Lexington Pony Pictures!

A few weeks ago, I attended a Pony collector gathering in Lexington, KY hosted by the lovely Gypsy. It was a smaller group with some serious old school collectors. It was so much fun sitting around chatting ponies all day and seeing what people brought for our collection show and tell. In addition to playing some really fun games, we all brought food dishes to share (which included Ashlyne's unicorn poop cookies... they were super creative and very tasty!)

I debuted my collection of Venezuela ponies, which was fun to finally show off.

 

Lemondrop Wishes brought her collection of Lemondrop ponies and a really awesome Lemondrop toothbrush set. I have the Heart Throb version, but I didn't even know that the Lemondrop version existed!

 

Lady Satine brought these cute custom butterfly wings that she designed and a few custom creations sporting them. Too cute!

 

 

 We also got to take a tour of Gypsy's Ponyroom and I absolutely love her acrylic cases. What a great way to show off those lovely ponies!

 

These were lots of other awesome things that other collectors brought, but I guess I was too wrapped up in them to remember to take photos. I had so much fun and can't wait for next time we all get together!

Pony Meets and Crazy Collections!

I'm heading to Lexington, Kentucky in the morning to meet with some fellow pony collectors. I've known most of them for years and it is always nice to get together. Plus, they are pretty serious collectors so it is always nice to swap stories and information. I don't expect to make any purchases, but I am bringing quite a few Venezuelan ponies to share... and a couple MIB that will be available to buy or possibly trade. I'm also bringing my stash of Princess Pony accessories since I have loads of them and I could use some help verifying that I have everything attributed to the correct Princess before I offload the dozens of extra wands, hats, glitter picks, and metallic ribbons that I've been holding on to for ages. I'm worried that I'll accidentally sell a variant accessory that I actually need so they just accumulate.

 

Also, I'm currently loving Jordan Hembrough's show, Toy Hunter, on the Travel channel and Collection Intervention on Syfy. If you are a toy collector I recommend checking them out. At first I was a little weirded out by the Collection Intervention show because some of the collectors are really "hoardy"  about their collections, like they have everything piled up in boxes in their garages or strewn all over their house and everything is dirty and dusty. I do like how they emphasize display of the collections though.

I really should upload some photos of my current collection. I have a ton of pieces, but they are nicely displayed. Although, at the current time, with the amount of items I'm adding due to the G4 line, I'm debating if I should expand my display space or downsize my collection. I refuse to be one of those "piles of stuff in the corner" type of collectors. Ponies belong in the ponyroom not on the bathroom counter... unless they have recently been washed and are drying.

Do you have designated space for your collection in your home  (like a ponyroom) or is your place a Pony free for all?

Pony Flipping: Okay or No Way!

As a collector, I'm always on the look out for Pony items to add to my collection. I typically search Ebay, check the sales forums on the various collector boards, and do an occasional run to the local thrift store. I've also gone the Craig's List route once and don't have a desire to go down that road again (If you're curious, I did write about that very strange experience.) Plus, for the newly released items I do my weekly round to all the Big Box stores in my area. --I don't think I've been in a Wal-Mart or Target and didn't check the toy aisle since 2003.

My collection is pretty filled out and I find it difficult to find things I'm missing. Plus, what I am after is generally either harder to find or some random accessory and I unusually have to turn to another collector to buy. Which leads me to my topic for today: Pony flipping.

To those who might be unfamiliar with this term, it basically refers to someone who buys Ponies or accessories in "lots" on Ebay and will then split them off piece by piece to turn a profit. Or it could mean someone who takes advantage of a high demand/ low supply situation in the market (an example of this would be the recent TRU Collector Collection with Nightmare Moon where the retail price was $40, yet you could easily resell the set for upwards of $80 overnight.)

There seem to be two camps on the issue of Pony flipping. Those who say it is A-Okay and those who think that turning a profit off of other collectors is to be frowned upon.

 If you've followed my blog for long, you may remember my post about my Goodwill Pony ordeal. I managed to find a beautiful TE Mimic for practically pennies and I ended up sending her to a pony friend as a surprise package to cheer her up since she was going through a rough patch. Now before you pat me on the back and tell me what a generous person I am, you should know that this was the 4th Mimic I had found for under $2 from either a thrift shop, flea market, or yard sale. One joined my personal collection and the other two were sold to fellow collectors through the message boards by taking offers. I ended up making quite a nice profit from the sales and reinvested that money into purchasing more items for my collection.

I know other collectors who frequently buy up large accessory lots or pony lots for a single accessory or pony and then sell off the extra pieces for a profit to cover their own collecting purchases. Personally, I'm grateful to these sellers because I don't typically have the time to sell off items I don't need in a large lot. I'd rather purchase the one item I need individually. This might mean paying premium price, but to me, the time saved is more than worth the money saved.

I've frequently offered to buy hard to find pony sets that I've found locally to other collectors that might not have the product in their market for cost. I look at it as "paying it forward" since I've often needed items from overseas markets and fellow collectors have graciously offered to help me out.  I'm more than happy to do this on the collector message boards.

Ebay, in my opinion, is a whole other playing field. The open market dictates the price of the product and I've been on both sides as a buyer and as a seller. As a seller, it is always wonderful to make a sale that is above and beyond retail price and turn a nice profit, but as a buyer you are always lamenting the soaring prices on items that you want to purchase but can't find in your area. I look at it as a type of tilting scale in the collecting world. You win some and you loose some (money) where collectibles are concerned.

In my opinion, I don't see a problem with Pony flipping as long as collectors are involved. Where it gets kind of muddy is when non collectors jump in the market to make a quick buck and then disappear. It happens. I understand why it happens, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

What are your thoughts on Pony flipping? Have you ever done it?

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Season 1 is available for Preorder!

My husband will be happy about this as I'll be able to clear some episodes off of our DVR.

Driving Miss Pinkie

My husband and I recently purchased a brand new Chevy Equinox LTZ after fighting one too many battles with getting my son, London, in and out of our Nissan Xterra. He weighs close to 30 pounds and swinging him up and into his car seat everyday was a workout. Plus, we wanted to replace my husband's 12 year old S10 truck. So, I get the new car and Matt gets my Xterra (which I am a little sad about since I LOVE that car... except for the car seat workout part). Anyway, after much debate and many test drives I have a new car and I really like it. Which leads me to today's topic:

My Little Pony Cars!

There was a time when I couldn't even begin to imagine a Pony ever driving a car, but thanks to Hasbro's clever marketing, I now pity the Ponies who don't have their own set of wheels.

First, was Rainbow Swirl with her Ice Cream truck in the G3 line. It seemed a little strange that she got to drive around Ponyville in her own truck while other ponies were hoofing it. Business must have been so good and she couldn't possibly have been expected to push all that ice cream around on a cart. If Lickety-Split has taught us anything it is that ponies love them some ice cream.

Then, as part of the the G3.5 Newborn Cuties line, Baby Pinkie Pie and her Mom traveled in style in a pink convertible. Pinkie had her own car seat because when ponies dive, they want to make sure they take all the necessary safety precautions.

A bunch of little coups were available as part of the Ponyville line.
                      


In the G4 line, both Pinke Pie and Twilight Sparkle got their own remote control cars for high speed hands-free driving.
              

And lastly, not a pony car but instead a car with ponies so I feel it is worth mentioning. Mary and I saw this while at the Everfree Northwest Convention and we were puzzled why someone would spray paint their car (badly) just for an event. The car didn't appear to be in terrible shape (before the hack spray job.) We concluded that the owner probably suffers from spray painter's remorse.

 

For the record.... My car will remain Pony free (at least on the outside!)

 

 

Winter Wrap Up (for Realsies!)

Okay, so maybe not the type of winter wrap up you were thinking of, but cold weather is just around the corner and what better way to stay warm and toasty than by wrapping up in a comfy My Little Pony inspired fleece scarf.

         


ABridgesBoutique on Etsy creates made to order fleece scarves that have pony cutie marks (ahem.. symbols) incorporated on them. Too cute! You may know Aadra310, the owner of ABridgesBoutique, from the MLPTP and the Arena as she is a long time collector. Her creations use inspiration from multiple pony gens, so even if you aren't a Friendship is Magic fan, she can make something for you too! Plus, I had the opportunity to meet her at the MY LITTLE PONY Fair and she is a sweetheart so I can't help but promote her and her efforts!

Unblinded "Blind Bags"

I was all set for a day of Pony photography. I set up the studio, rounded up everything that needed to be photographed, and then I grabbed my camera. Unfortunately, the person who last used said camera (that would be me) forgot to charge the battery and can't remember where they put the power cord.

 

Instead of a Pony photo shoot, I decided to open the boxes and packages of "blind bag" Ponies that have been patiently waiting since I bought them last spring. I purchased complete cases because while I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, it just became too much to mess with running around town only to find that many of the packages had been ripped into on the store shelves.  I repeatedly found ponies scattered in the display box, or empty packages with the pony missing completely... no doubt pocketed when no one was looking. To this I shake my head. Petty theft is taking all the fun out of the whole "blind bag" aspect of it. Plus, as a collector it irks me on a whole other level.

Anyway, These sets have been waiting to be opened and admired and today was the perfect day for it. I opened 72 blind bags from sets 2, 3, and 4. I suppose I never really paid attention to their names before and a few are pretty great, my favorite being Sassaflash. Fun stuff!


Now, I just need to track down set 5 and I think I'll be up to date on everything that has been officially released. I really like the blind bag ponies and enjoy seeing all the different characters. I hope that we see more of these characters in regular pony size in the future.

What are your thoughts on the "blind bag" ponies. Have they won you over or do you still typically stick to the regular sized ponies?

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Our family enjoyed a quick trip to the lake on Friday to jet ski before the rain from Hurricane Isaac arrived. While it means no camping trips or picnics to celebrate this holiday weekend, I'm not about to complain. We desperately needed the rain and my flowers and yard are happy to have it.

Happy Labor Day from my Ponies to you!