When I was a little girl, my family would spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas at my great-grandmother's house. All the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would be there, so the house was packed with 40 or more people each holiday.
I spent all my time hanging out with my cousins (and second cousins, and third cousins, and — you get the point). For the most part, we'd all end up in the basement, playing with my great-grandmother's assortment of toys and games she gathered up for us kids to enjoy.
My favorite by far was her collection of Polly Pocket toys. I would spend hours in the basement with my cousins, creating storylines and plots for our tiny dolls.
If you're unfamiliar with them, Polly Pockets were tiny, pocket-sized play sets for 1-inch dolls. Each toy opened like a makeup compact to reveal a miniature world, perfectly curated for the itty-bitty dolls.
Today, those Polly Pocket sets are worth a lot of money — some are even selling for thousands of dollars!
Thumbnail Photo: Instagram / pollypocketworld // Instagram / mevintagetoy
In 1983, Chris Wiggs created the first Polly Pocket for his daughter, Joanna.
He used a powder compact to create a small house for a tiny doll.
In 1989, English toy company Bluebird Toys licensed the concept and started creating Polly Pocket dolls.
Throughout the 1990s, Mattel worked with Bluebird Toys, as a distributor.
The original Polly Pocket toys looked like makeup compacts.
They were small enough to fit in your pocket, and the dolls were barely an inch tall.
The dolls — which came in a number of characters — folded in the middle in order to sit or stand.
Each play set was different. Some featured city streets, others were resorts with waterslides, and still others were adorable houses.
The toys were popular among kids throughout the 1990s, and many children collected a number of Polly Pocket sets.
In 1998, Mattel purchased Bluebird Toys, and by 1999, they had completely redesigned the Polly Pocket dolls.
Mattel created "Fashion Polly!" which was a 3.75-inch doll who wore rubbery plastic clothes.
By 2002, they stopped producing the original Polly Pocket dolls altogether.
Today, those original dolls, especially the ones produced by Bluebird Toys, are seen as collectibles.
Some of them are even worth a lot of money!
According to Good Housekeeping, certain Polly Pocket sets are selling for more than $1,400 in the UK.
Of course, they have to be in mint condition (and still in the packages) to go for this much, but one even has a bid on eBay for over $10,000!
Most Polly Pockets are being sold for significantly less, but you still might be able to get a few extra bucks — especially if you have an older set.
Please SHARE this article with anyone you know who loved playing with Polly Pocket dolls!
