If you, or your children were born in the early eighties, then no doubt I’m sure you remember having (and probably loving) at least one play set that featured My Little Pony. These little rubber horses came into the world in 1983, and similar to the hysteria that surrounded Ty beanie babies, they created a craze that even managed to outsell Barbie for a while.

The original line of the brand was available in the US until 1992, and was re-launched in the nation approximately 7 years later. Their global re-launched eventually occurred as well, and these fun, brightly colored horses celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2008.

There have been many different types and kinds of ponies over the years, each of which had a unique appearance and personality, and many of them, especially those that are regionally specific, or otherwise limited or hard to find are highly sought after collectors items.

With each successive re-launch, new game, play set, movie or TV program, new characters emerged and were added to the pot of cool and eventually nostalgic toys to be used as gifts, or simply to become the best friend of a young child. While My Little Pony generally appealed to little girls, older teens loved them as well, and even an occasional young man could be seen toting his ponies to play pretend in some mystical land.

Some of the lines, particularly after the re-branding were much more popular overseas, and so the US did not get to see the full cast of available ponies. In 2008, in conjunction with the 25th anniversary, the Hasbro line was pared down to 8 core characters which include Pinkie Pie , Starsong , Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle , Toola Roola, Cheerilee, and Scootaloo.

The widespread and often instant recognition of the characters, no matter which generational line they come from, makes these little horses the perfect addition to themed holiday décor, and because of the mass licensing that has taken place over the years, there are even ornament sets which feature some of the most prolific current ponies. They are often sold together as a set, and are large enough to be detailed and fun, but small enough to be hung on a tree.

If you don’t want them on your Christmas tree, as horse ornaments, there are still other options like a pony themed retro holiday display welcoming your guests for a holiday party, or possibly even using them as gift identifiers or Christmas tree guardians.

Anything that you do with these bright, fun and collectible ponies, either during the holidays, or throughout the year, will surely bring joy and a bit of nostalgia to anyone they encounter.

No matter what time of year it is, but especially around Christmas, there is no such thing as too much Pony, and it never hurts to add to your (or your child’s) collection.)

Anybody who loves horses, particularly little girls and their parents surely is aware of the Breyer brand of model horses. These have been bringing joy to little ones and their families for generations. Parents and children share stories and make memories by playing with their beloved little ponies, which are often a variety of sizes.

Then too, they often take great pride in expanding their collection, even when their hooved friends are not actual playthings. These are after all, highly sought after collectible items, and many of them can be hard to find, vintage or fragile, or expensive trinkets meant to be family heirlooms which are not quite up to taking the ravaging that little hands can bestow.

Some of the lines of this type of model horse are more hardy and play friendly than others and are meant to be enjoyed in a different way, and some of the smallest types can even be used as holiday decorations for those who want a western or equestrian theme for their Christmas tree or home décor.

Imagine your entire collection standing guard over the Christmas tree, or using some of the smaller Breyer stable mates as gift identifiers or toppers? And what if you want them ON your tree, or to come equipped with the ability to be hung, then there are small ornaments available too, and they stay true to the name of the brand, in being high quality and exceptionally detailed.

In case you might be thinking that you’re missing something when using horse ornaments instead of going for the larger versions, it’s not true, these little beauties deliver value and uniqueness all on their own, and they are often either packaged together or they go right along with the existing theme for the other Breyer Ponies. The current year ornaments are often in great demand, as are the past years’ vintage collection of retired ornaments.

In fact, collecting the smallest ornamental ponies, as well as the special ornaments (and sometimes custom personalized ornaments) has quite a following as well. Indeed, I would even say that these equine themed ornaments are even more varied than their larger sized cousins, and sometimes they have even more meaning, as they can be a small commutative memento in a very different way (say for a particularly spectacular Kentucky Derby win, or a special familial anniversary) than can those pieces which are larger.

Again, it’s not a case of one or the other, they play hand in hand with having a collection of the bigger horses, and just like their larger counterparts, if you’ve amassed quite a collection and should someday decide to sell it off, you might make a pretty penny.