My Little Pony

Nope, not an entry about the television show or the movies. Instead, this is about modified ponies. I've seen many over the years, but I recently stumbled upon a whole collection online, and several of them are adorable and creative. I found them here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marikasurinen/sets/72157611336529762/). And you can read more about the artist here (http://www.marikasurinen.com/index.html).

I'm going to showcase just four, since they are my favorites. If you have a few minutes, you should pop over and look at the sculptor's site... the ponies are for sale!

This one is kinda obvious. It's Captain Jack Sparrow from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. I think the detail on him is incredible. I'm not sure if the pony's mane and tail were dyed black or if this pony originally had black hair, but I love how it has been made all dreadlocky, and the beads in the mane are fantastic! The bandana is perfectly placed, and the extra eye makeup totally captures Jack Sparrow.

This one is a little more abstract, in that I do not think it is meant to impersonate any singular character, but instead is more of a harlequin appearance. The ruffles make me giggle, and the preciseness of the diamond design is gorgeous. I am curious as to the material used to create the "joker hat" since I do not have any recollection of ponies wearing hats, so I don't think it is just a re-paint of a MLP original. I also question what I would have done with the tail in this case, as I think it might have looked better braided or something. But, given there are only two colors, a braid would be uneven, so perhaps a fishtail style would be appropriate. But, that's a tight look, and I kinda believe the pony is more romantic than that.

Elvis Pony. This is a pretty impressive hairstyle for a My Little Pony, I am astounded at how the height of the coif was achieved. I am also intrigued by the decision to use a unicorn Pony. Sure, Elvis was a King, so the golden horn makes some sense. Now, let's talk about the costuming! This is fabulous! I'm not sure if it is a molded solid or if it's been sewn, but either way, the rhinestones have definitely been individually placed, and that takes some skill. (Flashback to individually gluing crystals onto vases for a bridal shower one time...) I especially love the tiny gold chains that are on the hem of the jacket and the slit in the pants. I imagine that doing a work like this requires a lot more research than Jack Sparrow (or the Sally below), since Elvis did have more than one outfit, and choosing one to replicate must have been a challenge in itself.

The last MLP I have picked to showcase today is a replica of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. This is one character that I do not think I would have chosen to replicate, because of the complexity of her look in the film. I have seen it done several times in Halloween costumes, with very mixed results. This pony, however, does a lovely job of capturing Sally's innocence as well as the detail in her outfit. Making the hair very wispy is a key to the look, and I think that the pose of the pony is important in this choice as well. If I still collected the Ponies (which I gave up when I moved to Florida in 1993), I would probably buy this one in a heartbeat. I just love the uniqueness to it.