Knickerbocker introduced Dolly Pops in the late 70s. There were blonde and a brunette dolls, three inches tall, with very long hair and, in their natural state, nothing but white bloomers.
But each doll came with two snap-on outfits, thank goodness, and that’s where the fun began. There were four outfit groupings to choose from: School Time, Party Time, Play Time and Country Time.
It was a concept steeped in paper doll tradition, but with its three dimensions and plastic, you could really move these girls around without the risk of paper cuts.
And to make that playtime mobile, there were plastic mini-suitcases that opened up to create different scenes: a horse ride, a dress show (with a backstage dressing room and stage that really turned), a two-story Dolly Pop house, and so on.
And if you weren’t feeling up to the rigours of costuming, you could snap Dolly into a bike and push her right off into the sunset.
All of it was a snap-on delight, but Knickerbocker’s masterstroke was Pop Town.
Toy company urban planners designed a fold-out street, lined with a Dolly house, a dress shop and a toy shop – pretty much all a girl could ask for.
Not only did the two dolls come in this set, but there were nine outfits and a Dolly baby too, with a snap-on cradle if she got sleepy.
