This tutorial will show you how to disassemble, clean, re-tail (OPTIONAL), and reassemble your Happy Tails Pony.
There are two different ponies used in the photos. I have noted which is which for clarity.
Step 1:
Pop off your pony's head. Romper looks pretty gross, huh? Let's try to fix that.
Squeeze and work the mechanism up and out of the body through the neck hole.
Step 2:
Clean your pony inside. I used a firm toothbrush with baking soda for an abrasive element and water. Make sure you scrub inside her legs too!
She cleaned up well.
Step 3:
Use a flat, blunt tool, like a flat head screwdriver, to get under the tab and pop the tail ring off of the mechanism body.
Step 4:
Pull the tail assembly out of the tail ring.
Step 5:
You should now have three parts to clean up. I used a combination of cleaning elements - firm toothbrush with white toothpaste as well as steel wool.
This first pony did not work anyway, so I removed the remaining bits of rusty metal from the mechanism.
OPTIONAL STEPS FOR REHAIRING:
This is a second pony, from my childhood herd. She still works, but she's been tailless for about 25 years. I finally wanted to try to fix her.
I removed her empty tail clamp from the tail assembly with hemostats.
OPTIONAL STEPS FOR REHAIRING:
Using pliers or hemostats, open the tail clamp as much as possible.
OPTIONAL STEPS FOR REHAIRING:
Insert your new tail and use pliers or hemostats to close the tail clamp.
Try to make it as round as possible for a correct fit back into the tail assembly.
NOTE: I don't have a picture of the step of fitting the tail back in. I had my husband reinsert it because he's stronger.
Step 6:
Back to the first pony.
Reinsert the tail assembly into the mechanism and hold it in place.
Step 7:
Pull the tail back through the tail ring. I use a homemade wire tool to pull tails through, but you could use string and hemostats just the same.
Don't remove your wire or string from the tail just yet!
Step 8:
Insert your wire/string into the pony through the neck hole and begin pulling the tail out of the tail hole.
Work the mechanism back into the body.
Step 9:
Work the tail ring back into the tail hole.
It is easiest to do this by also pushing the front of the mechanism via the neck hole while working the tail hole around the tail ring.
And you're all done! Here I have two happy ponies! Again, I don't care that the hair colors don't match on the Romper on the left.
She's my childhood pony, and I'd have kept her even if I couldn't rehair her.
And here's a short video of her new happy tail!
