The Polly Diaries #2: Looking into the Interior

U.K.-based Bluebird Toys began manufacturing Polly Pockets in 1989. Nine years later, the California-based toy company Mattel purchased the Polly Pocket brand. Since then, Mattel has been manufacturing a new line of Polly Pockets. Stylistic differences exist between the Bluebird and Mattel Polly Pockets. Since I have little experience with the newer Mattel Polly Pockets, these notebook entries deal exclusively with the discontinued Bluebird Polly Pockets (I’ll refer to them as vintage Polly Pockets).

A vintage Polly Pocket consists of a compact case that, when closed, measures about 4 to 5 inches high, 4 to 5 inches wide, and about 1 1/2 inches in depth. The case opens upon a hinge to reveal a domestic, commercial, or recreational space inside. Both the exterior case and interior features are made of durable, pastel-colored plastic. Included in the case are usually one or two tiny dolls (the eponymous Polly and her friends) who live, work, or play in the environment inside.

Polly Pockets come in the form of hearts, stars, seashells, flowers, and abstract geometric shapes. A glance at the dozen or so Polly Pockets released by Bluebird in 1989 shows that the first few cases came in the shape of a seashell, in order to correspond to their interior themes of Beach House and Beach Party.

One of my favorite Polly Pockets is Slumber Party Fun. It’s pentagon-shaped. When opened, its interior features a ground floor on the base of the case and two upper levels on the lid. The ground floor features a living room or den, furnished with a sofa, a fireplace, a television, a bean bag chair, a rug, several tables, and various nooks for books and framed photographs. There are even plates of cookies and cake scattered throughout the room. The two upper levels include a cozy foyer with stairs leading up to a well-stocked kitchen.

Slumber Party Fun comes with two dolls, Polly and Emma. The small circular bases at the bottom of their feet can be slotted into circular indentations scattered throughout the interior; these indentations allow the dolls to stand stationary. One indentation, for example, can be seen near the lower clasp of the case; another appears in the foyer; and a third can be seen on a small platform to the upper left of the television. The dolls can also be bent at the waist to sit on the couch or at the dining table.

Like most Polly Pockets, Slumber Party Fun comes with some action features that can be manually controlled. The sofa, for example, folds out into a bed. By pressing a tiny button on top of the television, the screen changes channels by flipping to another scene. The refrigerator in the kitchen can be opened to reveal the food items inside. And finally, the hands on the clock above the fridge can be made to spin by pushing it with your finger.

We can imagine different scenarios playing out in this interior. One storyline is that Polly has invited Emma over to her house for a slumber party. After Polly greets Emma in the foyer, they climb up into the kitchen for dinner, and then bring plates of cookies down to the living room for their slumber party. They watch television, chat, and snack late into the night. When bedtime rolls around, they open up the sofa bed and go to sleep.

The details I mention here—action features for some of the furnishings, indentations where the dolls can be made to stand, and places where they can sit or lie down—appear in most Polly Pockets. While some Polly Pockets come with just one doll, others come with additional figures, sometimes pets, children, or babies. We can imagine how the latter might increase the imaginary social interactions between the dolls.

The interiors presented in different Polly Pockets alter the dolls’ roles and narratives. In 1994’s Babytime Fun, for example, Polly’s companions are two babies. Polly is now in the role of caretaker: her activities may include bathing the babies, pushing them on the baby swing, or putting them to sleep in their crib. One storyline may be that Polly is babysitting for her parents or neighbors. We can see how Polly’s roles and activities change as we move from Slumber Party Fun compact to that of Babytime Fun.

Now that I’ve spent some time discussing these Polly Pockets, you might want to explore other Polly Pockets on the Only Polly Pocket website. The website is purely a collectors’ site, not a scholarly one, but it does provide decent images and descriptions of many Polly Pockets. Browsing this site might give you a good idea of the range of Polly Pockets out there, and how each of the interiors sets the stage for specific social scenarios and role-playing.