Oct 9

Oct 9 🎨CRAFTS🎨 How I Repaint My Polly Pocket Toys | DIY Tips & Tricks

I’m a Polly Pocket collector and like many others out there who share the same hobby, we were quite disappointed when they were rebooted. They just lacked the magic that the vintage ones had.

They were too big, the signature Polly hinge was gone in lieu of a silicone Pollystick functionality, and worst of all, they lacked the teeny tiny details that made these toys so fascinating.

I was inspired to repaint my modern Pollies in hopes of making them look somewhat like the vintage ones. I have several repaints that I’ve done thus far and each one has become so much more beautiful and magical.

Even better is many collectors out there have started repainting their Polly Pockets as well. So I figured it’s time to share my tips and tricks to painting these precious toys.

Keep in mind that these techniques may also apply to other plastic toys and materials you want to repaint. Let’s get started!

Materials

Acrylic paints

The brand doesn’t matter. All that matters is the color range. Here are some cheap acrylic paints I bought at a craft store.

Gesso

Use gesso as a base for any tough areas you want to paint over. This helps acrylic paint stick better. I like using this to paint over graphics. Some would say you should gesso the entire surface no matter what, but I’ll leave that up to you.

Matte or gloss varnish

A varnish will seal your paint job and prevent it from being chipped. I like using matte for my Polly Pockets, but you can use gloss if you prefer. You can even varnish some areas matte and some areas gloss for added style.

Fine tip brushes

A wide range of fine tip brushes will greatly help you in painting teeny tiny areas. They’re usually sold in sets that also come with small flat brushes.

Dotting tools

I love the dotting technique. It’s an easy way to add decoration to my repaints. Get dotting tools with different ball sizes so you can create a variety of dots.

X-ACTO knife

Use this to gently scratch off any dried acrylic paint that accidentally got in areas it’s not meant to be in.

Paint palette

Of course, you’ll need a surface to squeeze out your acrylic paints on. Here’s a simple paint palette you can find in any store.

Paper towel

I always have paper towel handy to keep my hands and brushes clean.

Cleaning spray

Use this in conjunction with the paper towels to keep your workstation and brushes clean.

Instructions

Step 1: Pick your Polly Pocket.

The most obvious step. Pick your favorite Polly Pocket to repaint. I’m going to be doing Art Studio from the Tiny Pocket World series.

Step 2: Start with the backgrounds.

A rule of painting is start with the background, then foreground, then details. Begin painting any background areas such as the floor graphic on this compact.

Step 3: Add more coats if necessary.

Sometimes, the paint just applies too thin. Add as many coats as necessary to really make those colors pop.

Step 4: Paint the details.

The fun part is adding all the little details. The fine tip brushes and dotting tools are especially helpful here.

Using the dotting method to add details.

Step 5: Seal it with varnish.

Once you’re happy with your repaint and everything is dry, seal it off with varnish. I just do one thin coat of matte varnish. Let this varnish dry for 48 hours before you start playing with your brand new repainted Polly Pocket.

Tips & Tricks

Glob it on

Grab a lot of paint with your brush. I’m talking a lot. Then, just glide it on the surface. Don’t worry about it looking globby because once it dries, it will flatten.

Dip and dot

Like the brushes, grab a lot of paint on your dotting tool as well. Lightly tap the surface of your Polly Pocket and voila, you have a perfect circle.

Taking lots of red acrylic paint with a dotting tool.

Easy clean up

To clean your brushes between colors, spray some cleaner on a paper towel. Swirl your bush on the paper towel till all the paint is gone. Now, your brush is ready for the next color.

Cleaning the paint brush with Lysol and paper towel.

Scratch it off

Messing up is perfectly fine as acrylic paint isn’t permanent. For small mess-ups, take an X-ACTO knife and lightly scratch off the paint. For bigger mess-ups, take a Q-tip with some cleaning solution and rub off the paint.

Scratching acrylic paint off with an X-ACTO knife.

Results

Painting Polly Pockets (and other toys) isn’t all that intimidating. In fact, it’s easy and therapeutic. Best of all, you get to unleash all your creativity and give these toys a brand new life.