Polly Pocket
Polly Pocket is a line of small plastic dolls and accessories. The name comes from the fact that many of the first Polly Pocket toys came in pocket-size cases. The Fashion Polly dolls are sold by Mattel.
History
Polly was first designed by Chris Wiggs in 1983 for his daughter Kate. Using a powder compact, he created a small house for the very small doll. Bluebird Toys of Swindon, England licensed the idea. The first Polly Pocket were sold in stores in 1989. Mattel held a distribution agreement with Bluebird Toys for Polly Pocket items in the early 1990s. In 1998, while production slowed, several companies tried to buy Bluebird Toys. Mattel finally bought the company later that year.
In 1999, Mattel changed the design of Polly. They created a new series of collectible items. The new Polly doll is larger. It also looks more similar to a real person than the first dolls. That same year, Mattel also started selling Fashion Polly!. This line used the same characters from the new Polly Pocket (Polly, Lea, Shani, Lila, etc.) but they were 3 ¾ inch (9.5 cm) plastic jointed dolls. Instead of the normal cloth clothing, Polly Pockets used "Polly Stretch" clothing. These were rubbery plastic clothes that could be put on the dolls and removed. They also created boy dolls.
Polly Pocket Media
- Rubber Polly Pocket clothing.jpg
A collection of rubber clothing and larger dolls produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
