Polly Pocket Was the OG Small Space Pioneer

It's called Non-Minimalism Minimalism.

(via @vintagepollypocketlife)

“Small space living”: It’s an unfortunate reality. And yet it’s a huge topic. Why?

1. Too many hopefuls heading to expensive cities like New York, a town where people try to convince themselves that life is incredible — even when their toilet is hidden behind a shower curtain in a living room they share with 3-5 other roommates, 25% of whom are actually sane — and are therefore trying to make the most of a $1,500/month makeshift bedroom with no windows.

2. There’s just a lot of SEO juice around keywords like “studio apartment” and “small space,” and advertisers like the implication that it can refer to college students spending in the “dorm” category; or advertisers with older audiences feel it can attract a younger audience. (All totally fair.)

But seriously, “small space living” is actually an important topic. It’s relevant. It’s fueling an entire industry of inventive shoe racks. Apartment Therapy has successfully monetized it.

And yet, in all the millions of articles on Google about how to “make the most of a studio apartment,” not one mentions the pioneer of small space living: Polly Pocket.

(via Etsy)

Polly Pocket was introduced to the world in 1983, gaining popularity with elementary-aged millennial girls the the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The premise of this toy is simple: It’s a makeup-like clamshell container that when opened, reveals Polly in her miniature world. And although the name would imply that Polly would fit in one’s average pocket, the dimensions were more suitable to a JNCO-sized environment.

(via eBay)

But before we get into the details of how Polly revolutionized small spaces, we must first address an uncomfortable class issue — which is that studio apartments in America, and specifically New York City, were originally created to satisfy an upper class desire: to have a place separate from one’s main home where one could create art. (Which completely reads as: trust fund kid who didn’t become a banker or lawyer and now his parents need some way to legitimize his waywardness.) See this Architectural Digest video at 13:58:

In addition, Polly is white. She was born into privilege and therefore inherently finds a type of ease in the world. She is a child with no apparent guardians and yet…she is often dressed suspiciously as Little Orphan Annie which would seem to suggest that she has a war-profiteering father with several factories. Either way, we have to assume she comes from means given that over the course of a decade, she inhabits dozens of homes.

That said, Polly is an architectural genius, having figured out how to fit an entire house within the confines of a studio apartment, shrinking down the essence of home into minuscule theatrics.

So, without further ado…

Polly Pocket’s 4 Small Space Philosophies

#1) Anti-Open Open Plan & De-Privatization of Space

Studio homes are by nature open plan, a configuration popularized in dwellings of all sizes over the past decade by HGTV. Polly embraces “open plan” in that all her spaces are accessible, yet in her world, there is a compartmentalization aspect.

Here, in her first home, she’s dedicated the most open space to the lower level (“public area”), using the curve of the compact to create a rather space age vibe to the living room. The open plan concept continues— yet with obvious compartmentalization — as Polly plays with dimensionality in her more personal quarters (bathroom, bedroom). Unlike the Small Spacers of Today, she does not seek to create hard boundaries; bathrooms and bedrooms are an open book, suggesting privacy is overrated.

(via Etsy)

#2) Built-In Storage Doubles as Furniture

In the below “townhome,” Pocket’s bedroom area configuration is before its time. In Polly’s era, she likely employed MDF (medium-density fiberboard) with pink plastic facings to create a splashy storage-bed situation.

(via eBay)

Years later, we find many contemporary European designers (specifically in Spain and France) relying on similar space-saving tactics, instead using plywood or trendy-hued paints to achieve the same result. See:

Hoch Studio’s bookcase-cum-bed area in Montmartre, Paris:

And Pierre-Louis Gerlier’s storage wall as office/reading nook in a Parisian suburb:

#3) Non-Minimalism Minimalism

Small-space dwellers are often encouraged to embrace minimalism to create a sense of spaciousness. Polly abides by this in that she does not over-embellish her spaces or concentrate on aesthetic decor. Yet, she is an advocate of stuffing a room full of furniture, with very little space between objects, limiting inhabitants’ movements and abilities to occupy non-essential spaces.

(via Etsy)

#4) Trompe L’Oeil to Create Dimension

Instead of adding actual books to a room, Polly uses one-dimensional art to portray the illusion of bookishness without taking up additional space. Another great tip for windowless room dwellers: Add a mural of a window and curtains in an attempt to disguise your depressing living situation.

In Conclusion

Polly’s early forays in residential design were a gateway to amassing a larger architectural portfolio encompassing an empire of small-space commercial design: restaurants, schools, theme parks, hotels, royal structures. (I think it’s safe to assume that she had help from parents to fund her first projects before launching a lucrative career…which is so often the case of the creative class.)

Despite Polly’s obvious capitalistic leanings, it should be noted that she at least promoted a “less is more” culture in opposition to her competitors — Barbie Dreamhouse, Playmobile Victorian Dollhouse, Fisher-Price Megamansion — who employed scale as a means to assert dominance. At the time, Polly’s rebel faction of small spacers (which included the likes of Littlest Pet Shop and Mighty Max) was a minority on toy shelves. Yet her influence was great, paving the way for Calico Critters and eventually, something called “Shopkins.”

Let us look to Polly as an inspiration for small-space and all-space dwellers alike: fuck convention, make a bathroom with only three walls, and just do whatever.

Schmatta is written by Leonora Epstein, a former shelter pub editor-in-chief. Follow at @_leonoraepstein and/or @schmattamag. For consulting and collab requests, please visit my website.