what is this???

[kezrob23]

can anyone help? just wondering what this black is. i've tried magic eraser, boiling water + nappysan soaker, acetone... to no avail. i thought maybe it was black marker transfer, but it is very stubborn!!!

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[Pheasant]

It almost looks like dye, as though a fabric's colors bled into her.

Have you considered acne cream? A couple of years ago, I purchased a very poor condition Cherries Jubilee in a lot. She was covered in marker from head to tail, but both her mane and body were in great condition, so it seemed a pity to bait her. Someone online suggested using acne medication cream instead of sunfading, as sunfading will break down the plastic and eventually cause the whole pony to disintegrate. I tested a small amount of cream - I believe the brand was Neutrogena - on an inconspicuous area, washed it off in two days, and well-ah! The markings were completely faded, and it never damaged the plastic. Now, as she was a G1, I'm uncertain as to how to the cream would work on a newer generation pony, but it's worth a shot.

[Silver_mirror46]

I have a couple G3s with similar blotches, they sure look like ink... maybe they absorbed something from the package or shelf?

and to get rid of them... maybe try sunfading? my ponies' marks aren´t very noticeable so I've never tried sunfading that kind of spots

but yeah if you're gonna try sunfading be careful or the pony might discolor a little, I used it to get rid of marker lines on a mexican Starshine and it worked

[ShannonInPonyland]

I have a few ponies with this problem and I've always just assumed that they absorbed ink from something when I put them in storage...
I hope someone on here can come up with a way to get rid of it because I would love to have minty ponies again! lol

[ApertureScience]

I actually had that same issue on that same pony.  Unfortunately, I had to bait the one I had; she was messed up all over though.  Only thing I know would be sunfading, but that Neutrogena idea sounds worth a try.

[kezrob23]

i will look into the nutrogena idea they are only for play, but if i could get some of it off that would be great. scrubbing with acetone didn't work, so i currently have one foot soaking in it. not that that's ideal for an entire pony!! it def seems to be some sort of transfer, i just got a bulk lot of 20 pretty cheap (luckily!!) and majority have it in some form or other. hmmm, i did just buy me a hairdye the other day, wonder what the peroxide in it would do

[achab1984]

Yes looks like pen. I hope you can get it off or at least get it faided some.

[kezrob23]

wow, i have an update already soaking in acetone is definitely working i may be able to soak the ears, nose etc if i can get a really shallow glass dish. does anyone know what acetone does to pony hair?? lol!!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I would try sun fading rather than zit cream.  There are some great ideas here:

http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,292846.0.html

[CarnationTwirl]

I've never let the hair soak in acetone, but it never seems to do any lasting damage when I get it on the hair.  Weakens the glue obviously, might make it a little bit crunchy if you leave it in there a long time.

[Ayalah]

Lets not forget that acetone is used as a paint remover. I would absolutely avoid the hair. At the very least I think it would make it dry and breakable. I'm betting it would also strip it to a degree.

[ApertureScience]

From what I understand, leaving plastic exposed to acetone for long amounts of time can ruin it, so proceed with caution.

Sunfading probably would be safest.  Hmm... choices... :/

[Jenn1983]

Try tattoo vanishing cream. My husband collects old toys and it works well on them. It's not as harsh as acetone.

[hathorcat]

Everything we try risks damaging the plastic but somethings are certainly worse than others.

Acetone is fine if used sparingly and removed completely from the plastic - dont over expose the plastic as it will melt it gradually and the longer it is exposed the deeper into the plastic pores the acetone will travel. It is really best used for a quick wipe to remove marks, not for soaking. Acetone can both cause the dye to come out of pony hair and also it will make it brittle.

I honestly would caution against acne cream - it will probably work and the marks may vanish but the cream will continue to work even after you think its all removed an in a few weeks, a few months she could end up with blotchy feet.

I would give sunfading a try first - yes it can speed up the break down of the plastic when exposed to UV but over a much much much longer time.

[Elisto]

I compiled a list of things people tried on ponies, and from people who contributed, apparently soaking in acetone can cause the plastic to swell. I've also heard for a long time now that acne cream never really comes out and will slowly discolor the plastic over time. So I agree sunfading sounds like the best idea. I've left ponies in the sun for up to a year and a half, and other than some dry hair, the plastic was fine. Sure, it probably will damage the plastic eventually, but I'd imagine the pony would have to continuously be exposed to UV for it to continue to break down like that.