Polly Pocket

Polly Pocket

Synopsis of Toy

Note to self: combine the appeal of miniature dollhouse worlds with a cute line of kitschy portables. Make a line of pretty and pastel pocket doo-dads, put little dolls and removable goodies inside of them (which increases playability and promotes the idea that the toy owner, simply by owning the toy, has a special secret). Pitch them as “Happy Meal” gifts to the brass at McDonalds, and as purchase premiums to fast food joints the nation over. Make jewelry with them. Make tiny unfoldable playsets that open up to reveal the insides of houses and pizza joints and beauty shops and otherworldly fairylands. Make millions! Call the patent office tomorrow and get…what’s that you say? It's been done? Polly Pockets? Dang it. Okay, second note to self: what about a lightweight plastic hoop that the young (and young at heart, tee-hee!) could “hula” around their gyrating hips? Wait, what’s that you say?

No more notes to self. But certainly a little more on the world of Polly Pockets. Originally, these were brought to the States courtesy of Bluebird Toys of England, but in 1998, Mattel bought up the Pocket license, and the toy giant continues to manufacture them today. They started out as compacts—so that little girls could emulate their cosmetic-wearing moms courtesy of the sleek, plastic, flip-open containers. Instead of powder puffs and mirrors on the inside, there were entire—and entirely tiny—“Pollyville” worlds...just waiting to be marveled at. And get this, the residents of these worlds were even tinier little dolls—removable, bendable-at-the-waist, and utterly cute. Polly was the star of course, but she had a Lilliputian gaggle of buddies to have her fun with (Becky, Dana, Billy and Stephanie, to list just a few).

After the Polly Pocket compacts came a line of lockets and jewelry, hair accessories, stamp sets, and the endless playsets that a Pollyville patron could collect and arrange together to make a whole miniature community. There were houses, shops, zoos, carnivals, portable dinner and pool parties…Pollyville was no small-town hamlet. If you were a fan of things miniscule, if you had some patience and some purchasing power, you could make this town could really bustle.

In an impressive show of toy line cross-pollination, Mattel issued a handful of Barbies who came with their own Polly Pockets. Though they’re not much more than a decade old, Polly Pockets are already starting to be collected—and thanks to her expansive product line, Polly and her hometown should keep the collectors busy for quite some time.

Release History of Toy

1989 - Polly Pocket

Sub Categories of Toys

dolls
premiums

Toy and Game Manufacturer

Bluebird Toys, Mattel

Other Toy Links