5-year-old’s passion: ‘My Little Pony’ toys
Published: July 7, 2006
Have you ever been to Butterfly Island or Celebration Castle?
Do you own a Musical Wishes Jewelry Box or taken a vacation to Rainbow Wishes Amusement Park?
If you are 5-year-old Maria Roch, daughter of Andrew and Linda Roch, of Sebastian, then the answer is “yes” to all of the above. Maria is an avid “My Little Pony” collector.
The North Indian River County Library recently had her vast collection on display in a double trophy case next to the children’s section. It was a bright, happy and colorful display. The same can be said about Maria.
Maria’s passion for My Little Pony started when she was 3 years old.
“I saw some and I buyed some with my allowance money,” she said.
Her first purchase was the huge Celebration Castle with money she said she earned for cleaning her room and getting herself dressed each morning. If not purchased with her allowance, other pieces in the collection were birthday presents or gifts from Santa Claus.
Maria said her favorite Pony is one from Butterfly Island. It is white, has lots of long hair, butterflies and flowers on it. The Pony was in the display case sliding down a water slide on the Butterfly Island set.
But don’t think Maria’s collection ends with the ponies and their play lands. It includes art sets, Play-Doh, DVD’s, books, holiday ornaments, school supplies and bubble bath, just to name a few.
There are even birthday party supplies, which Maria used for her fourth birthday.
My Little Pony is not the only thing that excites Maria. Her mother, Linda, described her budding interest in drawing and writing.
“I have a notebook that I color in and stuff,” Maria said, describing the special place for her artistic creations.
Maria started out drawing things and then wanted to label them. So she asked her mom how to spell the words and went back to give names to everything. She even numbered the pages and says, “It is over a hundred.”
But she adds, “I don’t know how to draw a My Little Pony.” [My Little Pony Storybook Collection]
Maria, who is homeschooled, had this to say about what grade she’s in: “I am supposed to be in pre-K but I am in kindergarten doing first-grade work.”
When Maria grows up she wants to have a store for animals, but she does not want to be a veterinarian because “I certainly don’t, don’t, don’t want to touch their mouths.”
Maria said her 9-year-old brother, Zach, does not like My Little Pony. “He hates them,” she said.
Zach has a hermit crab and the family has a dog named Chewy and a rabbit named Hopper. And if that is not enough, Maria has an ant farm to help keep her occupied.
Another interesting thing about Maria is her unusually long hair, which she plans to donate to Locks of Locks.
“I know a little girl and she has cancer and all her hair falled off,” Maria said.
Maria is talking about Britney Fernandez, who she met through her brother’s Cub Scout group at at a fundraiser at Pelican Island Elementary School.
Linda Roch said Maria’s interest in donating her hair to Locks of Love first started when they were looking at the group’s Web site and saw photographs of different cancer patients. But after meeting Britney, “she said ‘I want to give my hair to her,’” Linda said.
When asked if Maria had everything in the My Little Pony series she said, “I don’t have everything in the world.” After looking through the catalogues of the ponies that are available, it looks like Maria will be collecting My Little Pony for many more years to come.
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