Would it be evil if I

[Epona]

If all you want is to practice de-flocking, you might be able to find a toy/fakie at a thrift store to practice on.
And if you don`t like flocking I`m sure you could sell her or trade her for a non- so soft sundance.
That is if the flocking is in decent shape to begin with.

[hathorcat]

She is yours to do as you wish with But she is a relatively common enough pony that even if she is not in wonderful condition I would not worry about removing her flocking. As long as you realise you do devalue her by removing the flocking [assuming she is not in terrible condition to start with] then she is a good choice to test deflocking skills on.

[spottedslug]

I probably wouldn't deflock Sundance because she has a non-flocked counterpart. But, she's your pony and no random people on the interwebs can tell you what to do with her.

[Vintergatan]

The only reason I wouldn't deflock her is that her NSS counterpart is just soooo common, so once you deflock her, you get a very common pony I would probably try to clean her up and see how that goes. If she's still grubby afterwards, then I say just go with it.

[gypsyunicorn]

No matter what shape she's in, I think all SS ponies look much prettier deflocked.

But eventually we'll run out of so-softs !

well I will always have 1 set of so softs because I keep the most awesomest I can find in flocked version, always upgrading and I have a deflocked version
I do agree do NOT deflock unless pony is in bad shape. There are only so many Hasbro made like this and with over 50% of the community finding and deflocking this is chance we will eventually not see the flocked sold second hand anway...including eBay...I would wait and practice on a rubbed one and clean this gal with mild dish soap and tooth brush in cold water. It always feel good to restore to near mint if you can!!

[ravengusty]

If there is a lot of noticeable flocking loss and grubbyness that can't be removed then deflock.

Myself I would only do that if there was a lot of flocking loss or extreme patchyness you know like bald patches. But I don't know how to deflock and I've been lucky so far with the SS's that I have they all have only a tiny bit of loss here and there or a tiny bit of yellowing due to glue.

Though I shall say what some have already said it is your pony to do with as you will, if you want to deflock go strip that fur! But if you've change your mind keep her as is and buy the NSS version elsewhere. I see both versions frequently on ebay myself. 

[achab1984]

I don't like to do that to my So Soft ponies when I get them. I had to do my Twilight cause when I touched her it came off on my hands. I cleaned her up and it was coming off when I was cleaning her. So I had no choice, it was sad for me but I had to do it. I want her to look pretty. Now if she would of been just dirty and missing some I would of left her alone.

[Ionn]

I've decided to try to clean the flocking first. I have no experience doing that either, so it's learning either way!    Then if I screw it up I guess I'll try my hand at deflocking. I've never had a Sundance of any kind anyway, so either way it's a new pony to me!

She's mostly just grubby. A bit of lost fuzz around her hoof edges and the tip of one ear.

[achab1984]

The best luck that I have had with cleaning So Soft ponies is dawn dish soap, and a child's tooth brush. They are small and have a very soft end on it. Go in circle motions slow.

[Skitterbug]

Well, if you really want to deflock I have a SS sundance in hideous condition. Hardly any flocking left, the glue is yellow and the tiny bit of flocking that is left is horribly grey and I can't clean her. I just kind of want her out of the house, haha.

[Rachel-Eyes]

She is your pony and you are free to do what you want with her!

However, I am glad to hear that you have decided to try cleaning her first. Even though the decision is yours and yours alone to make, I think you've chosen wisely. I've only cleaned one So Soft, but in my experience it wasn't that hard. I didn't even use a toothbrush, I just took a squirt of hand soap and lathered it around the pony with my hands. It was a North Star from a shopgoodwill lot of ponies that looked like they had been in the basement for 20 years. She had some gunk around her leg, but it came right off.

My main advice actually is to make sure that you use lukewarm water, and NOT hot water. I've heard some horror stories about people losing some flocking when the water was too hot. Make sure that the water is warm enough to kill the germs, but gentle enough to keep the flocking.

Anyways, best of luck in your pony restore adventure!

[Ionn]

The best luck that I have had with cleaning So Soft ponies is dawn dish soap, and a child's tooth brush. They are small and have a very soft end on it. Go in circle motions slow.

That's just what I did, with warm water. Sundance is definitely whiter now, & the yellow gunk came off her face (yay!). I'm going to have another go tomorrow as I was being very tentative about the pressure I applied & she still has some darker areas. Also, do flocked ponies get whiter from sunning, or will it cause the glue to yellow even more?

[BowtieG1]

The best luck that I have had with cleaning So Soft ponies is dawn dish soap, and a child's tooth brush. They are small and have a very soft end on it. Go in circle motions slow.

That's just what I did, with warm water. Sundance is definitely whiter now, & the yellow gunk came off her face (yay!). I'm going to have another go tomorrow as I was being very tentative about the pressure I applied & she still has some darker areas. Also, do flocked ponies get whiter from sunning, or will it cause the glue to yellow even more?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think attempting to sunfade So Softs will make the glue more yellow.

Maybe you could try whitening toothpaste instead of dish soap if its just a few problem areas?

[achab1984]

I never thought of the toothpaste, that is worth a try. I know what you mean with the yellow areas. I hope she turns out good

[hathorcat]

The best luck that I have had with cleaning So Soft ponies is dawn dish soap, and a child's tooth brush. They are small and have a very soft end on it. Go in circle motions slow.

That's just what I did, with warm water. Sundance is definitely whiter now, & the yellow gunk came off her face (yay!). I'm going to have another go tomorrow as I was being very tentative about the pressure I applied & she still has some darker areas. Also, do flocked ponies get whiter from sunning, or will it cause the glue to yellow even more?

It can go either way but most likely you will find it causes the glue to yellow more unfortunately.