G3 Are Certain G3s Prone to Fading?

CocoChipooRocks

CocoChipooRocks

Chihuahua-Brained
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Hi guys! So I'm noticing a problem with a few of my G3s and was wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

I got Strawberry Reef seven years ago and she had a very slight fade on her back. Over time, it's noticeably spread across her back and up to her face, with a slight yellowy tint around her neck ring and right cheek. I should mention that she had a tiny hole near her tail with mold discoloration when I got her, but this isn't near where the fading/slight yellowing has occurred. She also isn't the only G3 I have with a fading issue, although hers is by far the worst. Beachcomber, Sunny Sparkle and Shellbelle also have some slight fading on their backs and/or sides as well, and without any mold.

Here's a comparison of her display side to her front, which is still a vibrant pink.
The lighting makes it a little tough to see because there's some glare:

sr.jpg


Virtually none of my other ponies have this issue despite being stored and displayed in the same conditions. My pony shelf is turned 90° from my windows, which always have the blinds down anyway. Strawberry Reef and the other faded G3s are all on the lower shelves, while the ponies on the higher shelves haven't had a problem. I've used acetone on many of them before without incident, so I don't think this is the reason either.

Could it be a regrind or Fading Pink-type situation where certain batches of colors are more prone to fading? Strawberry Reef, Beachcomber and Shellbelle are all similar shades of pink and were released in Year Three (Butterfly Island). My other Year Three ponies, which are different colors, don't have a fading issue. I'm interested to know if anyone knows about this or has had similar problems.
 
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I think they are prone to fading. My Waterfire is starting to get some head/body discolouration.
My Strawberry Reef once went mysteriously sticky too. I have read here quite a bit that they can start going sticky when the plastic starts to break down (I hope I got that right). I think I’ve also got other ponies starting to go the same way, discolouring, but off the top of my head, I don’t remember who. I just remember Waterfire being the worst for it. I’ll have a look at my Strawberry Reef and see if she’s the same
 
StormMaeker said:
My Strawberry Reef once went mysteriously sticky too. I have read here quite a bit that they can start going sticky when the plastic starts to break down
Click to expand...
I've also had this issue unfortunately, but with Candy Apple instead of Strawberry Reef. When the plastic starts to age and break down, the plasticizer starts leaking out, leaving the body sticky and hard. :confused: I have Waterfire too, but interestingly she hasn't faded at all. And thanks for your help! I wonder if anyone else has dealt with this.
 
Luckily, my Strawberry Reef hadn’t gone hard but a couple of my white ponies have...
Anyway, my Strawberry Reef is starting to go a little yellow under her cheek and I’m unsure if she’s starting to discolour around the back. I’ll get a picture of my Waterfire to help show what happened to mine.
Luckily she isn’t as bad as one of my Breezies who have gone all discoloured and I didn’t even know it could happen to them!

EDIT:
I grabbed some pictures and I realised you probably can’t see the discolouration very well in the photos... but maybe you can?
Waterfire’s body is going a different colour to her head. Her ears are now hard and I think her face is going rough.
Strawberry Reef is yellowing under her cheek. I didn’t notice this before today. I got a picture of them together in case Strawberry Reef is also doing the same as Waterfire and I haven’t noticed
1E7542EE-CD74-4DCD-BBE6-B70DB65A888C.jpegA930AB2A-C907-4D4D-ABE8-C87BE404A8AC.jpeg3B36397F-4700-4EF8-A443-35643797D41E.jpeg
And here is an extra photo of Meadow Moon. She looks like she really needs to see a doctor. In blue lights, it’s super noticeable but it doesn’t show on camera. The same happens to another breeze in the light but she isn’t like Meadow Moon!
EB4A014E-CA95-46F3-B0C6-E097B662FD5C.jpeg
 
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CocoChipooRocks said:
Hi guys! So I'm noticing a problem with a few of my G3s and was wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

I got Strawberry Reef seven years ago and she had a very slight fade on her back. Over time, it's noticeably spread across her back and up to her face, with a slight yellowy tint around her neck ring and right cheek. I should mention that she had a tiny hole near her tail with mold discoloration when I got her, but this isn't near where the fading/slight yellowing has occurred. She also isn't the only G3 I have with a fading issue, although hers is by far the worst. Beachcomber, Sunny Sparkle and Shellbelle also have some slight fading on their backs and/or sides as well, and without any mold.

Here's a comparison of her display side to her front, which is still a vibrant pink.
The lighting makes it a little tough to see because there's some glare:

View attachment 32909

Virtually none of my other ponies have this issue despite being stored and displayed in the same conditions. My pony shelf is turned 90° from my windows, which always have the blinds down anyway. Strawberry Reef and the other faded G3s are all on the lower shelves, while the ponies on the higher shelves haven't had a problem. I've used acetone on all of them before without incident, so I don't think this is the reason either.

Could it be a regrind or Fading Pink-type situation where certain batches of colors are more prone to fading? Strawberry Reef, Beachcomber and Shellbelle are all similar shades of pink and were released in Year Three (Butterfly Island). My other Year Three ponies, which are different colors, don't have a fading issue. I'm interested to know if anyone knows about this or has had similar problems.
Click to expand...
I haven’t noticed any of my pink ponys changing colors, but my white ponys are a little. Especially Fingerpaints, but my Sunny Daze is too. I couldn’t tell you why though o_O
 
I think, I haven't confirmed this, but think that this is g3's form of regrind. Just based on the age of the ponies and how it shows up. The leaking plastisizer is a different issue. There could also be a humidity factor in the discoloration. My girl had one desert rose that she always wanted in the bathroom with her (everywhere for a short while) and she ended up developing yellowing.
 
Tak said:
I haven't confirmed this, but think that this is g3's form of regrind.
Click to expand...
That's my suspicion as well. Especially because it doesn't seem to be caused by environmental factors (sunlight, cleaning products, etc.) and is only showing on certain ponies. I really think it must be a weird regrind/Fading Pink scenario.
 
BIG UPDATE:

So I was examining more of my ponies and discovered even more pink ponies with this issue!

Sunrise Song and Magic Marigold also have a fading issue in the same spot. Sunrise Song's fade is about the same level as Strawberry Reef's, but with more yellowing/discoloration on the neck.

50DFADCD-F161-400A-A560-F2F6FB37CB27.jpeg


I decided to look through all my G3's and see what kinds of discoloration I could find. Building on my Year Three hypothesis earlier, I mostly focused on ponies released in that year, along with all my pink ponies. Here's what I found:

Year Three
Baby Charm Bracelet - slight yellowing
Baby Lavender Locket - none
Baby Penny Candy - faded head
Beachcomber - moderate fade
Bumbleberry - none
Desert Palm - none
Fair Weather - none
Golden Delicious - none
Hidden Treasure - slight fade near tail
Island Delight - none
Jazz Matazz - none
Kiwi Tart - none
Love Wishes - none
Magic Marigold - extensive fade
Paradise Palms - none
Peachie Keen - none
Ribbon Wishes - none
Seaspray - none
Shellbelle - slight fade, yellowing
Silver Lining - moderate fade, yellowing
Strawberry Reef - extensive fade, yellowing
Strawberry Sunset - none
Twilight Twinkle - none
Waterfire - none

Others
Sunny Sparkle - extensive fade
Sunrise Song - extensive fade, yellowing

All the emphasized names are pink ponies.

There are some key trends with these findings:
  • Warm/hot pink body color
  • Matte or semi-matte body - only one shimmery pony (Silver Lining) was affected
  • Fading begins near tail and progresses up to face
  • Fading always occurs on display side
  • Year Three release
So what does this mean? It seems like for whatever reason, matte or semi-matte ponies with pink bodies are highly susceptible to fading. Most of the Year Three ponies without pink bodies were fine, which leads me to believe that it's not year-specific. However, all of the fading pink ponies but one were released in this year. I also have other pink ponies (Cupcake, Toola Roola, Twinkle Bloom) released in different years without this issue.

The problem is that I have no idea why this is the case or what may have caused it. All my ponies are stored in the same conditions and are kept away from direct sunlight. If it's being caused by the use of a cleaning product, then I really have no way of knowing; I use the same products on all my ponies about once each and without incident. These problems have also arisen over the course of several years, making it difficult to pinpoint what could've caused it.

My Takeaway
Warm pink ponies with matte or semi-matte bodies seem particularly vulnerable to fading. Many of the ponies I own with this issue were released in Year Three. The fading occurs on the display side, begins at the tail/hind end and eventually progresses up to the face. The color may be predisposed to fading, or could be extra sensitive to cleaning treatments that discolor it over time.

What are everyone's thoughts? I would love to everyone's fading experiences with these and other G3 ponies.
 
CocoChipooRocks said:
BIG UPDATE:

So I was examining more of my ponies and discovered even more pink ponies with this issue!

Sunrise Song and Magic Marigold also have a fading issue in the same spot. Sunrise Song's fade is about the same level as Strawberry Reef's, but with more yellowing/discoloration on the neck.

View attachment 32931

I decided to look through all my G3's and see what kinds of discoloration I could find. Building on my Year Three hypothesis earlier, I mostly focused on ponies released in that year, along with all my pink ponies. Here's what I found:

Year Three
Baby Charm Bracelet - slight yellowing
Baby Lavender Locket - none
Baby Penny Candy - faded head
Beachcomber - moderate fade
Bumbleberry - none
Desert Palm - none
Fair Weather - none
Golden Delicious - none
Hidden Treasure - slight fade near tail
Island Delight - none
Jazz Matazz - none
Kiwi Tart - none
Love Wishes - none
Magic Marigold - extensive fade
Paradise Palms - none
Peachie Keen - none
Ribbon Wishes - none
Seaspray - none
Shellbelle - slight fade, yellowing
Silver Lining - moderate fade, yellowing
Strawberry Reef - extensive fade, yellowing
Strawberry Sunset - none
Twilight Twinkle - none
Waterfire - none

Others
Sunny Sparkle - extensive fade
Sunrise Song - extensive fade, yellowing

All the emphasized names are pink ponies.

There are some key trends with these findings:
  • Warm/hot pink body color
  • Matte or semi-matte body - only one shimmery pony (Silver Lining) was affected
  • Fading begins near tail and progresses up to face
  • Fading always occurs on display side
  • Year Three release
So what does this mean? It seems like for whatever reason, matte or semi-matte ponies with pink bodies are highly susceptible to fading. Most of the Year Three ponies without pink bodies were fine, which leads me to believe that it's not year-specific. However, all of the fading pink ponies but one were released in this year. I also have other pink ponies (Cupcake, Toola Roola, Twinkle Bloom) released in different years without this issue.

The problem is that I have no idea why this is the case or what may have caused it. All my ponies are stored in the same conditions and are kept away from direct sunlight. If it's being caused by the use of a cleaning product, then I really have no way of knowing; I use the same products on all my ponies about once each and without incident. These problems have also arisen over the course of several years, making it difficult to pinpoint what could've caused it.

My Takeaway
Warm pink ponies with matte or semi-matte bodies seem particularly vulnerable to fading. Many of the ponies I own with this issue were released in Year Three. The fading occurs on the display side, begins at the tail/hind end and eventually progresses up to the face. The color may be predisposed to fading, or could be extra sensitive to cleaning treatments that discolor it over time.

What are everyone's thoughts? I would love to everyone's fading experiences with these and other G3 ponies.
Click to expand...
Any cleaners harsher than dish soap could contribute as well.
 
If you’re noticing it predominantly on display sides of ponies, that leads me to think it’s largely fading caused by a light source. They needn’t be in direct light for fading to occur (direct light just speeds up the process).

That it’s largely pink ponies could be down to the dye. Many pink pigments contain a blue and a red element, and these tend to be unstable and prone to fading. It’s the same reason you’ll often see G1 ponies with formerly pink symbols that have faded to blue.

To me, this sounds like fairly typical aging for toys that are almost 20 (!) years old, even those kept in ideal conditions by us collectors. My ponies are kept in a low light, low heat, low humidity room, but I’m also seeing some discolouring and plasticizer leakage on G3 ponies that wasn’t noticeable 5 years ago.

Elf
 
I haven’t noticed fading on any of my regular G3s, but I have an odd situation where half of a Minty keychain’s face has become discolored.
471E72F4-959D-46DB-9BA0-47C8E9F079A8.jpeg

I don’t know how this happened because she was stored in a closet (with A/C) or displayed with my other ponies. It’s only on one side of her face so I’ve taken to calling her Two-Face. The only thing I know to do is repaint that side, but that’s a project for another day.
 
Sahar-7605 said:
I haven’t noticed fading on any of my regular G3s, but I have an odd situation where half of a Minty keychain’s face has become discolored.
View attachment 33241
I don’t know how this happened because she was stored in a closet (with A/C) or displayed with my other ponies. It’s only on one side of her face so I’ve taken to calling her Two-Face. The only thing I know to do is repaint that side, but that’s a project for another day.
Click to expand...
I remember seeing a thread about this kind of thing. I just had a look for it in case you hadn’t seen it, it’s this one from 2018
 
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