G3 G3 Disintegrating Hair Syndrome

[MustBeJewel]

G3 Disintegrating Hair Syndrome


It's been known for a long time now that certain G3 ponies are prone to what I've been referring to as "Disintegrating Hair Syndrome."


1. What does this look like?
2. Why is this happening?
3. What ponies does this affect?
4. What other ponies have been reported?
5. Full text list of reported ponies
5. How can I help??




1. What does this look like?

.....and eventually....

It's as simple as that. With so much as barely a touch, the hair breaks off and disintegrates.
This isn't a few loose strands--this hair breaks so easily that you don't even feel it breaking when it happens.
It requires pretty much no effort, it just all but turns to dust. As you can see above, it's just the tinsel that gets left behind if there is any.


Sadly, there is no cure for Disintegrating Hair Syndrome. Once the hair has started to fall apart, it's too late.

At that point, re-hairing is your only option.

Some may choose to leave their DHS-prone ponies without brushing and to display them however they look. Be aware though that
as soon as you move a pony that has DHS, or pack or ship it, or if it falls over, or if a breeze from an open window blows too hard,
the pony is still going to lose its hair eventually.





2. Why is this happening?


There are theories but no one knows for sure. It is unlikely to be the glue, since the hair disintegrates all over, not just detaching from where it's sewn into the head. Because it tends to affect certain ponies more than others, most seem to think it's just a poor quality of the hair used on those models deteriorating over time. It may or may not be worsened by sun exposure.

​

it's probably because that hair is not nylon- it was very likely polypropylene (or a mix of poly and nylon). Polypropylene is cheaper than nylon, but basically breaks down after 20-30 years. Or less if exposed to freezing or high heat. The timing is about right. From the get go, it feels a little dryer.

From sources: https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/a...they-get-cold/ and https://www.creativemechanisms.com/b...pylene.-part-2 https://www.thespruce.com/comparing-...-fiber-2908806 )

You can kind of tell if your pony has polypropylene hair- by pouring water onto it. Poly is not porous, so the water basically runs off of it instead of soaking in (you may have noticed flyaways couldn't be tamed by water). Unfortunately the test doesn't work if they used a nylon/poly blend, but you can also just FEEL the difference pretty easy, even with blends. Nylon feels softer, silkier. Poly and poly blends feel very lightweight with a slightly rougher texture. A lot more flyaways. The best way to tell is to just get a pony (or doll) that you know is nylon, and feel the difference.

Info to know (from above):

• It is a kind of plastic with a known "high thermal expansion coefficient" - melting temperature of 320-347 Fahrenheit (160-175 Celsius).
• It is known to become brittle when frozen.
• It is also a kind of plastic that is susceptible to UV degradation- so sun will accelerate disintegration.
• It is known to have poor resistance to chlorinated solvents and aromatics. So gel or hairspray could accelerate the disintegration.
• It is also just susceptible to oxidation. Apparently it breaks down after 20-30 years.

How can you tell if it is polypropylene? Well, I'm not sure how age impacts this- but you can kind of tell just by pouring water over it. Look at this video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiUJRy0JUQD/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Poly is not porous so when you pour water over poly, it basically just rolls right off. It also can't be dyed. It is also really lightweight.

When they released Rainbow Flash and Petal Blossom, you could get them as a single-packed pony OR with a free baby pony. (Flower Flash or Romperooni.) The single pony and the bonus-baby version were available at the same time, and they cost the same amount.

But to cut production costs, the ponies packed with free babies were given poly hair.

I doused my two Rainbow Flashes and you can really tell the difference . . . Pony on the left has nylon hair, her hair looks and feels wet and is visibly damp. Pony on the right is polypropylene or whatever; her hair was immediately dry, the water just rolled off it.

The water test should also work for Petal Blossom.

3. What ponies does this affect?

Disintegrating Hair Syndrome is mostly found in certain sets of ponies, such as discount chains and AVON exclusives, but has been reported in others outside of these sets.





NOTE: NOT every single pony
(every single Autumn Crisp, for example)
will have this problem.






Reported ponies prone to Disintegrating Hair Syndrome (with photos):


​

Autumn Crisp - CONFIRMED
2005 Discount Chain Exclusive
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @MustBeJewel)

Baby Romperooni - CONFIRMED
2004 Super Long Hair bonus pony
(photo: @Spoosh, @OctoberMoon, @blueming )

Blossomforth [Wing Wishes] - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @Iridescent )

December Poinsettia - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, Lindsay S.)

Dream Drifter - CONFIRMED
2007
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @starbeam )

Glitterbelle - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: @Spoosh, @SweetNightmare)

Green Apple - CONFIRMED
2006 Discount Chain Exclusive
(photo: Strawberry Reef, Mandi P.)

Jazz Matazz & Wave Catcher - CONFIRMED
2005 AVON exclusive
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @MeowFactor)

Midnight Dream - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, Melissa R.)

Petal Blossom - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: @Spoosh, heckyeahponyscans)

Pretty Parasol - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @jnoj )

Secret Wish - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: @Spoosh, Peri K.)

Soakey Dokey - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: @Spoosh, @Mlp Sunsparkle )

Sparkleworks (McDonald's) - CONFIRMED
2005
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @GracefulSlumber)

Sparkleworks (II) - CONFIRMED
2003
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @buddafly)

Sunrise - CONFIRMED
2006 Discount Chain Exclusive
(photo: Strawberry Reef, Benjamin Ben)

Tangerine Twinkle - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @MustBeJewel)

Tea Lily - CONFIRMED
2005
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @BabyNightmare )

Tripsy Daisy - CONFIRMED
2005
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @MustBeJewel)

Twinkle Bloom - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, Kennie M. F.)

Twirlerina - CONFIRMED
2006
(photo: Strawberry Reef, @Magpeye)

5. Full Text List of Reported Ponies
Red = Confirmed above

Please comment with any photos you may have of the following ponies reported to be afflicted with Disintegrating Hair Syndrome:

​

- Autumn Crisp​

- Baby Romperooni​

- Blossomforth [Wing Wishes]​

- Breezy​

- Comet Tail​

- December Poinsettia​

- Dream Drifter​

- Flippity Flop​

- Frilly Frocks​

- Gem Blossom​

- Glitterbelle​

- Green Apple​

- Jazz Matazz & Wave Catcher​

- Midnight Dream​

- Peachie Keen​

- Peach Surprise & Tea Lily​

- Petal Blossom​

- Piccolo​

- Pretty Parasol​

- Rainbow Dash II​

- Rainbow Flash​

- Secret Wish​

- Soakey Dokey​

- Sparkleworks I, II, III, McDonald's​

- Strawberry Sunset​

- Sunny Daze (Dress-up Eveningwear 2004)​

- Sunrise​

- Tangerine Twinkle​

- Tripsy Daisy​

- Tulip Twinkle​

- Twinkle Bloom​

- Twirlerina​

- 2011 Comic-Con Pony​

- 3.5 Cheerilee (the one with changeable pigtails - Super Long Hair Ponies)​

​

Other products:​

- G3 Bubble bath toppers​

- G3 Twinkle Twirl gumball machine​

6. How Can I Help??

Help us fill out this list! If this has happened to you with a G3 pony,
please comment with its name and if possible, a photo of the damage.



​

Additional photo credits:
Green Apple: Mandy P.
Daybreak: Benjamin Ben
Midnight Dream: Melissa R.
Secret Wish: Keri P.
December Poinsettia: Lindsay S.
Twinkle Bloom: Kennie M. F

Additional info credits:

 

[Leave a Whisper]

This sucks.

 

[stjarne]

this is SO helpful! i think Twirlerina has been mentioned to have this problem too? i saw this thread about her.
same with the version of Petal Blossom that comes with Flower Flash.
theres not a lot we can do about it except rehair as close to the original as possible. i've definitely noticed my autumn crisp & misty blue have drier hair than the rest of my ponies. sucks that most of these are on my wishlist but maybe ill have someone rehair them for me when their hair goes haywire
same can be said about the ponies with "fading pink" although that can also just be dyed. if there could be a list like this with the ponies that have that problem that'd be spectacular

 

[strawberrypony32]

Does this always happen? Is there a known cause? Ive never experienced this or heard of it in anything other than cheap fakie ponies. My Autumn Crisp is so special to me. I havent noticed anything wrong with her hair as far as I know. My best friend bought me a Sunrise that looks like that poor hairless Autumn Crisp in the picture. I guess this is why she looks like that. Is it the hair itself disintegrating or the glue holding it in?

 

[blueming]

Does this always happen? Is there a known cause? Ive never experienced this or heard of it in anything other than cheap fakie ponies. My Autumn Crisp is so special to me. I havent noticed anything wrong with her hair as far as I know. My best friend bought me a Sunrise that looks like that poor hairless Autumn Crisp in the picture. I guess this is why she looks like that. Is it the hair itself disintegrating or the glue holding it in?

Unfortunately, it’s the hair itself, not the glue. It will often break halfway down a strand

 

[strawberrypony32]

Unfortunately, it’s the hair itself, not the glue. It will often break halfway down a strand

Thats awful!! I hope my Autumn Crisp never gets that way, i just held her yesterday and her hairwas fine.. maybe i should wrap her up and put her back into storage away from anything that could make it disintegrate..

 

[MustBeJewel]

this is SO helpful! i think Twirlerina has been mentioned to have this problem too? i saw this thread about her.
same with the version of Petal Blossom that comes with Flower Flash.
theres not a lot we can do about it except rehair as close to the original as possible. i've definitely noticed my autumn crisp & misty blue have drier hair than the rest of my ponies. sucks that most of these are on my wishlist but maybe ill have someone rehair them for me when their hair goes haywire
same can be said about the ponies with "fading pink" although that can also just be dyed. if there could be a list like this with the ponies that have that problem that'd be spectacular

"Fading pink" will stay intact color-wise so long as it stays out of sunlight or other sources of UV light

Does this always happen? Is there a known cause? Ive never experienced this or heard of it in anything other than cheap fakie ponies. My Autumn Crisp is so special to me. I havent noticed anything wrong with her hair as far as I know. My best friend bought me a Sunrise that looks like that poor hairless Autumn Crisp in the picture. I guess this is why she looks like that. Is it the hair itself disintegrating or the glue holding it in?

See above/below

"Disintegrating Hair Syndrome is mostly found in certain sets of ponies, but has been reported in others outside of these sets.

NOTE: Not every single pony (every single Autumn Crisp, for example) will have this problem."

The hair itself is disintegrating. It will turn to dust if you manipulate it enough. The glue is definitely not the problem here.

 

[Owlbeast]

do the discount singles and avon ponies have hair made up of something other than nylon? interesting that this has been happening with all of them. that's a shame, i've wanted sunrise for a long time.

something is definitely up with baby romperooni's hair. i have one from my childhood collection that i initially thought had tail rust, but it's more like...the entire tail is turning dark brown or black. is this "tail rot", maybe? i've heard of the term before, but i could never find any proper articles on it.

 

[minticat]

do the discount singles and avon ponies have hair made up of something other than nylon? interesting that this has been happening with all of them. that's a shame, i've wanted sunrise for a long time.

something is definitely up with baby romperooni's hair. i have one from my childhood collection that i initially thought had tail rust, but it's more like...the entire tail is turning dark brown or black. is this "tail rot", maybe? i've heard of the term before, but i could never find any proper articles on it.

after my tea lily's hair completely disintegrated in my hands last month, i did some digging into why and found a thread on the mlp arena about this issue and folks there were theorizing the hair is polypropylene instead of nylon. it's known to completely degrade in other dolls as well.

 

[blueming]

Here’s a baby Romperooni I have. So sad…

 

[OctoberMoon]

Well I don't have too much evidence of the damages but I did have a Romperooni that lost her hair. I helped my son turn her into his custom Mario.

 

[stjarne]

"Fading pink" will stay intact color-wise so long as it stays out of sunlight or other sources of UV light

oh i know, but sometimes it just happens? i had my december poinsettia come to me with her pink strand all faded (i didnt even realize it in the pictures) but im keeping her in the plans to redye it

 

[MustBeJewel]

do the discount singles and avon ponies have hair made up of something other than nylon? interesting that this has been happening with all of them. that's a shame, i've wanted sunrise for a long time.

something is definitely up with baby romperooni's hair. i have one from my childhood collection that i initially thought had tail rust, but it's more like...the entire tail is turning dark brown or black. is this "tail rot", maybe? i've heard of the term before, but i could never find any proper articles on it.

That sounds like mold to me I would get to work taking off her head, removing her tail, cleaning it thoroughly and replacing the metal tail parts! Do you have a photo of it?

oh i know, but sometimes it just happens? i had my december poinsettia come to me with her pink strand all faded (i didnt even realize it in the pictures) but im keeping her in the plans to redye it

It probably was exposed to sun before she arrived to you so no, I don't think that fading pink just fades on its own without exposure to UV light.

 

[Sassarazzmadazzles]

I had a long haired purple one who did this! with pink hair! i dont know her name though

 

[MustBeJewel]

I had a long haired purple one who did this! with pink hair! i dont know her name though

Petal Blossom is on the list

 

[StormMaeker]

I had seen a baby Tripsy Daisy for sale somewhere where the dark pink parts in her hair had all broken off. I can’t find it anymore (I tried to look to link) but I don’t know how common it is or if it was just that one. I know this is about normal brushables, I just thought it was maybe a mention?

 

[strawberrypony32]

I had a tiny bit of free time at the end of the day today so I decided to pull out the hair and glue inside of my Sunrise I mentioned's head. It turned to powder and i just poured it out! Im ordering her new hair in a few weeks. Poor thing! Glad my bestie bought her for me to fix up. sorry the pic is a little dark i started losing daylight

 

[MustBeJewel]

If anyone would like to share their color-matching recommendations for replacement hair for any of these affected ponies, please feel free and I will add it to the main post.

 

[Luminary]

I have Secret Wish and Piccolo. I remember when they came out that Brights Brightly (and Maybe Whistle Wishes) got some complaints about the quality of the red/pink parts of their hair.
This seems irritating from a collector's perspective, but if it is a chemical reaction then shame on Hasbro! Since the hair isn't warm it probably isn't one, but still, they knew about older collectors from way back in G1 (Scribbles and Dabble are advertised for collectors), and some people have hand-me-down toys from their parents, so to make hair that disintegrates in 25 years is a no-no.

 

[strawberrypony32]

If anyone would like to share their color-matching recommendations for replacement hair for any of these affected ponies, please feel free and I will add it to the main post.

I think Crumpet and Cantaloupe with Opal tinsel from Shimmerlocks are super close matches for Autumn Crisp and Sunrise. I cant be fully sure about it. It seems Sunrises hair fades to a peach in the wrong conditions, but from what I can tell it started as Cantaloupes color. The part of her tail inside of her body was cantaloupe inside with peach outside it seemed the hair hidden inside the washer didnt degrade as much. The sunrise in the Strawberryreef picture has been rehaired. Ill get a sample of Crumpet when I buy Sunrises replacement and post pictures of a comparison with my Autumn Crisp!