Item #0012 – Bluebird Polly Pocket sets, Bay Window House (1993) & Treehouse (1994)

One of my favorite time-wasting pastimes is browsing shopgoodwill.com for vintage toys. About a year and a half ago, I was constantly hunting down Polly Pocket sets, and I soon amassed a number of compacts, lockets, and buildings. I would buy lots and then try to put full sets together for sale on ebay. After a while, I figured it would be smart to bring the collection down, and I settled on these two. (I know, so responsible.)

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The beginning of Polly Pocket came from an idea by a German father, Chris Wiggs, who upcycled a compact into a tiny house for his daughter. Bluebird Toys of England licensed the concept with the first sets appearing on store shelves in 1989. The compacts, such as 1990’s Polly’s Hair Salon (which my sister had as a girl and I re-gifted to her in 2015) and 1992’s Starlight Castle (actually had two of these at one time), were popular for their interactive environments and adorable, waist-bendable dolls.

Mattel acquired Polly Pocket in 1998, and soon the line underwent a modern update which was horrible and tacky–bright, uncoordinated colors and, after another update, more of a focus on the rubberized clothes of Fashion Polly. There’s no wonder why the original Bluebird sets fetch more online.

When it comes to the old school, Bluebird goodness, I prefer the building/house sets (like my two shown above) over the compacts. The buildings obviously have more room for play as well as more interactive features (opening doors, sliding windows, hidden rooms, etc.). The compacts seemed a little repetitive throughout the years. (How many restaurants or diners can there be in Polly’s world?)

And, yes, I let Doe Eyes play with them–supervised. And, yes, the boys like to occasionally play with them, too. I guess, there’s just something so fun when you’re playing so small.

So our wise thrifting tip of the day: Whether you find a Polly compact or building, if it’s cheap and a BLUEBIRD, just scoop it up. When I mean cheap, I mean no more than $5 for an incomplete set and no more than $10-15 for a complete one; this is taking into consideration resell prices on ebay. Now everyone has their favorites, so my $15 (at a yard sale–you’re not finding these for this low on ebay) would be reserved for the 1995 Children’s Hospital or 1994 Light Up Hotel.

Just saying.

If I was still in the market for these things again.

Not like I am shopping around for them.

Maybe setting up a followed search wouldn’t hurt…

Did you play with Polly Pocket? Do you still have some hidden away somewhere?

Status: Personal item – not for sale. (I’ve cut down to two already!)

Random for You:

Polly Pocket became so popular that other merchandise was launched to market the brand. You can still find Polly stuffed dolls, lunchboxes, and roller skates available online.

From 1995-1998, Bluebird produced Disney Polly Pocket-like sets such as Jasmine’s Royal Palace and The Little Mermaid Playcase.

Mighty Max was Bluebird’s boys’ answer to Polly Pocket. These compact playsets featured Max trying to escape from risky terrains and lethal monsters as seen in Mighty Max Conquers the Temple of Venom.