Polly Pocket

Polly Pocket is the registered trademark of a toy train, which has been produced since 1989. It was originally produced by the British company Blue Bird. 1998 bought the U.S. company Mattel brand.

From the beginning, numerous articles annually produced for this series, of which only got a part in the German toy trade, which is the case still today.

The original "Polly Pocket " concept of Bluebird

The product was designed in 1983 by British designer Chris Wiggs for his daughter. In an old powder compact, he added a home for a small figures of just under 1 cm in size. The company Bluebird Toys from the English city of Swindon acquired the concept and introduced the first "Polly Pockets " 1989 ago. Initially they were sold in colorful plastic containers with a diameter of almost 10 cm. The interior was designed as a building in which the doll lived, shopped, worked, vacation made ​​etc. The main character was "Polly Pocket", a blond girl with red dress and headband. Together with another figure ( either another person or a pet) it was found in every box. The human figures consisted of two parts connected by a hinge (the top were the head, arms and torso, the lower were the legs), so that they could bend over or sit down. They had ball heads, simple design and economical body indicated faces. The animals were immobile.

Soon, larger and smaller doses, as well as items such as crayon boxes, jewelry boxes, jewelry children were added (with integrated figurines ). While most the doors in the building were movable in the first years, the cans were soon designed refined: there were several moving parts and eventually even caskets with lighting or music box. The dolls were moving: some could spread their legs and thus ride on horses, some were able to move their arms or turn my head.

These earliest "Polly Pocket" articles are already collected and reach depending on age already considerable prices. They all consist of hard plastic.

The modified "Polly Pocket " concept by Mattel

In the early nineties, the toy company Mattel and Bluebird Toys concluded a distribution agreement; therefore already be found in Mattel's brochures this time "Polly Pocket " article. In 1998, the brand strong sales slumps and Bluebird Toys fended off several hostile takeovers. In the last quarter of the year, the company was then acquired by Mattel.

The brand " Polly Pocket" was then continued unchanged in the first year, but then slowly modified. Published in 1999 dolls with anatomically realistic styled bodies that were less than 2 cm in size and usually multiple mobile. These figures were still in boxes or cans. This series was not continued after the introduction of the new concept.

The new "Polly Pocket " concept by Mattel

Since 2002 there has been "Polly Pocket" in the form in which it is sold today: 8 cm sized dolls made ​​of soft plastic that you can wear with attached garments made from a latex- like material. In the first figures of this kind, the garments adhere thanks to its rubber-like consistency to the bodies; Today there are dolls and clothes with magnets. With this concept, at its most successful approaches Mattel Barbie product. Since Polly but is much smaller, it does not take away much space in the nursery. Therefore, a lot more apartments, leisure facilities and shops can be offered for them.

"Polly Pocket Magnetic Play Sets"

From May 2003 until approximately September 2006 Mattel sold sets with "Polly Pocket " figures, which were equipped 4 inches tall and his hands and feet with magnets with a diameter of about 3 mm. In addition there was a magnetic mat that was printed with roads, fields and courts. Then you could make houses, cars and of course the figures. For each set there were various furniture, accessories and animals; these stuck thanks to the magnets in place.

However, in these articles, there is a danger that the magnets can be plugged into other body openings such as the nose or ears fall out (170 documented cases until November 2006) and swallowed by children or. This can cause severe to fatal injuries, especially if they get into the lungs or more than one such magnet enters the body (in this case, the magnets can attract through tissue and lead to perforation or intestinal obstruction ). The sets were therefore recalled. Since it is no longer possible to buy these sets / figures.