Is this store lightbox display image really that sought-after?

[Rosette]

I'm so sad to hear that it was shill bided to raise the price.
Last summer when I bought a box of ponies from him he was so incredibly nice and gave me a really good deal.
To my knowledge the ponies were HIS as he told me about what was there and even went as far as to showed me his MLP Tattoos.
The girl in the profile picture was there, but never said a word to me, or showed any interest in our transaction.

It's been over a year but I do remember him saying it came from Germany and was displayed there.
I want to say there was some use wear to it (he had it rolled in a big tube) but I can't be sure since it was so long ago.
I wish I could be more helpful. :/

That's so strange.  Is it possible this isn't the same person?  Because the person who sold this sent a message with something like, "Are you the person with the Pony Room??" and seemed unaware that many MLP collectors have Pony Rooms.  It didn't seem like MLP was their thing and was, as far as I saw, the only MLP related item in their eBay history.

I promise when it arrives to take full photographs of it--even if I have to send it back--so that we can all have the mystery solved of what this thing is, what condition its in, and why the auction photographs were so spectacularly bad! 

[Whoa1234]

It's the same location as I bought the ponies and the same huge poster he offered to sell me.
I can only assume it's him, I did tell him some about my ponies, and probably mentioned the arena.
I def remember the girl though, mostly because I was expecting to deal with her not her partner.
If you have his email I can go back track through mine to see if i have our original conversation about buying ponies from him.

(e)
FOUND THE EMAIL
I'll Pm you

[Rosette]

The answer so many of us wanted answered:  What is it?

Now I can tell you! 

It is a 3 ft x 4 ft photographic image on a transparency roll.  I don't know what sort of printing magic it takes to create something like this, but there are a few spots where the image is wearing and it is a plastic-y coating that has the image on it overtop of the clear transparency film base.  I didn't see *any* trademarks, dates, codes, numbers, or writing of any type on the image.  It has Tiffany and Friendly.  Tiffany is wearing a pink version of her hat (with yellow gold-edged ribbon) that has some sort of rounded cord holding the hat on instead of the elastic band she was released with.

While the auction photographs were extremely unhelpful and dark, I can say that holding it up against the window the photograph has some really bright, saturated, beautiful color.  It is BEGGING to be placed back into a light box and I'm going to have to have one custom built for it.  Even with the damage it has (and despite the absolutely infuriating and disgusting circumstances of me getting it with a rigged auction and shill bidding) I'm extremely (and pleasantly) surprised to see it arrive and be something actually pretty great.

I've certainly never seen one like it.

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We ran out of hands so the poster is rolled and so you can't see Friendly in the bottom corner of the image.

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You can see it is giant and will take up a ton of wall space.  Maybe put into into a light-box table-top as a desk?

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Some of the damage to the image and details of her hat.



Post Merge: June 29, 2013, 12:05:15 PM

It's the same location as I bought the ponies and the same huge poster he offered to sell me.
I can only assume it's him, I did tell him some about my ponies, and probably mentioned the arena.
I def remember the girl though, mostly because I was expecting to deal with her not her partner.
If you have his email I can go back track through mine to see if i have our original conversation about buying ponies from him.

(e)
FOUND THE EMAIL
I'll Pm you

Oh, fascinating.  I wonder if he wasn't involved in its auction...if the girl did it without him?  I'm not sure if you've PM'd me but as of right now, I haven't gotten a message. 

[hathorcat]

Congrats It looks lovely!

The printing magic is just backlit film - we print it every day for projects, some small like this one and some 20ft+ long!

[Rosette]

The printing magic is just backlit film - we print it every day for projects, some small like this one and some 20ft+ long!

As a historian, I consider this incomprehensibly high-tech and modern.  It involved a computer?  Or a big printer thing? I sorta understand how photographic paper developing works, but not how they would have made this...especially during G1. 

 It is no coincidence how long it took me to start using the Arena.  I'm of a different era.  The Stone Age.

[hathorcat]

I love you songtoisis We dont all have to be computer friendly at the end of the day!

It works in a similar way to a giant negative if you like. The technology has of course advanced. Back in the 80s something like that would have been pricey and outsourced. Now a days most large format printing is digital and we can even produce such things in house for clients.

When you are at the movies or in a department store, you will often see large posters which appear to be illuminated. These are the same idea. You have a "back lit film" which is either reverse or correct printed and you hang it in front of a light source which illuminated the poster and makes it appear to be "lit up"..

[Dragonflitter]

When you are at the movies or in a department store, you will often see large posters which appear to be illuminated. These are the same idea.

Ohhhhhhhhhh NOW I get it!!! I read this whole thread and even looked at the photos from the ebay auction and song, but it still didn't quite click until just now. Thanks hathor!

[achab1984]

Um....I would of passed on that. That sure did bring a lot of money!

[Sugarberry]

It's really lovely Song, even with the damage.  Having seen some of the unusual displays in the Toymaster stores of Northern Ireland, and a few in Spain, England, Scotland, Bahamas, Canada and France- it doesn't surprise me that it may indeed come from Germany and be fairly unknown.  My husband tells me that often some toy stores overseas get displays, and others in the same chain do not (hit or miss really).  So while it may have been pricey, whether or not it's vintage or modern, it's going to be a really neat and unique addition to your growing / upcoming pony room.    Congrats!

[scarletjul]

Against the light, that really is pretty!  Congrats on getting it.