The My Little Pony Collecting Phenomenon

In the early 1980s, Hasbro released a series of toy figures to go along with their new series "My Little Pony". Little girls all over were thrilled by the brightly colored ponies that came with equally colorful symbols and names. Soon more ponies were added to Hasbro's "stable" along with several accessories and playsets, and every girl's Christmas list included at least one new pony figure-myself included. Who knew that the vibrant plastic equines would continue to grow in popularity and continue to be collected today?

It may seem odd, but it's true: the children of the 80s who grew up knowing every pony's name like the Pokemon of the 21st century are still holding on to their childhood love of My Little Pony. Ebay is a testament to this fact, as the trade of these plastic figures results in hot and often fast-paced bidding wars. If you look at it this way, it's really no different from our parents holding on to GI Joe doll or another toy or playset they loved as a kid. It often rekindles memories of a more innocent time in our lives, and keeps this feeling alive in tangible form.

In My Little Pony's case, the trade of ponies from the 1980s can range anywhere from a dollar for common figures to hundreds of dollars for the rarer variations or ponies that were sold overseas. Many peoples' collections feature varied and unusual articles that could only be found in the UK, Brazil or Greece. Ask any pony collector these days what the most coveted figure would be, and the answer you're most likely to receive would be "Rapunzel"-a rare pony that's hard enough to locate, let alone one in good condition. Considering these are, in effect, children's toys, it isn't uncommon to find such a "rare" pony that's been drawn on or given a hair cut by an eager tot.

Hasbro has known for a long time that interest never waned in these colorful horses, and first attempted to bring them back in the late 1990s-the "second generation" as they came to be called. Unfortunately they had dramatically changed the look of the original "chubby" figure, opting instead for a much slimmer body with bigger eyes. This enraged many original fans, now in their teens and early twenties, who insisted the newer ponies looked almost "anorexic" and refused to purchase them. Hasbro took them off the market, and for many years it appeared as though the My Little Pony of yesteryear was gone forever.

Then in 2003, Hasbro finally listened to the clamor of My Little Pony fans to bring back the ponies the "right" way - as they had originally looked in the 1980s. Thus a new generation of ponies was created for a new generation of girls. The "chubby" look was back, though toned down a bit, and the eyes have more detail to them. A whole new product line has been created to complement the pony figures, featuring everything from videos to jewelry to several playsets. This has delighted both the new fans of My Little Pony who are experiencing that "new pony smell" for the first time, as well as my generation of seasoned collectors. "Generation 3" ponies hold a special place in the hearts of both children and collectors, but for those of us who remember tugging on our mother's shirt, begging her to get the new Dream Castle playset, nothing will ever truly replace the magic of the ponies we dreamed with in the 1980s.