How long have you been a collector?

[Lightning Twirl]

Since last August-September! =D I was raised around my aunt who had all kinds of my little pony toys from the 80's. I didnt really start getting into ponies until the G4 show came out about 2010. I love the show and after it came out, I eye-balled the toys for a while. My first bit of pony merch were actually the blindbags, I had a RD from wave 1. Later in August I bought a Lyra Heartstrings single from the Wedding set, then Cherry Berry, then Sunny, then Trixie. I originally kept them in their packaging.  I eventually saw the TRU White Celestia exclusive and fell in love! I bought that and the TRU Favorites Collection with NMM. I started buying loose singles off ebay and ecrater at my own pace since September. I now also collect the blind bags ,Funko figures, Enterplay trading cards, and 11" Funrise plushies. Realizing there was so much pony and so little space on my closet shelf, I decided to open any packaged ponies besides my large talking ponies, funkos, and my TRU Zekora. I love my pony herd so much, Im so glad I started it because during the whole collecting process I have made friends!

[NovelNerd]

Hmm well I was given ponies at a young age, but my childhood herd was mostly my cousins old toys. My grandparents stared me on Breyers at age five, and I collected them till I went to college. My old childhood room is a shrine almost to Breyer with shelves of them everywhere and pictures of my real horses along with posters.

I got back into ponies last summer when I was trying to find Bug Brothers for my wife. She missed her ponies and while cleaning we stumbled on my pony collection I kept under the bed. I have more now and a variety. I've always been a collector of things, but I like various collections. I get bored of focusing on just one particular collection.

[Flitter]

I got into collecting G4 in July 2011. So almost 2 years ago
I had G1 as a kid but wouldn't call myself a collector then.

[angel_rose]

Interesting question. I started buying G3s for my girls about 10 years ago. Then I got hooked on them myself. My girls outgrew them but I have collected ever since. Good thing for them MLP is cool now.

[moonflower]

I've been collecting G1 since Sept 2005. I had a few as a kid but wasn't a collector then.

[Lightning Twirl]

I have more now and a variety. I've always been a collector of things, but I like various collections. I get bored of focusing on just one particular collection.

Same here! Before all of this, I had only a pokemon card collection I have tried to keep up with for the past 15 years! It was the only thing I collected before ponies, I never understood why it made me so unhappy until I collected something else. I now have Ponies, a small fossil/mineral collection, a mini Iwako eraser collection and whatever Pokemon cards I have now. New expansions of those cards come out like every 3 months erg it got so horribly expensive and competitive I just cant keep up with it. At least I can keep up with Ponies and there are different styles of them so it isnt boring! =D I love fossils and rocks too because I find something different or new every time!

[SourdoughStomper]

I started when I was five and ponies were brand new. I think it petered out around the time I turned 12-13. Then I started over again after I discovered G3s. I knew about the 2s but at the time, I thought they were SO blinking weird that Hasbro was drunk or something.

So I joined the Arena in 2004 and have been collecting since. Some times more than others.

[Starly]

little under two years
first 3 ponies were wave 1 G4 rainbow dash, pinkie pie, and twilight sparkle, next 3 were the rest of the mane 6, then found a box of g3s at a yard sale, and the rest is history. <3

[Moony]

According to my account here I saltarted collecting in 2006 xD It's been almost 7 years! My first pony was a G3 and now I have about 325 of those The majority of my collection is G3, G4, and merchandise of those two generations

[invaderhorizongreen]

I want to say sense I was 4-6 years old for me.

[tikibirds]

when I discovered Ebay back in 2000, But I had ponies as a child

[BerryMouse]

Not 100 % sure but I guess around 2003
Whoa that's 10 years now 

[Sea_Breeze]

I wanted to buy more when I was young but I didn't become an actual collector until 2003 when the G3s began appearing.. its all G3 Fluttershys fault

[foalpatrol]

About 8 years I think, but only seriously collecting (i.e. buying expensive "investment" ponies) in the past three.

[hathorcat]

I was a long time internet lurker - it actually took me 6 years of lurking on pony sites and generally sauntering around the internet trying to understand MLP by myself and with a couple of email collector friends, before I finally signed up and became part of the online community. Believe it or not...I was the shy and retiring type...I didnt like to talk

I was not a collector as a child; as a child my ponies were my beloved toys. In 2001 however something sparked and I started collecting. In 2007 the important date came though and I became a member of this awesome Arena community!