The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: xTic_Tac_Toex on March 18, 2014, 05:57:53 PM
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Hey everyone!
I'm really interested to know the main reason why you collect MLP. I'm actually doing a seminar in a couple of days on what motivates collecting, focused on toys and nostalgia specifically :) This poll would be a really nice thing to finish it with. You have 2 votes, so what would you say your top two reasons are for collecting?
Can't wait to see the results!
XTic_Tac_Toex
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therapy for me. Washing and brushing the hair is very zen. I often take breaks from my school work to pick up a pony and just brush it's hair and kiss her nose.
I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but if that's all I wanted then I would sell the ponies once I found them, lol.
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Honestly, just because I think they're so pretty and I love how colorful they are. And definitely it's something to do, a hobby, that just sprung out of 'these are cute I want more.'
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You know...it's not something I've really given a lot of thought about since I started collecting. And when I sit here and try to think of a good response, I'm a little unsettled that I don't feel like I have one. I can say that they make me happy or that they're cute, but a LOT of things are cute and make me smile and I don't spend nearly the time, energy or money in collecting all those things. So why ponies?
I have to think on this a little more :huh:
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I started to check all the boxes until I read the directions! :P
I guess my top two reasons would be nostalgia and a sense of community, although I feel that all the other options apply to me, too. :)
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I like the old memories they bring and hunting them down.
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I collect ponies cause I had them when I was little and they made me happy. I loved all of there pretty colors and there kind looking eyes :) When I look at ponies they bring back a lot of good memories and make me smile :)
I love to look at them and there pretty colors. So I have to say that its cause of my childhood.
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I voted nostalgia and the hunt. But I also feel that all of these apply.
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It's mostly therapeutic for me. Washing ponies and brushing their hair or rearranging them is one of the few things that can consistently calm me down. I actually quite often end up styling ponies' hair as a way to wind down before bed, and didn't even realize until I thought about it just now!
Though I also find thrift store pony hunting incredibly fun and a bit of a thrill. The regular Value Village trips I make are always something to look forward to!
But again, unpackaging ponies and cleaning them up after finding them is really comforting. So it really is mostly a therapeutic thing for me. ^.^
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I believe I classify as "They make you happy". Looking at things from an animation perspective, I seek out characters I like and am happy to get them when I find them.
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They're cute! okay and yeah some of that thrill of the hunt thing too
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I love how they look and I think they're just so beautiful. I find combing their hair very soothing (another reason why I could never collect G4, not enough brushables)
I also only had one or two actual ponies as a child and mostly had my pony fix through the PC game. Collecting makes me feel like I'm claiming something back from my childhood that limited funds at the time prevented me from throughly enjoying.
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Where's the option for "because the mrs does"? :biggrin:
Although that's probably the main reason for me as she's had ponies since childhood (and we share our hobbies anyway), I suppose the attraction was the atmosphere at last year's UK Ponycon - great sense of fun and a bit of silly escapism from an otherwise serious world ;)
Seeing the way ponies make Clare happy makes me happy too, and makes me want to be involved :)
Paul
PS: OK they are cute as well :blush:
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I chose the first two but all of the options are really why I collect :)
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I enjoy the thrill of the hunt and they make me smile. :)
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Well, my answer is a bit complicated and unromantic, but I had this conversation with myself when I started collecting as well, and I needed to have a rational reason why before I started blowing money on colorful plastic horses. The reason is to not drown into stuff. You see, I have this need to hoard pretty things, it's some sort of nesting I think, but I can keep it in check and pass buying everything else as long as I have something to focus on. Ponies are a good thing to collect, there's near endless variations with different generations and nirvanas and accessories and MOCs and aging and customs and so on, also they are relatively cheap and don't take up much space. They also give me something to do with cleaning and restoring. The truth is however, as much as I do love my ponies, I could be collecting something completely different and be just as happy, I just have ended up with ponies and I am happy I have. This is a great community to be part of after all.
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I only picked the last option because all of the above fit! They do de-stress me, I adore the collecting community, I love hunting for them and they do bring back nostalgia from my childhood. My Little Pony is so many things to me--it was the first toy I ever really loved, the first thing I looked up on the internet, and the first thing I turn to when I'm upset. I can't imagine what my life would be like without MLP, and thus I collect it--and I always will.
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I voted for "nostalgia" and because "they make me happy." Both are true! :)
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It's a passion I have since I was a child. Already as a kid I collected them, although back then I didn't call it like that. But they have been with me all this time. Some times in a box, some times out on the shelves. And now, I continue with that passion for ponies. They make me happy. ^^
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I just love having pretty things around me :) And I love collecting ^__^
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I ticked 'nostalgia' and 'happy' because they're the top 2 but really they all apply :)
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Nostalgia and happy for me as well. But as a general hobby its just something I really enjoy - awesome community, cute collection - all a win win!
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I voted Nostalgia and They make me happy, although the second one is really a tie with Thrill of the hunt. I still get the majority of my ponies from second hand stores, so it really is a challenge, although that's slowed down considerably this past year.
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I put they bring back happy memories. I have many of those playing with them as a child. I also put because of the thrill of the hunt. Tracking down ponies makes me excited to collect more. :) I love finding new ponies.
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For me, its that they make me feel happy and de-stress me. I can have the most stressful day at work, the kinda day where you regret breathing first thing in the morning when you wake up, then I get home, I look at my collection, maybe stroke a pony or 5 and start to smile again ^.^ and if there's been a pony delivery, well, I am smiling before I get through the door :biggrin:
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They're very therapeutic and they make me happy.
People who've known me since I was little girl must think its so strange for me to be loving my little pony this much, as I was very much a tomboy and rejected all things pink as a child!
I feel like I'm getting what I missed by doing that now as a teen going on young adult.
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Sometimes I wonder why I collect ponies and have so many as I do right now. I am a person that does not like to have a lot of things anymore. There are times when I look at my collection and feel like I am a hoarder. But if I did not have my collection I would not have anything to enjoy ( as far as material things) that is.
I like to see what all of you have to say about ponies. I also find them to be therapeutic for me at times. I know when I was sick with shingles they gave me a way to forget about my pain for just a little bit. I also collect for the community that is on this site. I have joined other sites but just did not feel at home like I do on here. I am not sure why but I don't ask or try to find out. You know when you on a site to much when your daughter says " You must really like that site mom!" :)
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Seeing the way ponies make Clare happy makes me happy too, and makes me want to be involved :)
Paul
PS: OK they are cute as well :blush:
Aw, that's lovely hunny - love you lots! :hug: :flow:
I voted for 'nostalgia' and 'therapy', but as others have said, all four apply. :)
This is my 30th year of owning My Little Pony. :hearts:
My childhood collection started in May 1984 with Bow Tie and finished with Locket on my 13th birthday in June 1988. I had 42 in the end and as they were my all-time favourite toys, I could not bear to part with any of them.
For me, My Little Pony equals happiness, like memories of Mum and I playing with them and us both making up little scenarios together and pony gifts from my late grandparents and aunt. When I had my first experience of clinical depression in late 2001, all I wanted to do was escape from reality. My ponies gave me four years of joy as a child and I was looking for ways to recapture this. I started to think about the ponies I missed out on owning and started looking them up on the internet to cheer myself up.
Ponies were being advertised for sale on something called eBay and I found Blue Belle, the one pony that had eluded me as a child. I had to have her in my collection! This was a way to start collecting all the ponies I dreamed of owning. All too often, sets would be discontinued by the time I had saved up enough pocket money or they could be bought by family as Christmas and birthday presents.
I'm so glad to have joined the Arena and found so many like-minded people. I've learnt so much about collecting as a hobby, had some great trades and discovered lots of ponies I knew nothing of that are now part of my herd, including G3s and G4s. :biggrin:
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I selected "Because they make me happy" because, to me at least, that sums up all of the reasons that you gave as options. I collect for the nostalgia - the first time I found G3s in stores it immediately brought back childhood memories. I scooped up a Sparkleworks II and that same night called my mom to see if she knew where the remaining ponies from my childhood were. I collect for therapy - brushing manes, reorganizing shelves, even gazing longingly through ebay and the sales forum (typically) relax me. I collect for the thrill of the hunt - crossing off ponies on my checklist and noting when I *finally* complete a set is super exciting for me! And even though I have terrible, horrible luck at antique/thrift stores and the like, when I manage to find even a manky Peachy second hand it seriously makes my day. I collect for the community - in my experience, Pony people are some of the best I've known. I've never seen a more supportive and genuinely helpful group of individuals in my life, and it's very comforting knowing that I get to be a part of this community :)
All of that together makes me happy :) Several people have asked me along the way if I'll ever stop collecting or sell my collection, and the answer truly is when ponies quit making me smile and feel good, that's when it's time to let my herd move on. There have been times when I've put expanding my collection on hold due to finances or more immediate real-life concerns, but what it boils down to is that I can't not feel warm when I sit down in my pony room :)
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Kind of a bit of everything. Friendship is Magic and the brony community got me into all of MLP as a whole, and I thought I'd only have a small collection, but then it kind of... got out of hand.
I think the reasons for that is that this community is really fun, and I have a personality that gets easily addicted to things.
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I had an empty wall that needed filling.
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Nostalgia & They make me happy :biggrin: & because my boyfriend encouraged me to collect when I got some of mine out of the loft in the summer ^.^
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The thrill of the hunt for sure. I moved in fall so my new pony room is not near complete yet. There has been a lot going on in my life so I haven't had time. I'm level-headed enough to know that real life takes the front seat and plastic ponies can wait until I have more time and they are going to be there when I do. At the same time though, I still like to go pony hunting in the local thrifts, even when I don't have my pony room ready for new additions.
I dunno why ponies though. I always loved animals and dogs and horses always topped my list. I also collect realistic Breyer horse models and little plastic horses of all sorts. One of my friends in elementary school was horse-crazy and she was contagious apparently. I used to be into puppy in my pocket before then (the nice older ones that looked real) and wanted ALL of them. That's why I got hooked on pokemon as a kid, lol. Gotta catch em all.
No therapy for me. They're actually kinda stressful having to set up the room and find room for them and the money spent of course. I don't do a whole lot of pony cleaning usually. Sometimes I get up the energy to have a bath day for new ponies, other times they go on the shelf as they came. I hate doing hair so brushing it down is just about it for me. I do love to photograph ponies though and will clean them up for pictures.
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Because I love them. I know that's not much help, but that's it. :)
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I started to check all the boxes until I read the directions! :P
I guess my top two reasons would be nostalgia and a sense of community, although I feel that all the other options apply to me, too. :)
everything said here :lol:
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1. Because I love what they look like and how they make me feel - happy and nostalgic.
2. because they are not breakable like other collectibles. I collected unicorns when I was growing up. I had unicorn everything! My favorite was Unipegs. Anyway so many of those items got broken what with dogs and other pets knocking them down.... These don't break but if I don't notice them knocked down, they could be chewed.
3. They are so much fun to play with and to customize.
4. I want to have an army one day but don't want to force an army on myself I want it to come "naturally" ;)
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Collecting makes me feel like I'm claiming something back from my childhood that limited funds at the time prevented me from throughly enjoying.
This. I feel like I'm finally able to give something to that little girl who longed for it so badly without luck, since the Ponies she wanted were off the shelves.
I've been pondering lately why it was always Ponies, though. I loved a lot of things as a kid, but I don't think I bonded with any toys (aside from my action figures) as much as I did Ponies. Dancing Butterflies has been with me all my life, and that's probably part of it. But I think with the other things I wanted extremely badly, I was able to get almost all of them (never could get that Mad Dog figure from Disney's TaleSpin, and now I don't even know if it really exists, since a lot of people claim it was never made). Ponies were an exception to that; I wanted them so badly and couldn't have many of them and couldn't find most of the main ones that caught my eye. (I was able to get Ruby Lips, whom I absolutely adored from Sunbeam's backcard. Year Ten is probably the G1 year that makes me feel the most nostalgic, since all but two of my childhood herd were from around then.)
I was excited about every generation, although I didn't get any G3s when they were in stores. I was focused on buying other things at that point. But I should have asked for some.
I'd idly thought of collecting G1s again in particular, but I didn't do anything about it until last year. And I should have stuck with my childhood list, but I started discovering more and more that I liked, and my list grew and grew....
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I have been collecting MLP as an adult since about the time I joined the Arena. As a child MLP held so much magic, imagination and happiness.
As I started getting older, especially after the 10th anniversary and they were no longer NEW, it became a "Oh! a Pony!" and I had to bring it home.
I still have most of the non-toy extras like books, puzzles, etc, that I had since childhood. I think by hanging on to my MLP stuff it allowed me to still feel that...peace...is the only word I can think of, I had as a kid while still being a grown up.
I will admit there was a part of me that was thinking I might be too old for "toys" but I learned about the same time that if it makes you happy and it's not disruptive to your daily functioning, then who cares!?
It wasn't long after I came here and found all these lovely GROWN UP MLP fans who still bought and played with Ponies. I felt much better about me, so I guess the sense of community here helped me to go ahead and complete my sets without thinking or feeling strange about it.
Where Barbie collecting had this strange mature or rigid atmosphere, MLP opened me up to a more relaxed atmosphere and I actually started finishing my JEM collection and some Disney stuff. I even started collecting Monster High because of the awesome fans I met through the Arena!
So all the above apply to me but I did narrow it down to the Nostalgia of it and that it made me happy. Especially since it has given my 9yr old daughter and I something to bond over!
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Because I've always had MLP in my house and I don't plan to stop any time soon. :)
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I too wanted to tick all the boxes, because all these apply :biggrin:
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I put nostalgia and "they make me happy" but "thrill of the hunt equally applies"- I was pretty devastated as a kid when my mom sold most of my G1 ponies, and as I got older, rediscovered them on the Internet, and was more in control of my own money, I started to seek them out second hand (unfortunately, this was around the time everyone my age was doing the same, so they became surprisingly rare.) Over the last few years I've discovered local flea markets and thrift stores, and there's little I love more than finding a G1 (or G3s, since G1s are far and few between now- I think other collectors have noticed the same stores) or another old toy from the '80s and early '90s. I think, between my "new" acquisitions and childhood survivors that I've held onto, I now have more toys from this era than I did as a kid! And I love it; being surrounded by a world where the likes of My Little Pony, Lady Lovely Locks, He-Man, Jurassic Park, Little Pet Shop, Transformers and G.I. Joe all co-exist makes me feel young again. :good:
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All of the above really. Mostly nostalgia and therapy I think. I collect for therapy for sure. I know when I'm depressed or anxious is definitely when I buy more ponies. I collect ponies for nostalgia. Community is why I hang about here regardless of if I'm actively buying or not.
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Sorry, can't select enough options, lol. All of the above?
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The voices in my head command me to.
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I like to build my collection, though I don't like to hunt the things I want, I get no thrill from it. I also collect, because it makes me happy.
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I find them really comforting. I love the sculpture side of them, originally someone would of had to sculpt them and choose which lines to follow, positioning and shape. A couple of mm plus or minus would make our ponies look very different.
The translation from model to paper is beautiful.
The angle that the main is implanted is perfect for the shape of the head (g1)
They are safe and happy.
They will never tell you, you are crap, or leave you on your own, or get sick or die.
They will always be beautiful and fun to collect. I would still collect them if I was the only one collecting. It is a real buzz to go to conventions and have a two way conversation and something I love. The people are so fun x
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I hope you weren't looking for a clear answer, lol.
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I know when I'm depressed or anxious is definitely when I buy more ponies.
Same here.
Whenever I'm under pressure with work or life I find myself turning to MLP more often if there isn't much else to do, it allows me to escape spending those moments hopelessly worrying and instead I get occupied with something cheerful and light hearted to relieve some stress.
Nostalgia definitely plays a role to a certain extent however my favourite ponies as an adult are ones I never had as a child, whereas a lot of what I did own back then doesn't appeal to me anymore. I'm also a collector of many other things that were produced decades before my time so I guess in my case it's just a matter of preferring the aesthetics and designs of earlier times. I also love toys in general, have a passion for color schemes, and my childhood obsession with shetland ponies and animals to this day makes MLP an irresistible collectable for me.