Geek Cave Virtual Tour 2020 Part 11

The multi-week virtual tour of the Geek Cave continues.  I'm going to post pictures and discuss one shelving unit a week for the foreseeable future.  I'm also going to switch up generations, areas of the Cave, and even types of collection as I feel like it.

This time we're back in Ponyland - G3 style.

I really do like the G3s.  I think they can be slightly underrated with collectors.  This may well be because there were so many different characters available at one time, and there was some buying fatigue (we didn't know when we were well off).  It may be due to the repetitions of pink, purple, and white (although other colours were also used quite a lot).  It may be that the initial joy wore off after a few years.  They have their own sparkly charm that (so far) hasn't been repeated in the MLP line.

These top two shelves are tropically-themed ponies (a big thing in G3) and nature-themed ponies. (largely flowers and butterflies).  I've also got some G3 smalls displayed on these shelves.  While cataloging some playsets I remembered how much I loved some of these accessories and decided to take the chance on displaying them out like this.  There's always the possibility that they could be knocked down and go missing, but as the Cave is kept closed, there is only a small chance that they'll actually disappear.

The next two shelves are, for want of a better term, culturally-themed ponies.  These are the ponies with artistic temperaments, those who like a day at the spa, those who enjoy a ride in a hot air balloon, and other similar hobbies.  Essentially, they're the ponies that don't fit into any of the other categories. Also, another street in Ponyville, with the dance studio, salon, and boutique.  Everything a cultured pony could need for an enjoyable evening out.

 Finally, there is the Breezie hideaway and the Celebration Castle.  The Twist & Style Petal Parlour is an interesting playset.  Designed as a display space for the tiny Breezies, it doubles as hair styling gimmick for the regular sized G3s (although it works best with the Super Long Hair ponies).  It's got a lovely design, and I feel as though it's an indication of what was to come in G4 with the very 2 dimensional playsets that function better as a display space than an actual play space.

The Celebration Castle, on the other hand, hearkens back to the G1 era.  This beautiful castle  displays nicely from either side, but opens wide to reveal a good sized play area.  This was one of the first G3 pieces I bought, and I was really excited about it.  I love the detail on this (and all the G3 playsets), and the elevator just amuses me.  All the royalty-themed ponies live around the castle, but not all of the G3s are princesses in this collection.

And that's the G3 section done and dusted (but not dusted lately).  Next time, look up...waaaay up.

Elf

Geek Cave Virtual Tour 2020 Part 10

We're nearly finished with the virtual tour of the Geek Cave continues.  I'm going to post pictures and discuss one shelving unit a week for the foreseeable future.  I'm also going to switch up generations, areas of the Cave, and even types of collection as I feel like it.

This time I'm sharing my Strawberry Shortcake Collection.

I started collecting SSC only a few years ago, when I found several mint condition dolls second hand.  I had been considering getting some of the pets to go with the Pony collection for some time, but had yet to pull the trigger.  Once I had a few of the dolls in hand, however, I started remembering how much I'd liked my childhood dolls.  I am not, as a rule, a doll person.  I got Barbie dolls for birthdays and Christmas from relatives who didn't know what I liked.  SSC was the exception to this, probably because they were not typical fashion type dolls.

So I jumped in with both feet and, with the help of two great Kijiji lots, got most of the basic dolls, pets, and several playsets quite quickly.  I also did research into the line, and I discovered something interesting.  Brazilian SSC dolls.  I love many MLP nirvana, but I might love the Brazilian SSC dolls a little bit more.  These dolls are often quite different from the original Kenner dolls, with great curly hair, dresses with ribbon and lace trim, and adorable hats or other hair accessories.  I have many of them, and I would like to get many more.

I hadn't planned on getting any of the SSC playsets, but several came my way with a lot of dolls.  I was in love with the Berry Happy Home, but there was no way I was ever going to have it unless I found one locally.  Which I did.  It's HUGE!  But it's fantastic.  The details on this are beyond any other playset I've ever seen.  I'm glad I have it, but it does take up a lot of real estate.

Like MLP, SSC had many generations.  There were six generations in total, made by various companies including Kenner, Bandai, Playmates, Hasbro, and Basic Fun. Although I have a few of the Hasbro dolls, I'm not really interested in the other iterations of SSC beyond the original Kenner dolls.  However, Estrella in Brazil used the original doll molds to recreate the Bandai characters for the Brazilian market.  I have nearly all of these dolls.  While I liked the design of the Bandai characters, the dolls themselves were not of the best quality, so the Brazilian versions are perfect for me.  Estrella also made some characters that appeared in the cartoon but not in doll form, so that's also fun.

Aside from the giant house, SSC doesn't take up too much space in the Cave.  The dolls are confined to three CD shelves (which fit them quite well) and won't be likely to get any more space, something I'll need to keep in mind as I've already made a few custom characters.  Luckily I'm terrible at sewing, so full custom dolls will be slow to join the collection.  I'm also missing one character from the original Kenner line (Banana Twirl, the rarest doll), several other versions of Kenner characters, and I still have a healthy want list for the Brazilian vintage dolls.  For now, however, I'm enjoying the collection I have.  They're as colourful and full of nostalgia as MLP for me, and they fit well into the Cave.

Elf