Plush:Party Popple

The 1980s gave us a number of unique toy lines, perhaps none so weird and so adorable as Popples. These plush figures (like a multicolored stuffed bear with a long tail ending in a brightly colored pom-pom) could roll themselves up into a ball by climbing into the large pocket or pouch on their backs. The pouch also served as a portal to hammerspace, an extradimensional void stocked with just the very items Popples needed at the moment. Popples received their names from the sound they make extracting themselves from their pouches or from pulling out the bikes, cars, puppies, or party hats stored in there. According to legend, Popple designer Susan Trental garnered her inspiration for creating the little characters from rolling up socks fresh out of the laundry. First released in 1986, Popples grew in popularity when a Saturday-morning TV cartoon series aired 46 episodes. The toy line also inspired a four-issue series of comic books. Mattel issued nine original characters including PC (Pretty Cool), Party, Puffball, Puzzle, Prize, Potato Chip and Putter. Other lines featured Sports Popples, Pufflings, and Pocket Popples. Mattel offered Popples into the 1990s.