Taking off heads?

[brightberry]

I took all of my pony's heads and tails off when I was child to get all the water out when I tossed them all in the bathtub and made ponies soup.      It was my attempt to keep them clean.  They were... cleaner and I never had tail rust or mold.

Recently, I won a small lot of ponies that needed cleaning.  Two have tail rust and others look like they have green spots on the inside. Still others look ok but, even rinsing their hair gently, I fear moisture might have gotten inside.  Is it acceptable to pop heads off and just look inside?  I never gave it a thought before.

[SeashellnBubbles]

I wash my ponies and have never reemoved their heads just to dry them, but if they have crud or tail rust I wouldn't hesitate to do it. Removed heads can sometimes affect resale, but if you are keeping your ponies or are selling and inform people of the head thing I don't see a problem with it.

[partypony566]

It's absolutely fine to pop the heads off better to have clean ponies!

[Bow Tie]

Definitely! I wasn't sure if I should take off my Whizzer's head because I wasn't sure if she had tail rust and I didn't want to devalue her, but thank goodness I did end up taking off her head. She was filled to the brim with mold. It was everywhere! I would definitely take off the heads to make sure there's nothing wrong with them.

[Sarah Jo]

Yeah, personally I believe you gotta take the heads off. Cleaning some old ponies currently and already found two moldy ones. You'd never know it to look at them, but once you get the head off.. It's a silent lurker !

[Winter Bones]

This thread is making me quite anxious of the horrors that may be lurking within my G1s... Looks like I'll have to bust out a pair of rubber gloves and behead my recent additions just in case.

[CarnationTwirl]

I find shining a strong flashlight through the pony can help identify potentially yucky inside ponies.  It's not perfect, but a good way to establish who needs to get beheaded for a closer look.

[Lady Starflower]

I think most people prefer a pony with a head that comes off to a mouldy yucky filled pony. Good luck with your cleaning

[brightberry]

Thank you everyone!  I guess I have a lot of work to do now but I think it will be worth it.  I believe I'm going to keep most of these ponies. But I'll be sure to tell any new owner about the head thing.

[PinkRosedust]

I honestly don't think a properly removed head (i.e. the surrounding plastic didn't get ripped or anything) devalues a pony. I'd pay just as much for a pony with a loose head than a pony with a glued on head. In fact I prefer ponies whose heads I can take off to make sure things are okay inside!

I find shining a strong flashlight through the pony can help identify potentially yucky inside ponies.  It's not perfect, but a good way to establish who needs to get beheaded for a closer look.

Good tip! I do this sometimes with a light bulb. It definitely can help!

[hathorcat]

I am one of the few voices from the opposite side on this one. I honestly don't remove pony heads unless I absolutely have to. And by that I mean when there is a stain, smell or general something just not quite right which suggests that there is something going on inside the pony. Using a bright desk lamp or torch to shine through the plastic is also a great way of pointing out if there is any gunk and shadows inside. If there are then yes I ll remove the head and clean everything out, if the pony doesnt appear to have any issues then they will get a proper surface clean but I dont take it more than that.

[tulagirl]

I am one of the few voices from the opposite side on this one. I honestly don't remove pony heads unless I absolutely have to. And by that I mean when there is a stain, smell or general something just not quite right which suggests that there is something going on inside the pony. Using a bright desk lamp or torch to shine through the plastic is also a great way of pointing out if there is any gunk and shadows inside. If there are then yes I ll remove the head and clean everything out, if the pony doesnt appear to have any issues then they will get a proper surface clean but I dont take it more than that.

I do this too, I shine a light through the pony and if I see something..off with her head!!

[shimmer73083]

"Off with her head!" Lol, sorry just wanted to type that.