Everything Old Is New Again: Nostalgia Sparks a New Interest in
Collecting Toys from The 1980s
As My Little Pony Returns To Stores, New Book Helps Collectors Manage
Their Existing Collections
Parsippany, NJ (PRWEB) March 18, 2005- As VH1's popular I Love the
80's program has deftly shown, America is feeling nostalgic for their
not so distant past. A walk down the toy aisles today is a trip back in
time, with many old favorites such as My Little Pony, He-Man, Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rainbow Brite, Weebles, Strawberry Shortcake and
Care Bears making a comeback in a big way.
For My Little Pony collectors, this comeback is long overdue. Having
besieged Hasbro with petitions for years, loyal MLP devotees have been
eagerly awaiting the comeback of their favorite brand.
My Little Pony, which enjoyed a 10 year reign as one of the most
popular brands of the 1980's stopped production in the United States
in 1992 and, besides one short lived comeback in 1997, was gone from
stores until 2003. As the new My Little Pony toys attempt to regain
their top selling status, their release has made some nostalgic for the
originals. November 2004 marked the first International My Little Pony
convention and an American convention is planned for July 2005.
"It's wild! Ever since Hasbro released the new ponies, the vintage
ponies have been selling like crazy on eBay!" says Hillary DePiano,
eBay PowerSeller, My Little Pony collector and author of a new book on
My Little Pony collecting called The My Little Pony Collector's
Inventory: a complete checklist of all US ponies, playsets and
accessories from 1981 to 1992 (ISBN: 1411621654, Lulu Press). "It's
a very exciting time to be a pony collector. With ponies back in store,
you have the thrill of new ponies with the added benefit of an
increased value to your vintage ponies. I think a lot of people take
one look at the new ponies and think 'those are nice, but how cool
were the old ones' and that's why the price jump."
DePiano knows better than anyone the value of memories. Her own
company, Priced Nostalgia, has been selling vintage toys from the
60's to 90's since 1997.
"That feeling you get when you hold something you loved as a child
that just takes you back into the past is a lot of what drives
collecting of any kind," DePiano says. "That was how I came up with
the name for my company. Suddenly eBay allowed you to essentially price
what a particular piece of nostalgia was worth to you."
With the release of her new book, DePiano is hoping to introduce a new
generation to the wonders of pony collecting. "The book is a very
detailed inventory of every pony, playset, accessory, brush, ribbon,
comb, you name it that was released between 1981 to 1992. If you are a
new collector, it gives you an idea of what you should be looking for,
while if you already have an extensive collection, it will help you to
organize it."
As for her own collection, DePiano has room in her heart for both the
new and vintage ponies. "I have been buying nearly all the new
ponies. I'm trying to be good, but I cannot resist them! With all the
new ponies and all my vintage ponies, storage space is definitely
becoming an issue."
My Little Pony is the exclusive trademark of Hasbro, Inc.
DePiano, Hillary. The My Little Pony Collector's Inventory: a
complete checklist of all US ponies, playsets and accessories from 1981
to 1992(ISBN: 1411621654). 176 pages. Lulu Press. Available at
http://www.hillarydepiano.com/mlp
About Hillary DePiano
Hillary DePiano is the author of the The Love of Three Oranges, a play
which has been performed in theatres around the world, The My Little
Pony Collector's Inventory, The Author, and The eBay Seller's
Ledger. In addition to writing, Ms DePiano is also the founder of the
company Priced Nostalgia which sells vintage toys from the 60's to
90's and is a PowerSeller on eBay.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Hillary DePiano
http://www.HillaryDePiano.com
http://www.ebaystores.com/pricednostalgia
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