Advice for a new pony

[Miki]

Though I had a collection of G3 as a kid somewhere along the line they vanished. Now I found out about ponies again and I want to become a humble and true fan of all ponies. I taught myself about G4 and am slowly learning the lingo.

Totally want to buy bait and find a G1. 2 or G3 pony I could love!
Anyway my question is how do I start backwards? How and where should I begin with the G 1s. 2s. and 3s so I can learn about them

[Folly]

You know, honestly, sometimes the funnest thing is to just dork around on mylittlewiki for a while.  It's almost as bad as tvtropes, with all the tabs I end up with... there are just so many ponies to look at

I used to be kind of a hardcore G4-only, ponies from friendship is magic-only kind of collector... nowadays, I'm actually WAY more fond of G1 ponies.  So many fun designs!

[Aienhime]

I agree with Folly. Spend some time on MLPwiki or Dream Valley and just read about all the different ponies, sets, nirvana's etc. That way you'll soon find which ponies you like and which you want to buy and then you can make a specific wanted post here in the wanted section ^^

Good luck and most of all, have fun!!! Discovering all the different ponies is one of the most fun stages of collecting

[RAMChYLD]

Well, my advice would be, start with what you already know. Start with G4, then slowly move down (up?) the chain. After going with G4 and getting comfortable with it, work out who were your G3 ponies, and then focus on them, and then branch out from there.

[Miki]

Thanks guys good advice.

[InkyMilk]

I recommend actually watching the old shows. There's some really great quality episodes on youtube, and if you can, to actually watch them in order, starting with Rescue and Midnight Castle, and include the actual MLP as well as that explains the whole business with Paradise Estate and what became of the beloved Dream Castle. I would also encourage to watch My Little Pony Tales as well which is a different series altogether and has a completely different art style as well as focus of stories (much more slice-of-life rather than epic adventures and more boy ponies). Both these series are completely different from the G3 ponies, and all are different from the FiM series. You'll get a taste of just how many ponies are out there, and maybe a few will really jump out at you as favorite which could inspire you on where you'd like to begin collecting.

[hathorcat]

Yes I think peoples comments about searching Dream Valley and MyLittleWiki and similar sites which have pictures of all the ponies of a certain generation are the best ideas...look for a handful that catch your eye and then start stalking the Sales threads here or even ebay to find your new ponies! Good luck...

[StarDragon]

DreamValley website is a bunch of nostalgia for me from when I first decided to collect. It is ultimately what inspired me to become a collector and gave me much knowledge about the different sets of G1 ponies released in each year.

The Rainbow Forest website helped me to understand all about G2s, so I would take a look there as well.

And StrawberryReef is my most visited site for G3 help and identification. All the G3s are listed there, but some may not have photos and others will, so you can take a look at Silverfall's Ponytopia or the My Little Pony Wiki for additional help.

[Yurusumaji]

You know, honestly, sometimes the funnest thing is to just dork around on mylittlewiki for a while.  It's almost as bad as tvtropes, with all the tabs I end up with... there are just so many ponies to look at

Yup. I spend way too much time on MyLittleWiki.

[Sarahlacewing]

If you need a place to start you could look up the different versions of ponies that survived the different lines.  I think applejack has a g1, g3 and g4 version. 

[Miki]

So much good advice I think I'll try to do it all. I love researching and old Tv shows! It sounds perfect

[Roseprincess1]

hey there.. welcome back to the heard.. same story here.. found mine again after a long time. fell back in love.
if you are looking for some g1's at not to bad of a prices..go dork around on ebay for a while. you never know what you might come up with..
case in point>>>[link removed as per site rules ~ many thanks ~ hathorcat]
these two lovely ladies ive been eyeballing.
brush and grow were normally about seven bucks a pop when they first came out.. so your getting these at price.. trust me i know ive hung around ebay enough to know.. so theres a good place toget ou started.
i hope you find many many ponies to add to your heard and love.
goodluck..
btw.. also check toys r us this week end.. big pony pariphenaila sale!

[Eviecorn]

I'd browse the wonderful photo threads that people create here!  I've added many a new pony to my wish list after seeing a great photo of her.

[Aurora]

I think all my suggestions are here already- read the threads that are floating around on the Arena, Check out the online sites- my personal favorites are Dream Valley and Strawberry Reef, though I've spent lots of time on Rainbow Forest, too! If you are more of a book person (vs internet/online) there are a few good books- Summer (oh, I'm sure she has a last name, but I've forgotten it!) and Debra Birge's books are full of beautiful pictures- I could drool for weeks!
And welcome to the wonderful addicting land of ponies!

[StoryDreamer]

Just look at the sale posts and also pony of the day. You will fall in LOVE.