15 years is a long time no doubt, several toys I once impatiently waited for, are now over a decade old. Time takes its toll on us all and while people may say “Plastic lasts forever”, but it doesn’t. Even if it did last forever, it doesn’t remain unchanged forever.
To me, these toys are more than just fun. They’re companions. They carry memories and emotions. They’re not replaceable, not even close. I’m POSIC+, not everyone in this community is, but I am. My toys each have unique names, personalities, and all the things that make somebody “real“ to me.
So as age and wear started creeping in, I needed to figure out how to care for them. I’m not going to let them go. I’m not going to give up on them and there’s really no need to either. Forever is a stretch, no doubt, but I truly believe that 50+ years is achievable with the proper care repair and cleaning.
The Community, and the Gaps
In our community, information travels mostly by word of mouth. We’re a young community, and that’s part of what makes it so special, but it also means we don’t have a deep archive of trusted repair guides or vetted techniques. What’s out there is mostly just a mix of strong opinions and folklore, built on a foundation of half truths, misinterpreted, data, and oversimplifications. Ask the same question in 5 different groups, you might just get 5 different answers, often times ones that contradict each other.
I don’t say that to criticize. That’s how most great communities begin, by experimenting, sharing, and growing together. But if you were restoring a ‘68 El Camino, you’d find hundreds of guides and parts. For pool toys? There’s just not much out there.
Truth is, the vast majority of people don't see pool toys as anything worth caring about. The idea of someone even repairing anything more complicated than a pin hole is foreign to most people. Sadly most inflatables are one small leak away from the trash can.
I researched as much as I could research. I looked as far as I could. I wanted to know for certain. Not only did I want 100% accurate information, but other members of the community were starting to look to me for advice, answers, instructions, etc.
The first real roadblock was valves. You can’t just hop on Amazon and buy the exact replacement a Sea Dragon needs. Most people don’t keep pool toys long enough for a valve to crack, and the idea of someone replacing one is practically unheard of.
But I’m not the kind of person who will sacrifice one toy to save another. I’m not cutting valves out of anything. I want to save them both. I knew those valves were being manufactured somewhere. So I searched. And searched. And eventually, I found the right factory — but the minimum order was five hundred.
So I bought them.
Learning Vinyl’s Language
Next came the question of vinyl feel, what makes it soft and how to keep it soft, and that meant diving into the world of plasticizers. Now, I had heard about plasticizer early on, even experienced plasticizer loss first hand. However once I really dug into it, I realized not only was the information that was floating around our community surface level at best, but a lot of it was downright wrong.
I tried to learn how to prevent plasticizer loss, I learned that you can't. Plasticizer will leave eventually, but it can be added back.
Most folks in our scene use ATBC. It’s accessible and well-known. But to me, it never made sense.
ATBC isn’t used to manufacture most of these toys. It damages paint, it can warp vinyl if it pools, and it just wasn’t designed for what we’re trying to do.
The deeper I went, the more I realized something exciting:
There’s no one perfect plasticizer.
The “right” one depends entirely on the toy, the feel, the paint, and what outcome you’re aiming for. That means you can customize how a toy feels. How amazing is that?
Going to the Source
But again, the good stuff wasn’t available to consumers. I reached out to dozens of chemical suppliers. Most had minimum orders of one metric ton, literally. Eventually, I found a few willing to ship smaller batches… but “smaller” still meant kilograms. And I didn’t want just one kind. I wanted to test many.
So I did.
I now had nearly 50 kilograms of raw plasticizer and over a thousand brand-new valves, far more than I could ever use alone. And that’s when Vinyl Vibe Studio was born.
Why Vinyl Vibe Studio Exists
I started VVS because I didn’t want other people to face the same brick walls I did. Nobody should have to throw away a beloved toy just because their vinyl’s gone brittle. Nobody should have to buy a whole toy just to steal a working valve.
We shouldn’t have to guess anymore.
We shouldn’t have to overpay.
And we shouldn’t have to settle for tools that were never made with our toys in mind.
Vinyl Vibe Studio exists to make restoration and care accessible, not just the products, but the knowledge. I want to take what I’ve learned, and continue learning, and build a library of guides, tools, and thoughtfully developed conditioners and protectants. If the best product doesn’t exist yet, then I want to make it exist.
When You Support Vinyl Vibe Studio
You’re directly funding the research, the testing, the long nights, and the quiet joy of restoring something that matters.
Yes, this is a business. But it’s not a cash grab. I don’t expect to get rich, or even break even some months. I just want this project to pay for itself, so I can keep making soft things last, and helping others do the same.
Much love and many happy fins,
~ Mesci
