Pony display - help?!

[Sunshine]

I need some help figuring out how exactly to display some ponies...

To make a long story short, I have a "storage collection", due to sheer size - so all of my most important (all my G1s, basically) go into storage until I have the time and space to create custom shelving for them, so I can display them without jeopardizing their quality.

But, I have a bunch of G2s, G3s and G4s that I'm not so worried about, and I'd like to display them... but I don't exactly know what to do.

I have one bookshelf. Wooden - golden mahogany is the color. The top of the bookcase is already taken by my G1 MLP kid-size oven... so there's no room on top. The inside is shallow - shelves are about 22" long, and 8" deep. There are three shelves and then an area below the bottom shelf. I want to display my G3s on this, and so I cut a 2x4 to shelf size to make a platform in the back. I figure I can probably get 2 rows of adult G3s on each shelf. On the lowest shelf, I have some 2x3s to make three rows, and down here I have some G3.5s and McDonalds ponies.

But how do I display my G3s...? Do I just shove them all side by side and maximize space? Should I color coordinate them? Should I arrange them by type, series, etc...?

I'm so lost, and I'm pretty new to collecting G3's, it's just that my G1's that I need are few and far between and very expensive, so now I'm moving onto loose G3s... I know hardly anything about them except the early ones.

So any ideas, photos you have of yours, anything like that - just to give me some ideas on how to make my display look nicer, I'd really appreciate it! I may add photos when I get done stocking the shelves the first time.

Thank you for any ideas you can share!

[PinkRosedust]

Using risers when possible is always a great first step! =)

To me personally, ponies look nicer when you can see their symbols and tell just who you're looking at. Yes, it takes a lot more shelf space, but the symbols are a really important aspect of the MLP design to me, so I feel like displaying all my ponies in such a way that you can't see them makes displaying them at all somewhat pointless (which may be why I have boxes of ponies sitting around). And of course, a less stuffed/cluttered display for anything generally is more appealing to look at.

However, I do have a lot of ponies displayed who are stuck behind other ponies - but in most cases, they still face to the side, because I like how their profile looks more than I like how they look head-on. In these cases I try my best to at least arrange them so that you can see all their faces - so the first pony faces right, then the pony behind it will face to the left so that it's head isn't directly behind the others' head. This tactic does kinda fail when you have more than 2 rows, lol, but I still try!

Hopefully that made some sense! =P

[relcelestia]

yes risers are the best to me i personaly am not a big fan of standing book shelves, its just really hard to see the ponies that way, not too much light ya know? and not much room for layers.

wall mounted shelves have been my best bet!

you can put several LARGE layers of ponies and still see their faces and symbols! plenty of light and extra space above and on the sides (the lumber can extend PAST the length of the shelf itself)
i just used random pieces of lumber, decks of cards and other random things.

heres a pic so you can get the idea
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Post Merge: November 12, 2012, 03:45:50 PM

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Post Merge: November 12, 2012, 03:57:35 PM

oh AND if you do it on the top of a dresser or vanity er something you have even MORE surface area to add layers and risers!!!
the blue section of ponies is on a dresser...
i just put boxes, lumber etc on the dresser then put fabric over it to make it look nicer

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[Sea_Breeze]

There was a tutorial on making your own risers out of old polystrene or foam board as its referred too in some places. Its a GREAT idea & won't break the buget..

Ah found it was Sailor Earth, she covered it in felt afterwards so it looked pretty. I'm going to give this a go when I get some more room

http://www.mlparena.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=282591.html

[hathorcat]

I think its always best to play around with the set up over a couple of shelves to see what makes you happiest! Change out the way you are displaying - by set, by colour - in a couple of days and you'll quickly decide what is best for you.

However, I personally agree I like to see my ponies, each of them on display, so I dont go with the lining up straight on. Ponies have to have space on a shelf so I can see them and also to ensure there is accessory room of course But its not always possible to have enough space to do this with all the ponies.

I hope you take images of your display once you have decided to share with us all

[relcelestia]

There was a tutorial on making your own risers out of old polystrene or foam board as its referred too in some places. Its a GREAT idea & won't break the buget..

Ah found it was Sailor Earth, she covered it in felt afterwards so it looked pretty. I'm going to give this a go when I get some more room

http://www.mlparena.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=282591.html

super! love it!!
maybe i can commission my dad lol!!

[Sunshine]

Wow! So many awesome ideas... I cannot wait to try to make something a little better...

I definitely agree about the bookshelves, but, gotta use what I got for now I guess, and luckily, at least the top shelf, because they're shallow, gets decent light. In the bookcases I'm going to build for my G1s, they will be all lit individually, so that won't be an issue.

One of my other problems is space - do you guys have any special tips or tricks for displaying ponies in a small space? The risers look like such an easy and awesome idea, I will definitely have to pursue that, and they look so nice!

Thank you for the ideas and input, after I get these girls hair set and ready to display I think I'm going to have some fun with arranging them, and taking some pics too!

[achab1984]

Some great idea's here

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I love rel's ideas!  There's always lumber scraps around the house that can be covered with fabric...

Thanks for sharing, everyone!

[hathorcat]

One of my other problems is space - do you guys have any special tips or tricks for displaying ponies in a small space? The risers look like such an easy and awesome idea, I will definitely have to pursue that, and they look so nice!

If you have limited options then honestly risers as suggested by Sea Breeze are the best option as if you are clever it allows you to fit double the amount of ponies to each shelf.

[Lady.Arachnia]

I have used risers made of thin strips of wood and i had a set of unused drinking glasses i used to held the wood up in 3 hights. Here is a pic:
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[Sunshine]

Hey guys - so I've taken some of your advice, and I'm still working on my G3 bookcase (I've got a bunch positioned so far, but a whole other group still in the 'conditioning/pretty-ing process' so, I'll add pictures of that once I finish...

But, I took the information that was linked here by Sea Breeze (thanks!!) and modified it to make a smaller, desktop display stand...

And so, I know it looks like it's all wonk-a-doo and the shelves are not straight, but it's just the patterns and embellishments that are making it look not level... It's not like 100% competely finished, I ran out of sequins, lol! Hopefully I'll get these stocked with some ponies today!
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[hathorcat]

That looks great!

Just be super careful when you are using printed paper like this - ink will rub on to ponies feet and cause staining so you should perhaps put clingfilm/saran wrap or something over the top of the paper to prevent any marks.

[Sunshine]

Thanks for the heads up hath!  Luckily I won't be using this to display any G1 ponies or anything like that - but I have this white fabric that has some sparkles in it, and my plan was to cut out little pieces of that to have the ponies actually stand on... and you wouldn't be able to see that they were really on that when displayed, but it'd keep their feet from touching the paper...

But Saran or something like that might work even easier and save me a lot of time cutting fabric for no reason... I love the idea! Thanks a bunch. I am really enjoying my pony room now that I've started to at least display my loose G3 ponies. They're not my #1 loves, but it's a start and it fills the room with such pony-ness!

[Lady.Arachnia]

I think clear plastic foil what you can use for giftwrapping is better than saran because saran is verry clingy to pony feet and everything else! I find it verry cute with that colored paper! Good Job! X