Color me cranky, but it would seem (at least to me) that a toy which chooses to advertise itself as "pocket-sized" should actually be able to fit in the pocket of a child within the age range suggested on the box - but I know it's just me and that's asking way too much.

You know I'm old enough to remember Polly Pocket when she used to be pocket-sized (maybe 10 years ago) my oldest daughter had them and loved them - granted they were tiny little choking hazards not top be left on the floor or within reach of younger siblings.

Back in the day Polly was about a half inch high (1/3 of that feet to make sure she could balance and stand up). Polly and friends were made of hard plastic with colorful clothes painted on (yeah, so there was nothing to lose) - in fact they were so cute and inviting I'm sure many younger siblings thought they were vitamin tablets and tried to take them - in my estimation they did look like hip and trendy Flintstone vitamins.

Possibly due to a plethora of lawsuits, Polly had a growth spurt - over the past ten years she has grown about 3 1/2 inches and learned to dress herself (that's one up for her, Barbie has yet to master that simple task in 30 years). In some new versions she's even grown hair - which is not quite long enough to do anything with and yet long enough to get in the way (wah?).

Anyhoo - you may wonder how I know so much about Polly - it's the result of having two girls 8 years apart - see, by the time one gets over the trend/phase - the other one is just getting into (hence the reason I am off to see yet another Olsen Twin classic in the next few days). Oops, my B, they aren't the "Olsen Twins" anymore, they are now just Mary-Kate and Ashley - so I guess if they can change, so can Polly Pocket.

As per tradition, I sent my almost 7 year old off with Nana and Pop-Pop last weekend to do her birthday shopping -imagine my surprise (as well as my children's) when she came home with three bags of toys (for the same amount of money one son got one Lego and my eldest got two pairs of shoes).

I couldn't believe my eyes when she tipped the bags over and all these Polly Pocket sets poured out - it was like watching some horrible clown car accident. She hit the toy jackpot - most sets are priced around 7 to 10 dollars, so it wasn't hard to see how she could get so much for so little - at least my mother had the decency to also buy her the suitcase to store all the dolls and extras in.

Claire decided to buy Polly Pocket in themes - so if you see a trend in my next few reviews, you'll know why. Her first theme was travel and the other was pool party. In the Groovy Getaway theme, there are many sets available - she chose the jet and three suitcase sets - this review is on the Groovy Getaway Polly Suitcase Set (the other two with Lila and Lea are very similar).

I think this set was around 8 dollars - in it you get a 4" inch Polly Pocket doll with rooted blonde hair done up in a very I Dream of Jeannie type of ponytail. She is made of a Barbie type plastic - surprise surprise since she is made by Mattel. Her arms and legs move at the sockets, but do not bend - she also swivels at the waist. There is no way she can stand-alone.

She is also very zoftig (you know top heavy - again no surprise as she is made by Mattel)). The problem is on her tiny frame she looks very muscular because her shoulders are so broad to balance her out - this doesn't bother my daughter, but it makes me think if I were 4 inches high I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley.

Polly comes dressed in lime green ensemble – a belly shirt and Capri pants with pink accents. Her clothes can be removed and her undies are painted on. The consistency of her clothes reminds me of thick Colorforms or Creepy Crawlers – a sort of rubberized material that isn’t easy to get on and off rubber. They say the age range of the toy is ages three and up – please I’d like to see any 3 year old who can dress and undress that tiny doll – I have issues with the clothes. Claire has already ripped many of the sleeves and top openings trying to dress and undress the dolls. She hays it doesn’t bother her, but I think the material needs to be changed or the quality increased because no toy should rip that easily. Polly is also wearing lime green shoes and pink scarf.

The upside of the toy is that Polly and all her belongings store inside the suitcase she comes with. The suitcase is about 6 inches high and is pink with blue accents. When you open the suitcase there is a scene of skyscrapers, the sun and clouds on one side the other side stores the additional two outfits (a blue dress and pink and blue skirt set), along with two more pairs of shoes and various accessories (to be honest I’m not sure which ones came with this set as Claire has combined everything.)

The clothes store inside the case on a rotating clothes rack. You turn the suitcase handle to rotate the rack. Attached to the clothes rack is a full-length mirror that opens out. You also get some stickers (yippee!).

For the price you do get a lot of accessories, but it does make me wonder what 3 year old could keep track of them – many things are tiny and my 7 year old has trouble keeping track of them. I am afraid they will eventually get sucked up into the Hoover, and once that happens too bad. I have trouble dressing tiny dolls and can’t imagine anyone under 8 not having issues. I also wonder how she is considered pocket sized – at 4 “ she does not fit into any pocket Claire has – all of hers are 2 to 3 inches deep – the doll causes a bulge and tends to fall out easily. She is portable enough in the suitcase, but the original concept was to have her be small enough to fit in a pocket and go anywhere.

Claire loves the set and all her Polly Pockets, so I’ll have to grow up and get over it if I want to play with her. My issues are how easy the clothes rip and how tiny they are. My positives are how everything stores in the case. Claire’s positives are that she likes the dolls and has played with them every day since she got them – and that does speak volumes – no point getting toys kids don’t play with. I suggest this product for that reason, but keep in mind the negative aspects.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older