*POLL* Do you clean/restore your childhood ponies?

[scarletjul]

I actually just cleaned mine - all 2 of them (and a g2 Mcdonald's Sundance.) 

I have Raincurl and Sundance, whom I scrubbed with Magic eraser, washed and conditioned hair and so forth.  I also attempted to re-curl Raincurl's hair (it went okay.)  But I think this is as far as I would go.  They weren't in bad shape to begin with but even if they were, I wouldn't go into re-rooting or re-scultping on a childhood toy.  Those sort of things are part of the memory for me. 

[Cate_Dartfinger]

When my girls came out of storage, they all got bathed, inside and out, hair washed and conditioned, and tail washers replaced. The girls that were bald, or had reeeeeeally bad cuts, all are getting rehaired, and the ones with bad symbol rubs/paint loss have gotten some touch ups. i was pretty nervous about starting restorations with my originals, so i practiced on some baity ones to get good at them. I'm mid-rehair on Medley, and shes already gotten her symbols re-glittered. I'll post pictures when shes done, but so far she looks fantastic!

All the good memories I have of playing with these ponies, fixing them up as best I can is the least I can do! (AND it helps satisfy my 'crafty gene')

[ZennaBug]

It depends on the "flaw."  Most of my childhood ponies came from the thrift store (we didn't have enough money when I was growing up for me to get them new), so had flaws when I got them.  To me, those aren't sentimental.  Like my poor childhood AJ who never had a tail!  I gave her one a couple years ago and she just looks so much happier!

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All of them got at least a trip to the spa and I tried to condition their manes back to being nice and shiny (most of them are actually in fabulous shape, I was very gentle with most of my toys when I was a kid).

The only flaws I won't correct are ones that have memories attached.  Like my childhood Little Flitter, Buttercup.  She was my favorite and is the most priceless pony in my collection (to me, at least).  Her hair is totally faded to white, but that's how I remember her (she was another thrift store pony, so she came to me with white hair).  I honestly didn't know she was supposed to have pink hair until I became a collector.  My entire LF army has gorgeous pink hair, but I will never ever repink Buttercup.

Buttercup is the white-haired beauty in front:
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[Marlin]

My childhood gals are so precious to me, that when I bought them out of their box and got the collecting bug they totally got the spa treatment!


I looked after them pretty well though, so they didn't really have any major problems, they were just a bit grubby and needed a clean. I did re-pink my Little Flitter, and of the ponies I kept, my first one, Bowtie, was the only one whose hair had gone frizzy. I tried to straighten it using the 'dip in boiling water and comb out' method, but her hair was so stubborn that in the end I just left what I couldn't improve. I've since bought straighteners to tackle other ponies who come into my collection that might need it, but I've never thought to subject Bowtie to it - I've decided she looks gorgeous as she is - well loved is the best way to describe it, right down my name still written on her hoof 

[Marusu]

I recently unboxed all my stored g1 ponies to inspect them and to see what clothes, ribbons and such I still have. I'll probably stick to some simple cleaning and maybe some minor hair styling. I never was one to cut the hair or to do anything rash with my ponies, so they are in a surprisingly decent state, despite being 15-20 years old. Might have something to do with the habit to braid their tails (unless they had pretty curls in it).

Seeing Lemon Drop with her fizzy hair reminds me of the many bath sessions I had with her as a kid, rehairing her would destroy many happy memories.
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[StarDapple]

I just give them a bath if they need it.  I have a Hippity Hop that was given to me by a friend, and her hair had been trimmed and it has faded to white, but I have no desire to rehair her.  I think her having flaws makes her even more precious to me, because she is instantly recognizable as the one that was a gift.

[Koudoawaia]

Mine are a bit beat up looking but I wouldn't want to touch them honestly. I want them to keep their old and well loved appearance.

[bladed]

I think its not necessary. I accidently sunfaded a faded hola stamp on lady flutters hoof from when I was iding all my ponies.
If I ever found my flurry, I'd never put her wing back in properly. Just slide it in like I used to.

[lunar_scythe]

they get surface cleaning and de-rusting, and Mimic got her symbols repainted, but that's it. no repinking, rehairing, or intense cleaning for those girls, they've been through too much already lol!

[ashes]

I've cleaned them, but not restored them.  My childhood Sunbeam could use restoration on her symbol, but I've never done anything like that before, so I'd rather keep her as she is, and then just look for one in better condition for display purposes. 

[Sonata]

Well, personally, I always cleaned mine ever since I have them and they all look pretty nice. But I have three G2s with some haircuts (one was accidental, the others I actually meant it), but I won't fix them. I remember why it all happened and I like it that way. I think it all depends on what you want to do, really, and on the flaws themselves.

[Snapdragon]

Personally, I hesitate to reroot any of my childhood ponies, because a lot of my memories of them are when they already had the buzzed hair! If my memories are of a buzzed Sweet Pop, well, it just wouldn't look like 'her' if she had a full head of gorgeous hair! (That's why we buy upgrades... )

I give all of my childhood ponies as much of a scrub as I can (including replacing rusty tail washers/scrubbing out their insides), but I don't do anything beyond "cosmetic" fixes. Chopped hair, missing parts, etc. - those stay, because they're more a part of the "personality" of that pony, I think. But you should do whatever feels right to you! They're your poneis, and you gotta live with them - so do what YOU want.

[Beldarna]

Iv'e cleaned them up, removed some stray spots and so forth but no rehair or touch ups, except for my sisters two babies who both had tailrust. She liked to bath with them. The hair was a mess anyway so off with the rust an new hair on those. But nothing else. They even stand on a shelf of their own, away from the rest of the collection. They're my treasure.

[OctoberFlash]

For me it depends, although I only still own one of my childhood ponies and she was a G3. But she had nasty tinsel and dirt on her nose, so I cleaned it off and detinseled her. But that's just me ^^

[Cate_Dartfinger]

uuuugh. I hate the tinsel.