My Little Pony smells like... gasoline?!?

[Xenotropos]

I was given my first standard size pony the other day - this one: http://www.strawberryreef.com/Index/Name/merriweatherII.html
I know she's not very valuable or a collectors item, but I have to admit I'm kinda taken with her.

My friend got two of them in a bag from a thrift store.  The pony is in excellent condition.  I checked down inside her neck (I didn't take her head off though) and all over for signs of mold/pony cancer/etc and found none.  One of her eyes is a little scratched, her mane was a mess, and she needed a bath, but otherwise she looked fine.

I washed her under the tap and used actual shampoo on her.  She came up nice and clean.  I then dried her off and combed out her hair and have let her sit out in the open for over 24 hours.

The trouble is that when you hold her close to your face she... smells.  It's almost like gasoline.  I expected her to have a plasticy smell but this is pretty ripe. 

Is this normal?  Will just airing her out help it go away?  What can be done for a pongy pony?


As I'm still learning and goofed, I've reposted this in the proper forum section.  If you have any suggestions, please refer to this same question reposted here: http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,386147.0.html

[lostpony]

Congratulations!

How did you "check down her neck" without taking off her head?

You can try cleaning her in something like oxyclean or ammonia or something but you might have to soak her with her head off because the odor source could be on the inside. 

Try scrubbing her thoroughly with a toothbrush and cleanser such as Bon Ami before moving on to more drastic options.

Airing her out a while might help.  Take your time and be gentle so you don't ruin her while learning (like many of us have done).

(I think this is supposed to be posted in Pony Corral not Customs by the way)

[Xenotropos]

How did you "check down her neck" without taking off her head?

I pulled on her neck until I could see the plug holding it on, and sort of rolled it around, checking the seam for dirt or signs of other stuff inside.  She looked clean all over so I left it at that.  I probably should just behead the poor thing and really check her out.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I'll repost this in the proper forum.