So, just wondering what got you started with collecting and if you intended for your collection to grow as big as it has. Here's my break down:

!) I watched the original series as a kid. I loved my ponies, a part from my dinosaurs, they were my favourite toys hands down.

2) I grow out of them and foolishly sell them at a yard sale.

3) Fast forward to my late 20's and I see my first ever custom My Little Pony. A fire ignites and I am searching the internet for hours, consuming as many custom MLP photos as I can possibly find. I come across G1 ponies and my heart just soars. I get that feeling again, like when I was a kid and played with my toys. I love it and become addicted. I decide to collect the ponies I used to own for a *small* display in my room.

4) I start going to thrift stores, telling myself I'm going to buy up old ponies and make all these amazing customs and sell them.

5) I come across first Gen ponies and end up keeping them. As I collect more ponies for customs, I find that I rather like the G3's. They're very similar in appearance to the G1's after all. I'm becoming a fan.

6) All the customs I make, I end up keeping. LoL. With the exception of a few. I love them and want to keep them and display them with my now growing heard.

7) While I'm working on a custom, I put the new MLP show on Netflix. Up until that point, I hated the way the ponies looked. I thought they looked like deer. I even made one into Bambi http://ravenscollectibles.tumblr.com/post/121123888791/my-bambi-mlp-custom-i-made-him-a-couple-years-ago to prove my point, but as I watch the show, I instantly become attached. And now I'm addicted to the characters and creatures.

8) I start to branch out from just collecting and customizing to taking photos, creating a tumblr account; putting accessories aside for photos and Christmas decorations, and then branching out into keeping a few play sets; wearing pony shirts and gear, buying plushies, and so on!

9) I am not a complete collector. I mostly thrift and keep the ones I like and set other ponies aside to sell or customize, but I do put certain items on a wishlist and slowly pick them off with visits to Toys R Us and ebay/Amazon/MLP Area/MLP TP

10) There you have it

How about you?

I made a little video of my Holiday display and I wanted to share it with you guys and say: Happy Holidays!

Here's a link to the Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr6Bq75DuPE

Here's hoping to be on the Arena more often in the new year 

Hope you guys like the video ^_^


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Just something I noticed and not sure if anyone else has already commented:

MLP snow monster:
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Star Trek snow monster:
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Just sayin', there are some similarities

Just any FYI (because I didn't know till Shadowlark told me, thank you!) Canada post may be going on Strike after July 1st/2nd. I just wanted to spread the word in case you're ordering anything from Canada or shipping to/within Canada. It's not a definite from what I've been reading, just a possibility.

I wasn't sure if I should put this in the FIM show section as they aren't from the show, but fan made videos. I just had to share them, they're beautiful.

Completely fan made videos (I'm a Luna fan, but I love Celesita too) that blow me away. I honestly feel the singing and music are professional quality and are right up there with Disney. The animation is gorgeous as well. In both cases I think the animation is superior to the show. These may be old news to some people, but I was like D: when I found them. I'm a little slow sometimes when it comes to Fandom stuff.

Lullaby for a Princess (A GREAT take on what happened between Luna and Celestia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7PQ9IO-7fU&index=14&list=PLgYlFcGKb2u7sG8GGCQsTZ7nQ_Pkpnuqv

Children of the Night (I think the one song is from Hocus Pocus? Neat story on Luna taking some orphans to a dream land)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW5n3k2VgZE

And one other ad for Dream Castle and this is what happened:

The lot for $40 told us to bring boxes and bags. We did and it was absolutely so much stuff it hardly fit in our car:
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My fiance and I were worried we wouldn't be able to fit Dream Castle, but it fit right on my lap. Lickity Split and a couple other ponies came with it, so I popped Dr Whooves on there with her and had a little fun while we were driving:

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And now this is what our living room looks like:

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Needless to say, I have a lot of stuff to sort through. I can't believe I have enough to fill a pony room b answering one ad.

There were a lot of fakies, but the lot came with G2's, G3's, and G1's, playsets, plushies, and a TON of accessories. I pulled out around 20 G1's last night and started washing them, some are the 2007 new ones, but most were real G1's. I can't believe how many ponies I have now, lol. I am not a big collector though, so I guess I'll have to start trading and selling!

Can anyone tell me, is there really any point in listing play sets? I am not big on them and happy to rehome them for a decent price. Also, do people go for plushies? I'm not big into plushies either. Thanks for looking and for any advice!

I haven't been active on this forum or the MLPTP in couple years. I was real active when I first got into customs and when I realized I could have all my childhood ponies again. It was this odd feeling, this joyous excitement that I hadn't had since my childhood. I hadn't realized it had been gone until I felt it again. It shocked me when I realized it. I have several MH dolls and even a couple BJDs, but nothing gives me the joy and peace that MLPs do/MLP does, for whatever reason. I love the new show, but the G1 and G3's just light me up every time I see them online or in a thrift store. As an artist, when I first saw custom MLPS, I must have jumped for joy, straight out of my chair. I thought they were/are BRILLIANT. I love them. So I started buying up MLPS from the thrift store and looking for my old ponies online-- and I went for it full force.

After I started to get a certain number though... I become more and more reluctant to tell people and I started to hide them. One or two seemed ok to display, like I was some hipster, but then when I started to take up shelves... I started to sweat. I kept wondering: "Is this getting out of hand?" "How much money am I spending?" "Am I wasting money? Is this a problem????"

I ended up moving four times in two years (which is why I've been absent-- I apologize if I left anyone hanging!), so I had to pack up my questions and my ponies for a long time. The stress of the moves and the family issues we were experiencing at the time, unfortunately triggered my PTSD. My PTSD has sadly fluctuated throughout my life as mild anxiety to severe anxiety/break downs and with everything going on, emotions and anxiety were high. While my fiance and I were temporarily living in a friend's basement with a ton of our stuff in storage, I had found myself collecting ponies again, and they helped me. Seeing them, looking for and collecting them, having them, customizing them, it all comforts me. In fact, a technique for people with PTSD is often to list off things during an attack, either names, numbers, or colors for example, as a form of therapy to move thoughts back into the logical side of the brain and guess what? Ponies are PERFECT for that. As you know, MLP merch is so diverse, I could keep myself busy, mentally, for a week. I list of how many blue ponies I have, how many G!'s etc

Well, things have settled down. I had re-focused on "adult things" and my writing career, and I started to feel guilty about my ponies. They were sitting in boxes and bins, packed away again like my childhood. I debated on whether to get them out or just sell them. My fiance was strongly against selling them. In fact, anytime I've ever thought about selling any of my ponies, my fiance is the first one to say "No. You love your ponies. I love that you love them and I would never want you to regret anything."

With writing and my plethora of other hobbies, I was feeling like i needed to cut something and again I brought up getting rid of them. My fiance told me to leave it for a while and I did. We found a free shelving unit and I put my ponies out and I loved it, until I had some people over to show them my art studio... which is where the ponies are. It's tough to see a friend's look of concern/surprise/confusion when they see my pony collection. They never say anything mean or anything, but sometimes the silence is enough.

Then I think about how ponies were meant to be children's toys and the ball of guilt and questioning starts rolling right down the hill of doubt. I found myself struggling with the questions again: Is this out of hand? Am I spending too much money etc . . .

And then I saw this article: http://narrative.ly/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-my-my-little-pony-obsession/

Not only did I "oo" and "aw" at her beautiful photos and her beautiful-self, but I loved her story. I have a partner who is supportive like hers and she reminded me that it didn't matter what anyone else thought. She filled me with inspiration and I became active on the forums again and started some new customs. I don't know her online handle, but I wanted to say thank you and to share my story.

What's your story? How did you come into collecting? Do you have doubts or internal debates?

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Soooooooooo... I love the book, graphic novel, and animated film of the Last Unicorn, so naturally I wanted to make my own Amalthea My Little Pony ^.-.^ Here she is. I may yet make a couple more versions of her. We'll see!

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I like seein' my girls together. The fiery nature of the Nightmare just seemed so fitting in place of the Red Bull ^,-,^