Fear of mishandling G1s?

[Dreamer]

As a more "recent" collector (came because of the ruckus G4 caused, stayed because of the other gens), I feel that G1s are too "delicate" nowadays and that come with many old age problems (regrind, age spots, you name it). Personally, I fear I'll end up damaging them, and that they would be better off on the hands of a more "experienced" collector. What do you all think about this?

[RoseNoire]

Don't worry. A more experienced collector is just someone who's with ponies for a longer time. You'll end up there too. They are not less delicate because of what you mentioned. Regrind, age spots and all that are just visual "flaws" that appear with time. I handle my ponies the same way regardless of their generations. They are toys after all, they are made to be taken care by kids. As an adult, you'll never be worse than a kid. Read about the pony preservation project for tips about restoration. =)

Hope that helps.
Have a nice day !

Rose.

[Leave a Whisper]

  Trust me. They're not delicate at all. They're meant to be sturdy and they're meant for play today as much as they were 35 years ago.

They're not porcelain or glass or even antiques. They're not gonna break if ya look at em funny or give em to a kid.

[Taffeta]

*raises hand*

I still carry my ponies around by the tail if they're in groups. I've always done it and still do. There are a couple of exceptions that I know have loose tails so not them, but otherwise *shrugs*

I think the only thing you need to keep an eye on is when they have plasticizer leak issues, because it's not clear what chemicals they might have in them at that point. It's a valid consideration although there's no direct proof linking any nasties to MLP (you have to remember their vintage). Otherwise, they're probably the most sturdy generation and were made of fairly strong stuff. Sun fading is one thing. Flutter wings another. BUT I will say I had a flutter fall 7ft from a shelf and her wings didn't break - and I've had Windy and Summer Wing ponies sent to me in boxes with other ponies and no packing and none of them have ever broken (I obviously do not recommend this!!)

Even the earrings on SHS aren't too bad. My sister had Spring Song as a kid and somehow it still has the earring even though Naynie was not gentle on her ponies.

So yeah. Don't worry too much. They're quite tough really Unless you have an identified flaw with a particular pony that worries you, they're probably fine

And if they were safe in the hands of us as kids, they're perfectly safe with you And even if you did damage one by accident, they're your ponies. If they give you joy, that's what matters. Nobody has a greater right to own a pony based on 'experience'.

[RoseNoire]

Oh, yes, it's so easy to carry a whole bunch of ponies by grabbing them by the tail. I like to do that.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

At the end of the day, they are still toys. I remember when I first found G1s at the local toy consignment shop, I was so gentle with my ponies. Now I feel more confident handling them, as I'm more familiar with the ailments that can occur and I do my best to prevent them.

[Baby Sugarberry]

As long as you aren't putting them in your mouth, or letting nearby mini-humans do so, there's little to worry about.

Honestly, G1's are probably the sturdiest of the bunch.  They have relatively minor issues outside of a very few truly fragile cases - original flutter pony wings, for example, or the hinges on the Lullaby Nursery, Pretty Parlour door and Dream Castle.  The vast majority can survive being stepped on, thrown, swung about by their tails, and otherwise abused with impunity.   Age related issues will happen no matter where they are or who's handling them.

[Zargata]

Agree with all above. It is really hard to do harm to ponies. I'm a worrywort so if I see a new tech or want to try a new product I always try it on a bait as test subject. And you can always ask here. Someone is bound to have input on something and can give you their expertise.

[poniesthatsparkle]

I used to be the same way with my G1s, but lately I've been more carefree. I don't treat them as though they're fragile because, well, they're not. Still I do make sure to be careful when letting my niece handle them since she isn't exactly gentle with her own toys, let alone mine, but I haven't had any real issues with mishandling any ponies. They were meant to last in the hands of children, and should continue to do so for us collectors.

[Khoufu]

If you're that worried about accidentally damaging your ponies, just shampoo their hair and display them behind glass, and/or get ponies that are already not in great condition. The main problem from interacting with G1 is rubbing glitter symbols.

[Taxel]

I don't necessarily fear hurting them exactly, at least most of the time, but I definitely baby my G1s and my other ponies... and my dolls... and everything else I collect. They're just all really precious to me and I've always treated my special things with a lot of respect and care, even when I was a kid. Its just part of who I am. I don't think most ponies would be hurt by being carried around by their tails or sitting on a rock outside for a couple minutes but I just don't like doing that.

But I will add that if you don't know what you're doing and follow bad advice or do random things it can be very easy to hurt G1s while trying to clean or repair/restore them. There's soooo much misinformation and previously-followed-but-now-we-know-its-awful advice out there. I'd also strongly advise against displaying ponies on stained wood that's in any way newish and just in general being careful about displays. Most of my G1s have slightly stained feet because I've never seen anyone mention that in regards to ponies or anything else ): I'm willing to admit I'm now kind of paranoid about what surfaces I let my ponies (and dolls etc) stand on.

[Saphy]

My warning to noobs is don't clean ponies with ance cream (Never done so myself but I adopted 2) they are an isolated herd not allowed near other ponies I even wash my hands between touching them and anything because it spreads and leaves marks that come over time

[Saphy]

But ya otherwise you should be fine I started with g4 (unless you count tappy Sundance tabby and buzzer 4 childhood g1s I've found or the couple childhood g3s) but I expanded they really aren't that different in care...except they hold dirt better being more porous...so clean them more often if you play with them

[Taffeta]

I wouldn't advise trying the stepping on thing. I still haven't totally worked out what happened to my Sunburst and Thundercloud when I was a kid, as they turned up with split hooves in my bag...but my explanation is they probably got trodden on. For a long time we thought it was plastic damage from going to cold to hot in the winter but realistically I've seen so many photos of ponies in snow and also had my other ponies in the same conditions (including Fireball) so I assume that probably my schoolbag fell off the hook and the bag got trodden on and that's how the hoof damage happened.

So yeah. Don't tread on them if you can help it. Just in case

My Dad repaired my boys with superglue, but one of them still has issues and has to live with a permanent 'bandage' I still wouldn't upgrade them though because they're my special childhood ponies and no amount of minty ones would ever supersede them.

I wasn't rough on my ponies really as a kid although I did occasionally teach Masquerade to fly by throwing her across the playground. Thing is, G1 do bear up to a lot of damage. But yeah, be careful with restoration techniques. I would steer clear of any that you aren't sure of and check here with people if you want to know stuff.

[LadyMoondancer]

G1s are very sturdy!  The only thing I would be especially conscious of is ponies with fading pink hair (like Posey etc);  don't let direct sunlight touch them or their hair will fade.

However that goes for all generations since Hasbro never stopped using fading pink hair, ha ha.