It wasn’t that long ago that my daughter had a treasured collection of My Little Pony figurines. But they never looked like this.

Finnish artist Mari Kasurinen uses the vinyl ponies as a blank canvas transforming them into pop culture icons and movie characters. Instead of the rainbow manes and flowers, these ponies sport attitude.

If you’ve never imagined the swashbuckling Pirates of the Carribean hero Jack Sparrow as a horse, or never thought about an equine Darth Vader, Kasurinen can fill in the gaps. What about Princess Leia in her sexy slave costume? Or Batman and Robin? Even Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe are featured. You really need to see her collection as it’s extraordinary!

Kasurinen, is a 25-year-old arts student from Lahti, who is studying for her fine arts masters degree for two years. She had the urge to transform something, was interested in popular culture and found that the ponies from  Hasbro fit the bill after trying Barbies and other dolls. She liked their simplicity, their gender neutrality and the challenge of making a human character from a pony form.

Customizing a pony takes anywhere from six to 15 hours. She uses high-quality clays that harden in the oven and acrylic paints. Each custom piece retails for approximately $400 depending on the complexity and size of the character.

However, if you don’t have the money to buy a piece and, like me, you have a box full of my little ponies, there are directions on-line on how to customize them at www.custompony.com. It seems that customizing toys is a trend that started in Japan in the 1990s and has since spread worldwide.

Here’s a “How to” article on customizing vinyl toys. There are even toy “blanks” like the Munny that are intended for customization!

Even Hasbro is getting into the picture. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the My Little Pony doll, the company is sponsoring the “My Little Pony Project: 25 Ponies for 25 Years.” According to Hasbro:

The “MY LITTLE PONY PROJECT: 25 Ponies for 25 Years” program is an international collection of 18” MY LITTLE PONY figures designed by popular culture’s influential people and organizations.  The program was created not only to be a celebration of the whimsical nature of the brand, but also as a way to support Give Kids The World Village, a non-profit that strives to provide magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses. We’re inviting a host of international celebrities, fashion designers, and artists to design a one-of-a-kind MY LITTLE PONY figure.

As for me, my My Little Ponies might be coming out of retirement. I never realized the possibilities!