White-Haired Starglow Variant? More photos added!

[Baby Sugarberry]

UV exposure will not always affect all materials equally, especially with a composite piece like a MLP.  Different paints, plastics, and materials can all have different reactions.

I'd put my guess down at severe sunfading, given that pink hair in general is the least stable (this is true of all reds, due to how the wavelengths of light work) of the dyes.  Think about movie posters that have been up in shop windows a long time - the red goes first, then yellows, sometimes only the blues are left.  Long term exposure can also yellow plastics (c.f. Dream Castle, Lullaby Nursery, etc.) which is what I suspect happened to her body color.  I have a Starglow not quite as green as that and without the hair fading, but who is definitely off-shade.  Translucent as the Glow n' Shows are, it's not unreasonable to figure that a pony left exposed over the long term would bleach right into the roots.  It could also be chemical?  Regardless, she's quite an interesting find. :3

[Elisto]

I'd guess it's faded because of how severely discolored the body is (even if there is variation in the exactly body color of this set, that difference is still very dramatic). Since it's translucent, I would expect the hair inside the plastic to fade along with the rest too, assuming it's sun that caused the fading. All the hair colors, at least all the pink/red ones, CAN fade eventually, even though it's not that common.

It is odd that the orange symbol hasn't also faded, so that makes me less certain; like others here said, it could be some kind of chemical bleaching, or a combination of chemical and sun.

One thing to check, do the stars still glow in the dark? I would expect them to no longer glow if the pony's been exposed to that much sun, although again, I'm not entirely sure.

[shelti]

I have seen the Starglow body coloration in this deep green color before and do not believe it's from fading.
The Glow n Show ponies, Especially dazzleglow and starglow can have quite a range of body colors which would be caused from batch color variations at the factory

[GoldenLambPony]

If it was that badly sunfaded, I would think that her hair would be frizzy and fried, but it actually looks nice. So it doesn't seem sunfaded to me.

[hathorcat]

If it was that badly sunfaded, I would think that her hair would be frizzy and fried, but it actually looks nice. So it doesn't seem sunfaded to me.

Hair doesnt necessarily frizz or fry - I have a couple of faded hair ponies and their hair is gorgeously silky.

[tulagirl]

In looking at her I am going with variant for sure.  She is really neato.

[Squirrelypaws]

I'm not exactly knowledgeable about things like this, but I think I'd say she's a variant. If she was left in the sun long enough to completely fade the pink hair, doesn't it seem like the yellow hair would have faded too? At least a little? And the eyes/symbols too.

[DazzleKitty]

I'm also leading towards variant. The hair looks too pure white to not be one.

[LadyMoondancer]

Wow, that is amazing!   Well, her body could be discolored, I have seen ponies discolor that much.  The real mystery is her hair, because that color of pink usually doesn't fade at all, and certainly not to pure white.

On the other hand, I have never heard of there being a variant like that.  Unless the lady went to a yard sale in Rhode Island and happened upon a prototype some Hasbro employee was selling? 

[LadySatine]

I left mine outside like that and her body was that color, but her hair was still normal colored. Strange!

Edit: Ooo! You should put her in the sun!!! See if her hair changes color like the Sunshine ponies!! 

[banditpony]

I lean toward variant too-- if both ponies were purchased the same time. It seems too weird that the other one would be such a vibrant pink, and this is stark white.... if the both were with the same person.
So strange. Very pretty!

[Brightglowpony]

I can't help, but she sure is cool! 

[Elisto]

I lean toward variant too-- if both ponies were purchased the same time. It seems too weird that the other one would be such a vibrant pink, and this is stark white.... if the both were with the same person.
So strange. Very pretty!

Well, if they were kept in different places or under different conditions, I could see that happening.

[ButtercreamDream]

I don't know, but I'm in the variant/error camp.  I have never seen that shade of pink fade to completely white on any other pony ever.  You'd think if it was sun fading, it would have happened to at least one other pony.  Also, the symbol isn't faded at all.  I would think the symbol should have gone more yellow or white over time as well.  Neat find in any case!

[Rosette]

I'd guess it's faded because of how severely discolored the body is (even if there is variation in the exactly body color of this set, that difference is still very dramatic). Since it's translucent, I would expect the hair inside the plastic to fade along with the rest too, assuming it's sun that caused the fading. All the hair colors, at least all the pink/red ones, CAN fade eventually, even though it's not that common.

It is odd that the orange symbol hasn't also faded, so that makes me less certain; like others here said, it could be some kind of chemical bleaching, or a combination of chemical and sun.

One thing to check, do the stars still glow in the dark? I would expect them to no longer glow if the pony's been exposed to that much sun, although again, I'm not entirely sure.

Thanks for weighing in!  On your advice, I tested both Starglows, the regular and the white-haired one and they both still glow in the dark--equally brightly.  I'm not one to cry wolf when it comes to variants--in twenty years of collecting I've never thought I had one but now?  I don't know--it seems this might be one.  I don't think I'll ever know for sure, though.

I put the white-haired Starglow side-by-side with a unquestionably white-haired Love Token and they appear to be a color match.  (I edited my post with photographs of that comparison.)  So, I'm leaning more towards variant but still not sure how to definitively rule that way without breaking the factory seal on her neck--which I'm loath to do.