TOYS – Whole Heartily

Water Table Accessory and Activity Ideas

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational activities for her that are made with love and will be loved!

With how much young ones love water, water tables are perfection during the hot summer months! Set them up in a comfortable location with some shade, and watch them play to their hearts content! They can play with the table as is, or you can add accessories to make the play even more engaging and fun!

Here to inspire you, I’ve created a list of water table accessory/activity ideas to keep the kiddos entertained for hours!

**If you live in California or any other location where wasting water may be an issue, no worries! Bypass adding any food coloring to the play water and once you’re done, you can use it to water your plants!

Transformed Power Wheels – Barbie to Jurassic Park Jeep

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational toys for her that are made with love and will be loved! I loved dinosaurs as a child and quite honestly I still do! I see that interest piquing in Zoey too and of course I’m going to encourage it!

I was always fascinated by power wheels as a child and envious of any of my friends who owned one! When my parents found this one at a thrift store, I jumped at the chance to get one for Zoey, but it needed a little work! As you can see it started out as Barbie themed, and while I loved Barbies too this was the opportunity to try something new!

Let’s create a Jurassic Park themed power wheels! Please feel free to use this information to breathe new life into an old toy and, if you have any new tips, please feel free to share!

SUPPLIES

Power Wheels Ride On Jeep
Krylon Fusion All-in One spray paint or similar
Screwdriver
Sandwich bag (to hold the screws)
Cardboard (optional)
Newspaper or scratch paper
Disposable bags
Painter’s tape
Power Wheels decal sheet for Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler

INSTRUCTIONS

Using a screwdriver, dismantle the toy as much as possible without breaking anything. If a piece is not coming off and you’re worried it will break if you force it, don’t force it, and don’t worry! Painter’s tape and paper are your friends!
Remove any old stickers and completely wash/clean the plastic toy and it’s pieces, then allow to dry.
Wipe the toy down with rubbing alcohol to prepare the surfaces before painting, then allow to dry.
Spread flattened cardboard (or something similar) in a well ventilated space to protect the floor.
Paint the removed items first, taking care not to pile the paint on too thickly, instead try misting it on and applying multiple layers.
Tape and paper the wheels surrounding the hubcaps, then paint the hubcaps red in layers.
Once you’re satisfied with the hubcaps, and they are fully dried, you can cover each whole wheel with a disposable bag.
Flip the car over and paint the undercarriage first with whichever color you choose.
Once you’re satisfied with the undercarriage and it is fully dried, you can flip the car back over and place it on the cardboard directly or place it on a couple of sawhorses.
Tape up anything you do not want painted, i.e. the pedal and shifter.
Paint the base layers first (where any surrounding paint can be covered with top layers) and allow to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry a bit before painting another. I started with the red of the dashboard/windshield piece, then the gray of the front bumper.
Using painter’s tape, bags and/or paper, cover the painted items that cannot be removed once they are completely dried. I covered the dashboard/windshield piece, but left the steering wheel exposed. I also covered the front bumper.
Once these layers are covered, paint the next layer up and allow to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry a bit before painting another. For me, this was painting the steering wheel gray.
Using painter’s tape, bags and/or paper, cover everything painted that cannot be removed. In addition to the previously covered items, I also covered the steering wheel with a disposable bag after it was completely dry.
Once everything is covered, paint the body of the toy and allow it to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry a bit before painting another.
Gently remove all of the coverings and reassemble the Power Wheels Ride On Jeep.
Carefully peel and stick the Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler decals to your Jeep.
Let’s go find some Dinosaurs!

DIY – Felt Cookies

What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?

I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved baking cookies for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!

Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make one circle cookie, one heart cookie, one star cookie, one triangle cookie, one square cookie and one rectangle cookie, each with frosting. I made one extra of each cookie shape so Zoey will have two of each. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!

SUPPLIES

FeltCookies Download

Cookie patterns (see above)
Paper scissors
Pale tan felt material
Pale blue felt material
Pale brown felt material
Dark brown felt material
Pale pink felt material
White felt material
Pale yellow felt material
Scissors
Pins
Embroidery floss (pale tan, pale blue, light brown, dark brown, pale pink, white)
Sewing needle

INSTRUCTIONS

Print out the cookie pattern I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
Align and pin the pale blue circle of frosting to one half of the circle of pale tan felt, then thread pale blue embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the circle cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the pale pink heart of frosting to one half of the heart of pale tan felt, then thread pale pink embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the heart cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the pale yellow star of frosting to one half of the star of pale tan felt, then thread pale yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the star cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the white triangle of frosting to one half of the triangle of pale tan felt, then thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the triangle cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the dark brown square of frosting to one half of the square of pale tan felt, then thread dark brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the square cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the pale brown rectangle of frosting to one half of the rectangle of pale tan felt, then thread pale brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer edges of the frosting using a whipstitch, concealing the first and ending knots underneath the layer of cookie.
One at a time, thread three of the other colors of embroidery floss onto your needle and create randomized stitches within the frosting to make sprinkles. Conceal the first and ending knots of each color underneath the layer of cookie.
Thread a sewing needle with pale tan embroidery floss and pin the bottom cookie layer over the stitching on the back of the frosted top half.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the rectangle cookie, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Enjoy!

DIY – Felt Pizza

What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?

I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing pizza for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!

Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make four slices of pizza with sauce and cheese. Toppings include 4 slices of bell pepper, 4 slices of mushroom, 12 slices of pepperoni, and 6 slices of olives. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!

SUPPLIES

FeltPizza Download

Pizza patterns (see above)
Paper scissors
Light tan felt material
Red felt material
Dark red felt material
White felt material
Off-white felt material
Green felt material
Black felt material
Stuffing
Sewing pins
Sewing scissors
Sewing needle
Embroidery floss (light tan, red, dark red, white, off-white, green, and black)

INSTRUCTIONS

Print out the pizza patterns I’ve provided and cut them from the paper.
Place the patterns on the appropriate colored felt and pin them in place, then use sewing scissors to cut out the felt pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of pizza crust together and thread light tan embroidery floss onto your sewing needle. Then, with a pencil, lightly sketch a curved line along and about 1/2 inch in from the arc of the crust.
Starting to one side of the pizza slice’s point, whipstitch along that edge and the top arc of the crust, stopping at the far end of the arc and setting that thread aside for a moment.
From the open edge of the pizza slice, use a running stitch along the pencil line to seal off the crust, concealing the first and ending knot between the layers, then use a little stuffing to inflate.
Pick up the previous thread and continue stitching down the remaining side of the pizza slice, concealing the end knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 to create the three other pizza slices.
Align and pin the two halves of pizza sauce together and thread red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your pizza sauce using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 8 and 9 to create the three other pizza sauces.
Align and pin the two halves of cheese together and thread off-white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 11 and 12 to create the three other cheeses.
Align and pin the two halves of bell pepper together and thread green embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer and then inner edges of your bell pepper using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 14 and 15 to create the rest of the bell pepper pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of mushroom together and thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your mushroom using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 17 and 18 to create the rest of the mushroom pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of pepperoni together and thread dark red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your pepperoni using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 20 and 21 to create the rest of the pepperoni pieces.
Align and pin the two halves of olive together and thread black embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the outer and then inner edges of your olive using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Repeat steps 23 and 24 to create the rest of the olive pieces.
Enjoy!

DIY – Felt Sandwich

What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?

I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing sandwiches for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!

Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make two slices of bread, a slice of American cheese, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of provolone cheese, a slice of deli meat, a lettuce leaf, two slices of tomato, two onion rings, two slices of pickle, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, peanut butter and jelly. I made an extra slice of deli meat and an extra (darker) leaf of lettuce. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!

SUPPLIES

SandwichPatterns Download

Sandwich patterns (see above)
Paper scissors
Light tan felt material
Light brown felt material
Green felt material
Vibrant green felt material
Pale pink felt material
Purple felt material
Red felt material
Dark red felt material
White felt material
Off-white felt material
Yellow felt material
Dark yellow felt material
Vibrant yellow felt material
Stuffing
Sewing pins
Sewing scissors
Sewing needle
Embroidery floss (light brown, green, light green, vibrant green, pale pink, purple, red, dark red, white, off-white, yellow, dark yellow and vibrant yellow)
Hot glue gun

INSTRUCTIONS

Print out the sandwich patterns I’ve provided and cut them from the paper.
Place the patterns on the appropriate colored felt and pin them in place, then use sewing scissors to cut out the felt pieces.
Align the two pieces of bread crust onto one another and thread your sewing needle with light brown embroidery floss. Whipstitch one of the shorter sides together, then pull open the strips to reveal what will be the dip in the top center of the bread.
Align the joined point of the bread crusts to the dip in the top of one half of the bread slice and begin to whipstitch around and down one side to attach. When you reach the bottom center, stop and tie it off. Begin at the top dip again and whipstitch down the other side of the bread until the two halves of crust meet, then tie it off. Within the piece of bread, join the two ends of the bread crust together and stitch them for reinforcement.
Lay the other half of the bread slice over the bread crust and whipstitch all the way around the bread, stopping 2/3 of the way around to insert stuffing, then complete the bread slice and conceal the knot between layers.
Repeat steps 3 through 5 to create the second slice of bread.
Align and pin the two halves of American cheese together and thread dark yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your American cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of Swiss cheese together and thread yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges and inside the holes of your Swiss cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of provolone cheese together and thread off-white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your provolone cheese using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of deli meat together and thread pale pink embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your deli meat using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Thread your sewing needle with light green embroidery floss and create the veins on each half of the the lettuce using a backstitch. Check before you begin to make ensure your stitches and knots will be concealed between the two halves.
Align and pin the two halves of lettuce together and thread green embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your lettuce using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two red halves of tomato (with the dark red base in between them) together and thread red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your tomato using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Use small dabs from the hot glue gun to secure down the inner ridges of the tomato.
Repeat steps 18 through 20 to create the second tomato slice.
Align and pin the two different onion rings together and thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around and over the white ring of the onion using a whipstitch and concealing the first and ending knots between the layers.
Repeat steps 22 and 24 to create the second onion ring.
Align and pin the two halves of the pickle (with the dark green base in between them) together and thread vibrant green embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the vibrant green of your pickle using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of ketchup together and thread dark red embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your ketchup using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of mayonnaise together and thread white embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your mayonnaise using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of mustard together and thread vibrant yellow embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your mustard using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of peanut butter together and thread light brown embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your peanut butter using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Align and pin the two halves of grape jelly together and thread purple embroidery floss onto your sewing needle.
Begin sewing around the edges of your grape jelly using a whipstitch, concealing the first knot and ending knot in between the layers.
Enjoy!

DIY – Felt Pancakes

What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?

I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing pancakes for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!

Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make one pancake, one dollop of syrup and one pat of butter. I made two extra pancakes for a stack of three underneath the syrup and butter. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!

SUPPLIES

PancakeButterSyrup Download

Pancake patterns (see above)
Paper scissors
Light tan felt material
Dark tan felt material
Light brown felt material
Yellow felt material
Stuffing
Sewing pins
Sewing scissors
Sewing needle
Embroidery floss (light tan, dark tan, light brown and yellow)

INSTRUCTIONS

Print out the pancakes pattern I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
Thread a sewing needle with yellow embroidery floss and pin the two layers of yellow butter to one layer of the syrup.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the butter, attaching it to the syrup, then tie it off underneath the syrup layer.
Thread a sewing needle with light brown embroidery floss and pin the second brown syrup layer over the stitching on the back of the first.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the syrup, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Thread a sewing needle with dark tan embroidery floss and pin each dark tan toasted circle of pancake to a lighter tan larger circle.
For each half of the pancake, completely sew the darker tan circle onto the lighter tan circle using a whipstitch, then tie it off underneath the lighter tan circle.
Thread a sewing needle with light tan embroidery floss and pin the two halves of the pancake together with the stitches concealed between the two halves.
Begin sewing the two halves together with a whipstitch. About 3/4 of the way around the pancake, stop sewing and gently stuff the pancake. Once you’re satisfied with the fullness of the pancake, complete stitching around the pancake and concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Enjoy!

DIY – Felt Bacon and Eggs

What child (or inner child) doesn’t love preparing toy food in a play kitchen?

I had a play kitchen when I was a little girl and loved preparing eggs and bacon for myself, my sister and my parents. Now that I’m grown and have a daughter of my own, I want to make her some handcrafted play food so she can enjoy making meals for everyone during play, or while we cook in the kitchen next to her!

Please feel free to use these patterns to create some play food for you and yours! This pattern will make two eggs and two pieces of bacon. You can duplicate it as much as you want to make multiple pieces of each food!

SUPPLIES

EggsandBacon Download

Eggs and bacon patterns (see above)
Paper scissors
White felt material
Yellow felt material
Dark red felt material
Pale pink felt material
2 pinches of stuffing
Sewing pins
Sewing scissors
Sewing needle
Embroidery floss (white, yellow, dark red, and pale pink)

INSTRUCTIONS

Print out the eggs and bacon pattern I’ve provided, then cut the patterns from the paper.
Pin the patterns on the appropriate colored felt, then use sewing scissors to cut the felt.
Thread a sewing needle with yellow embroidery floss and pin the egg yolk to a piece of the egg white.
Begin sewing the yellow yolk onto the egg white felt using a whipstitch. When you reach 2/3 of the way around the yolk, stop and place a small pinch of stuffing underneath it, then complete the circle and tie it off underneath the egg white layer.
Thread a sewing needle with white embroidery floss and pin the second egg white layer over the stitching on the back of the first.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the two layers of egg white, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Thread a sewing needle with pale pink embroidery floss and pin two pieces of marbling onto one side of two different bacon strips.
Begin sewing the pale pink marbling onto the dark red felt bacon using a whipstitch. When completed with each streak, tie it off underneath the bacon layer.
Thread a sewing needle with dark red embroidery floss and pin the second bacon layer over the stitching on the back of the first.
Using a whipstitch, begin sewing around the edges of the two layers of bacon, concealing the first knot and end knot in between the layers.
Enjoy!

Refurbished Fisher-Price Ready Steady Rider

This little Fisher-Price Ready Steady Ride On has seen better days! It was ridden hard and well-loved by its previous owner. Once outgrown, it was set to the side of the road for my Aunt to find and bring to me for my daughter. Zoey wasn’t quite ready for it yet, so I left it sitting outside for another year, yikes! Now she’s ready to scoot, and it’s time to give this toy a makeover!

Please feel free to use this information to breathe new life into an old toy and, if you have any new tips, please feel free to share!

SUPPLIES

Fisher-Price Ready Steady Ride On or similar
Krylon Fusion All-in-One spray paint
Cardboard (optional)
Newspaper or scratch paper
Disposable bags
Painter’s tape
Screwdriver
Sandwich bag (to hold the screws)

INSTRUCTIONS

Using a screwdriver, dismantle the toy as much as possible without breaking anything. The Ready Steady Ride On was mostly made to click together and stay there! I was only able to remove the bottom of the front axle with the front wheels, the cupholder, the dashboard and the seat.
Completely wash and clean the plastic toy, then allow it to dry.
Wipe the toy down with rubbing alcohol to prepare the surfaces before painting, then allow it to dry.
Spread flattened cardboard (or something similar) in a well ventilated space to protect the floor.
Paint base layers first (where any surrounding paint can be covered with top layers) and allow to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry before painting another. I started with the chrome pieces: the axles, basket, cupholder, dashboard and wheel hubcaps.
Using painter’s tape, bags and/or paper, cover the painted items that cannot be removed. I covered the basket with paper and tape, wheel hubcaps with painter’s tape, and the top of the front axle with bags and tape.
Once this layer is covered, paint the next layer up and allow to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry before painting another. For me, this was painting the handlebars, seat, and tires black.
Using painter’s tape, bags and/or paper, cover everything painted that cannot be removed. In addition to the previously covered items, I also covered the handlebars with paper and tape, and the wheels with bags and painter’s tape.
Once everything is covered, paint the body of the toy and allow it to dry completely. This may take a few layers so be patient and wait for each coat to dry before painting another.
10.Gently remove all of the coverings and reassemble the Fisher-Price Steady Ride On.
Scoot, scoot and enjoy!

*This was my first time painting plastic and a learning experience. Heavily used pieces like the wheels normally would not be painted because the paint is much more likely to chip and flake off. I did this for aesthetic reasons and my daughter is only using the scooter indoors. Even so, the paint on the wheels is working its way off slowly in some places. There are other methods (suggested to me after I finished the paint) that may help paint adhere to the plastic better, but I have yet to try them and want to test them before recommending.

How to Clean – Maple Town Flocked Toys

Have you ever watched Maple Town? It is an animated series from the 1980s featuring anthropomorphic animal characters, within an adorable utopic town, that taught little life lessons in each episode. When I was little, my mom recorded it onto VHS for me and I watched them over and over; I also had several of the toys and I still have them!

These toys have been up in the rafters of our garage for over 20 years! They’ve held up better than my My Little Ponies (see how I cleaned them here), but they are still careworn and very dirty. I want to clean these toys to prepare them for my daughter to love and play with!

If you have any flocked toys, whether they are Maple Town characters, Sylvanians, Calico Critters, So Soft My Little Ponies or another, I’ve created this handy guide to help you give them a good cleaning without removing their flocking. Let’s get started!

FLOCKED TOY

SUPPLIES

Container
Powdered OxiClean
Toothbrush
Paper or dish towels

INSTRUCTIONS

Important! Since flocking is attached to the toys with glue, warm to hot water or air could dissolve the glue and remove the flocking.

If your toy has any clothing, remove it and set it aside (see “Clothing” section below).
In the container, prepare a small batch of the OxiClean per the instructions with warm water. Allow the water to cool completely.
Take the toothbrush, dip it in the OxiClean bath then gently tap the water onto the toy to wet the flocking (this may take several dips and taps to wet the flocking over the whole toy). We are not scrubbing with the toothbrush, just transferring a controlled amount of water onto the toy.
Use your fingers to rub the OxiClean water into the toy’s fur and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes. I set mine on a white plate and boy did some dirty water drain off of them (see photo)!
After your toy has sat for 10 to 15 minutes, turn on your tap on the lowest stream it can distribute water, and carefully rinse each character. Take care not to linger too long over joints so water doesn’t leak inside.
With a paper towel or dish towel, gently dab each toy to remove excess water, then set them somewhere safe to dry overnight or longer until they are dry to the touch.
If your toy has any clothing, continue see the “Clothing” section below.

CLOTHING

SUPPLIES

Container
Powdered OxiClean
Needle (Optional)
Thread (Optional)
Scissors (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Important! If you’re worried about a particular article of clothing, please do a spot test first, before soaking the whole item.

In the container, prepare the OxiClean per the instructions with warm water.
Place the toy’s clothing in the warm OxiClean mixture to soak. There are some types of fabric that will not react well in OxiClean.
Keep an eye on the clothing and remove it from the bath once clean. Some of my toy’s clothing was clean within 30 minutes, some of them took a couple of hours.
Remove the articles of clothing from the soak and rinse them thoroughly. Squeeze the out the excess water, smooth out any wrinkles, and set them aside to dry.
If there are any loose threads the clothing that will not unravel the garment if cut, you can use the scissors to snip them off.
If there are any tears in the clothing, select thread that is similar in color and thread your needle. Carefully sew the tears back together using appropriate, simple stitches.
After your toy and its clothing are clean and dry, re-dress, and display or enjoy!

How to Clean – Classic My Little Pony Toys

Growing up reading The Velveteen Rabbit and then watching the Toy Story films, I became convinced (as I’m sure many children do) that toys are alive, and they have feelings. This made giving them up extra hard, and although I had to say goodbye to a lot of them over the years to keep my room and storage from overflowing, I did save many that were meaningful to me in the hopes I could pass them on to my future child (like I believe Andy should have done in Toy Story 3). Now our daughter is here and I cannot wait to share some of my beloved toys with her in the hopes that they will be beloved to her too!

I dug through my parent’s garage and found my classic My Little Ponies from the 1980s and 90s! In my memory they were in perfect condition, in reality they had been kept in a cardboard box way up in the rafters of a hot garage for about 25 years; they were all covered in grime and in need of a good cleaning.

How to Clean My Little Pony Toys

I set to work cleaning and styling my My Little Ponies for Zoey and, after a fair amount of effort, they are ready! Now I want to help you restore your Little Ponies so you can share them with your little ones, or collect them for yourself, the choice is yours!

First thing’s first let’s assess these ponies! Separate them into two groups based on these questions. Are they superficially dirty and just need a good wash? Or do they need to be taken apart for a deep clean? The best way to tell if they need a deep clean is discoloration at the base of their tail that indicates rust growing from the metal washer inside. There is also a chance you’ll wash a superficially dirty pony and realize it needs a deeper clean so it’s best to start cleaning these ponies first.

*These are not methods to use on a flocked pony. I do not own any flocked ponies so I was not able to test cleaning out on them.*

SUPERFICIAL CLEANING

How to Clean Classic My Little Pony Toys - Streaky Before and After

SUPPLIES

Magic Eraser sponge
Castile soap or shampoo
Toothbrush
Conditioner
Comb or wet brush
Paper towels
Hand towel
Drinking straws (curly haired ponies)
Bobby pins (curly haired ponies)

INSTRUCTIONS

*Do not submerge this pony in water, you are not taking the superficially dirty ponies apart so you do not want to get water trapped inside. Use a small stream of water from your faucet to first wet the pony and then to rinse the soap, shampoo and conditioner off.*

Wet a Magic Eraser sponge and use it to gently clean the pony’s body. Use more scrubbing force on any stubborn marks, but avoid scrubbing too hard on the eyes and cutie marks (symbols).
Use a small stream of water from your sink’s faucet to lightly rinse the pony.
With a toothbrush and Castile soap or shampoo, gently clean the pony’s body, then lightly rinse.
At this point if you feel the pony needs a deeper clean see DEEP CLEANING below.
After you’re satisfied with the condition of the pony’s body, wet the mane and tail with a small stream of water from your faucet. Avoid saturating the base of the mane or tail.
Using Castile soap or shampoo, wash your pony’s mane and tail, and rinse.
Apply conditioner to the mane and tail. Allow it to sit for a minute or two, then use a wet brush or a comb to gently brush through any tangles.
Allow the combed and conditioned mane and tail to sit longer. How long depends on how smooth or coarse your pony’s hair is to begin with. I let one pony’s coarse hair sit in conditioner overnight, it did help, but at a certain point their synthetic hair may be damaged beyond full repair.
Gently rinse the hair out when you feel it’s time. Use a hand towel to dry the body and give the hair a couple of squeezes to remove any excess water.
While the pony’s hair is still damp, comb through it again so it’s smooth and set its hair.
For straight-haired pony manes – cut a strip of paper towel about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Wrap the pony’s mane around its neck and secure it by wrapping the paper towel over the damp mane, around the neck, and tying it in a knot.
For straight-haired pony tails – cut a strip of paper towel about an inch to an inch and a half thick and place it between the pony’s legs in preparation. Wrap the tail around one of the pony’s hind legs and secure it with the paper towel.
For curly-haired pony manes and tails – cut up several drinking straws into fourths (roughly 2 inches a piece) for curlers. Separate out your pony’s mane and tail by how many curls you want and use each piece of straw to curl a strand of hair from the tip to the base and secure it with a bobby pin over the hair, and through the straw. You can curl it over or under, dependent on your preference.
Allow your pony to completely air dry (overnight or 24 hours) then remove the paper towels or curlers. For the straight-haired ponies, I usually run a comb through the mane to give it just a little bounce, but I leave the tail alone. If you comb the hair too much it will lose its curl. For the curly-haired ponies you can leave the curls as they are, or using a loose toothed comb, gently comb through them to loosen them up, again if you comb the hair too much it will lose its curl.

DEEP CLEANING

SUPPLIES

Hobby knife
Needle nose pliers
White vinegar
Bucket/container
OxiClean
Magic Eraser sponge
Castile soap or shampoo
Pipe cleaner
Toothbrush
Conditioner
Comb or wet brush
Paper towels
Hand towel
Drinking straws (curly haired ponies)
Bobby pins (curly haired ponies)

INSTRUCTIONS

*It is OK to submerge this pony in water, you are taking the deeply dirty ponies apart so everything will be allowed to dry inside and out. To deep clean the really dirty ponies you’ll need to remove their heads and then tails.*

Lean the head from side to side to see how attached it is and where. Carefully insert the tip of a hobby knife into the glue spots and cut them loose. BE CAREFUL not to slice into the inner rim of the neck that holds the head in place without the glue. If you do (and I accidentally did it) be extra careful when removing the head so you do not rip the inner rim open more or completely off.
Once the head has been removed take a pair of needle nose pliers, reach into the pony, grasp and pull the tail out through the neck.
Place the metal clamp holding the tail together and the washer into a bowl or cup of white vinegar and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes or longer depending on how much rust there is.
Remove them periodically to rub them with a toothbrush to see how much rust can be removed. When you’re satisfied the rust has been removed from the metal clamp of the tail and the washer, take them out, rinse the vinegar off and dry the metal thoroughly.
With a toothbrush and Castile soap or shampoo, completely clean inside and outside of the pony’s body. If the toothbrush cannot reach into the legs, fold a pipe cleaner in half and twist it together, then clean down into the legs. Rinse thoroughly.
In a container or bucket, mix OxiClean with warm water and place the pony (head, tail and body) into the mix to soak overnight.
Once done soaking, rinse and drain the ponies.
Wet a Magic Eraser sponge and use it to gently clean the pony’s body. Use more scrubbing force on any stubborn marks, but avoid scrubbing too hard on the eyes and cutie marks (symbols).
Wash the pony again, see step 5.
Allow all the components of the pony to completely dry before reassembling. This could take up to 24 hours.
Reassemble the pony starting with the tail, poke one side of the tail’s metal clamp into the hole and use the pliers to pull it all the way in. I decided to leave the washer’s out of the tail, but if you want to replace them you will need to use the same method to pull the tail through the hole in the washer within the body.
Washer or not, center the metal clamp and pull the tail taught.
Replace the pony’s head. I am not replacing the glue at this time, but if you wanted to secure the head, you can use super glue. BE CAREFUL! Do not get too much glue on the neckline or it will seep out the sides, creating problems for your hands and the pony’s body and hair. I recommend applying the glue around the rim of the neck with a toothpick and then inserting the head, holding it’s hair and your hands out of the way.
Once your pony has been reassembled and the super glue (if you used it) has dried you can style the hair.
Using Castile soap or shampoo, wash your pony’s mane and tail, and rinse.
Apply conditioner to the mane and tail. Allow it to sit for a minute or two, then use a wet brush or a comb to gently brush through any tangles.
Allow the combed and conditioned mane and tail to sit for longer. How long depends on how smooth or coarse your pony’s hair is to begin with. I let one pony’s coarse hair sit in conditioner overnight, it did help, but at a certain point their synthetic hair may be damaged beyond full repair.
Gently rinse the hair out when you feel it’s time and use a small towel to dry the body and give the hair a couple of squeezes with the hand towel to remove any excess water.
While the pony’s hair is still damp, comb through it again so it’s smooth and set its hair.
For straight-haired ponies manes – cut a strip of paper towel about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Whichever way you want the pony’s mane to fall (sometimes it’s already decided for you) wrap the pony’s mane around its neck in that direction and secure it with the paper towel, by wrapping the paper towel around the neck and over the damp mane and tying it with a small knot.
For straight-haired ponies tails – cut a strip of paper towel about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Place the paper between the pony’s legs in preparation, then take the tail and wrap it around one of the pony’s hind legs. Secure the wrapped tail with the paper towel and tie a knot.
For curly-haired ponies manes and tails – cut up several drinking straws into fourths (roughly 2 inches a piece) for curlers. Separate out your pony’s mane and tail by how many curls you want and use each piece of straw to curl a strand of hair from the tip to the base and secure it with a bobby pin over the hair, and through the straw. You can curl it over or under, dependent on your preference.
Allow your pony to completely air dry (overnight or 24 hours) then remove the paper towels or curlers. For the straight-haired ponies, I usually run a comb through the mane to give it just a little bounce, but I leave the tail alone. If you comb the hair too much it will lose its curl. For the curly-haired ponies you can leave the curls as they are, or using a loose toothed comb, gently comb through them to loosen them up, again if you comb the hair too much it will lose its curl.

How to Clean Classic My Little Pony Toys - Firefly Before and After What My Little Ponies do you have? How did they turn out? I hope you and your loved ones enjoy them! I plan on giving mine to Zoey within the next year, after she stops sticking absolutely everything in her mouth !*face palm*