Where do MIB, MOC, sealed in factory package ponies come from

[jrr74]

So I attached this topic to another member's thread, but thought it might catch more attention having its own title.  Why are there ponies that were produced 30+ years ago still in their original packaging?  I am pretty sure some little girl was not thinking  "I bet she will be worth some money down the road if I never remove her!"  Were there adults collecting them when they first released?

I am guessing they were in boxes tucked away and forgotten and were later auctioned off. 

One member mentioned maybe they were given to employees.

Just curious!   

[Rainbowrific Renia]

You see, when a mommy MOC and a daddy MIB get together-

Ahahahaha... seriously though, I've been wondering the same thing. So I'll be following this to see some answers.

[Wysteria]

People found plenty of old stock in warehouses and mom and pop toy stores year later, grandmas/parents found long lost gifts in closets, and just like me, back in the day there were adult collectors. As an adult today, my hubby for example, collects funko pop figures and never takes them out of the box, he just proudly displays them as is, and I'm sure there were pony collectors back then too. I used to be a diehard MOC pony collector and had almost 200 before selling them off. I just prefer them having their accessories all neatly displayed in the packages since I never really intend to play with my ponies. G4 I do like to open but even now I tend to leave them MIB so I don't loose things.

[Haruna]

Well, the seller of one MOC pony I bought off of Craigslist said that her mom had saved the pony (SS Fifi) thinking she would be worth money someday, and that she was glad her mom was right. I know that around 1997 my sister and I got doubles of some of the G2s we already had, so we kept them in their boxes. And I bought a childhood lot off of Ebay that had two MIB Ponytail Petite sets. Maybe their mom thought the petite a were too small to remove and get lost? . . . Random theory.

[pinkkittywinks]

Old stock from warehouses and hiding in the stockrooms of individual toy shops

I do believe as well that there were some MOC collectors at th time MLP was released

Love pkw xxx

[LadyMoondancer]

Old store stock and parents who bought a birthday gift and then forgot it was on the top shelf of the closet.

[Jorgito93]

I hope i could find a forgotten moc/mib g1/g3 from someone in my family, but the best i got was a french g2 magazine.Not bad, better than nothing.

[jrr74]

"If I could turn back time...." 

So maybe somewhere in Japan, there is a warehouse full of takara posable baby ponies waiting to be discovered.  Just sitting there all alone, in some dark corner, looking for love

It does make me wonder if there are still ponies out there needing to be rescued

[mskittylovesrobin]

Last year they discovered an old toyshop that had been boarded up since the early 80s and found crates of MLP, Barbie, SSC the works from late 70s up to 80s. There was an MLP auction lot with Snowflake, Honeycomb, Gypsy all MOC and about 6 MOC sets that went. I only found out after  ahhhhhhhh one day... X

[jrr74]

Last year they discovered an old toyshop that had been boarded up since the early 80s and found crates of MLP, Barbie, SSC the works from late 70s up to 80s. There was an MLP auction lot with Snowflake, Honeycomb, Gypsy all MOC and about 6 MOC sets that went. I only found out after  ahhhhhhhh one day... X

That totally sucks.  I can't even imagine how often that day replays in your head    Someday you will get your MOC Honeycomb 

[mskittylovesrobin]

That totally sucks.  I can't even imagine how often that day replays in your head    Someday you will get your MOC Honeycomb 

A set of 6 MOC went for £120! Probably to some dealer. Aww yes definitely have my eyes peeled lol hugs back x

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

old stock no one knew existed, attics full of gifts hidden away and forgotten, collectors thinking "someday this will be worth something..."

[Einhornbaby]

I hope i could find a forgotten moc/mib g1/g3 from someone in my family, but the best i got was a french g2 magazine.Not bad, better than nothing.

My aunt often bought me ponies back then but saaaadly she never forgot one hidden in her closet lol. She forgot an 80th toy though, it was Hammy Sprite from Rainbow Brite! I really wanted him back then and found him at my parents cellar where my aunt had hid him a few days before my birthday (dont know which one exactly, I must have been around 8yo +/- ). He camped there for about 20 years Now hes proudly hanging out in my pony room <3
My mother once hid an MLP sticker book for my birthday and forgot it. Sadly it got wet while it was waiting to be found and when she finally got it out most of the stickers were destroyed. I still treasured it! (Still have it lol)

But yeah, no hidden ponies.

I second the others, most MOC might have been long hidden presents or from old stock.

[Taffeta]

I remember someone on the TP (maybe on here too?) whose mother had bought ponies and kept them MIP in the 1980s for whatever reason at the time her daughter was also playing with them.She had a lot, including 2 MOC Mimics, which is why it was so memorable...

In terms of here, I know Hasbro UK sold all of the stock they had in their warehouses to clearance places or stores to clear and sell. So in 1995, when I started re-collecting, we found out in a roundabout way from Hasbro UK that a store in London had these items. The MIP they had went back to 1985, as I had Baby Applejack for Christmas that year. Of course at the time we were still kids/not really understanding collecting or anywhere near online, so we opened them...but then they were still toys, especially for my sister, who was 7 or 8.

Later, when they had less stock, I got a few MIP to keep that way. I know I told Helen about the store as well, and she ordered a ton to America.

I did pick up a few in box at carboot sales and I've had a couple turn up at toy fairs from people who are mass toy collectors from a particular time period and just amassed them for whatever reason, without being specifically 'pony'.

Otherwise, warehouse stock, old stock and boxes from stores, things like that come up from time to time. Clearance sales, perhaps. People selling off their collection, too.

The number is dropping, though. I have seen a few waves of MIP appear when a case or something has been found, but it gets less common. I think a lot of MIP ponies are sitting in collections of people no longer actively collecting in terms of forums, but who do not want to part with them.

I am still mystified why all the Twinkle Eyes mint on Baby Sea Pony cards in English came out of Germany :-/ That one still foxes me greatly...

[Sugarberry]

I ended up saving roughly 60 in their packages because of Rosedust. 
Ages ago, I came home with one of my best report cards in grade school.  Mom was pleased and she told me I could pick out a couple ponies if they were under $5.00 at the local KMart. 
I chose Morning Glory and Rosedust.  We hadn't even left the parking lot...  I opened Rosedust to show mom how the wings worked.     Flutter... flutter... and down into my lap one wing went.  That quick.  We went back into the store and the customer service lady let me choose again.  Mom said to return both flutters or keep the other one in the package.  Morning Glory stayed.
That trauma didn't stop my collecting, but after that flutter pony broke in the car, I didn't open another pony until G2 came out.