Polly Pocket

Ask almost any girl about Polly Pocket and she can tell you about the fashions and accessories each doll comes with. If you are new to the world of Polly Pocket, it’s a toy line of dolls and accessories originally manufactured by Bluebird Toys, and which are currently produced by Mattel. Why the name Polly Pocket? The original dolls came in pocket-sized cases. Chris Wiggs, who originally designed the doll for his daughter in the early 1980s, made a small house for the pocket-sized doll using a powder compact. Sales dwindled under the control of Bluebird Toys, but Mattel took over and made the doll slightly bigger, and made her look less like a cartoon and more lifelike. Sales then skyrocketed. But what about the accessories? Well, soon after the initial changes, Fashion Polly came to be. Fashion Polly’s clothes were different than usual doll clothes; they were made of rubber "Polly Stretch". Polly Pocket also had clip-on clothes, made of hard plastic clipped together via magnets. Did we mention there were both girl and boy dolls? The characters’ personalities were as different as night and day. For all you collectors out there, if you can get your hands on the Bluebird Toys originals, you'll have quite the childhood treasure. Polly Pocket enthusiasts from around the world use social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to network and exchange Polly Pocket dolls with others. Polly Pocket was a powerfully important part of a lot of people’s childhoods, and collecting the dolls, clothes, and accessories is a way to relive those good times and experience some sweet nostalgia.