Then & Now - My Little Pony

I always thought I'd be one of those mums who limited television to 1/2 hour a day and came up with loads of creative activities to do with my children. I pictured us spending the afternoons baking, crafting and imagining our days away.

In reality I'm more like one of those mums who uses TV as a babysitter on occasion.  There are days when I don't have the energy to come up with creative crafts and to deal with the cleanup that follows and so Sera is plonked down in her very own mini tweed armchair and I'm free to get some of my work done, or the house in order or dinner on the table. I have felt guilty about this in the past, but I also know that I'm a pretty great mum when I do spend one on one time with the little cutie and I get a lot of that kind of time in as well.

A lot of the shows that I used to watch as a kid have been re-invented and re-styled for today's generation of little ones.  Probably every parent feels nostalgic for their own childhood as they watch their kids grow.  I know I spend loads if time thinking of the 'good-old days' and am having a lot of trouble adjusting to the new styles.  For me one of the biggest changes is to my beloved My-Little Ponies.

Here is an interesting chart I found on a My Little Pony fan site addressing the change in designs and names since the original series.  Though I appreciate the artwork and style of the new ponies by Lauren Faust, I think that the 80's versions were more child friendly, while the modern counterparts seem more appropriate for teens.

I am lucky enough to have kept some ponies from my own collection that I have given to Sera as a gift.  She current plays with Glory, Sunbeam, and Posey, and has two of the original Sea-Horse babies which she used in the tub and pool.  It's going to save me from ever having to buy the new versions of the same horses and I love the fact that these toys didn't end up in a landfill somewhere.

Sera doesn't watch My Little Pony at the moment; it's too frightening and intense fr her.  She really enjoys the toys though and makes up her own adventures.

I was thinking about showing her the older versions but revisiting them on You tube I've found that they're probably for older kids too as there are quite a few monsters in them. I wonder how much damage I'm carrying around due to my many hours in front of the TV as a kid .

You can have a look at the pilot episode here.

Did you watch My Little Pony growing up? Did you have any of the toys? Do you still have them somewhere in a closet or storage room? I want to know!

My little pony, my little pony,
what does the future hold?