That's pindot mold ingrained into the pores of the plastic. Time to get your pony as hot and soft as possible - hold her with tongs over a boiling pot of water, then use a popsicle stick or your fingernails or something really strong and scrape as hard as you can, the pindot will lift eventually. Just with the glitter symbols of Milky Way, just go slowly through the process. You can put her down to cool, and pick up this process again, it doesn't need to be removed all in one session. :)ew. Do I need to keep her quarantined? How do I know if she's not moldy inside, without dissecting her? I'll invest in some tongs that I won't feel guilty about getting moldy and try your steaming method later today. Thanks.
When you rub your fingers on the marks, does it feel really rough? If so, that would mean it's pindot!yup. gross and rough. Nice to know it's not too serious, though I am worried about what's inside. If there's mold on the outside, it's possible it's on the inside too, right?
Oooo, congrats on your find!I'll try the good old fashioned soap and water scrubbing, since I can't steam her just yet, as lovebabysquirmy suggested. Stores aren't open to invest in a pair of tongs that I can get moldy. Yeah, I'm keeping far away from her symbol, especially the side that is more intact. Don't want to ruin the glitter that miraculously survived 30+ years of child roughhousing and thrift foster homes.
To me it looks like stubborn surface dirt. The kind where it will come off if you scrape with your fingernail, but otherwise is very resistant. That is what the "zebra stripes" are, someone was trying to scrape it away. It is not as deep as pindot mold. I would start by just turning on the tap, slathering her with soap on her legs, and scrubbing her with a washcloth (but not on her symbols of course.)
Whatever you do, don't dip her in boiling water or her glitter symbol with suffer.