Materials: X-acto knife, bleach, stainless steel or porcelain bowl, pliers, fingernail polish remover, cotton balls, sandpaper

If your pony requires more than just a new emblem, you’ll need to take her apart. The first thing you should do is give her a good shake. If you hear something rattling inside her, it means her tail is loose and you can just pull it out.

Next, pull on her head in different directions to see if there are any breaks in the glue. If her head is already loose, you’re in luck. Otherwise, take an X-acto knife (or similar hobby blade) and cut through the glue. Be sure to cut only the glue and not the pony herself. Check the diagram on the anatomy page if you’re unsure where to cut. If she had a few loose spots in the glue, these are the best places to start cutting.

Once her head is off, you can remove her tail (if you haven’t already). Push the tail in to bring it as close to the neck hole as possible, then grab the clasp with a pair of pliers and pull it out.

Removing the mane is a little more time consuming. Inside her head, right by the opening, is a large knot of hair fastened with glue that holds her hair in place. Grab the knot with the pliers and pull it out. Once out, her hair will begin to unravel inside. You can pull it out from the outside one plug at a time, starting at the neck and going up to the ears. Ponies with multi-colored manes are a little more difficult. There is a knot holding in each color that needs to be pulled out. Ponies with tinsel in their hair will also have heavily glued manes, so be aware of this as you begin dismantling your pony.

If you’re going to use the hair later, do yourself a big favor: tie a knot in each plug as you pull it out. You’ll end up doing it anyway when you get ready to reroot hair, and it keeps the hair from going everywhere. Just tie two knots in the middle of the strand where the hair bends, as shown in the picture.

Preparing for Surgery

Ponies may look cute on the outside, but inside they can be downright evil. Baby Surprise was coated on the inside with powdered rust from her tail. Yuck!

Ponies are almost always dirty on the inside. Since you already have your pony taken apart, go ahead and clean her inside and out. Remove any marks with fingernail polish remover, and take off her emblem too, if you’re going to replace it. Also look carefully for excess glue around the neck, which will repel dye. Remove as much as you can, even if you have to sand it off. You may also want to widen the neck opening to make rerooting easier. Do this using an X-acto knife, always making sure the blade points away from your body.

Tip: If you’re going to dye your pony, use only fingernail polish remover to take off markings. Other cleansers can leave a residue that repels dye.

If your pony has peppering, or is exceptionally dirty, soak her in a bleach solution. Smooze dyes more quickly than the pony’s body, and will result in dark spots. Mix one part bleach and one part water in a stainless steel or porcelain bowl and submerse the pony’s head and body. Let her soak for about fifteen minutes, or until the peppering fades, then rinse her off and dry her. Once your pony is clean, she’ll be ready for the next step you choose.

Customizing 101 Intro :: Anatomy of a Pony :: Dismantling the Pony

Changing Body Color :: Painting your Pony :: New Hair :: Special Effects

Finishing Up :: Problem Solving :: Custom Pony Links

Dava’s Customs :: Back to Main Page