435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Team 435 likes to decorate our pit. While our robot was gone, we put our My Little Pony figurines around our pit. We had quite a bit of fun with people stopping by and talking about ponies. During Lunch (or dinner, or a match can't remember when), The ponies were taken. Because of their placement, I'm guessing/hoping that team's thought they were handouts, like our buttons, bracelets, and balls. We would really like them back. We submitted a lost and found report to the pit admin, but they won't announce it. I don't know whether that's the rules or if they don't believe us and want to stop prank announcements.

We would really appreciate everyone's help. If you took one, or if you see someone with one, please help us get them back. Several of our members are upset (as the ponies were their personal possessions they had paid for), and we don't have access to a printer, else we would print fliers. (Pony 2012? ;) )

Several members are also angry, as they saw this as a deliberate theft. I have a high opinion of all FIRST members, and I extremely doubt that they would steal something. I'm trying to calm these members down, but I'm afraid that this is tainting the fun experience that Championship is supposed to be.

Contacting us:
Our pit is located in the Newton Division, or if you find a pony, you could also take it to pit admin and they should be able to get it to us.

p.s.
As I mentioned in the title. This is not a joke. You can ask several other teams that have visited, many have asked about or joked about the ponies.

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Perhaps someone could post a few of these around the pits...

It's not a lot of information right now, because I don't really know what to put on there. Maybe something like "Please spread awareness". :D

Hope they come back!

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

I saw a bunch of ponies at the... main pit entrance, I think? I doubt those would be yours, but you never know...

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

I'm sorry that your ponies are missing. Do you have any idea if any witnesses might have seen who might have taken them, perhaps the teams or people around your pit might know or help establish some some credibility in order to try convince that your story isn't 'made-up' and hopefully they'll actually announce it. Just my thoughts... Maybe include the names of which ones you are missing if you know them?

Those were that vounteer's personal collection.

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Unfortunately, I'm not a brony, so i don't really know their names. I do know that many were from mcdonalds so the ponies should resemble the same kind they give out.

You're right. That volunteer actually came and joked with us before we lost our ponies, when he found out we brought a collection. He's a cool guy. Maybe if we talk to him, he could convince pit admin to make an announcement? I've heard them make several announcements for stolen/lost items over the past couple days, so the fact that they are refusing to do so for us, probably means that they either think we're joking, or they don't think it's important.



I would like to thank the few people that came to our pits trying to help. Although we haven't gotten any back, it's good to see teams trying to help. :]

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Ahh crap!
Taking ponies to a Robotics competition isn't the smartest thing to do... if you could find a dense herd of bronies anywhere in the world, it would be at an FRC tournament :/
Anyways... Decoration WIN.

I will try to ask my team if they have seen any ponies... the vast majority of us are bronies :P

He is one of our alumni. I'll speak to him and perhaps pit admin and see what I can do. It'd be a shame if pit admin just decides not to help out because they think its a joke. FIRST is not like that at all, and even though I'm sure you know that, this kind of thing does not help display our message in any way whatsoever.

So I went up with a volunteer and one of the members from 435 to pit admin to make sure they understood it was real and they told us that it being a real issue wasn't the issue, it was that "they didn't make personal requests over the PA."

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Did you ever find them? :confused:

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

I hope you find your Ponies for your Bronies soon! I'm hoping [and thinking] that people thought they were give aways, too. <3

Our team is missing a few electronics that probably were packed into our crate but our explanation for it is:

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Yeah...I hope you found them :(

This is Fluttershy from 178, by the way :D

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

We never found them :(.
Thanks for all the help anyway guys. Hopefully, whoever has them is enjoying them.

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

Unfortunately our team had a similar problem at our last regional. A few people (we don't know who they were, but they weren't associated with FIRST) stole several of our blue and orange wigs and keyed a car, among other mischief, while wearing them. Next time, we're just going to have to be very careful with things like this so they don't fall into the wrong hands.

It's unfortunate that people would do this kind of thing, and I hope they simply mistakenly thought they were handouts. I couldn't imagine anyone in FIRST would intentionally do this, and then not return them after (very likely) seeing this thread.

Re: 435 - Missing Ponies (I'm not even Joking) Please Help
 

+1 to the stuff-being-stolen-out-of-the-pit club. If it's not bolted, chained, or epoxied to something, I no longer trust leaving it in the pit.