Need advice:does this sound like some kind of mould on my pony, or what??

[PCBabySunribbon]

Apologies if this is an inappropriate post, but I wasn't sure where else to go for help.

I haven't collected ponies in several years, and haven't really looked at what remains of my collection in a long time. But I was inspecting the ponies I still have earlier today, and I noticed that Tiny Bubbles now has several brown spots on her. The largest spot consists of a light brown circle with a very dark dot at the centre of it. The other spots are light brown in colour without the dark spot in the middle. (I'd post a photo, but photobucket won't let me do that anymore...)

The last time I looked at Tiny Bubbles she had a single, tiny brown spot, and I wasn't sure what it was so I quarantined her in a plastic bag and away from my other ponies. But the brown dot has gotten bigger and multiplied in that time.

So what am I looking at? Mould? Or a breakdown of the plastic? And does anyone know how to treat it?

Again, sorry if there is an obvious answer to this, but it's been about six years since I was last on the forums, so I'm a bit hazy on how everything here works. If anyone could offer me advice, I'd appreciate it!

[Eldarwen]

Sounds like cancer to me, also known as the plastic breaking down as it gets old. In my own personal experience, plastic bag could have made it worse. Cancer does not spread to other ponies, but if you're worried about it you should just remove the pony from others, don't seal it in a bag.  I had my childhood ponies all in one bag for years and years, and only one of them has cancer. So I don't believe in cancer spreading to other ponies. What I do believe, is that too hot, too humid, not enough air.. Stuff like that, that can make the plastic break down faster.

If it's cancer, there's not much you can do. Some people boil the ponies, but ive also heard this can even make it worse.

If I come across a pony with cancer, I treat it like any other pony. Give it a spa day, make sure its dry. And then its with the rest of my collection.

[Safflower]

Yep, that sounds like age spots. These can be caused by the plastic breaking down or mold. If it is the plastic, it will never spread. If it is mold, it could. Yours might be mold by how you described it, as mold spots usually have a ring then a dot in the center or something like that. I would try putting some hydrogen peroxide on it. If it fizzes, hey, it's mold! The spot should lighten or if you are very very lucky, fade away. If it does nothing... You will still have the spots, which means they are caused by the plastic breaking down. There is unfortunately no cure for the plastic breaking down. If it really, really bothers you you could try painting over them. Hope this helps!

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Wasn't it said that age spots are actually not caused by deterioration? It's due to a type of fungus. You'll have to clean it off and then either paint over it, try sunfading, hydrogen peroxide soak, etc

[lockette]

Wasn't it said that age spots are actually not caused by deterioration? It's due to a type of fungus. You'll have to clean it off and then either paint over it, try sunfading, hydrogen peroxide soak, etc

I was under the impression that it could be either, but they tend to look similar. moisture/humidity worsens both, either way.

[Safflower]

Wasn't it said that age spots are actually not caused by deterioration? It's due to a type of fungus. You'll have to clean it off and then either paint over it, try sunfading, hydrogen peroxide soak, etc

It can be deterioration or mold. Deterioration is definitely the cause of a lot a cases, mold spots don't happen very often.

[PCBabySunribbon]

Honestly, it looks like some kind of mould.

And if that is the case, I don't want to keep this pony in case mould spreads to my other collectibles.

Do you think there's anyone out there (better at treating this sort of thing than I am) who would want her even in this condition? She's a bit played with, but in decent condition other than the spots. And the spots are only on the outside (I checked her inside and it's fine).

[Safflower]

Yeah, it really is probably mold, but you can prevent it from spreading! Just squirt some peroxide on her and the mold will be dead, so it won't spread at all The spots will fade too!

[PCBabySunribbon]

I will have to try that. Thank you everyone for your advice!