Why do you Collect and What do you Collect?

[xTic_Tac_Toex]

Everyone has different reasons! I'm interested to know

I collect for nostalgia reasons - even though I'm technically a 90s kid, I grew up with G1s and they were by far my favourite toys. I have a small, humble collection of MLP on display to remind me of those fun times.

I only collect G1s, but am not a 'set completer' collector - I'll only buy the ponies I really like. I'm also super-picky, so if a pony isn't mint enough I'll sell on. I don't like to spend a lot on ponies, being a poor student, so tend to buy in job lots, keep my favourite minty gals and then sell on the rest to make some money back. I also love to have original accessories with my ponies! Especially those ribbons.

(Also, feel free to link a photo of your collection)

[Starly]

Collecting and buying ponies de-stresses me. It wasn't always that way, but I collect mosty G4s, and I love to debox them, brush them, etc, I also love the EQG dolls, plushies (official and handmade) and making custom brushables to collect. It's all very relaxing to me, and I can say with honesty that I have bought many ponies out of impulse just because I was upset and needed something new to play with. I look at all my G4s and feel proud of having so many. I like sitting them next to me, brushing them, petting them, I even buy blind bags too! I never know the codes so I just grab a few that 'feel' like something good and open them when I get home.

If I find a G3 at a yard sale, provided I don't have 7 of it already, I'll always buy it too, and G1s and G2s always come home.

I would llve to take a picture of my collection, but I have no real camera, nor any organized space for all of them! My ponies are in boxes, bags, just a disorganized mes,s only the newest and my favorites stay out in the open.

[LittleSpiffy]

I am a G1 collector-turned-G4 collector.

I sold off my G1's because I needed the money and the space.  I kept my childhood G1's a couple of childhood "replacement" ponies.

G4's are smaller and, thus far, I haven't run into the space issue I was having before.

Why do I collect?  Hmmm.  I love them.  I love ponies.  I got my first pony when I was 3 and collected them until I was   nine/ten (the last pony I bought in a store was Glittery SHS Starflash.  I picked the pony and paid with my own money, so I guess THAT'S the moment I became a collector, haha).  I didn't get into the second-hand pony scene until 1999.  Bought my first eBay pony in 2001 and that sealed the deal.

I find them comforting, I suppose.  In 2001 I was a freshman in college.  Away from home, new surroundings, etc.  Bought a G1 Powder and a MIB Baby Racer...then I went pony-hunt nuts the summer of 2001, joined the MLPTP, and, well here I am!

Collecting is challenging, too, which I enjoy.  Plus I get to talk with all of you, which is wonderful <3

[happycootie]

I collect ponies because they make me happy! It's really that simple G1s are my favorite- they have such sweet expessions! A few months ago, I officially fell for G3s... it took a while, but their playful look and fun colors won me over. And they are kind of addicting- so much cheaper than buying G1s and it's so easy to find them in good condition.

I am also addicted to Hello Kitty Mega Bloks. Never really liked Legos, but a pal bought me a few HKMB figures and they just sucked me in. I had every set until recently as they just released some more. Now I am on the hunt!

[Stormness_1]

I collect because they make me happy. Ponies and tea are two things in life that always make me happy. Right now I'm super stressed and upset, so I've surrounded my computer with ponies and have a massive mug of tea.

[hathorcat]

I am a G1 collector who dabbles in G3 and G4

I am a completionist collector - all ponies, all accessories!

[BigHicks1977]

I collect for the hunt I only like to get my ponies or any of the other toys I collect for CHEAP and I like to find them in random places like thrift stores flea markets ect....I honestly get high when I find a great piece

[BlackCurtains]

When I first joined the Arena, I had no intention of collecting anything other than customs (they are what brought me here). Although there was a tinge of nostalgia, I didn't have a lot of ponies as a kid, and they weren't my favorite toys. I stuck to the customs forum mostly, but lurked around and was surprised to learn there were so many G1s. It was the Big Brothers that really did it for me, and soon I bought a Wigwam "just because".

It's funny, because I remember being so overwhelmed, thinking I would never learn all the acronyms, the different sets, let alone individual names! But I learned. It still freaks me out just how much I've learned about ponies since I don't consider myself a very serious collector or anything. I think the community had a lot to do with that though. It was something I wanted to be a part of, because, well... why wouldn't you? I don't think I would have become a pony person if not for the Arena, specifically *squishy hugs everyone*

As to what I collect; mostly customs and orange ponies. G1, 2 and 3 mainly. Though I like the G4 blind bags and have quite a few. My collection makes me happy - the color orange makes me happy, so I surround myself with orange things anyway. Orange ponies are probably the happiest thing there is

[invaderhorizongreen]

I collect all gens of ponies, and I collect because of a childhood love of them.

[Lorelei Redfern]

i colect becuase i love them i  played witht hem when ii was a kid. i grew up with G1. and had a small colelciton i ahd liek i think 15 lol
went to the mlp fair and  i   just bought the most i could with the msall budget i had!!  mostly g1s. and   g3.  then i just started  buying g1s lol

i normally just buy  g1s i dont have if i find htem in   yard sales or whatever.. i  do pick up  g2 as well.but only if i get a good  deal ont hem. i  do like some of the g2 playsets

i do collect some of the g4s. i liek the  brushable small ones.  not the long stick like ones. 

so i actualy colelct g1  and some of hte g3 i  am missing. also the  g4's i'm missing

[achab1984]

Well I started to get into ponies when my aunt passed down her ponies to me. I cant remember what year that was or how old I was?
After that I would get a pony time to time from my parents and birthday gifts. I lost interest in them when the G2 ponies came out. I put all my ponies away and did not look at them again till 2003.  What started it was when I walked into a Pamada and they had some ponies in the toy isle! I could not believe it! I went home and got on the internet and went on Hasbro's page! I did not find this site then, but I started to buy G1 ponies on personal pages and nothing on ebay yet. I collected them for a few years and then stopped. I did not sell any of the ponies that I had at the time. It was not till 2006 when I found this site and the rest was history. I collected till the core 7 ponies came out. I think that I had almost 300 ponies then. I sold all of them off but my child hood ponies. I stopped and did not even look at ponies for very much. It was not till last fall when we went to a second hand store and picked up two G3 ponies for my daughter. I did not care for the G4 ponies when they first came out. I thought I would give it a try and bought a set of them. Now the rest is history again! I now have almost 400 ponies!  I hope that I don't ever leave this hobby again!

[gypsyunicorn]

I collect for lots of reason . They bring me happy childhood memories. The thrill of the hunt. Finding them second hand is like finding a treasure waiting just for me to find. Cleaning them destresses me and helps pass time. I feel good when I make it look new again. They are fun to talk about with fellow collectors. I like taking pictures of them all cute to share online. They have so much to find that I have yet to see like in old merchandise so there is always something new to see and learn about.

[andibgoode]

Even as a child I loved Barbie better than anything else but I had a small collection of MLP that I loved (I remember loving the feeling of fitting the pads of my fingers into the grooves of their hooves - heh, rhyme!). Unfortunately a daughter of one of my mother's friends stole all my ponies one day (her mother is also incredibly dishonest, so she probably learnt from her) and I never got them back. I think MLP had this sour memory for me for many years but when FiM started airing I had friends who loved it and kept telling me I should watch it. I resisted and then...could resist no longer!

It started me on a quest to figure out which ponies I had as a child (I can only remember two - the rest may have been fakies) and then I saw all of the other beautiful G1 ponies and, between that and falling in love with FiM, I was hooked!

So far I mainly collect G1 & G4 but I like all gens. I really need to refine what I collect but, just like with my Barbie collection, I like too many! It's too hard to choose! (I think in years to come it'll be easier to figure it out, though). 

[sahalis]

I'm technically a 90's kid too! Growing up, I only had one G1-- Skyflyer-- but I had most of the US release G2 ponies (there were no unicorns or babies here, which I'm sad about). I remember when I was a kid, my one "friend" had like two hundred G1 ponies but wouldn't let me even touch any of them when I came over. I still wonder what ended up happening to them and hope that I'll find them at a garage sale one day, haha. Anyway, when I got older, I think that just made me more determined to collect G1s! Also, I have a sister who is 5 years old (yeah, big age gap) so now I buy G1 ponies so she can have them (because I never did). And FiM is actually a really well-done show!

[Nienna]

Interesting topic, very cool to read!

I collect for lots of reason . They bring me happy childhood memories. The thrill of the hunt. Finding them second hand is like finding a treasure waiting just for me to find. Cleaning them destresses me and helps pass time. I feel good when I make it look new again. They are fun to talk about with fellow collectors. I like taking pictures of them all cute to share online. They have so much to find that I have yet to see like in old merchandise so there is always something new to see and learn about.

Very well said, I agree with a lot of those! I started at first because I wanted to get some ponies I never got as a child for one reason or another (I am very lucky to still have all my childhood ponies, 60+) and then I got into the community and just really enjoyed talking to other collectors. I know quite a lot of  Dutch collectors from meetings we have here, and I've been to UK Ponycon four times now so I am also lucky to get to know people there, from all over Europe. For me, it's a fun hobby and quite social too!

For what I collect, I have ponies from all gens but currently only actively collect G1 en G4. G1 is the largest part and my favourites, for nostalgia reasons of course. In G1 I collect all sets I at least had one pony of when I was a child, and baby ponies because they are so cute In G4 I want one (brushable only!)pony of every character that is released, which is proving to be quite do-able and fun! So no doubles or variations for me. I don't know how long I will keep this up, I do appreciate a bit of a smaller collection honestly. We'll see!