Why though???

[WaterDraw]

Do you ever just look at a pony with tail rust and wonder "why though???"
Like why would you ever feel the need to wash a certain kind of pony? I know sometimes I come across a pony with a glitter cutie mark and tail rust and I just wonder "don't you know water washes off glitter?"
I guess I could take into consideration that some were most likely owned by young children or might've been accidentally dropped in water.
Anyway, do you guys ever feel like that or is it just me? Is there a type of pony you look at with tail rust and wonder "Why though??"

[pikkupapupata]

I collect only G1s, so I can only speak for those from my own experience and perspective. I don't exactly have that reaction. I always fix tail rust, but I don't spend time in a collector's mindset wondering how it could even happen, or being upset to any degree that it has happened. They're older toys, and they are toys, even though they have taken on identities as collectibles now. They were intended for children and intended for play, so it's no surprise that many have had exposure to elements that would cause problems that are often found after so much time has passed. Storage issues could also arise to cause these problems, but if ponies are being stored away for many years, exposure could come and go, and one that was perfect, say, 20+ years ago before going into a bin could come out with issues. I tend to be pretty understanding of issues and focus more on trying to fix them. Fewer people back then were seeing ponies as items to accrue value in a collector's market than as toys for play. It's just one of those things that you have to expect sometimes. I had plenty of other toys when I was little that I took into the bath (mainly toys of animals who live in water, like the Kenner Littlest Pet Shop orcas and dolphin), or that I took outside to play in the grass and the dirt, dry or wet (like a bunch of dinosaur toys). It's just part of play, and no one was seeing those toys as potential collector's items. There are, of course, those that have been unnecessarily damaged by careless handling, intended for play or not. But I think the most likely culprit of something like tail rust is exposure either from regular play or [unintended] insecure storage.

With that said, however, I do question Hasbro's decision to put metal pieces into the ponies in the first place. I'm sure they had fastening materials in the 80s and 90s made of hard plastic or acrylic or something that they could have used in place of metal. Toys or collectibles, I think metal, like that in ponies, in children's toys was just a bad call, but probably made on financial grounds of some sort. But, I think that's also another reaction mostly based on present knowledge and looking in hindsight.

So, it can be frustrating to see something like tail rust, but not all that surprising, I think. 

[goddessofpeep]

I grew up with the G1s, and I played with a lot of them in water.  Heck, the Paradise Estate came with a swimming pool, and I did not waste that opportunity!  None of my ponies ever got tail rust despite the odd evening in the bathtub or PE pool party, but as a kid I just didn't think about glitter symbols when playing with my ponies.  And, those symbols did take a fair amount of "loving".  They might have lost a bit of glitter each time I put them in the pool, but it wasn't enough to even notice in the moment.

After my first Flutter Pony experience, I did realize that some ponies could have durability issues, and I was pretty careful with those.  The Summer/Windy Wing ponies as well.  But as a kid, ponies were just toys.  They were fairly durable, and while I wasn't particularly rough with them, I certainly didn't treat them like they were made of glass.

I think part of the secret to being able to play with ponies in water as a kid and NOT end up with a bunch of tail rust victims is I liked to shake the water out of their hair a lot.  I thought it was fun, and they dried really quickly, so they didn't end up sopping wet for days.   

[Taffeta]

I remember teaching Masquerade to fly by throwing her across a playground and Cherries Jubilee to swim in a puddle...I also gave Windy a bath in a maroon easter egg box when I was about 3. (none of them have rust btw).

Kids do do strange things.

I did take my baby sea ponies swimming but they have nothing to go rusty. Sunshower still had mould though :/

I think it's not strange for kids to play with ponies in water. Maybe take them on holiday to the beach even. And it's also not strange for them to be stored in damp locations. Or perhaps more likely - be stored without allowing them to properly dry first.

I think the bigger why is Hasbro deciding to use metal washers instead of plastic ones. O.O And particularly metal weights on adult sea ponies o.O

[RoseNoire]

When I was a kid, I was totally afraid to put then in the water, fearing it might damage them. My only cases of childhood pony tail rust were some of my G1's because they all belonged to my sister-in-law and I'm certain she played with them in the bath.
Speaking if tail rust, I just got two cases from G3 newcomers I need to deal with today. ^^


[update some hours later] Yup, currently cleaning my rusty gals...very rusty. ._. But I don't mind at all. I don't think about what happened to them that much, or at least, it doesn't make me upset or anything. Ponies are toys after all, they belonged to kids so I'm not surprised of their state.

I remember one day, I went to the flea market and at the first stand, there were 11 G3s (The most satisfying thing that happened to me as a collector lol.) and I noticed how well they were. No markers, no cutting, only one letter on their foot and I don't matter at all about that. I went to thank them for their care. That was a great morning. I got 21 ponies that day. I went nuts. x)

[Stellaluna]

When I encourter a pony in the wild I just try to accept any kind of damage it has because its first owner was probably a small child that didn't think about preserving it and probably took it in the bath and left it out in the yard. But it's still a bummer! :C

[SpookyTrees]

I played with my G1’s as a little girl and I mean played. Inside, outside, in the rain, in the snow, in my pool, in the bathtub, in the pony spa (aka kitchen sink). My ponies knew they were well-loved 😊 My sister and I never took a bath without our Sea ponies - those shells were a permanent fixture on the tub side. Why Hasbro decided to fill them with metal bits is beyond me (cheap I’m guessing?) but the majority of loose ponies out there were bought with the intent to be played with.

[aquamarinemolly]

When I encourter a pony in the wild I just try to accept any kind of damage it has because its first owner was probably a small child that didn't think about preserving it and probably took it in the bath and left it out in the yard. But it's still a bummer! :C

I second this!

[Safflower]

Yeah, kids just played with them. Pretty sure children couldn't even have known there were metal bits inside and the pony could rust. And like others said, there are a number of reasons why tail rust can be caused. At least tail rust is fixable

I agree with bad planning on Hasbro's part. Especially with the sea ponies... Yeah, these are intended for use in the water and have metal inside. It makes total sense!

[Leave a Whisper]

I used to play with my ponies in the bath and pool when I was reeeaalllly little. I loved watching their colorful tails swirl in the water. To me it was very pretty.

 One of them did get terrible tail rust when I popped off her head and this gross brown stuff was everywhere. My grandma threw her out. I didn't play with them in the water after that.

Post Merge: April 16, 2018, 07:14:09 AM

Yeah, kids just played with them. Pretty sure children couldn't even have known there were metal bits inside and the pony could rust. And like others said, there are a number of reasons why tail rust can be caused. At least tail rust is fixable

I agree with bad planning on Hasbro's part. Especially with the sea ponies... Yeah, these are intended for use in the water and have metal inside. It makes total sense!

I tried a large heavy stone after removing a rusty weight from a sea pony. It's just not the same. She can't float anymore.

[poniesthatsparkle]

Tail rust has never bothered me too much. I just clean the pony and replace the washer with a zip tie. For metal weights in sea ponies, I just clean up the rust and hope it doesn't happen again. They're old toys and I've come to accept that many of them have been damaged one way or another by young kids.

[LadyMoondancer]

When I was a kid I cut snippets out of my ponies' hair "so I would have something to remember them by when they died."     Kids are . . . odd!

But I do have some "Why though?" feelings.  Like a bunch of the SUnshine ponies--explicitly made to be put in the sun so their hair would change color--having FADING PINK hair. 

Or the Trim 'n Grow Dream Beauties.  *softly*  Noooooooo.

[pikkupapupata]

But I do have some "Why though?" feelings.  Like a bunch of the SUnshine ponies--explicitly made to be put in the sun so their hair would change color--having FADING PINK hair. 

Or the Trim 'n Grow Dream Beauties.  *softly*  Noooooooo.

Yeah, those are more 'Why, though?' for me too. Glad I never had any of those. I'd have been upset if a Sunshine Pony's hair was ruined from doing what I'm supposed to do with it - expose it to the sun, and I'd not have been able to understand moderation with a Trim 'n Grow; I would have been upset if I cut the hair too short, or ran out of hair. Yeesh.

I remember teaching Masquerade to fly by throwing her across a playground [...].

This made me 'Hah!' aloud, so thanks for that; quite the effective method. 

[ordinarycollector]

I haven't found a pony with tail rust yet so I guess I never really thought about it. I think my reaction would mostly be "Ew, gross!"

My biggest "Why though?" is the ones that some long ago kid has colored "makeup" onto. So it'll be a totally normal looking toy except for garish pink marker all over the lips and maybe some blue on the eyelids. My childhood toys were well played with, but I tried my best to take care of them and would never, ever have colored or drawn on my toys.

[Ponyfan]

I never played with toys that weren't meant to be water toys in water but I did play with my sea ponies in the bath. They all got moldy and had to be thrown away. I don't think one tiny hole behind a sea pony's ear was enough to really drain all of the liquid out of the sea pony. The only childhood sea pony I have left is Baby Celebrate because my mom told me I couldn't play with her in the bathtub.

When I got Twinkler, she came with free pony lipstick and of course I put the lipstick on her since it came with her. She still has pony lipstick stains around her mouth now.

I agree on the Trim N Grow Dream Beauties. My mom refused to buy me any toy that the main feature was cutting hair/replacing hair.

Ponyfan