Ilona Iske and Ossie are two avid collectors of My Little Pony from the Netherlands, who began a blog called MLPMerch in 2014. That was deep into what My Little Pony collectors call Generation 4, and snowballing interest from children of all ages (including some who, like most of us, whatever our passions, are old enough to know better) helped it grow into an illustrated database of over eight thousand toys.
This unofficial guide to collecting MLP toys does a great job of giving you a snapshot of the various generations of ponies released since their debut in 1982. Beginning with some great advice for collectors of anything (seriously, check those completed sales listings on eBay!), Ilona and Ossie detail the advances in design and variety, taking stops along the way to detail some of the more rare examples of each selection.
Lavishly illustrated with colour photos, the text can occasionally be dry, and if you’re looking for a history of the toy line this is probably not the book for you (you might want to try Ponyville Confidential by Sherilyn Connelly). However, for someone dipping their toe into the world of MLP collectibles it could prove very valuable indeed. There’s even enough to keep the non-collector interested, with the range of art ponies and convention-exclusives from the mid-2000s particularly eye-catching.
One missed opportunity that perhaps an expanded edition or a follow up might capitalise on concerns the tantalising mention of sought-after bootleg ponies (“fakies” in the terminology of the collector), but there’s still a glimpse of such rare treasures as the Spanish-only “piggy” ponies, one of several country-specific “nirvanas”.
Whether you’re a casual collector looking to expand your haul, or a committed Brony with more money than sense, My Little Pony Collectibles is a neat little guide to lively world of sparkles, rainbows, and derpy hooves, and its cutie mark would be a thumbs up.
MY LITTLE PONY COLLECTIBLES / AUTHOR: ILONA ISKE, OSSIE / PUBLISHER: AMBERLEY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
