Have you ever struggled with the love for your collection? Story Time

[WaterRaven]

I haven't been active on MLPTP in couple years (I'm happy to be back!). I was real active when I first got into customs and when I realized I could have all my childhood ponies again. It was this odd feeling, this joyous excitement that I hadn't had since my childhood. I hadn't realized it had been gone until I felt it again. It shocked me when I realized it. I have several MH dolls and even a couple BJDs, but nothing gives me the joy and peace that MLPs do/MLP does, for whatever reason. I love the new show, but the G1 and G3's just light me up every time I see them online or in a thrift store. As an artist, when I first saw custom MLPS, I must have jumped for joy, straight out of my chair. I thought they were/are BRILLIANT. I love them. So I started buying up MLPS from the thrift store and looking for my old ponies online-- and I went for it full force.

After I started to get a certain number though... I become more and more reluctant to tell people and I started to hide them. One or two seemed ok to display, like I was some hipster, but then when I started to take up shelves... I started to sweat. I kept wondering: "Is this getting out of hand?" "How much money am I spending?" "Am I wasting money? Is this a problem????"

I ended up moving four times in two years (which is why I've been absent-- I apologize if I left anyone hanging!), so I had to pack up my questions and my ponies for a long time. The stress of the moves and the family issues we were experiencing at the time, unfortunately triggered my PTSD. My PTSD has sadly fluctuated throughout my life as mild anxiety to severe anxiety/break downs and with everything going on, emotions and anxiety were high. While my fiance and I were temporarily living in a friend's basement with a ton of our stuff in storage, I had found myself collecting ponies again, and they helped me. Seeing them, looking for and collecting them, having them, customizing them, it all comforts me. In fact, a technique for people with PTSD is often to list off things during an attack, either names, numbers, or colors for example, as a form of therapy to move thoughts back into the logical side of the brain and guess what? Ponies are PERFECT for that. As you know, MLP merch is so diverse, I could keep myself busy, mentally, for a week. I list of how many blue ponies I have, how many G!'s etc

Well, things have settled down. I had re-focused on "adult things" and my writing career, and I started to feel guilty about my ponies. They were sitting in boxes and bins, packed away again like my childhood. I debated on whether to get them out or just sell them. My fiance was strongly against selling them. In fact, anytime I've ever thought about selling any of my ponies, my fiance is the first one to say "No. You love your ponies. I love that you love them and I would never want you to regret anything."

With writing and my plethora of other hobbies, I was feeling like i needed to cut something and again I brought up getting rid of them. My fiance told me to leave it for a while and I did. We found a free shelving unit and I put my ponies out and I loved it, until I had some people over to show them my art studio... which is where the ponies are. It's tough to see a friend's look of concern/surprise/confusion when they see my pony collection. They never say anything mean or anything, but sometimes the silence is enough.

Then I think about how ponies were meant to be children's toys and the ball of guilt and questioning starts rolling right down the hill of doubt. I found myself struggling with the questions again: Is this out of hand? Am I spending too much money etc . . .

And then I saw this article: http://narrative.ly/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-my-my-little-pony-obsession/

Not only did I "oo" and "aw" at her beautiful photos and her beautiful-self, but I loved her story. I have a partner who is supportive like hers and she reminded me that it didn't matter what anyone else thought. She filled me with inspiration and I became active on the forums again and started some new customs. I don't know her online handle, but I wanted to say thank you and to share my story.

What's your story? How did you come into collecting? Do you have doubts or internal debates?

Thanks for taking the time to read!

 

[Tsubomisky]

Thanks very much for sharing - it's always lovely to hear that other people feel the same way I do and that they're not just brightly coloured pieces of plastic. Sometimes they mean a whole lot, whether it's a reminder of a happy childhood or calm in a stormy world.

I collected ponies a lot as a kid but sadly gave them all up. I found the reboot by accident: Tara Strong is a favourite VA of mine and when one day I found out that she was going to be a main character in a pony reboot, I just had to watch it! I was 18 or so then and struggling with depression. Watching the show was fun and cheered me up but it wasn't quite enough. When I bid on my first lot of G3s and they arrived in the post something in me clicked. Just like 'oh yes, this is what I've been missing.' Slowly gathering all the G1s and G2s I had as a kid and getting into G3s and G4s helped me a lot. It was nice to have a place to retreat to when the world got too much.

My friends and family are a bit concerned - less so now than six years ago - but I still get 'don't you think you have enough?' questions a lot. Thankfully, my boyfriend and best friend understand how much they mean to me. They think I'm a smidge crazy (they like pony but not quite the same amount I do!) but are supportive of my need for pretty ponies. My shelves are dominated by ponies but I feel safe in here. Their happy faces make me feel stronger, I've had wavering doubts and urges to hide them but all in all, I've been able to accept my obsession, because I know what they bring me is greater than any embarrassment I feel.

Can't wait to read everyone else's stories!

 

[Gingerbread]

I have sort of always collected ponies. They were my favorite toys as a child and I had a pretty good amount. When I got a little older I still couldn't bear to part with them so they were packed away in the attic. In my late teens, which is around the time people started actually getting home computers with internet my interest in them was revived when I discovered ebay. You have to understand this was the 90's and all this was new. I was just sitting there one day and thought huh, wonder if there are any ponies on this ebay and *BAM* I started to collect again. I hadn't known before just how many ponies were out there but seeing them online made me realize just how many there were and it was like being a kid again seeing new ones. I ordered Debra Birge's collector book and brought the ponies back down from the attic. Little by little I've continued to actively collect over the past decade or more. Even when I still lived at home I displayed my ponies proudly on shelves, when I got my first apartment they were out and when my husband and I bought our house several years ago a pony room was required!

My husband supports my addiction and has never made me feel silly for it. Honestly, it probably makes life easy for him cause should he ever be stuck trying to figure out something to buy me for a holiday, ponies are always a easy option! Even at our wedding my Dad joked in the toast that no matter what trials or troubles we may run into with our marriage buying me ponies would get hubby out of just about anything.

There have been a few times I've wondered, will I really have these forever. Will I always be interested and what will I do when I've bought them all!? I do sometimes walk by my pony room and think, "how many thousands of dollars is just sitting there on the shelves and what else could we have done or could do with that money"? But then I think about how much joy and happiness they bring me each and every day. A fancy vacation would be nice and would make me happy for a week or two while I was there and then might occasionally bring me happy memories as I recall that time. Paying off some bills wouldn't hurt but we aren't struggling with debt for that to be a huge impact on our happiness. I really can't think of something that would bring me more joy on as regular of a basis as my pony collection. I go in that room multiple times a day (it's also got my craft stuff and elliptical in there) and every time I feel just a bit happier. I'm surrounded by pretty, colorful ponies that remind me of a time in my life with things were simple and I still saw the world through child's eyes. No stressful job, bills due, house to clean, meals to cook, when I see them I smile and for a moment remember those childhood days and still feel the happiness and excitement they brought me. I hope that feeling never leaves me, maybe when it does is when you know you don't really need to collect them anymore? But at 33 years old I still get just as excited opening a package with a new pony in it as I did at 8 years old and I have no shame or guilt in that!

Some people might think it's a little odd but I couldn't care less. Judge me, support me, tease me, stand in awe is you witness the greatness of my pony room, none of that really matters to me. At the end of the day they bring me joy and that's all that matters!

 

[The Cleo Collector]

I did not find out till 2013 I had asperges and depression. In the 80's you were just the weird kid the anti social kid. I was bullied almost everyday non stop. My parents were concerned of course but my mom had thus well you must be doing something too. So they will pick on you. I just went to school did my work made good grades except in math and language. Took to reading very quickly as well I was above average and was on like a 6th grader leaves when I was in 2nd grade. So the nice lady at the library at school let me get books from the old section. Which normal you could only do if you were in certain grades.

So you ask what does all this have to do with plastic colorful horses and collecting them.
Yes I did collected my ponies but most of all my ponies as with most of my toys kept me going. When I say buying the and carrying for the ponys even to helps me I mean it. It even pulls me from those dark place you go when you want to give up.
I had no friends or the few I had were wushu washy. My mom was on the phone all the time and hate that I was fat and was not"out" going. I'll give her we did not know what I had them. My dad worked. I did have living grand parents and my own parent were not bad. But I have a 7 year younger sister who was normal she put her toys up at a certain age I did not etc.

My ponies listen to ever tear I cried ever story I told good or bad. They did not judge me. The G1 show was so bright and colorful it was one of the few thing to make me smile.

Even at 35 it falls on my toys and my ponies to give me comfort and support.
My only friend is 3 states away other 'friends' dumped me when I lost my job.
My ponies will never judge me they want yell at me I am too fat I am worthless I am lazy I am a good for nothing.
As some family members have called me. With the passing of my grandparents beloved aunts and a dear friend and my pets. It's good to know that my ponies will not leave me.

Sorry attachment to inamoment objects is something aspergers people can do. I have always been this way.
I very protective of my toys in general.
My nieces who I would never pop or yell at learned auntie ology's ponies are off limites.

 

[WaterRaven]

Thanks very much for sharing - it's always lovely to hear that other people feel the same way I do and that they're not just brightly coloured pieces of plastic. Sometimes they mean a whole lot, whether it's a reminder of a happy childhood or calm in a stormy world.

I collected ponies a lot as a kid but sadly gave them all up. I found the reboot by accident: Tara Strong is a favourite VA of mine and when one day I found out that she was going to be a main character in a pony reboot, I just had to watch it! I was 18 or so then and struggling with depression. Watching the show was fun and cheered me up but it wasn't quite enough. When I bid on my first lot of G3s and they arrived in the post something in me clicked. Just like 'oh yes, this is what I've been missing.' Slowly gathering all the G1s and G2s I had as a kid and getting into G3s and G4s helped me a lot. It was nice to have a place to retreat to when the world got too much.

My friends and family are a bit concerned - less so now than six years ago - but I still get 'don't you think you have enough?' questions a lot. Thankfully, my boyfriend and best friend understand how much they mean to me. They think I'm a smidge crazy (they like pony but not quite the same amount I do!) but are supportive of my need for pretty ponies. My shelves are dominated by ponies but I feel safe in here. Their happy faces make me feel stronger, I've had wavering doubts and urges to hide them but all in all, I've been able to accept my obsession, because I know what they bring me is greater than any embarrassment I feel.

Can't wait to read everyone else's stories!

Thank you so much for responding and sharing! I saw the custom ponies and remembered the G1's I had and I was in love. I got back into MLP and at first I was not a fan of the flash animation and the shape of the new ponies of the G4 show, but I have to say, the new show has fun stories, songs, but above all, great character development, and it's my go-to when I'm down Though the hunt for ponies, customizing, and restoring them, it's the best.

It's great you've got support from your partner and friends ^_^ I think my mom thinks it's cute, lol, but she was always an enabler

Thanks again!

I have sort of always collected ponies. They were my favorite toys as a child and I had a pretty good amount. When I got a little older I still couldn't bear to part with them so they were packed away in the attic. In my late teens, which is around the time people started actually getting home computers with internet my interest in them was revived when I discovered ebay. You have to understand this was the 90's and all this was new. I was just sitting there one day and thought huh, wonder if there are any ponies on this ebay and *BAM* I started to collect again. I hadn't known before just how many ponies were out there but seeing them online made me realize just how many there were and it was like being a kid again seeing new ones. I ordered Debra Birge's collector book and brought the ponies back down from the attic. Little by little I've continued to actively collect over the past decade or more. Even when I still lived at home I displayed my ponies proudly on shelves, when I got my first apartment they were out and when my husband and I bought our house several years ago a pony room was required!

My husband supports my addiction and has never made me feel silly for it. Honestly, it probably makes life easy for him cause should he ever be stuck trying to figure out something to buy me for a holiday, ponies are always a easy option! Even at our wedding my Dad joked in the toast that no matter what trials or troubles we may run into with our marriage buying me ponies would get hubby out of just about anything.

There have been a few times I've wondered, will I really have these forever. Will I always be interested and what will I do when I've bought them all!? I do sometimes walk by my pony room and think, "how many thousands of dollars is just sitting there on the shelves and what else could we have done or could do with that money"? But then I think about how much joy and happiness they bring me each and every day. A fancy vacation would be nice and would make me happy for a week or two while I was there and then might occasionally bring me happy memories as I recall that time. Paying off some bills wouldn't hurt but we aren't struggling with debt for that to be a huge impact on our happiness. I really can't think of something that would bring me more joy on as regular of a basis as my pony collection. I go in that room multiple times a day (it's also got my craft stuff and elliptical in there) and every time I feel just a bit happier. I'm surrounded by pretty, colorful ponies that remind me of a time in my life with things were simple and I still saw the world through child's eyes. No stressful job, bills due, house to clean, meals to cook, when I see them I smile and for a moment remember those childhood days and still feel the happiness and excitement they brought me. I hope that feeling never leaves me, maybe when it does is when you know you don't really need to collect them anymore? But at 33 years old I still get just as excited opening a package with a new pony in it as I did at 8 years old and I have no shame or guilt in that!

Some people might think it's a little odd but I couldn't care less. Judge me, support me, tease me, stand in awe is you witness the greatness of my pony room, none of that really matters to me. At the end of the day they bring me joy and that's all that matters!

I'm 32, so I get where you're coming from! I remember our first computer, lol. I spent most of my free time chatting and building websites. I didn't get back into ponies till my late 20's. Cool though!

I'm glad your partner is supportive as well I have the same struggle-- I look at how many ponies I have and think about how much we've spent on them, but then it's small amounts spent over a longer period of time. It's not like I tossed away $1,000 that was laying around instead of going on that dream vacation. If we want to go on a vacation we will, but we're saving for a house and trying to get things together, so just little treats and pony adventures for now

They really do provide a kind of escape in all the mayhem of everyday life

I did not find out till 2013 I had asperges and depression. In the 80's you were just the weird kid the anti social kid. I was bullied almost everyday non stop. My parents were concerned of course but my mom had thus well you must be doing something too. So they will pick on you. I just went to school did my work made good grades except in math and language. Took to reading very quickly as well I was above average and was on like a 6th grader leaves when I was in 2nd grade. So the nice lady at the library at school let me get books from the old section. Which normal you could only do if you were in certain grades.

So you ask what does all this have to do with plastic colorful horses and collecting them.
Yes I did collected my ponies but most of all my ponies as with most of my toys kept me going. When I say buying the and carrying for the ponys even to helps me I mean it. It even pulls me from those dark place you go when you want to give up.
I had no friends or the few I had were wushu washy. My mom was on the phone all the time and hate that I was fat and was not"out" going. I'll give her we did not know what I had them. My dad worked. I did have living grand parents and my own parent were not bad. But I have a 7 year younger sister who was normal she put her toys up at a certain age I did not etc.

My ponies listen to ever tear I cried ever story I told good or bad. They did not judge me. The G1 show was so bright and colorful it was one of the few thing to make me smile.

Even at 35 it falls on my toys and my ponies to give me comfort and support.
My only friend is 3 states away other 'friends' dumped me when I lost my job.
My ponies will never judge me they want yell at me I am too fat I am worthless I am lazy I am a good for nothing.
As some family members have called me. With the passing of my grandparents beloved aunts and a dear friend and my pets. It's good to know that my ponies will not leave me.

Sorry attachment to inamoment objects is something aspergers people can do. I have always been this way.
I very protective of my toys in general.
My nieces who I would never pop or yell at learned auntie ology's ponies are off limites.

Looks like a lot of us are in the same age group

I may not have aspergers, but I've definitely dealt with depression and I am sorry to hear about your struggles. I am glad you have the hobby though and can connect to people here and your friend, even if they're/we're long distance.

The running joke with my fiance and my neighbors is that we're going to have a toy room (with mostly ponies, lol) and if we ever have kids, they wont be allowed in, lol. It'll be like the Lego movie, where I'm Will Farrell, but instead of a bin of old, mismatched legos, it'll be mismatched fakies and duplicates. . . with some bait ponies, lol.

Thank you for responding and sharing

 

[Queeny785]

I am about to be 31 and just got into collecting g1 ponies. I get so excited when we go thrifting and I find ponies. I have a couple of local friends that I have made since collecting. They have entire pony rooms full. Life goals right there lol. But I live in Texas and we lost our house during the flood so we are staying at my sister in law's. My collection is packed away. I still find ponies and put them away. I am sad I can't enjoy them. I have a very supportive husband that loves to see me happy . But I am not open about it to anyone else. I don't post on my Facebook or where anyone we know can see. They give me weird looks when I bring them home. They think we sell them. I am slowly being more comfortable being myself. It's hard for me.

 

[Sam]

At the end of the day they bring me joy and that's all that matters!

That's exactly how I feel. I don't care if something's supposed to be "childish" or whatever, if it makes you happy and doesn't do anyone any harm then why on Earth shouldn't you enjoy it? It amused me when the craze for adult colouring books started, I've always enjoyed colouring in so I've never stopped. Never bothered me if the designs I coloured in were simple ones, if they were ones I liked that was fine by me. There was a news article on TV here where people were being interviewed about doing colouring in and someone said something along the lines of "it's so much fun, very relaxing,". My immediate response to hearing that was "it's always been fun, why stop?"

I'm a bit of an odd one out with ponies, I'm old enough that I could have had some when I was a child but I didn't. It was soft toys that were my toys of choice (plus books and video games). I got interested in ponies when I saw some customs and thought that was a really creative and neat thing and something I might eventually like to try myself. I gave the new show a try because I like animation and found it quite fun and ended up getting a few toys because I thought they were cute. I've bought a few things when I've spotted pony things that appealed to me and my small collection's gradually grown, I now even have a few ponies from other generations too as I've discovered some I liked the design of. I don't feel guilty about it at all as they make me happy and I'm careful to not spend that much on any individual item. Some of my collection I've gotten when there's been offers on (including the two Build a Bear plushies in my avatar), and some of it's second hand from e-bay so that helps. I'm perfectly happy to clean ponies (I think it's rather nice to do that, something very pleasing about making them nice again) so some I've found inexpensively because they weren't in the best condition.

My husband and I are both geeks and have various plushies and figures so the ponies don't look out of place in our house. My little herd mostly lives in the room that has my craft and sewing stuff in it which also has some Pokémon things in it as well so they fit in rather nicely somehow. My husband's not into ponies himself but has the attitude of "they make you happy so that's nice", same with my mother (who is amused that I didn't collect them when I was a child but do have some now). I'm lucky that I have friends who either like ponies themselves or who like other figures and things so I don't get the kinda "what do you want those for?" type comments from them. I do have a relative who seems to think it's odd but to them.

It's lovely to hear that ponies have helped people deal with difficulties in life, another reason to like them.

 

[Tikibirds]

Sometimes I HATE my collection. I tend to move, and by move I don't mean a few hundred miles away, I'm talking about moving to from Alaska, then to China and soon to Japan. Half of my collection is still in boxes in my mother house in NY from when I left Alaska in 2011. There isn't room there to display all my ponies as the room is too **** small but I doubt I would ever sell them.

 

[LightningMana-MLPcustoms]

Whenever you think about selling your ponies, store them in cedar chests and pack them away.

My mom started buying ponies for me during my childhood and kept buying them my entire childhood. They were my favorite thing ever and I watched the 80's cartoon everyday.

When it was time to grow out of them i asked my dad if I could store them in the attic in box cause I loved them too much.

We did that and I revisited them my later teen years and started buying them myself whenever I ran into them in thrift stores locally.

Any second hand store or swapmeet I go to, ponies stick out to me like a shining penny waiting for me.
I first spot any synthetic hair poking out of bins or store displays. Or legs

As a lost and sorrowfully confused young adult I stumbled upon Minty's custom tutorial via google search one lonely summer when I was browsing images of cactuars.

I fell in love with the idea of making custom ponies of all of my favorite things so I took art and business classes at local college.

Then I became a stay at home mom and started up customizing even more

Psychologically I think it is a obsessive compulsive outlet of some form

I was raised by my stepdad who had ptsd .___.
I also had some instances I probably can only talk about in dream beauty lounge that involved my brother and babysitters that I've never had counseling for cause as an adult over the years I slowly piece things together and figure them out

Anyone know the movie Butterfly Effect? I feel like the kid that ended up growing up crafting model air planes all the time

That's the easiest way to describe it .___.