Back in the day, Polly Pocket was always a nice, safe brand. Human-sized accessories opened up to reveal secret worlds full of surprises, but nearly always happy ones. As a designated “girl’s toy” of the ’80s and ’90s, Polly Pocket didn’t contain the kind of life-or-death, good-vs-evil existential struggles that supposed “boy’s toys” nearly always reckoned with. But that was then, and this is now, and as any Brony or aspiring female Jedi could tell you, those gender play stereotypes are long since jettisoned into another dimension. In the modern era, Mattel can gleefully mash up two classic properties that would once have been considered diametrically opposed.
Polly Gets Dialed to Eleven
Behold…Stranger Things Polly Pocket!
Per the official description, “Polly Pocket brings the beloved Netflix series, Stranger Things, to life in micro form! The walkie-talkie exterior opens to reveal locations from Hawkins, Indiana, and the eerie Upside Down. Fans can recreate adventures from the show with six Stranger Things characters as micro dolls. The ten accessories and fun features offer Easter egg details and play and display moments that capture popular scenes: the Byers’ living room, bike riding through the forest, sensory deprivation tank, and Demogorgon encounters. This collectible compact is ideal for Stranger Things and Polly Pocket fans alike. Colors and decorations may vary.”
The walkie-talkie opens on both sides, one depicting our world’s view of Hawkins, and the other showing the Upside Down. In both versions, buildings open up to reveal creative play features and peril for our mid-jointed mini-heroes.
Preorders begin today, Sept. 3rd, at your favorite online retailers, with a price tag of $50. If this one does well, there are plenty more possibilities. A pudding can, perhaps? A mobile home on which Eddie can shred like Metallica? Polly Pocket of the ’90s could never have imagined such a thing…nor, we’d wager, would James Hetfield. But in Hawkins, Indiana, anything is possible.
Check out a few more images.
