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.)