It's been a very restful Thanksgiving week for me here in New Jersey, and I was especially thankful that my son came for a visit and I didn't have to work on the holiday! I hope that those of you who celebrate had a pleasant time as well. I was a little stressed to come out of this week realizing that December is upon us, though! Yikes. That means I need to start getting my advent calendar series ready.
Between planning the advent calendar reviews and eating a lot of stuffing, I didn't have much time to pull together something new and creative for this week. So, I decided to tie up loose ends from my last Polly Pocket review. In that extensive post, I mentioned a few of the playline compact-style sets that are available right now, but I didn't have time to look at any of them in person. Today I'll make up for that by showing you three of my favorites: the Monster High set, the Care Bears set, and the Hedgehog Cafe:
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| Polly Pocket in her Hedgehog Cafe from 2020 ($24.99). |
There are actually two different Hedgehog Cafe sets, one from 2020 and one from 2024. The two versions have some interesting differences, but I'll talk about that at the end of the review.
To start things off, I want to look at the Polly Pocket x Monster High compact. I've had it in my house for quite a while now, and was very eager to open it!
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| Polly Pocket x Monster High playset, $21.99. |
It comes in a large blister pack with a picture of G3 Draculaura, Frankie, and Clawdeen on the front:
The original Polly is about two centimeters tall, and Frankie is just over three centimeters, or one and a quarter inches.
The back of the package has a photograph of the set and some close-ups of the individual pieces:
At a glance, it seems like there are a lot of different ways to interact with this set, so I was pretty excited.
All of the pieces came secured within a molded plastic shell:
Most of the items were easy to get out of the plastic, but a few of the smaller accessories gave me trouble.
Here's everything that was in the box:
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| The compact is in two separate pieces. |
I was especially excited about the little Monster High figures because I love miniature versions of things. Here's mini Clawdeen:
She has a fairly detailed little face with big lips and wide eyes, and I love her pink hair!
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| I wish her ears were painted brown, though. |
She has the same five points of articulation as the regular Polly Pocket dolls, with joints at her shoulders, waist, and hips:
And she makes a great mini me doll for the full-sized Clawdeen!
The Draculaura doll has a different design than Clawdeen. She has a skirt mold on her lower half instead of two separate legs:
This makes her more like the original Polly Pocket dolls, but less articulated overall.
She still has a rotational joint at the waist, though, so she can sit, turn from side to side, and move her arms up and down:
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| I love her side-glancing eyes! |
She has long molded vinyl hair that's black on one side and bright pink on the other:
Frankie has another different body design. They have a skirt mold on the bottom like Draculaura, but they also have a right arm that's bent at the elbow:
However, the arms on my Frankie don't spin around at all--they're stuck in place. So there are only two points of articulation (hips and waist):
Frankie has a great face, though, with a tiny scar, mismatched eyes, and a toothy grin:
Here they are from the back:
I like how there was an effort to include Frankie's prosthetic leg. It's hard to see, but the left leg is painted silver below the skirt.
Here's Frankie with an original Polly Pocket, for anyone who missed my size comparisons from the last review:
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| 1991 Polly Pocket (left) and Frankie Stein Polly Pocket from 2023 (right). |
There are ten tiny, loose accessories that come with this set. The first is a purple desk and chair:
The molded spiderwebs and desk accessories on this piece are nice, but everything is the same color.
I love this brain-themed couch with all of its gyri and sulci:
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| A true thinking couch! |
It has grooves on either side of the seats, so I suspect the dolls will be able to lock into place, the same way they did with the wheelchair and toilet from the Barbie Dreamhouse.
There's also a casketball hoop with a tiny ball:
And this purple skateboard with working green wheels:
I'm not exactly sure what this is, but it reminds me of a handheld video game system--like a Switch:
There's also a yellow tray covered with molded food:
I want to say that's a hot dog and a drink, but since everything's yellow, it's hard to tell.
It's easy to see that these are two matching hot pink coffee cups:
And this is an open book:
The last small piece confused me at first because I assumed it was another accessory:
But it's actually the hinge rod that's needed to attach the top and bottom halves of the compact:
It's strange that I had to assemble the compact myself, and that skinny rod seems a bit frail to hold the two heavy sides of the compact together. I hope nothing breaks!
The modern Polly Pocket compacts tend to come in thematic shapes, and this one is no exception: it's a Skullette. The Skullette is made out of dark, glitter-infused purple plastic, with a lighter purple bow filled with metallic confetti pieces:
The confetti in this bow has all managed to get stuck on the left side:
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| Not a great design. |
The back of the compact is light purple, like the bow, and has a molded spiderweb pattern behind the Monster High and Polly Pocket logos:
The 2023 copyright date is in small letters at the bottom.
Now, let's explore the spaces inside this compact!
The bottom half is designed to look like an outdoor schoolyard area, complete with a cafe, a casketball court, and a skate park:
The cafe has an outdoor seating area with a little serving window that can fold down when the compact is closed:
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| That's really cute. |
The dolls should be able to lock into the two silver swivel chairs (which have a tombstone design), but Frankie doesn't fit because her arms can't move:
Clawdeen can sit securely and enjoy her huge cup of coffee:
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| Ready to caffeinate! |
The indoor section of the cafe doesn't have any walls to separate it from the rest of the space, but it has an elevated floor with an elaborate molded Skullette pattern. There's also a permanent purple chair that matches the floor:
There are some pegs on the floor that can be used to place the dolls, or attach the brain couch:
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| I don't mind sitting on this couch. |
On the opposite side of the compact, there's a molded blue half pipe and an area that's decorated to look like a casketball court:
The dolls can attach to the skateboard and ride back and forth along the pipe:
And the casketball hoop attaches to the court so that Clawdeen can practice her slayup:
The video game thing can be held by the dolls with straight arms, although it looks a bit funny:
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| What am I supposed to do with this? |
I'm still not completely sure it's meant to be a video game--or meant to be held like that--but those are my best guesses.
The upper half of the compact is designed to look like the interior of Monster High:
I could see right away that the upper floor on my compact is warped. It bends up on the left side. This doesn't look great, but at least it doesn't interfere with any of the moving parts.
The first floor has three pink lockers on one side and a hinged purple and silver section on the opposite side:
The pink doors on the three lockers all open as one piece to reveal some stickers:
The stickers make it clear that the largest locker is Draculaura's, with her cheer outfit, some books, and "vamp life" written at the top. The smaller lockers are Clawdeen's on top, with a wolf sticker and some shoes, and Frankie's on the bottom, with a lightning sticker and a...floating banana?
There's space for the dolls to stand in front of the open lockers, so Clawdeen can grab her shoes before the next class:
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| Why is my locker so small? |
The purple and silver section is a bit more mysterious. There's a big molded door on the left, and a dresser and mirror on the right:
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| I like the painted detail, but wish there was more. |
This whole purple section hinges open...to reveal a bedroom!
There are two beds attached to the back of the door, bunk bed style, and then there's a third bed sunken into the floor:
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| I'm guessing that's Draculaura's bed. |
The dolls fit in the beds--barely. I wouldn't want to be sleeping on that bottom bunk!
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| Why do I have the worst bed? |
The classroom decorations are molded out of teal plastic and have what looks like a science theme:
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| Frankie's favorite class! |
The purple desk can attach to the peg on the floor of the classroom so that at least one of the characters (Frankie, of course) can attend class:
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| Why is there nowhere for me to sit? |
The sliding bookcase is light blue plastic with molded and painted details, which is nice:
On the shelves are a fun collection of books, bottles, spiderwebs, and even what looks like a pickled hand in a jar!
The wall behind the sliding door is decorated, and there's a trap door in the middle of the floor:
So, when the door slides from one side to the other, a different background is revealed, and a hole opens up in the floor:
The hidden background looks like a secret staircase, which is cool!
The trap door opens into the bedroom below:
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| That's one way to go to bed. |
I put poor unsuspecting Clawdeen on top of the trap door to test out its functionality:
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| Why me?? |
But, when I slid the door to the right, Clawdeen got stuck with only her feet hanging down through the floor:
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| Ahhhh! |
And when I pushed the door back to the left, she got dragged back up:
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| This is not my best day. |
I thought this glitch might be because of the warped floor, but when I tried again with Draculaura:
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| I have a bad feeling about this... |
She fell face-first into the recessed bed:
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| Mmph. Not comfortable. |
While I was inspecting the trap door mechanism, I noticed that there's a peg on the ceiling of the bedroom:
So Draculaura can sleep hanging from the ceiling, too:
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| Much better. |
While the set is small, it's missing the pocket-sized "wow" factor of the super-tiny original Polly Pocket compacts. Also, while it's bright and colorful, it's lacking the visual artistry of the earlier sets. I wish there were a few more painted details and not so many monochromatic molded areas. It feels a little cheap. It is pretty cheap these days, though--certainly worth the $12 that I paid.
I love the inclusion of miniature Monster High characters with this set. Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Frankie are all clearly recognizable, with varied outfits and fun vinyl hair. However, I wish that these dolls all had the same five points of articulation as the standard 1.25 inch Pollys. I don't feel like the skirt mold is worth the loss of the hip joints. And it's frustrating that Frankie's arms don't move at all.
Another frustration is that the compact can't close when the accessories are in place. I wouldn't expect it to close around that large casketball hoop, but it can't even close with the brain couch in place:
The second set that I bought has a Care Bears theme and is from 2024. That makes it the most recent Polly Pocket product in this review:
Like the Monster High compact, this retails for around $22, but is often on sale. I found it for $14.99 earlier this month.
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| 2024 Polly Pocket x Care Bears, $21.99. |
The packaging is very similar to the Monster High set, too. It's a large blister pack with a decorated cardboard back:
As with the Monster High set, there are a bunch of loose accessories accompanying the dolls. The largest item is this Rainbow Roller:
This odd little fellow looks like some type of smiling fruit or vegetable:
But I guess it's hard to make a plastic compact case look fuzzy.
As I mentioned earlier, there's another Hedgehog Cafe that was released in 2024. It's outwardly very similar, and can currently be found at target for $34.99:
Here's everything that was in the box:
There's only one Polly doll included, plus two Care Bear figurines: Cheer Bear and Grumpy Bear. And the compact comes in two pieces again, but it snaps together without the need for a hinge bar.
I was happy to see that Polly has articulated legs, but sad to see that she has the same waving arm as Frankie. I assumed that meant her arms wouldn't move at all:
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| Also, what's up with her smile?? |
This time, though, the arms can spin!
There's not much point in spinning the bent arm, but I was relieved to see that the joints work. I guess my Frankie is defective.
Here's Polly from the back, where you can see her two blonde buns:
The face paint on this particular doll isn't good. She has a huge, Joker-like grin. On closer inspection, I can see that her mouth paint has bled into her freckles, so it all looks like one big, face-splitting smile:
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| She needs Exorcism Bear. |
Cheer Bear and Grumpy Bear are very cute, but they don't have any articulation:
They have printed, pixelated faces and bellies, and plain backs:
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| With cute little tails and hearts. |
It's a cloud-shaped bike with pink accents and a large yellow arch above the seat. The arch would have made more sense as a rainbow, which was the original 80s concept:
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| I remember that! |
Polly and the Bears can stand in the Roller:
And there's a peg in the back to accommodate a small accessory:
Among the smaller accessories is this strange, mushroom-like pink tree with a yellow trunk:
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| Psychedelic. |
There's also a picnic basket:
This has a little latch on one side:
And it can open:
There's a molded design inside the basket, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to be:
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| Brown apples? Rocks? |
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| It reminds me of a Shopkin. |
I gather this is actually a Whiffle named Dibble. It's a small creature who hangs out with the Care Bears and is especially fond of Grumpy Bear. Whiffles weren't a thing back in the 80s, so I can't tell you much more off the top of my head.
There's a skateboard that's very similar to the one in the Monster High set, but with a different combination of colors:
The other accessories are less interesting. There's a glob of red apples (or maybe cherries?), two cupcakes, and a watering can:
There are also three flat designs, two of which look like rainbows and one that's a smiling golden heart:
Before I show you the interior of the compact, it's worth taking a moment to look at the exterior. It's pale pink and in the shape of a Care Bear head:
This doesn't look like the Care Bears from my youth. I remember them being fuzzier:
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| And cuter. |
The fun thing is that when the nose is pressed, the left eye winks!
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| That's a clever detail. |
The back of the compact has the typical copyright marks and a 2024 date:
Now let's check out the interior:
It's a scene from Care-A-Lot! And it's very cheerful and welcoming.
The bottom of the compact is an outdoor space with lots of bright, lime green grass and a rainbow path leading towards the upper level:
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| It looks a bit sparse. |
There's a red, flowery, folded-down section on the left side that can act as a spot for Polly to relax under a mushroom tree and have a picnic:
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| Because that's normal. |
The red flap folds up to reveal a picture of what looks like a cloud-themed bus. Underneath the bus, there's a blue picnic table:
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| Trippy. |
Polly and her Bear friends can sit at the table (or stand at the table, in the case of the Bears) and enjoy a feast of apple globs and cupcakes:
I don't really understand the bus decoration, but I guess the designers were...inspired. A tree, shrub, or even a picture of another Care Bear would have made more sense to me.
Adjacent to the picnic table, there's a dark blue waterfall flowing into the rainbow path:
So maybe the rainbow path is actually a stream? The whole thing has a surreal feel to it.
In any case, the waterfall lifts up to reveal a secret hiding space! The only character who can fit in this space is Dibble:
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| I feel like I'm hallucinating. |
Opposite the waterfall, there's an area with some molded flowers and a yellow stump:
Polly and the Bears can stand on the flowers and the stump:
And when the stump is pressed down, the flowers go up!
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| We're so high! |
Behind the stump, there's a lime green bench where the characters can sit (or stand):
Based on past experience, I expected the upper level to be an indoor space. It's not. It's more outdoor scenery, with an elevator up to the sky:
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| Polly in the Sky with Care Bears. |
This area is nicely decorated, though, with lots of Care Bears in the background.
The central orange elevator actually goes up and down (somewhat clumsily), carrying Polly or the Bears to a small platform where Share Bear and Good Luck Bear are waiting:
In that GIF you can also see that to the right of the elevator, there's a little sun that spins around.
Underneath the sun, there's a swing that looks like it's hanging down from a cloud:
This swing tips back and forth within the confines of the crowded space, while Wish Bear looks on in delight.
The other areas are just different places for the characters to stand. Polly can stand in a cloud above the elevator:
And Cheer Bear can stand outside another mushroom tree, blocking Tenderheart Bear in the background:
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| This is my special mushroom tree! |
This set is very bright and cheerful, but I don't feel like there's as much to play with as there was with the Monster High compact. The bottom level is definitely the more interesting of the two areas, with the picnic table, waterfall, and bouncy stump:
And the Rainbow Roller is fun, too, although there's very little space in which to use it:
The upper level looks good, but doesn't really deliver. The swing doesn't move very much, the elevator is hard to keep in position, and there's not a lot for the characters to do:
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| It's more a display space than a toy. |
Maybe it's just that I'm not familiar enough with the Care Bears world to know the significance of the different features.
I suspect that kids who are familiar with the Care Bears will love the two Bear figures. Grumpy Bear cracks me up, but I wish the Bears were articulated and had better painted features. Even the Polly in this set is disappointing in terms of paint work. Her face is a mess, giving her an almost demonic smile that creeps me out.
Still, on sale for $15, this isn't a bad deal. The winking eye on the exterior of the compact is clever and engaging, and the interior spaces offer a cheerful space for imaginative play and some nice nostalgia.
The last set that I want to look at today is the Hedgehog Cafe from 2020:
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| 2020 Polly Pocket Hedgehog Cafe, $24.99. |
I'll look at the older set first, and then we can go back and see how the two versions compare.
The set that I bought boasts "5 reveals" or surprises:
There's also some excitement about the fact that Polly can move:
This is because the articulated mini dolls first came out in 2020.
The back of the package has a photograph of the Hedgehog Cafe with all five of the "reveals" identified:
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| There goes the surprise. |
There's also a small picture with the three other sets in this series:
I might have to go in search of that horse set...
Here's everything that was in the box:
I was excited about the doll with bright pink hair (Shani?), but on closer inspection, she has a weird face:
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| Whoa. |
I guess it's meant to look like she's had her face painted like a hedgehog, but it doesn't quite work for me. I tried to get an even clearer shot:
The whiskers are cute, but the hedgehog mouth is painted way above the molded mouth, which is still visible. It's odd, to say the least. I love the pink hair, though! And the hedgehog shirt is great.
Here she is from the back:
There's a bit of stray brown paint on the back of the shirt, but it's hard to see in real life.
Here's Polly, who is winking!
I like this doll's coffee shirt and her visible teeth. That's so cute. But her wink is strange. It's like an upside-down wink. Here's a closer look:
Why is her eyelid going that way? It should be more like this:
It didn't really bother me at first, but now I can't un-see it. I really wish she had a normal eye, because her little smile is adorable.
From the back, Polly has shoulder-length blonde hair with two little buns at the top:
In addition to Polly and Shani, there are some loose pets with this set. First up is a cute white bunny:
I think this is meant to be Bonita, who is Lila's pet.
Bonita has a massive tail, but I love how one ear is tipped down.
There's also this grouchy orange cat with a hairy tail:
I love this cat. That tail is ridiculous, but I love his expression.
I think he must be Shani's pet, Captain Colliwoggles.
The last little accessory is this rubbery vinyl apron:
This is a great detail because it reminds me of the larger Polly dolls from the early 2000s with all of their interchangeable vinyl clothing.
It's hard to get the apron onto the tiny dolls, but I managed:
Already I like how this set has so few loose accessories. I'm much less likely to lose pieces over time.
I also like how cute the compact design is. It's a mint green hedgehog with a purple flower on her head and sleeping eyes:
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| With eyelids going the right way. |
The back of the compact has a fuzzy molded texture and the Polly Pocket logo:
The compact opens up to reveal an inviting, animal-packed cafe scene:
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| There's no date, though, which is unusual. |
The bottom level of the compact is dominated by an enormous hedgehog running wheel, with some seating areas squeezed in on either side:
The two hedgehogs are attached to the green base of the wheel, but they can spin around and around to their heart's content:
I think the spinning wheel is considered to be one of the five reveals.
To the left of the wheel, there's a purple table with two swiveling white chairs:
The top of the table is all white, with a white teapot molded in the middle:
Using a little knob on the side of the table, the top can be flipped over. The other side of the table has a colorful meal scene with full plates, silverware, and two cups of coffee:
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| That's reveal number 2. |
Peaches is permanently sitting on a bright orange couch with a molded heart pillow:
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| Stay, Peaches. |
Shani can join her on the loveseat side of the couch:
The third reveal is that the pink area at the back of the couch is actually a hidden comb!
The comb is only useful to Captain Colliwoggles, though, since the dolls have solid vinyl hair.
Perched to the right side of the couch, on a yellow raised area, there's a little white cat:
This might be Torta, who is a lost cat in one of the cartoon episodes.
Torta can't move from her spot, but Captain Colliwoggles can join her on a small purple cushion to the right:
On the upper level there's a yellow tree, a bright pink door, a cash register counter, and more animals!
The tree sits fairly flat against the back of the compact, but it has enough depth for a hollowed-out heart section showing a bird and her eggs:
There's also a three dimensional bird hanging from a silver perch that swings back and forth:
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| The swinging perch is the fourth reveal. |
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| A snake? |
The object he's trying to reach is a pink twig with a fish on one end:
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| Why is there a fish in a tree?? |
Both the fish and the cat can move into slightly different positions:
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| This bizarre situation would fit much better in the Care Bear set. |
On the far right, there's a small counter with a swiveling silver cash register:
The stickers here suggest that the cafe sells coffee, and also various pet treats.
Polly is happy to man the register and greet everyone with her bizarre wink:
As a kid, I would have loved playing with that little cash register section.
Last but not least, let's see what's behind the big pink door in the middle!
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| I love how there's a molded pet door at the bottom. |
To the left of the door, the background has the face of another angry orange cat peeking out from behind the tree:
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| Captain Colliwoggles' long lost twin: Lieutenant Lollimuggins. |
Oh, I see. They didn't count the comb as a reveal. The comb seems to me like one of the best reveals, but what do I know.
Now that we've toured the whole cafe, let's compare it to the more recent version. Here's a nice clear promotional photo of the compact when it's both open and closed:
First of all, the color choices are different. The compact itself is purple, not mint green. And the tree inside the cafe is brown, not yellow. I like both of those changes. The background on the upper level is quite different, too. I see more detail in the chalkboard above the cash register, which is intriguing, and also a more cohesive picture outside the front door.
The bottom level has even more differences. Most notably, the hedgehogs can be removed from their wheel, and there's no bar down the center of the wheel to prevent Polly and her friends from joining in on a spin. Also, all of the animals (and some of the furniture) are removable. So Peaches, the purple cat catching the fish, and the bird on the perch are loose and can be moved around the cafe. However, and it's a big however, there is no Captain Colliwoggles or Torta! They're gone. Poof. That's no good. Also, I don't necessarily see the increase in loose pieces as a bonus. It's just more stuff that can get lost.
Overall, I'm happy to have the older set, mostly because of Captain Colliwoggles, but also because it cost $10 less.
And there's a lot of fun to be had with this set. It has a nice balance of moving parts and usable spaces:
However, I feel like the hedgehog wheel, while admittedly a critical element for a hedgehog cafe, takes up way too much space. Economy of space is Polly Pocket's jam, and this wheel ruins it:
Still, this is one of my favorite compacts. As a child, I would have been more compelled by the animal figures than by the dolls, so the abundance of pets, both free and stationary, would have enticed me to play with this set again and again. And the individual animals would have given me a close emotional connection to the compact.
I don't much like the dolls in this set, though. Winking Polly is weird. I noticed that the Polly in the newer Hedgehog Cafe set isn't winking, and that was a good choice. Shani is also strange, with her hedgehog-themed face paint that sits way above her mouth. I think the newer set omitted this detail, too.
But I really like how this set gave me a lot of things to play with, and a compelling theme. And because so many of the pieces are permanently attached, the compact is easy to close and carry along.
Here's a look at all three of the compacts that I reviewed today so that you can see their relative sizes:
The Monster High set is the biggest of the three by a hair, and the Hedgehog Cafe is the smallest, which is interesting given how much play value it delivers.
But all three of the sets are much larger than 1989 Polly Pocket compacts:
Here's the Hedgehog Cafe next to the Studio Flat for a comparison of the open compacts:
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| Polly Pocket Hedgehog Cafe from 2020 (left) and Studio Flat from 1989 (right). |
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| 2023 Polly Pocket Monster High compact (left) and 1989 Polly Pocket Pony Club (right). |
Times have certainly changed for Polly Pocket. It clearly wasn't feasible to maintain the iconic size of the original toys while enlarging and improving the dolls themselves. So it's a complicated tradeoff. I love the newer dolls, with all of their detail and articulation, but it's hard to beat the older compacts, for their ingenious use of an impossibly tiny space.
But today, we're focused on the newer playsets. To that end, I wanted to get all of the dolls together in one space for a final photo shoot. The Hedgehog Cafe and Care Bears compacts are both too cluttered to host a party, but Monster High has plenty of room:
Polly and Shani got to meet Cheer Bear over some coffee:
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| No, it's my special mushroom tea! |
While Clawdeen and Draculaura shared their best stories from Monster High with another Polly (and a skeptical Captain Colliwoggles):
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| And then I got pulled back up through the floor boards! |
After coffee, Cheer Bear had some energy to burn and decided to try casketball:
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| It's not that tough! |
Not to be outdone, Grumpy Bear took the skateboard for a spin...and had a good time despite himself:
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| Whee. |
It was a fun afternoon for everyone...except perhaps Captain Colliwoggles:
Bottom line? It's tempting to compare these sets to the 1989 Polly Pocket compacts, but I can't really expect them to be comparable, especially since the newer dolls are significantly bigger...and times have changed. For this summary, I'll set aside any comparisons between old and new and focus solely on the three modern compacts.
The Monster High set is very fun. Of the three compacts, it offers the most space for play, and has a lot of different areas to explore. I especially like the hidden bedroom, with its trap door entrance and Draculaura's hanging peg. The outdoor area is also well designed, with compelling activities in each zone. One critique of the compact is that it feels a bit cheap, with a warped upper floor and lots of monochromatic molded plastic with no painted details. It's also frustrating that the compact can't close with the accessories in place. This leaves a lot of tiny loose pieces at risk of getting lost. The dolls in the set are believable little replicas of Monster High characters. Draculaura has an expressive face, Clawdeen has wonderful pink hair, and Frankie has their prosthetic leg and a tiny little facial scar. But I'm not a fan of the skirt mold with its limited leg articulation, and my Frankie came with arms that can't move.
The Care Bears set is bright and cheerful, and puts a smile on my face--especially with Cheer Bear's winking eye on the cover of the compact. However, I feel like the aesthetics and details are geared more towards fans of the newer television show--not those of us nostalgic for the 80s. The two halves of the compact's interior made different impressions on me. The lower level isn't decorated particularly well, but it offers some decent spaces for play. I particularly like the waterfall with its secret hiding place. In contrast, the upper level is decorated nicely, with lots of Care Bears and rainbows on the background stickers. However, there isn't much to do in this area. The Polly doll is fine, except that her face paint blurs together to make it look like she's smiling demonically. The Care Bears are cute, but they have light, pixelated colors in their paint and no points of articulation. The little accessories are mostly dismissible, but I really like the Rainbow Roller. If only it had an actual rainbow on top.
The Hedgehog Cafe is delightful. I absolutely love all of the different animals that are included--especially grumpy Captain Colliwoggles. I don't even mind that many of the animals are permanently attached to the compact because it means that they can't get lost, and that the compact is easy to close. The compact itself has several interesting areas to explore, with a little table top that flips over, a fun cash register section, a working front door, and that enormous hedgehog wheel. I actually have to ding the hedgehog wheel as a poor choice with this set, though. Even though it's entertaining to spin the hedgehogs around, the wheel is way too big for the space. A wheel half that size would have served the same purpose while also leaving some room to move around. The Polly and Shani figures are not great, either. I love Shani's pink hair, but her hedgehog-themed face paint looks strange. Also, Polly's wink is unnatural, with the closed eyelid facing the wrong way. I love Polly's exposed teeth, though. If she wasn't winking, she'd be my favorite of all the dolls in this review.
In short, the Monster High compact delivers the most play value for the money, the Care Bears set delivers the least, and the Hedgehog Cafe is my personal favorite. All three sets were fun to explore, though, and leave me feeling happy that after more than three decades, Mattel is still making Polly Pocket compacts. I bet Chris Wiggs would've been proud.
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