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

[Xenotropos]

(This is a repost from the Customs section.  It was suggested I put this here instead, so sorry for the double posting)

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?

[Cswift]

I had kind of a similar problem with a G1 smelling like dried play-doh; as it turns out, it was her typical smell, but it aired out enough that I'm able to tolerate it now.

I'd give it a few days, but if the smell doesn't dissipate, one thing you can apparently do is put your pony in a sealed box with some odor-absorbing kitty litter for a few days! I'd definitely try that if the smell is still bothering you after a bit.

[Xenotropos]

I had kind of a similar problem with a G1 smelling like dried play-doh; as it turns out, it was her typical smell, but it aired out enough that I'm able to tolerate it now.

I'd give it a few days, but if the smell doesn't dissipate, one thing you can apparently do is put your pony in a sealed box with some odor-absorbing kitty litter for a few days! I'd definitely try that if the smell is still bothering you after a bit.

Thanks for the info - I hadn't thought of that.

I managed to get her head off with little trouble.  She's clean as a whistle inside - no mold or rust or anything, so at least THAT'S not what's causing the odor.  Maybe she was stored in a garage or something?  Who knows!

I'm going to air her out headless for a bit, and if the smell persists I might try the kitty litter option.

[Makaroni_the_pony]

since vinyl is a pretty porous material, it's likely that whatever other toys she was packaged with in the bag at the thrift store just leached their own smells onto her, I'm sure it'll go away with time, you can always try storing her in a ziplock with some fabric softener sheets and baking soda if the kitty litter doesnt work

[Loa]

Kitty litter is a great idea and is a usual winner!

[Leave a Whisper]

Maybe she was in a garage when the car started leaking and she picked up that smell? Try baking soda.