Sep 15

Sep 15 My Polly Pocket Collection Journey

Polly Pockets: Vintage, Polly Pockets: Modern

I’m a grown woman who collects Polly Pockets, and I’m proud of it!

It’s ironic because collecting anything was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I barely have any decorations in my house at all, so the thought of purposely hoarding a bunch of useless stuff was mind-boggling to me.

I think every decision we make as an adult is inspired by our childhood. It’s like little me was saying, “Hey, you know what you need now that you’re living the DINK life? Polly Pockets!”

That’s exactly what happened to me on this journey.

Everything Starts from Childhood

For the first decade of my life, my family struggled financially. My sister and I would often go hungry and toys were almost nonexistent. The toys we did have were off-brand street vendor ones. But hey, to a kid, a toy is a toy. I’ll spare you the rest of the sad historic detail since this is a happy story.

One day, my friend showed me this cute little teeny tiny toy that went inside a heart-shaped case. The heart-shaped case was full of colorful, intricate furniture, and I was immediately in love.

Fast waaay forward to when life got better and all my childhood dreams came true. My parents knew how obsessed I was with Polly Pockets so they got me the whole shebang. Thanks, mom and dad!

The one that stood out to me most was the Jewel Magic Ball. It was shaped like a crystal ball and opened up into several rooms with beautiful designs inside. I was awestruck by the beauty of this thing that it was all I played with. Barbie who?

My sister got the Sparkling Mermaid Adventure book that lit up. The glitter, the shimmer, the magic. Simply breathtaking.

Sparkling Mermaid Adventure Book vintage Polly Pocket.

The Hunt Begins

Fast forward even further to 2019. These were the two Polly Pockets that I wanted to collect first. However, there was one problem: The prices were insanely high! I get that they’re vintage, but that just wasn’t reasonable to me.

So I did what any grown woman would do when faced with adversity. I went to my dad. I asked him if he still had my old Polly Pockets and to pretty please find them.

But sadly, he didn’t, because right when I hit puberty I gave them all away. I guess I was too boy-obsessed to play with little kid toys.

I decided I wasn’t going to collect Polly Pockets. This was just some childhood nostalgia, they’re expensive, and admittedly I felt really silly about the whole thing.

Then, my mother-in-law, bless her sweet soul, gifted me a Giggle McDimples Polly Pocket from Toy Story 4. The moment I opened that compact, all the fuzzy feelings came back.

Toy Story 4 Giggle McDimples Polly Pocket.

First things first, check Amazon. I searched for vintage Polly Pockets and this 30th anniversary special edition of the 1989 Partytime Surprise came up.

I was so excited that I purchased it as fast as I could. When it arrived, my childhood was revitalized. The packaging, the glitter, the feeling of opening up that compact and seeing the intricate details inside...oh my!

Polly Pocket 30th Anniversary Partytime Surprise.

By now, I’ve pretty much made the decision to hunt down the Jewel Magic Ball and Sparkling Mermaid Adventure book. Those were all I needed to satisfy me.

Next, Ebay, the mother of all vintage selling platforms. This is where I ended up getting most of the Polly Pockets I own today. I managed to get a somewhat satisfactory price on the Jewel Magic Ball and Sparkling Mermaid Adventure book, but those were not cheap.

Once I received them, the fuzzy, nostalgic feelings immediately hit me. To me, they’re more than just toys. They represented my personal American dream. Coming from nothing to being so fortunate that I can share this story to others is a gift I’ll treasure forever.

Suddenly, Chaos!

Naturally, I couldn’t help but browse around to see how much the rest of the Polly Pockets cost on Ebay. I ended up buying more and more. It was like someone else was controlling my body. At around 10-ish Pollies, I said, “Oh, what the heck. Just collect them all. What are you, a wuss?”

One of my weaknesses is that I have this thing about completion. No matter what it is that I’m doing, I have to complete it to the point where it stresses me out. Otherwise, I feel this empty void inside me. A dangerous trait for a collector.

Polly Pockets came in different sets. The adorable quilted hearts, the star shapes, the shell shapes, the square shapes, the animal themes, the lockets, the rings, the stamps...phew, it really goes on and on.

I had to have them all. I couldn’t just have partial ones or it wouldn’t be complete. This is the basis for how my collection kept growing. The principle of completion. It was so satisfying when I completed a set.

I’m not a huge fan of the Pollyville set because those aren’t compacts and look more like modern toys than vintage ones. However, back to the principle of completion. Once I have all the compact Pollies, I might just start collecting Pollyvilles.

Then, there’s her “big sister” Lucy Locket. When I found out about Lucy Locket, I nearly lost my mind. A giant compact filled with even more intricate designs? Yes, please!

Lastly, there are the modern Polly Pockets. Mattel rebooted the series in 2018 and I jumped for joy when I heard the news. They’re not quite as intricate as the vintage ones and I’m sure many of you feel the same way. Still, the principle of completion has got me thinking if I should just collect those, too.

The Creative Spark

I’m not just collecting these pretty Pollies. I’m also restoring them and giving them a brand new life. I repaint each individual doll and even improve some of them, like these fairies that I sculpted new wings for.

Fairylight Wonderland vintage Polly Pocket.

I polish each compact till it’s shiny again, as if it was never even played with at all. I also restore all the logos using my amazing method.

Every Polly Pocket has a history. A little girl (or boy) loved them so much. It’s like I’m playing with them again but in a much more meaningful way because I’m putting a lot of effort into restoring them.

Best of all, they make me feel truly happy. Much like one would collect LOL dolls or Funko Pops, these are my personal treasures. They inspire me to keep living a happy, creative life.

My Forever Sparkle

I hope you enjoyed this memoir of my Polly Pocket collection journey. Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to collect something that brings you joy. Whatever your personal dream is, chase it. You have to find your forever sparkle, which is the thing or things that motivate you to do what you love.

Most importantly, you’re never too old to be a child again.