Gallop, Don't Walk: Toys R Us Equestria Girls Deals!

Toys R Us is currently running a sale on several of the Equestria Girls through October 25th. Dolls including Zecora, Photo Finish and the Snapshots, Equestria Girls That Rock Dolls, and Rainbow Dash Radical Hair Doll are all offered at discount prices. The Equestria Girls that Rock and Rainbow Dash Radical Hair Doll are offered at $10 off their retail prices and are described as being "Red Hot Deals" and are limited to 2 per customer.

I already have the Zecora and Photo Finish and the Snapshots set, but I need to consult my want list to see if I am missing any of the other dolls that are being offered. Good luck and if you do manage to get one of these dolls at a bargain price, let me know!

Purging Ponies

   If you haven't quite caught on yet... I have a lot of Ponies. In addition to collecting them because I find them sweet and fun and reminiscent of my childhood, I also gather up items to photograph for the My Little Pony Collector Inventory Series books.

   There was a time in my life when I needed every release of Pinkie Pie to feel accomplished in my little collecting bubble and I enjoyed each and every one equally. If a version came with an alternate colored accessory or a new hat, I was off on the hunt tracking it down for the joy of finally acquiring it and adding it to my collection. Nowadays, I'm still hunting just as feverishly, but it is usually for the sole purpose of photographing a particular release both in and out of package for my books. I still love Ponies and I still collect them, but I've reached a point where I'm content with one of each character in each pose. This unfortunately creates an issue of excess.

 Unlike fishing where you have the option of catch and release, my hobby requires the acquisition but I can't simply just throw the ponies back. Well, technically I suppose I could, but that wouldn't make economic sense and it really goes against the inner collector in me.

  I need to commit to an outlet to purge my seemingly unending supply of reissued Pony characters, Pony merchandise that I've decided to downsize, and other collection items that no longer fit into my collecting vision. There are a multitude of options for online selling including message boards, Ebay, Amazon, Etsy... the list goes on and on. If you had lots of Pony items to sell, which selling platform would you choose and why?

My Little Pony Magnetic Dress-Up & Playhouse Castle for the Win!

Every great once in a while, a piece of Pony merchandise will catch my attention and it finds its way into my collection. Over the past few years I've grown much more discerning when it comes to purchasing licensed merchandise. It boils down to an issue of quantity and quality for me. First, I simply don't have the space to gather up every Pony licensed product. I have a strict, "Ponies belong in the Pony Room" rule, and they are not allowed to spill out into other areas. Plus, given that Hasbro grants so many licenses to companies to use the MLP imaging on products ranging from toothbrushes to art supplies, to bedding, it would be overwhelming to keep up with it all. Second, the quality of the products range from okay to really great and I've learned to pick and choose over the years. Just because it has a Pony on it, doesn't mean that I feel the desire to own it.

Despite my hesitation to add new merchandise pieces to my collection, sometimes I come across something that I just can't leave behind. Yesterday, while I was shopping at Sam's Club I came across this Magnetic Dress-Up & Playhouse Castle and it immediately ended up in my cart.

 It is adorable! It takes the nostalgic appeal of paper dolls and modernizes it with magnets. All of the pieces are wooden to avoid wear and tear, and the large 6-7inch tall figures (Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle) come with attached wooden stands so they remain upright during play.

 In addition to fun outfits, shoes, accessories (75 pieces total) and a wooden storage tray that doubles as another play area, the set comes with a wooden house that has attachable tip-resistant supports and adorable decals of Sugar Cube Corner. I honestly can't say enough good things about this product. Plus, the price was, in my opinion, a terrific value. The set retails for $19.99 and is licensed by Artistic Studios, Ltd.

My three year old son and I had a great time mixing and matching outfits on the ponies while he created a storyline involving the Ponies going Trick-or-Treating (inspired by the adorable jack-o-lantern candy bucket accessory.) I will definitely be picking up a few more of these sets to give as holiday gifts to the little girls on my gift list. I'm so happy to see such a great quality product for Pony fans!

MY LITTLE PONY Fair 2015 Gallops to Chicago!

I'm excited to announce that the 12th annual MY LITTLE PONY Fair and Convention will be held in Chicago, Illinois on June 27th and 28th! In addition to our regular weekend festivities, we will once again be hosting the Celebration Dinner and Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday night (June 26th) so if you'd like to attend the dinner, make sure to plan your travel arrangements accordingly.

For those who are wanting to book their airfare right this minute instead of waiting until the hotel details are released, I can share with you that the Chicago O'Hare airport will be the closest option for you to fly into to. I think everyone will be very happy with this year's venue and as soon as we get the reservation link from the property, we will share the venue and you can begin to book your rooms.

I love that so many of you were right on with your guesses for the location especially after I posted this picture as a hint:

 

 

Although, I thought it was hilarious that some were really trying to make the hint harder than it was. I had people looking up wind statistics of cities in the US and coming up with some remote places that I've never heard of before.

I'm already excited about this year's possibilities! We've already gotten attendance confirmation from a very special guest that you will not want to miss (especially if you are a fan of a certain cartoon that stars our favorite PONY friends!) and we are working on SO many other awesome things! I can't wait to share them with you all. I'm also working on a much needed website overhaul that will hopefully go live before the first of the year.

Here's the official announcement for the Fair location in case you missed it on the Fair Facebook page:

"Mark Your Calendars! The 2015 MY LITTLE PONY Fair will take place on June 27^th and 28th in Chicago, IL! Additional information, including hotel booking details, will be posted in the coming weeks. Looking forward to seeing you at this year's event!

For details on this awesome event celebrating all things MY LITTLE PONY visit the official website: www.mylittleponycon.com”