looking at some of the MLP's for sale on ebay got me to thinking.......

[Dragonflitter]

so it's likely that it's an employee leaving their workplace everyday with their britches bustling with banished brushables.

That was the QUOTE OF THE DAY. You win teh interwebs!

[mercynova]

They've got to be stolen merchandise from the factories.

Over at the wrestling forum I frequent, they ban people for even bringing them up because they're partners with Mattel. Their point is that they're being stolen from, I don't think Hasbro is as smart about the sellers, they just send lawyers after the people who blog about them. 

Anyways, the range of "variants" are the same on ebay; paint smeared factory rejects, prototypes, running changes, and frankenfigures, so it's likely that it's an employee leaving their workplace everyday with their britches bustling with banished brushables.

I mean I think they're neat like a freakshow, but keep in mind they're stolen, so please don't be taken with fancy words like "rare" or "unreleased", These ones aren't official, are essentially worthless, and anyone who pays for these is foolish, even if it's a Rainbow Dash with two butts.

Just my two cents, also these guys can sometimes not send you stuff and try to make you wait past the resolution period, which I don't see as much lately.

Well that does depend on the company and their policies if it's concidered stealing or not. I worked for a company for some years, and at the end of every campain they had when they cleared out all the decorating material etc. they usually asked us the employees if we wanted any of it for free or else it would go in the trash. This is how I ended up with a plush dog that's bigger than me >.< I'm not even close to joking on that lol. He lives in my basement now cuz' he's way to big to have inside the flat.
So it's not nesseccarily stealing if the compay consider it trash and do not care if it's taken home by employees or not.

I think in this instance it almost certainly will be illegal. A major corporation like this is definitely not going to allow anything but the finished product to leave the factory. In countries where toys are produced nowadays I expect the regulations are VERY strict.