1st G1 I've held in 20 years...

[Cozytoyhoard]

Were they always so squishy???

I've really only been buying the cabbage patch ponies up to this point so the soft vinyl of Parasol was a sensory shock lol. I really don't remember her texture being that different from my cabbage patch ponies tho?

 

[Skybreeze]

Long answer short is yes, a G1 pony’s vinyl should be soft.

Here’s the long answer:
While a G1 should have a firm but soft vinyl you don’t want it too soft. If it is very soft it could mean the vinyl is getting ready to ooze plasticizer and start that process. Usually once that starts the pony becomes rather sticky and overall gross feeling. But once the process has stopped the pony will need a good bath but it will have become very hard as the softening agent seeps out of the toy through this process.

 

[Cozytoyhoard]

Long answer short is yes, a G1 pony’s vinyl should be soft.

Here’s the long answer:
While a G1 should have a firm but soft vinyl you don’t want it too soft. If it is very soft it could mean the vinyl is getting ready to ooze plasticizer and start that process. Usually once that starts the pony becomes rather sticky and overall gross feeling. But once the process has stopped the pony will need a good bath but it will have become very hard as the softening agent seeps out of the toy through this process.

Aww, dip. I hope that's not the case. She is really soft in comparison to my cabbage patch ponies but I don't have any other G1s to compare her to. There is a sticky spot on her neck but I assumed it was tape residue from the shape and feel.

I guess she'll just have to stay quarantined from the other ponies.

 

[CocoChipooRocks]

Important question: is her neck sealed all the way? Her squishiness might be impacted by her neck coming unglued. My first G1 was a Windy whose neck was almost completely unglued, making her more squeezable.

 

[Gingerbread]

G1s are much softer than CP ponies. From what I recall the CP ponies were a harder plastic closer to the squishability of G2 or G3 ponies. G1 you can pretty easily squish, except for some types like twinkle eye who were harder plastic but it shouldn't be super soft. If you squish it it should pop back into form rather quickly if you squish and it still stays squished for a while you might be getting into some plasticizer breakdown.

 

[Tak]

The brush n grow ponies are harder, too. The happy tails tend to be quite squishy.

 

[Truly_Scrumptious]

The brush n grow ponies are harder, too. The happy tails tend to be quite squishy.

Oh good, I wasn't just imagining that with the Brush n Grows! My Braided Beauty genuinely has a crack in the plastic on one of her wings, which... doesn't usually happen with soft ponies. lol

 

[Tak]

Oh good, I wasn't just imagining that with the Brush n Grows! My Braided Beauty genuinely has a crack in the plastic on one of her wings, which... doesn't usually happen with soft ponies. lol

I’ve never had one crack, wow. I did downsize and put some strict limits on my collection a few years ago, though. Most that aren’t on my list I just wash and brush before sending them onward to a forever home.

 

[Cozytoyhoard]

Important question: is her neck sealed all the way? Her squishiness might be impacted by her neck coming unglued. My first G1 was a Windy whose neck was almost completely unglued, making her more squeezable.

She does have a tiny part unsealed. That would make sense!

G1s are much softer than CP ponies. From what I recall the CP ponies were a harder plastic closer to the squishability of G2 or G3 ponies. G1 you can pretty easily squish, except for some types like twinkle eye who were harder plastic but it shouldn't be super soft. If you squish it it should pop back into form rather quickly if you squish and it still stays squished for a while you might be getting into some plasticizer breakdown.

All the CP ponies I have are very hard (and chonky). She does pop right back into shape tho so that's a good sign!