Pony Smooze ???

[MLPgal13]

Hello Pony Peeps 

I'm in the process of sorting and taking pics of about 90% of my collection for down sizing purposes. I noticed that some of my G3's are "tacky" yet they have only been displayed  I really hope there is a reason and it's fixable?

[BlueyBirdy]

It's caused by plastic breakdown. It's not "fixable" as such, but there are methods to reduce its impact. There's some info on it here:

http://www.mlppreservationproject.com/body.html#Plasticiser

Affected ponies should be kept out of sunlight and in a room with adequate ventilation. Storing them in plastic bags is also not a good idea.

Unfortunately with the Divine Shine G3s (the glittery, transparent ones) their plastic breaks down a lot faster and it can affect the pony's appearance significantly.

[MLPgal13]

SHOOT! That's what I was afraid off. At least half my collection is ruined now  I need to find a new spot for displaying my loved ponies 

I had them fully displayed in my partially finished basement that I worked so hard setting up for that specific reason. I'm so so sad about this

[hathorcat]

Yes it is probably the same thing which causes age marks - plasticiser breaking "out" - unfortunately.

Baby powder is good for soaking it up and making it more manageable. However you need to make sure you still wipe it down before and gently after application of baby powder. You need to repeat the process until the stickiness no longer comes back. In addition, you can use rubbing alcohol for a similar treatment.

However, before we assume that thats 100% what it is you should test by simply using a baby wipe or a eye make up remover pad to remove all the surface stickiness. Then replace the pony in a different environment to see if it comes back. Plastic sweats and if its in a humid atmosphere - due to your local climate or perhaps even in a bedroom where someone is breathing - then it could simply be a surface sweat.

[Vintergatan]

I am a bit baffled by the fact that half of your ponies seem to be exhibiting this. How many ponies are we talking about roughly? I don't remember hearing about such serial plasticiser breakdown, maybe it really is something strictly environmental?

[Oneleo1]

Some are prone to this while others are less prone there are some great suggestions so far though

[hathorcat]

I think you are right Vintergatan - as mentioned its worth testing the environment theory first just in case.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

First.... "smooze" is the ingrained dirt in the plastic.  What you have going on is plasticizer breakdown.

Is Rhode Island a fairly humid climate?  If so, then it's probably related to that...  Keep a dehumidifier in your pony room maybe.  Some of the G3s like the Divine Shines are already known for the plasticizer breaking down so that's not anything you can really do. 

Wipe them down with baby wipes, Dawn dish soap baths, baby powder...  it'll eventually stop and then they will be hard plastic.  Some of the Twinkle Eyes and Big Brothers are already pretty hard - like that!

[MLPgal13]

Thank you to everyone that replied and for the great ideas. I'm going to try the baby powder idea to see if that helps. Thank goodness I didn't throw them all out. It's about 60 ponies. Some are way worse than others. I can't say RI is that humid but my basement may have not been the best place for them.

[invaderhorizongreen]

 I cant wait to see pics I am still missing two of the glitter ones for gen 3.