My Little Pony superfan breaks world record with collection worth £40,000

A My Little Pony superfan who began collecting the plastic ponies when she was given one as a gift when she just three years old, has revealed how it’s grown into a world-record collection worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Miranda Worby, a 42-year-old artist from Lowestoft, Suffolk, has spent most of her life tracking down the colourful plastic ponies after being given a bright pink toy pony called Snowflake when she was just three years old.

Her collection grew so vast, that she eventually bought a new house so they could have their own dedicated room.

While Miranda's official Guinness World Records tally stands at more than 4,550 items, her collection has continued to grow - it now numbers around 7,700 pieces, including an unusual three-foot-tall amusement ride.

Her collection, which she estimates is worth around £40,000, was officially counted between April and July last year before she was awarded the Guinness World Record this year.

Miranda said the recognition was "a surreal feeling" after years of collecting.

"I found out last year that I had the biggest collection - so it has been a long wait until it was revealed," she said.

"I wanted to collect the ponies I had as a child, and it just grew from there really. I can't ever see myself stopping collecting - there will always be something new to get hold of."

Her love affair with the toys began when she spotted Snowflake in a shop as a toddler.

"I remember seeing it in the shop. It was bright pink with whiteish grey hair," she said. "I wanted a real horse and the My Little Pony was the next best thing.

"From there, all my Christmas and birthday presents were My Little Pony and they were what I spent my pocket money on."

By the age of 15, Miranda was hunting eBay for the toys, including versions that were difficult to find in Britain and had to be sourced from countries such as the US.

Then came Generation Three in the early 2000s, giving collectors hundreds of new ponies to chase.

"I spent £250 on buying all the ones in my Toys R Us," Miranda said.

When Generation Four arrived in 2010, her collecting habit was reignited

"I had stalled with my collecting as there weren't any new ones to buy but my mum bought me one and it set me off again," she said.

"It led to me moving house to find space to display them all."

Miranda says she has spent about £35,000 building her collection. Among her most prized possessions is a rare Fireball pony, believed to be just one of just two in existence.

The Hasbro toy is particularly unusual because it was manufactured in Thailand rather than the more familiar production locations of China or Hong Kong.

Even more remarkable is how much Miranda paid for it - just 50p at a car boot sale.

Her personal favourite is Sundance from the original Generation One range.

She saw the character in the My Little Pony movie as a child and remembers identifying with its slightly chaotic personality.

"She was quite clumsy and always getting herself into trouble," she said. "I could relate to that. I have between 25 and 30 models of her."

One of Miranda's most unusual purchases is a three-foot-tall amusement ride that once stood on Weymouth Pier in the early 1990s.

It cost £400 on eBay and is one of only around 11 known to exist in the world.

Determined to restore the unusual piece, Miranda tracked down the man who made it, who helped her reconnect the wiring and get the attraction working again.

Collecting is about much more than accumulating toys - Miranda says people often pass their beloved childhood ponies to her, knowing she will give them a home.

Those donations often come with memories attached, with people recalling how they saved pocket money or collected stamps from boxes to afford the toys.

"You get backstory from people in their 40s saying they've had them pretty much all their life," she said.

"People used to save for weeks getting stamps off the back of boxes and cereal boxes to buy them.

"Toy collecting is not a childish thing. I'm not a person who wishes I was still three-years-old.

"The collecting community is so welcoming - we all pitch in and help each other."

And with thousands of ponies already filling her home and storage unit, Miranda has no plans to rein in her childhood obsession any time soon.