming from. If it's a fact I'd like to know what it is being based off of?
I don't think anyone is saying that they weren't popular in general, they're just saying that they weren't popular as collector's items. Most of the people who bought G1s bought them as toys, and weren't thinking of what they'd be worth in 20+ years. That's why it's so hard (and expensive) to find a MIB G1.
I've actually gotten into a debate with some over this and that's not the mentality they come at me with. They come at me with Hasbro made ponies just because and that they were not popular. There was no discussion of collectors vs value collectors debate. It was MLP from the 80's was not popular period.
Wow, I've never heard that one before. Doesn't MLP often make lists of stuff notable for the 80's? I agree with the argument that mlp wasn't popular as a "collectible" per se. But I've never heard someone try to say that they just weren't popular at all. G1 lasted 12 years after all. Who was it that tried to argue that with you. Was it a collector? or someone who wasn't a child and didn't have any children in the 80's?
It was a 'newer' fan of MLP (if that makes sense). I had to assume it was someone who never saw a 80's Toys R Us isle. Which I tried to point out and explain what a 80's MLP toy section looked like compared to now pony section but that didn't seem to matter. I tried to point out we had a movie back in the 80's. Not just a made for TV movie but a actual movie theater movie but the argument was still that MLP was not actually popular in the 80s.
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MLPs have been there, done that. It's called the G3s! They're truly worth dirt now.
I don't know that that will always be the case though. I don't think that any new incarnation of mlp will match G1 for rarity. However, I do think that G3s will "arise from the ashes," as it were. First of all, the kids who played with G3 are still haven't grown up and come into their own financially. So that could be a boost in a few years.
Also, there hasn't really been a gap in production between 2003 and now. I think a lot of collectors are spending their money on what ever is newest in the store. Whenever there comes a point (and it will come eventually) when mlp is no longer being produced, then collectors will return to the older generations. In the meantime, more and more G3 will be destroyed because their "worthless" which of course will make them rarer. Again, not as rare as G1.
Consider this, there have been gaps between previous generations before. If you take into account that G2 only lasted 2 years in the US *and* was unpopular with collectors, then there is an 11 year gap between G1 and G3 in the US.
Post Merge: May 21, 2012, 09:36:08 AM
It was a 'newer' fan of MLP (if that makes sense). I had to assume it was someone who never saw a 80's Toys R Us isle. Which I tried to point out and explain what a 80's MLP toy section looked like compared to now pony section but that didn't seem to matter. I tried to point out we had a movie back in the 80's. Not just a made for TV movie but a actual movie theater movie but the argument was still that MLP was not actually popular in the 80s.
No that makes sense. Either it was someone who wasn't alive in the 80's (and a lot of people really can't grasp what went on before they were born) or it was someone who was totally out of touch with what was popular outside of their own personal interests at the time.
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I'd agree with the "ponies were never collectables they were toys theory"
But I have a disturbing theory I have to get off my chest.
How long will G1 ponies physically last? With things like cancer, plastic decomposition and unnatural factors it will get harder and harder to find, restore and preserve ponies as the year goes by.
Sadly even plastic decomposes, it's a good thing when thinking about litter and garbage but heartbreaking when it comes to ponies. I'd like my grandchildren to have G1s.
I am going to say with what i have seen happen to old plastic. if you take good care of the g1 ponies they should last 100 years under ideal conditions (so we have like 70 years left). the plastisizers slowly evaporate out of the plastic and they become brittle ,crack,discolor. and pretty much self destruct no matter what you do.(this is why i have recomended armor-all in the past to try and preserve them and at least slow down the aging process
This topic is going down a very disturbing road... Knowing I'll probably live for around 70 more years (if I'm lucky) I really don't want to see my ponies deteriorate like I do... hopefully Hasbro will make some sort of commemorative release of the most popular G1s.
I'll definitely get this "armor-all" stuff
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No. They made waaaay more beanie babies than they should have for them to hold their value for collectors, which wasn't what the company was making them for anyway. And the big problem was that all of the middle-aged and up women of the world who didn't otherwise collect toys started hoarding them like mad to make money. Ponies aren't as appealing to people who don't otherwise collect toys and their value is kinda secret from most people. The value of beanie babies was told to the whole world in a short period of time so people started buying up all of them and then they crashed. Stuffed animals don't typically hold their value well anyway. Ponies are no longer available retail (not counting G4) whereas beanie babies still are.
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Beanie Babies were just a mahoosive fad that were marketed in a particularly brilliant ( slightly questionable ethically) way.
What better way of making money than making copious amounts of cute cuddly toys, small enough and cheap enough so you can justify collecting them yet numerous and diverse enough to appeal to more or less everyone? then turn around and predict these cuddly toys are the collectibles of the future and - voila - profits upon profits with people screaming for more and fighting each other for the newest releases.