So why do /you/ collect ponies?

[ghouldilocks]

As a kid in the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s, MLP was one of few toy lines that I absolutely loved and I tended to play with them the most, apart from playing TMNT with my brother (although he sometimes played ponies with me as well). I didn't even realize G2 was a thing while that was going on, because by then I was "too old" for ponies and had moved on to Beanie Babies, Pokemon, and Powerpuff Girls. My love for Pokemon has stayed with me, and at some point during G3, I saw some ponies in a drugstore and was hit so hard by nostalgia, lol. They were so cute, I started collecting again and dug through our garage until I found a small handful of my childhood collection to keep out in my room.

It all really snowballed from there and I've collected off and on as an adult - even when I haven't been actively collecting, though, I never stopped loving them and being a collector at heart. I have struggled for years with depression and anxiety, and these colorful, cute little ponies have always helped in their small way. Even just picking one up off a shelf, holding her for a minute and running my fingers through her mane and tail...it's always helped bring me back to a better mental/emotional place.

[HoustonCollector72]

Back in 2012 I was stuck at home for few months ,recovering from a back injury ,during that time I was going through netflix content I watched all the anime on there and all the movies about horses there,when I ran out of things to watch on these 2 categories I started getting suggestions to watch MLP FIM, It was like a month later that I started watching it and after few episodes I was very much hooked
After few days I had watched all the episodes on Netflix and was searching for more about them online , you tube and went to the MLP site as well .
few weeks later I saw a couple of ponies for sale on the store by my house Tuesday Morning , Ride Along Fluttershy and RD catched my eye ,I looked at them and kinda felt weird for wanting them and then I just put them on the basket I paid for them and walked home, I opened them and put them in my office on  window sill they were very nice and I liked them a lot, I saw then a coupon for Hasbro Toy Store in their package , I went to the site and I wanted to just get the other 4 ponies to have the 6 of them ,I saw more characters there and got them as well,even Cadance ,Talking Light up, I received them few days later and it was like having a present  coming to you It was on after that, I went to check the toy sections of Target, Walmart,TRU and got most of the ponies that were out then, It was July 2012, by September I had already jumped to Ebay to get the euro exclusives must of them I was able to find , but the Yellow Carriage for Sweetie Swirl that came as a bonus in Europe with the Rarity Carousel was nowhere to be found, I had lost  it on an auction and was bummed for not having a way to get it, I have come across the Strawberry Reef site for info on all the releases and there on the link section was a link to the Arena ,I joined and started asking about this carriage ,I was helped right away here with links to other countries Amazons site,I found 1 for sale in Germany but It would not ship to USA, I started looking for a member here to receive it and then send it my way I found someone eventually and I was then complete as far as G4's it was October 2012 when the first Funko Vinyl came out   , Dealing with back pain and then being forced to retire was a big deal ,There was  little to do about it,seeing Doctors and more Doctors with little  good outcome every time was really the darkest of times for someone who was active and on the go all the time , so the collecting became like an awesome thing to have and just focus on instead of the problems that I could not resolve, I was told the spine disc can heal itself with time and no operation is possible,Pool therapies and ponies got me through ,Still dealing with pain even today but ponies keep me busy and entertained .
the best therapy I must say

[SkyCakes]

I was a little girl about 8-9 at the time and ponies hit the stores early 80s and I fell in love with them. I remember buying my first ponies with my allowance. I had fun with them and played. I used to put on plays with them.   
  I even once found a little heart to go with Megan's Locket the rainbow of light. I made the charm into a necklace and tied it around Megan's neck.
  I had a big herd about 100 of ponies. However I was foolish and gave them all away.  So I spotted Medley on dream valley and wondered if there was one for sale on ebay? The rest is history.

[hathorcat]

Nostalgia mainly. Something, I will never know what, sent me looking for my childhood ponies. Only to discover they had been given away many years before by my mum. This sudden loss (yes I am a drama queen) drove me to the internet and the wonderful world of collecting. For a very long time I was a lurker on chat rooms and good old yahoo forums, drooling over on Dream Valley, before being big enough and ugly enough when ebay rocked around to start actually buying ponies. I intended just to get a few to replace my childhood collection but by then my interest had been captured by all the amazing ponies I had never seen before...one pony lead to ten lead to 100 and that was a slippery slope to wonderful pony-ness.

[aquamarinemolly]

I haven't decided exactly why I'm collecting ponies yet or what it is that I want to accomplish with this little project...but I definitely have a color-coded list of ponies I like, ponies I want, and ponies I want to share with other people. There's something specific about the joy of getting a new pony, sharing them with others who love them, creating interesting displays to show them off, styling their manes, it's all very new to me and very exciting! I hope to have a better answer to this in about six weeks

[Ponykit]

In 2007 I got a Minty from the McDonald's promotion at the time and ended up liking her enough to want the entire set, which extended into wanting more ponies in general. At first I only liked the Ponyville ponies but I grew to like the others too. Mainly I collect them because it makes me happy.

[Bibinettepony]

well, all begun when I wanted to find again my childhood and beloved pony Tickle. I found one but I also discovered during my search all the other ponies existing!!! WOW WHAT A DISCOVER!!!

I simply falled in love... and when I look at them they really make me happy and smile. 

I do love mainly all G1 but I collect them specialy MOC or MIB and I have a real and fantastic passion for french and greek ponies 

[Sukey]

I had G1 as a child and when I first started collecting toys, ponies were one of the toys I decided to collect. There are so many pretty ponies that were made that I didn't have as a child While I consider most of my other toy lines near complete- ponies I consider being furthest from being complete. I think this is because the pony collection is so extensive. I limit myself in all my collections- I am not a completist in that I want every single item that was released in a toy line. So I have a specific list of ponies that I want, but sometimes when I go to toy shows and see them in person, I find myself adding ones to the list that I didn't think I wanted originally lol! Whizzer and Mimic are good examples of this. The reason that kept me away from Mimic was her price and I thought I didn't care for Whizzer because I am not real big on pink. But when I saw them both in person, I fell in love and eventually had to add them to my collection

So, in short I guess it is nostalgia for me and because they make me happy. One of my favorite things to do is find a dirty, disgusting toy at a flea market/Good Will and try to restore/clean it the best I can(especially ponies!) If I see a pony that isn't on my list, I will buy if it isn't too much just so I can try to restore it

When G3 first came out I collected them, too. But then I realized that I didn't feel the same way that I felt about the G1 ponies- the excitement just wasn't the same for the G3s as much. Hubby thinks I was trying to fill the G1 void with G3 ponies lol! I eventually stopped collecting them and one day will probably thin out the herd.

[Sparkle Pony]

I like collecting because it is so relaxing and really adds a splash of colors to my room~  Nothing quite like cleaning and styling my newest acquisition, and imagining the epic fantasy adventures they will go on.

[Mirnyj]

They make me happy. 

[Elfpony]

I was 5 years old when G1 ponies first appeared in stores, and being a horse-crazy little girl who loved pink and unicorns, I was naturally drawn to them.  I have a lot of happy memories of my childhood that revolve around ponies, and the family members who gave them to me, the friends who I played ponies with.

As a 20-something in university, I re-discovered ponies online.  They were a reminder of happy, secure times, at a point in my life when I wasn't as happy and secure.  So nostalgia for my pony-ridden childhood is what drew me into collecting.  They still just make me happy whenever I see them.

Elf

[Squirrelypaws]

I... actually don't have a reason. I just think they're cute.

[zombienixon]

I... actually don't have a reason. I just think they're cute.

Same here.  There's no nostalgia to it (I didn't have any as a kid.  I don't even think I knew about them at all.)  I just like cute things, and these are just really cute.

[Dorothy Rose]

I had an atypical childhood that destined I would be one of the few children in the 80's who were not allowed to own ponies.  A cousin had them, though, and was justifiably surprised to discover that I didn't even know what they were.  She brought out her moderate (seemed HUGE at the time) collection, and my love of MLPs was born.  Years later, I had all but forgotten about them, though I never stopped loving horses in general.  In college, the G3s were just fading out, giving way to G3.5.  There were still a few G3s to be found, however, and, when I saw them, they stirred that childhood memory in my cousin's basement.  Not until after I graduated, did a dear friend buy my first three ponies for me.  I was quite delighted.  FINALLY, I had my own ponies!  However, finances dictated that I live with my parents for a few more years, so the ponies lived in a storage bin, safely out of sight.  (What they don't know, won't hurt me.)  Eventually, I was financially stable and able to pay my own rent and shut the door of my bedroom for certain visitors.  At that time, I discovered a second (third?  fifteenth?) hand toy store that had two of the saddest looking ponies I had ever seen: Dancing Butterflies and Moondancer.  I felt bad for them, so I bought Moondancer.  Very shortly after that, I discovered this place and learned how to clean up and reveal the hidden beauty in Moondancer.  Now I was curious and excited.  Returning to that store, I found a few of the 25th Anniversary Inspiration ponies, including Sweetie Belle.  Sweetie Belle was and is the prettiest pony I have ever seen.  Something about her made collecting ponies suddenly make sense and it's been a love affair ever since!

[Salli]

I started customizing first (swore I'd never collect- ha!) then started collecting g4, then g1s (got my first pony in 1981 when I was 4 ). They make me smile too. What I love is when people come over and see them and at first they say "wow, that's a lot of ponies" then they smile