Polly Pocket is a toy line of inch-tall dolls and accessories sold by Mattel.
Origin Products (Chris Wiggs and Chris Taylor) had the basic concept in 1983 influenced by Torquil Norman's pre existing ideas for minature portable playsets. At this point it was a simple wooden stick figure that did not bend. The interior was a basic fabrication inside a powder compact. After it was shown to Bluebird Torquil Norman asked if the figure could be made to bend, this problem was duly solved by Brian Whitehead at Origin and after purchasing the licence Normans' team of designers at Bluebird created a series of Clam-case playsets available for sale on the toy market circa 1989, and with Mattel the main distributor. Between 2012 and 2018, it was not sold in the US and declined in other countries, with Brazil being the only country to sell the products throughout that period.
Concerns grew due to loose magnets and the small size (which caused injuries to some children when ingested) and caused millions of Polly Pocket toys to be recalled from the shelves.
Contents
History
Origins and early history
Torquil Norman and Bluebird Toys of Swindon, England, had licensed the concept, and the first Polly Pocket toys appeared in stores in 1989. Mattel held a distribution arrangement with Bluebird Toys for Polly Pocket items in the early 1990s. In 1998, while production lulled/slowed, Bluebird Toys endured multiple hostile takeover attempts until Mattel finally purchased both the brand and Bluebird Toys later that year. The sets made by Bluebird Toys are now enthusiasts' collectibles.
The original Polly Pocket toys were plastic cases that opened to form a dollhouse or other playset with Polly Pocket figurines less than an inch tall. The dolls folded in the middle, like the case, and had circular bases that slotted into holes in the case interior, allowing them to stand securely at particular points in the house. This was particularly useful for moving points in the case. Because the dolls were so small, sometimes they came enclosed in pendants or large rings instead of the more typical playset cases.
In 1998, Mattel redesigned Polly Pocket. The new doll was larger, with a more lifelike appearance than the original dolls leading many to comment that the word "Pocket" was no longer relavant.She had a straight ponytail, rather than the curly bob hairstyle used previously. The following year, Mattel also introduced "Fashion Polly!," which used the same characters from the new Polly Pocket (Polly, Lea, Shani, Lila, etc.), but they came in the form of 3+3⁄4 inches (9.5 cm) plastic jointed dolls. They gave a new spin on fashion dolls; instead of traditional cloth clothing, Polly Pockets used unique "Polly Stretch" garments, created by Genie Toys, rubbery plastic clothes that could be put on the dolls and removed. There are also some boy dolls (Rick, Steven, etc.). Like the Barbie and MGA's Bratz brands, Polly Pocket has also expanded into a media franchise, consisting of DVD-exclusive animated films, books, and a website, with the latter currently a section of/under the larger Mattel website.
Recent history
Sales of Polly Pocket met with various headwinds especially the growing interest in digital toys, such as Tamagotchi circa 1980's and of course by the 1990's the first mobile phones which became ubiquitous as their computing power, games, apps, and interactive scope increased.
In 2002, Mattel stopped producing the smaller Polly Pocket playset range but continued to produce the larger fashion doll.
In 2004, Mattel introduced the Polly Pocket "Quik Clik" line. Instead of having rubbery clothes, the dolls had plastic clothes that would click together with magnets. On November 22, 2006, 4.4 million Polly Pocket playsets were recalled by Mattel after children in the United States swallowed loose magnetic parts. Affected toys had been sold around the world for three years prior.
In 2012, due to safety concerns Polly Pocket toys were discontinued in the US.
On February 12, 2018, it was announced that Polly Pocket would return again this time targeting retro / collector market. The new toys are miniature dolls in playsets, like the original 1990s Polly Pocket, rather than the larger Fashion Polly. However, they are slightly larger than the original 1990s version. Rather than slotting into holes in the case, the new Polly is made of a flexible plastic that sticks to certain surfaces, but also bends so she can sit in a chair.
Clothing brands such as Hot Topic, Unique Vintage, and Cider, along with fashion designers such as Marc Jacobs, Mimi Wade, and Loewe have created merchandise inspired by the vintage Polly Pocket brand including handbags, makeup, and clothing items for adults.
Adaptations
Films
Polly Pocket: Lunar Eclipse (2004)
Polly Pocket: 2 Cool at the Pocket Plaza (2005)
PollyWorld (2006)
Untitled Live Action film (TBA)
TV Series
Polly Pocket (TV series) (2018-present)
Characters
Polly Pocket: Originally with curly blonde/gold hair and a headband in different colors that usually matched her outfit, Polly Pocket was the mayor of Pollyville. Later, her design changed to feature a ponytail instead of the curly hair.
Below is the list of other recurring characters who appeared several early Polly Pocket playsets. This list does not include characters who only appear in one or two playsets.
Bluebird Toys era (1989–1997)
Kids and adults:
Tiny Tina: A doll with blonde pigtails.
Wee Willie: A boy doll with a blond bowlcut.
Midge: A strawberry blonde doll with a "Dutch boy" haircut with bangs; usually wearing overalls.
Little Lulu: Straight brown hair parted in the middle, usually wearing a playsuit or swimsuit. She is named after a comic character.
Pixie: Brown hair parted in the center in flip style, usually wearing a long-sleeved top with a scoop neckline in different colors.
Mr. Sprout: A farmer.
Mr. Moneybags: A balding businessman always working at the office.
Mr. Skint: Pollyville's bank manager.
Kate (aka Buttons): A girl doll with short straight blonde or red hair.
Diddy: A boy doll with a brown bowlcut.
Titch: A boy doll with brown hair in a bowlcut, sometimes wears a hat.
Minny: An Asian doll with a black bob with bangs.
Mr. Fry: A chef working at the diner.
Dishy: A waitress also working at the diner.
Mr Marks: A teacher working at the class.
Matt: An African-American boy doll with a crew cut.
Mattel era (1998–present)
Shani: An African-American doll with curly dark hair.
Lila: A doll with brown pixie cut, later red ponytail.
Todd: A boy with brown hair.
Lea: A doll with long red hair.
Ana/Crissy: Dark-haired doll with curly hair. In 2010, her ethnicity is Asian and her hair is long, jet black, and dyed with pink streaks.
Rick: A boy with blond hair.
Kerstie: A doll with chocolate brown hair.
Other toylines
Bluebird released Disney's Polly Pocket-style playsets from 1995 to 1999. These were called the Disney “Tiny Collection” or “Mini collection”.