Today's article is gonna be a bit different from my usual content. I'd like to share with you my experience from the last year. I gotta be honest, there were many times in 2025 when I felt extremely overwhelmed by my collection. At some point it wasn't just collecting, but rather hoarding. I eventually figured out what I need to do differently, but this process was longer than I'd like to admit. And so here are my few tips on how to collect mindfully and without overwhelming yourself, because it might help someone else who as the same struggles as me!
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that these tips work for me specifically, but they may not work for you. It's perfectly fine if you disagree, everyone has different needs and different setting. At the end of the day we are all just human beings.
#1: Make a list of your ponies
I bet you're saying "But Eli, that sounds extremely overwhelming, keeping track of ALL my ponies", but hear me out! It's not that difficult: everytime you get a new pony, you write down it's name, either into a google sheet/document, or into a physical notebook. It helps you keep track of what ponies you've already got so that you don't get them twice by accident. It can also motivate you to be more active and make a little research if you don't know the official name of the pony. Or maybe the pony doesn't have any official name and you have to name it yourself! In that case it's even more personal, because by giving your new pony your own original name, you welcome it into your family, just like when you're choosing a name for your pet (okay, maybe it's less dramatic than that, but you get my point).
Notice that I'm explicitly saying a "List of ponies" and not a "Checklist". There are multiple reasons. First: by literally writing it down, you pay more attention to it than just making a little "checked!" sign, therefore focusing on the pony itself and grasping that this pony is finally yours. And second reason: it's less overwhelming than seeing a partly empty checklist and be like: "Oh god, okay, one pony down, 30 more left to get". It's understandable that you want to get a complete set of multiple ponies that belong together, but you should still focus on each singular pony and not a whole edition. That grands you a bit more serotonin than getting one pony and seeing that you still haven't completed the whole set. Keep your list of ponies and your wishlist separated.
Extra tip: write down how you've got the pony, especially if it's from your friends/family or if there is any special way or occasion of getting it. I keep a list of ponies in my google sheets where I organize my ponies into specific editions and then a pony log where I write down my ponies chronologically, including the way I've got them. This way I will be always able to tell which ponies I got from whom.
#2: You don't have to get every single pony
I think that's pretty self-explanatory. I know it feels amazing to have a whole edition or to complete a set with multiple ponies that belong together, but you should also remember that nobody is pushing you to do that, only yourself. Will you get that last pony from the edition even though you think it's ugly? Will you get it even though you have it's name associated with something or someone bad from your life? Is it right to fill up your shelves with ponies you got just for the sake of a complete set, but now you don't have enough space for the ponies you like more? It is absolutely okay to be picky about the ponies you choose. In the end it's YOUR money and YOUR space.
#3: Choose your priorities
You can get easily overwhelmed by a super long wishlist, especially if you're just starting your collection. Of course you can put on your wishlist a huge amount of ponies you don't have yet, but are there any ponies that are more important to you? Do you want any specific ones because you had them as a kid and lost them? Or because they remind you of a character that means a lot to you? Break your wishlist into multiple categories and decide which ponies you want the most and which ones might be nice to get, but you're not too keen on that. Setting your priorities helps you feel more grounded and confident in collecting, because then you know exactly what you're after. And of course once you get your desired pony, you'll be much more happy about your find than you would with a random pony that looked cute but otherwise you don't have any connection with it.
#4: Set your purchasing rules
Another thing that makes me feel extremely overwhelmed is getting too many ponies at once. What can you do to reduce this kind of stress is to set purchasing rules for yourself. For a very long time I tried to set my rules based on a monthly budget (which felt responsible), but keeping track in my pony expenses was even more overwhelming for me. Nowadays I have a new rule: I can't order new ponies until I've received the previous order that is still on it's way to me. I know it sounds primitive, but it really helps. I plan on making the rules more strict and add a new rule that I won't order new ponies until I've cleaned all my "newcomers". But that would be relevant once I actually start reducing my "stinky pile". And that brings us to another tip!
#5: Take care of your ponies
My current issue is that I don't clean my ponies immediately after receiving them, which leads to a bigger and bigger "stinky pile", aka a box full of dirty ponies that are in need of a good scrub before they can be displayed on shelves. This is the curse of purchasing second-hand toys. Sometimes it's really hard to find some free time to take care of your new ponies, and when you finally find it, you don't know which ponies should be washed first, especially when your time for this activity is limited. Sometimes I spend more than 60 minutes cleaning one pony, mostly when the mane and tail are too tangled. Knowing I could have spent that time cleaning multiple ponies that weren't as messed up as this one is simply discouraing sometimes. That's why I gave myself a new challenge: clean at least one pony every day.
Not only cleaning your new ponies periodically is important for hygienic reasons (as they can have molds, bacteria and other nasty stuff), you also focus on each pony and give it a lot of love and care, as I mentioned in part 1. Cherishing each of your figures and dedicating some time for it really helps from perceiving your collection as a huge hoard of stuff that has no end.
#6: "To be loved is to be changed"
Sometimes you spend a lot of time looking for a specific pony for your collection, but when you finally find it (either online or at physical flea markets), it has some flaws. We all know it: cut mane or tail, damaged flocking, some spots made by markers... Damages that can't be easily fixed. Most of the collectors see these ponies and refuse to buy them. Instead they keep looking for the same figures, just in pristine condition. May it take one more month? One more year? Or may this chance never come again? Who knows! I feel like sometimes it's okay to lower your standards a bit. All these flaws on the second hand toys mean that they were loved and played with, and to be loved is to be changed. Embrace the tiny flaws on your ponies and know that they can be loved and cherished again, thanks to you.
#7: It's okay to take a break
Sometimes we forget that we don't have to collect ponies all the time 365 days in a year, especially if we watch a lot of other collectors on socials. It's okay to take a break and do something else when you feel like it doesn't spark as much joy as it usually does. This might be obvious to smaller collectors, but trust me, the moment your collection grows and you start to post it periodically on your instagram, suddenly there is this invisible pressure that you should keep buying ponies and making content about them. The fear of missing out is real, especially when you think of all those possible good offers on ebay you might miss! But don't worry, even if you miss some, there is always a new opportunity waiting for you in the future.
#8: Create new memories
Your childhood ponies will always have advantage compared to the new ones: many and many years of memories. But that doesn't mean there are no memories left to be made! Bring a pony or two with you to a tiny trip or a bigger vacation! Make a cute photoshoot with them! This will once again allow you to focus on them separately. It's always fun to have a travelling buddy, even though some are made of plastic.
#9: Don't compare yourself to others
I've always considered my Filly collection as big and great... Until more collectors reached out to me on Instagram and I realized that not only I'm not alone in this community, but there are also people who have much bigger collections than me, especially when it comes to editions I'm not really interested in. At first I felt that maybe I'm missing out by not collecting the way they do. Should I get as many fillies as possible, even though there are some figures that I don't really like or appreciate? No, HARD NO. If anything, it taught me that all Filly collectors and their collections are unique - some are obsessed with older editions, some know every single mermaid figure (hello Emil, if you are reading this, know that you are really cool and I look up to you), and some have memorized info from the Filly cards to each figure. We all collect stuff in our unique way, and that's just beautiful! And seeing other's displays of their ponies shouldn't make you doubt yourself, quite the opposite - it should inspire you. Instead of belittling your collection, use this opportunity wisely to figure out whether your collecting goals are similar to others or whether you want something else.
#10: Everything has to end eventually
Have you ever thought about the end of your collecting? That one day you will simply stop and never get back to it? Because let's face it: collecting is a very specific hobby that isn't always accessible. Not only you spend money, you also need a lot of space, and non of these two resources are unlimited. Another reason to stop buying more ponies can arise by finishing your wishlist and not finding any new ponies you'd like to get. And last but not least: it might stop making you happy. What will happen then? I think it's important to know that no matter the reason, this day might come one day and that it is perfectly fine. It's great while it lasts, but it's never good to push yourself into it just for the sake of preserving something that worked for you in the past and now it doesn't. It's just like relationships: when it doesn't work anymore, breaking up can feel extremely painful, but in the end you'll feel relieved.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying you should stop collecting if it overwhelms you. I'm just saying you need the accept this potential scenario, that's all.
If the idea of never collecting again scares you, maybe you're too dependend on the dopamine rush you get with every new pony mail. And those are the exact moments collecting starts to feel overwhelming. Make sure you have more hobbies and healthy copying mechanisms so that ponies aren't your only source of happiness. Then you won't *need* to collect, but *want* to collect, and that's the right step.
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Thank you so much if you've read through this whole article. ♥ I'd appreciate your feedback: what tips resonate with you the most? Do you also feel overwhelmed by your collection sometimes? And if so, do you have your own ways of coping with it? I'd love to hear your opinions and experiences on this matter! ♥
Happy collecting!
~Eliška Poníková
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