Move over Barbie! Polly Pocket is hitting our screens
We are still very much struck with Barbie fever, but Mattel isn’t slowing down on the brand revamp. The company has announced that there is a new doll movie in the works: Polly Pocket.
The rumours about the new movie have been swirling since 2021, with official details now being confirmed. Emily in Paris’ Lily Collins took to her Instagram to share the news of her title character also taking on the role of producer. “Little Lil, big news,” she said in her caption. “As a child who was obsessed with Polly Pockets, it’s a real dream come true to announce this project! I am partnering with the most inspiring powerhouse team to reintroduce Polly to the world in a fun, modern way… bringing these tiny toys to the big screen. Truly so excited to be coming on as both a producer and Polly herself! Can’t wait to dive into this pastel world…”
The film will be directed by Girls’ Lena Dunham, who has shared her plans in an interview with Variety. “Polly Pocket was responsible for countless hours of childhood escapism for me — Polly gave me a tiny world of magic and autonomy to narrate, so it’s pretty poetic to be tackling these same ideas now as a director,” she shares. “I’m so thrilled to bring to bear both my love of this historic property and also my deep-seated belief that young women need smart playful films that speak to them without condescension.”
Polly first stepped out of her compact vanity dollhouse in the late 80s, becoming a 90s staple and soon inspiring hundreds of versions of playsets, television shows, merch, and web series. In this next toy-to-movie iteration, Mattel Films will be recruiting Dunham’s own production Good Thing Going. All we know so far is that it will follow a young girl and a pocket-sized doll who form a friendship – but any philosophical themes like in Barbie are yet to be announced.
Mattel’s Barbie raked in around $3.3 million globally at the box office within its first few days, making it the largest opening of 2023 so far. Its merch alone became a hit before it had even debuted on screen, and its chief officer and president, Richard Dickson, has been recruited by major retailer Gap who want a slice of the genius marketing magic.
Producers Robbie Brenner and Kevin McKeon will oversee the Polly Pocket project on behalf of Mattel Films. Whilst we wait for the details of Polly’s adventures to be shared, fans of Barbie can also pine over the other upcoming Mattel Film projects, including movies based on American Girl dolls, Thomas the tank engine, and Hot Wheels. Their A24 version of Barney the purple dinosaur is set to include a “millennial angst” angle, headed by Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, with other toys like Uno, View-master, and Magic-8 ball also in the works.
