I am here to document SHENANIGANS. (No, not the g3 pony.)

[Heelys]

Probably this makes me odd, but a signed pony is entirely worthless to me. It's a pony with scribbles on it, thus wrecked. The idea of anyone signing a G1, no matter who they are, makes me shudder and cringe inside.

Agreed. I can see maybe an exception if it was written on bc it was, like, a production sample? But generally it’s atrocious.

[KarentheUnicorn]

This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.

Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????

Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.

I know that at pony fair and other conventions, people get famous pony people to sign their ponies. Like Bonnie, the lady that first came up with the concept of MLP. Or even I remember sometimes vendors would have fellow pony collectors sign a particular pony, sort of as a momento of the event.

But in all seriousness most of the time if you're getting into an actual autograph related collectible of a famous person or even trying to sell something like that which is legitimate in the collecting world, you're going to have to have some kind of proof of authenticity that the signature is real. I've even seen where people go through the process of having to prove a signature is real when it's a high valued collectable.

Especially with something ambiguous like this, an 'employee' of a fast food restaurant, dressed up as the mascot, writing on children's toy ponies? I don't particularly see how that adds or increases the value to the pony, especially without proof. Then getting into the passage of time involved and the fact that it's a childrens toy and a lot of kids had a tendency to write on their ponies.

So unless there was some kinda thing the restaurant gave with the pony, as a proof of signature. I just have a hard time seeing how this situation increases the value of the pony.

Personally, I never went to a Chuck E. Cheese back in the 80's when this pony was offered. I know there was not one near me during my childhood/teens. So I have no info on the process to aquire this pony. I've been to a CEC in the last 10 or so years with family members who have kids. However, I  am curious now, was the pony a prize you could win? Did you have to turn in tickets to get her? Or was she mail order, I have no clue on her. I've never been that much invested in her history as I was able to acquire her online at some point.

I just find it unusual that someone would put more 'value' on a pony that a random restaurant employee signed back in the 80's with no proof who or when it was actually written on.

[Heelys]

Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

[Strawberry Swirl]

Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

LOL
You'd think that there would be a Freddy's pony in-universe if we have a CeC one. I'd kill for one of those actually.

Post Merge: January 29, 2022, 12:07:39 PM

This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.

Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????

Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.

Agreed. Actually maybe technology has come far enough in the last 40ish years that a robot that is programmed to be able to write its name is now within the realm of possibility. Or maybe it's more like how the characters at Disney are schooled to write their character's signatures *just* so...

[KarentheUnicorn]

Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

I remember back in the day I took a ponies with me on a disney world visit, I guess i was a missed opportunity to get Mickey and Minnie to sign my ponies :/

Darn, to bad I didn't have Chuck E Cheese pony back then, it could have been a conflict of mouse signatures.

[Taffeta]

Mouse wars.

Production sample is a different kind of signing. But I have an active hatred of people getting ponies signed. I guess I'm more ok with it if it's G4, since G4's core fanbase are centred around the series. But wrecking a pony is wrecking a pony. There are plenty of folk who feel strongly about even marking the hooves on a rehair because they consider it permanent damage (which it is, but so is a rehair, in fairness). Scrawling some random person's name across the pony's body is just...sorry, not even if that person was Bonnie Z.

I have a pretty low view of people who think a pony's value would be improved by their signature as well, incidentally. I mean, heck, I wrote my name on my ponies' hooves when I was 4 or 5. If I become famous, does that mean they're suddenly more valuable? ...No.

And it just doesn't need to happen, especially when there are a finite number of good condition ponies from older generations (esp. G1).

It just isn't necessary. I have the autographs of Christy Marx, Anne Bryant, and Ellen Bernfeld from the Jem series (the writer, the composer and the singing voice of Pizzazz). None of them are on dolls, nor would I ever have wanted them to be.

[Artemesia's Garden]

Check out my pony that was signed by The Purple Guy from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

LOL
You'd think that there would be a Freddy's pony in-universe if we have a CeC one. I'd kill for one of those actually.

Post Merge: January 29, 2022, 12:07:39 PM

This feels kind of that time a lady at a flea market was trying to insist and then argume with me that Baby Chucky Cheese Pony was worth more if it was signed. Or trying to tell me how much other ponies she had to sell were worth. And this was hummm, probably 20 years ago.

Signed???? By who? Charles Entertainment Cheese??????

Tbf I would totally pay more for a pony signed by Chuck E Cheese.

Agreed. Actually maybe technology has come far enough in the last 40ish years that a robot that is programmed to be able to write its name is now within the realm of possibility. Or maybe it's more like how the characters at Disney are schooled to write their character's signatures *just* so...

That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

if I was going to get a celebrity to sign a pony, I would have them sign a cardstock piece, and keep it with the pony inside a grading box or something.  Like how people display sports jerseys.  but not ON the pony!

[Carrehz]

Yeah I don't care for autographed ponies (or autographed merch in general, really). Aside from anything else - we know plasticizer breaks down, etc - who's to say that time will be kind to that autograph? What if the worst happens and you end up with a mess that no longer looks like an autograph? Eh. Plus I just don't think they even look that good to begin with - big name scribbled across the pony - no thanks :p We'd hate it if it was some random kid who'd done it, doesn't make a difference to me if it's a kid's signature or Mr. Celebrity's!

Can't imagine signing a G4. Their bodies are so tiny! Barely any space for their symbol, let alone a signature

I like Squirmy's idea of getting a card to keep with a pony though.

[Taffeta]

I think aside from wrecking the pony, there's also the fact that ponies are not the production of one person. Even Bonnie came up with the concept but left Hasbro before it became what it ultimately did, on a different trajectory to her original intention. There are lots of people involved - designers, writers, as well as all the people in the actual physical production of that item.

With G4, like I said, with the collectable so tied into the show, getting a voice artist or a writer to sign something makes more sense, but I still don't really like it.

I'm entirely with what Carrehz said about plasticizer and stuff as well.

[Goanna]

I've seen peoples' photos of their signed ponies (usually G4s) years after they got the signature in Sharpie and it has of course, started to bleed...

[Strawberry Swirl]

That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!

Um...what is? A robot that can sign its name? And how?? 0_o

[Taffeta]

That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!

Um...what is? A robot that can sign its name? And how?? 0_o

Assuming the bad example was the idea of getting a toy signed, ie scribbling on a toy and defacing it?

[Wardah]

That's surely a bad example to set to kids?!!

Um...what is? A robot that can sign its name? And how?? 0_o

Assuming the bad example was the idea of getting a toy signed, ie scribbling on a toy and defacing it?

I don't agree that it's always bad if a kid writes on or "defaces" their toys. Of course it depends on why they are doing it since there's a difference between wanting to be creative or destructive (tho sometimes it's just because they don't want their friend to take home the wrong pony). If it's like that little girl in one of the Toy Story movies who ended up with Stinky Pete rather than like Sid. Tbh dog chewed ponies get me the more upset because that's a careless kid leaving their toys laying around with a puppy.

I can't stand when some thrift stores write the price directly on a toy though. What kid wants to play with a pony with 50¢ written on its side?

[Carrehz]

Eh, chewed-on toys don't always mean the kid was careless. Sometimes you think you left the toy in a safe place, only to find out the dog thought otherwise, you know? x) *hides noseless Beanie Baby that fell victim to darling puppy*