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Oct 09, 2023

Remember Polly Pocket Toys? Check Your Attic: They're now Selling for $1000s

Polly Pocket — those adorable miniature dolls housed in intricately designed

Polly Pocket — those adorable miniature dolls housed in intricately designed compact cases — are one of the most beloved toys of the 1990s. If you grew up during this time, or were raising children then, you likely remember the colorful, ultra-detailed toys. The way the pint-size parts of them fit together, creating their own storybook worlds, is undeniably pleasing, and this combination of nostalgia and aesthetic satisfaction has recently led to a surprising and delightful resurgence on social media.

Instagram accounts like @polly_pick_pocket have thousands of followers thanks to their pictures and videos of grown women showing off their extensive Polly Pocket collections, and rack up admiring comments from fans who had the same ones as kids. Polly Pockets aren't just cute — they can also be more valuable than you may think. If you have Pollys gathering dust in a drawer, read on to learn how valuable they might be.

While the resurgence of Polly Pockets popularity is certainly rooted in childhood comforts, it's not only about missing the '90s. The dainty dimensions fit perfectly on Instagram's grid, and the satisfaction of seeing how all the precious pieces of a set fit together can be a source of ASMR (a mysterious phenomenon wherein pleasant visuals bring about a tingly sense of calm). Architectural Digest reports that Polly Pockets became increasingly popular online during the pandemic, and connects the new interest in the toys to a parallel collecting interest in miniatures and dollhouses, as well as the cottagecore trend ("cottagecore" refers to a cozy, pastoral style that harkens back to a simpler time — think Little House on the Prairie meets aspirational social media images of women wearing modest dresses and frolicking in the grass). During a stressful time, the harmonious design of the Polly Pocket clamshells (the name for the plastic case that holds any given self-contained Polly Pocket world) functioned as soothing escapism.

Happen to have an original Polly Pocket in your collection? You might be in luck! For something that was mass-produced and made of plastic, these toys can be surprisingly sought after. While the Polly Pocket market may not be as well known as that for rare coins or antique home goods, it represents an accessible, playful form of collecting that appeals to buyers of all ages. Millennials were the dominant audience for Polly Pockets, but older women with an interest in miniatures and novelty items may also be delighted to buy and sell them.

So how can you tell if a Polly Pocket is worth something? Originally manufactured by Bluebird Toys from 1989 to 1997, over 350 varieties of clamshells were produced. These elaborate mini tableaus ran the gamut from beaches to castles to hospitals, and as Architectural Digest describes, each set had "fully developed color palettes, accessories and paraphernalia, and a level of detail that revealed a true understanding of design, spatial planning and decor." In 1998, Mattel took over Polly Pocket, and ultimately changed the look of the dolls, making them bigger. Twenty years later, in 2018, they relaunched the toy, changing the scale to something closer to the original, but it's the golden age '90s Polly Pockets collectors seek.

If you’re looking to buy or sell your Polly Pocket, the first thing you’ll want to do is confirm what year it's from. You can find this information by simply looking at the bottom of the toy; the year will be printed under the Bluebird logo. Polly Pocket collecting is a growing field, so there isn't an established guide for prices (though the site Only Polly Pocket features photos and details of every Polly Pocket set from 1989 to 2002, making it a useful resource for sellers) and many women first started their collections after stumbling upon the toys for cheap at thrift stores.

It's safe to say that savvy sellers now recognize the interest in these pint-sized toys — an eBay search reveals a number of rare, unopened Polly Pocket gift sets in their original boxes selling for $1,000 or more. The most expensive current listing has an asking price of $15,000 for a "Playville Weekend" gift set featuring five adorable houses with 14 figurines of Polly and friends. While you’re unlikely to actually get that much for your Polly Pocket (unless you’re lucky enough to have an unopened set and a collector willing to pay top dollar), you may still be able to get a nice payday. In an interview with Nylon, collector Julia Carusillo, who runs @polly_pick_pocket, pointed out that clamshells featuring all their original dolls are far more expensive than ones that are missing them — even if they’re not in the original box.

Polly Pockets won't necessarily make you rich (and many well-loved sets sell in the $10 to $40 range, says Southern Living), but if you’re lucky, you may be able to net three or even four figures for a rare set in good condition. The collectibles site WorthPoint notes that a variety of Pollys have sold for $500 to $1,000. Next time you’re going through your old stuff, take note if you have any of these toys — it turns out good things really do come in small packages.