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5 Toys that are Just Like Polly Pocket

This is a close look at a collection of various colorful Polly Pockets.

What isn’t to love about the pintsized doll named Polly, who lived in her own self-contained world? The popular Polly pocket play set quickly rose in popularity, prompting other pocket toys to develop through the 1990s. Although not as popular as Polly Pocket, there were plenty of Polly Pocket-inspired toys similar in style and design. Below, let’s take a look at toys like Polly Pocket that were loved by children worldwide. 

What Is Polly Pocket?

Polly Pocket was a favored toy manufactured originally by the Bluebird Toy line that rose to popularity in the 1990s. This small toy featured the Polly Pocket doll, a pintsized, jointed doll that only measured around an inch tall. This toy line featured several play sets that highlighted different compact worlds. Many of the worlds were brightly colored and themed, featuring a garden, veterinary office, or school, among other possibilities. Eventually, the line of characters and figurines was purchased by Mattel.

Each Polly Pocket set was compact and featured a foldable design that could fit in the palm of your hand. Throughout the compact play set were small indentations that allowed the base of the Polly doll to attach and firmly affix. This feature allowed a child to move Polly throughout the world, interacting with various design elements and features.

Compared to the magnets that some other playsets used, the original Polly Pocket style relied on fitting the base of the plastic dolls into the indentation.  Later Polly Pocket designs featured different methods to attach Polly to the toy. 

Popular Toys Like Polly Pocket

Gemini Babel Boxes

The Gemini Babel toys that look like Polly Pockets from Trendy Gifts.

Source: www.trendygifts99.xyz

Similar and style and design to Polly Pocket, the Gemini Babel Boxes were a hot commodity for children. This small toy allowed children to envision their own self-contained world in the palm of their hand. The Gemini Babel boxes came in different themes and scenes, offering plenty of variety and enjoyment for children to collect multiple designs.

These toys featured bright and colorful designs with youthful and playful scenes. Children could choose between an active playground, a library, or a classroom setting. The playset also included a jointed doll, similar in style and shape to Polly. 

Casitas Genie Toys

The Casitas Genie toys were a popular option for kids looking for a Polly Pocket alternative. Similar in style, the Casitas Genie toys featured small worlds in a plastic toy about the size of your palm. These toys often featured a room of the home, such as a kitchen, living room, or bedroom.

Multiple different styles of Genie toys could be purchased, allowing children to create a complete playset. Like the Polly Pocket toys, the Casitas Genie toys featured a main character doll that could move throughout the small, handheld world. The doll only measured about an inch, giving children a small and fun toy to entertain themselves. 

Pound Puppies Play Sets

A Pound Puppies Play Sets with colorful designs from Etsy.

Source: Etsy

If playing with small dolls isn’t your kid’s idea of fun, Pound Puppies offered their own answer to the Polly Pocket craze. Featuring the same small and contained plastic world as Polly Pocket, Pound Puppies created a world for dogs for children to play with. Featuring the adorable Pound Puppies design, with the big droopy and irresistible hound eyes, the Pound Puppies alternative quickly swept toy shelves across America.

Instead of having a doll to move from scene to scene, children had a range of small, plastic dogs. The dogs could live in a make-believe world that included the park, a home, or the grooming center. Just like Polly Pocket, multiple worlds existed allowing children to collect several scenes and vignettes to enjoy. 

Mighty Max Toys

The Mighty Max Dragon Island Toy Playset from Etsy.

Source: Etsy

Based on the popular television show Mighty Max, these toys offered a fun, and sometimes scary, alternative to the brightly colored fantasy world of Polly Pocket. The Mighty Max toys featured the same design and style as Polly Pocket, with the compact world crammed into a handheld toy, but regularly featured darker characters found in the television show. Children could imagine their playtime in scary, underground lairs or volcano mountainsides. The Mighty Max toys came in a range of scenes and designs that made it possible to collect the entire world of toys. Secret lairs and factories with mythical creatures and monsters highlight this toy similar to Polly Pocket. 

Melanie’s Mall

The vintage Melanie's Mall Corner Playset from Ebay.

Source: eBay

A fun alternative to the micro Polly doll in Polly Pocket, Melanie’s Mall toys featured Melanie, the main character. Melanie came with several playsets and mall options that could be combined to create a larger mall. Children had the option to purchase just a single store at a time, combining the stores at a later da

FAQs

This is a close look at a collection of various colorful Polly Pockets.

Polly Pocket is a fun and enjoyable toy still enjoyed by kids today. If you like the theme and style of Polly Pocket toys, chances are you will like other toys similar to Polly Pocket. Below, we hope to help answer some of your frequently asked questions surrounding Polly Pocket and toys similar to the Polly Pocket toy. 

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How many Polly Pocket figures are there?

There are eight different Polly Pocket figures, including original characters and current characters in the line. 

What’s the difference between vintage and Mattel Polly Pocket toys?

The original Polly Pocket toy was designed and made by Bluebird Toys and was only distributed through Mattel.  Bluebird was based in England.  In the late 1990s, when popularity started to wane, Mattel purchased the entire line of toys. In 1998, when Mattel fully owned the product line, they redesigned Polly. She now featured a straight ponytail instead of a short bob haircut and was featured in the newly styled Fashion Polly playset. 

How tall are Polly Pocket dolls?

The original Polly Pocket dolls were tiny and measured less than one inch, with a jointed center. After Mattel entirely purchased the product line in 1998, they redesigned the doll and offered more styles. Some of the Polly dolls were made in the Fashion Polly line of dolls, which featured 3 and 3/4 inches tall dolls. 

How Do Polly Pockets Dolls Stick?

Just like their design, size, and style, Polly has experienced an evolution of sticking mechanisms. The original Polly doll had a circular base that fit into indentations throughout the Polly Pocket world. Later, Polly would feature small magnets in the design. Not only would these magnets hold her in place, but they allowed kids to change their clothing with a simple click.

Unfortunately, this style became a choking hazard, and the mechanism was discontinued and redesigned. In the most recent iteration of Polly Pocket dolls, a soft, malleable plastic substance is used to stick the Polly Pocket dolls in place. This sticky plastic will only stick to specific areas of the Polly Pocket world. 

Are original Polly Pockets worth anything?

Just like many vintage toys, vintage Polly Pocket sets can be worth quite a chunk of change. Recently, an extensive collection of various Polly Pocket toys sold for over $1,000. In general, though, the larger Polly Pocket sets, like Princess Jasmine set, tend to be worth more money. If the Polly Pocket set is still in the original packaging, you can expect the overall value and worth of your Polly Pocket set to be worth even more money. 

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