Vintage Polly Pocket Restoration: Unicorn Meadow (1995) - De-yellowing, Toy / Horse Repair & Paint

[@aVampireTear]

I still can't get used to anything 90's being called 'vintage' 💀

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Yeah, same here to be honest! But I think it's... 25 years? Or 30 years? So it will only get worse for us lol 😂

[@nikishazechiel6848]

Right?!?!

[@bashfulwolfo6499]

And that now the early 2000s are retro

[@brightdeathfriend]

Same!! Pre-80s is vintage to me and I feel old when my childhood is "vintage" :(

[@KingOfGaymes]

It’s true sadly 😭

[@InnocentGuillotine]

Honestly at old Polly Pocket scale any kind of work is nightmarishly difficult! The entire doll is maybe the size of your thumbnail! That the arm looks very similar to the originals in that scale is itself testament to your ability as a sculptor and painter. E: and if it helps, most Polly pocket customs/restorations I know just use stamps for the faces because they're so terribly small (which is probably what was done in the first place tbh)!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much for your message! It makes me feel better to read I'm not the only one ☺️☺️ I will look into stamps, it sounds like a good idea for many toy lines!

[@StudioRevoct]

I'm not sure if Polly Pocket uses it, but a lot of prints use a type of sponge to apply ink to faces, real interesting stuff.

[@AwkwardBirb]

I think I just realized why I’m obsessed with TinyHouses now as an adult 😂😂😂

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Haha nice! ☺️☺️

[@bnha]

omg polly from the 90s is so tiny?? i remember playing with my older sisters rubbery chewy 2000s polly pocket toys as a kid & they were like 4x the size of these lol! shes like the size of a pinky nail haha. u did a great job w this one!!

[@ArmundJay]

in the 2000s there were some 'mini' pollies around the size of the 90s ones - i had a set of little cars with tiny pollies in rainbow colors! and i feel like modern-day pollies (i honestly had no idea until recently that they still made polly pockets) are even bigger than the rubbery ones - though i may just be misremembering since it's been almost 20 years.

[@k.m.223]

I remember those rubbery, bigger Polly Pocket toys! They were great.

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

I had no idea they were so small (and cute). I haven't seen the newer ones but now I'm really curious! Thank you so much ☺️☺️

[@blacksheep2862]

Those tiny Polly Pockets were my favorites growing up! I was so disappointed when they got bigger

[@lavenderoh]

The tiny ones we had in the 90s were deemed choking hazards, so they changed them to the bigger rubbery ones. In the 90s they came in these little make-up compact size and really did fit in your pocket!

[@MS7000_]

I think you did a great job. I would love to see more Polly Pocket videos in the future. The UV lamp did wonderfully on the plastic, and Polly and the Unicorn came out great. Smart decision using plastic from your container as the mount. Polly’s hand looks like it was never broken.

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much ☺️☺️ You are very kind!

[@auvue]

Definitely check out nail art tools for super small painting or even dotting tools! All the plastic restoration reminds me of the tons of vintage computer restorations I’ve seen, it’s such an amazing difference just from some cream!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Ahhh, this is such a great idea!! Thank you so much, I will check them out ☺️☺️

[@jakebates5918]

@@RetroGeekCrafts You still did a great job though!! Can't wait to watch more restorations in the future!

[@Jade-Whisper]

oh my goodness. I HAD this Polly Pocket as a kid! I completely forgot about it until you opened the little gate to the barn. It's like you unlocked a secret memory in my brain!

[@vozh7639]

I love seeing you branch out and try more things, and watching how you adapt your pony-restoring skills to other projects! most of all I like it when you enjoy a project (and when your cat joins in with the occasional meow -- hello cat!) :] keep doing what makes you happy!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much for your lovely message ☺️☺️ And I'm so glad you noticed Bruno's meowing 😀

[@fyapicula]

100% agree!

[@mindygracebickerdike]

Top tip for painting miniatures. Buy the finest brush size you can, then cut away the bristle to make it finer. My husband paints war gaming minis and this is what he uses for fine details. 😊

[@stonersiren]

the peroxide was genius really. since it's all one color solid plastic, you can use all kinds of chemicals and it'll be fine. you restored something very iconic

[@samanthadean1083]

I loved Polly Pocket!!! ❤️❤️❤️ …but I was also the kid who put Polly in the cockpit of my Ramjet Transformer! 😅 Awesome job!!! ❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@blondy2061h]

My thoughts when you were painting the arm: "How is she going to paint something so small?!" Her moving into the face: "If you have any tips for painting small things let me know" I can't believe you were able to paint that face at all. Or anything else on that doll. Super impressive. Windowsills are about as small and detailed as I can paint.

[@nestlenightmare]

Oh my god… I had this Polly pocket! I didn’t have any unicorns to play with it, I just liked the sound the little house made when it closed. I’d open and close it over and over again.

[@Varzio]

I had completely forgotten about Polly Pocket- my friend owned that one, I remember playing with it as a kid! Almost a bit sad now that I didn't keep any of the old toys- some of those Polly Pocket designs were so adorable!

[@JessGrembowski]

Your technique to de-yellow the plastic worked fantastically! That's really good to know... thank you!

[@LeeDee5]

Last year my mom and I deep cleaned some stuff in storage and inside a plastic bin were all my 90s polly pocket compacts. I almost screamed.

[@swordofsnow]

I loved these when I was little! They were so small and cute, and all the figures fit inside the case. They were THE toy to have have in my friend group.

[@leasting]

so teeny tiny!! this was lovely to watch. the polly pockets i had as a kid were the bigger ones with the rubbery clothes. there really is something about these very little dolls that i love though!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much for your message ☺️☺️

[@WeezieLou]

I love this! I saw a tutorial once where the person pulled out 1 or 2 bristles from their paint brush (just to make them longer) then used those long ones to paint TEENY tiny details.

[@Brycesaggiebabe]

Had to watch this because one of my best friends growing up had an extensive polly pocket collection. :)

[@SomeplaceScary]

Oh my God, I had this one as a kid, it wasn't until you opened it that it came back to me. I still remember the texture of the little roof inside, and the waterfall/pond.

[@SaraSFernando]

This looks great! Since you asked for a tip in painting very small details, I use a magnifying glass with a stand and it really helps (I use one that is meant for soldering). Another thing is resting your hand on a flat surface (like the desk) so that you can control the movement a bit easier and putting the thing you are painting on a stand to keep it still. Another option is using ultrafine pen nibs or a needle to paint instead of a brush (dabbing on little dots of paint). But you did well, the doll is very small!

[@WinteryDeath]

Oh my god!!! This one is soooo cute, I can't 🥺 You did a marvelous job, honey! It looks absolutely AWESOME, and honestly I think it may even be better than an original, cuz it was restored with love and care! Also don't worry, your sculpting is on point. Keep up the incredible work! 🩷

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much for your super lovely message ☺️☺️ I'm so glad you liked it 🥰

[@Decanta]

oh I still have this from my childhood! I'm so excited to see how you restore it :)

[@IntoTheAbyss22]

Love seeing this! I still have my entire Polly pocket collection that are like these sets. I have all of the pieces and it’s in surprisingly good condition. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of them and am glad I kept them! These were my favorite toys growing up. I have two different mansions, two prince/princess sets that light up, a school, a water park, so many little sets, necklace sets, etc.

[@bogbert7019]

seeing that compact open up and show the little scene inside was so nostalgic for me!! I had a polly pocket toy that opened like that back when I was a kid and i didn’t remember it until now :) wonderful job with this one! this was really fun to see

[@Cloudfetti]

I had this Polly Pocket when I was growing up! This was so cool to see it being restored! 💕🥰💕

[@np1584]

I had this set as a kid - I actually remember pestering my parents to buy it. Forgot about the articulation of Polly and how you had to "stick" her feet into those round grooves in the place or forever lose her. Well done, I'd love to see more Polly Pockets restored, however it is making me feel so old now!!

[@Karmillina]

Oh I owned this one!

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

1995...yep. I believe this is one of two Polly pockets I had and they meant a lot to me because I wish I could live.

[@MsOkayAwesome]

I loved playing with my tiny Polly Pocket in the 90s. It was so clacky and it fit perfectly into all the little spots in the mini house. So cute and satisfying 😊

[@alexisasheep6554]

Never heard of these things but the concept is something I wish was more common bc a house you can put in your pocket sounds like a kids dream to fight of boredom

[@largeautomobile]

Wow thank you for posting this. My cars interior has light blue plastics that are yellowed just like this, and now I know how to make it blue again! Maybe I can hold up a UV nail lamp up to the plastics to mimic the UV chamber

[@mistingwolf]

Oh my gosh, I remember having one of these as a kid! I don't know which one it was, but this is so nostalgic.

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

I hope it's good nostalgic! ☺️☺️

[@andreasimpson1018]

Oh wow, I had this exact same one as a kid 😭. I still think it was one of the best toys ever invented and may have started my obsession with small, tiny, toys.

[@vacafuega]

The size of the Polly figure made me feel really weird - i remember playing with them as a kid and in my memory they were three times the size, aha 😂 Delightful video and voiceover, i love your ability to laugh at yourself and enjoy rewatching the bits you enjoyed :D

[@Xanthelei]

I had exactly this Polly Pocket growing up, so watching one get restored was very fun. And yeah the left arm was much higher than what you repaired it to, it was meant to be able to pet the horse without a lot of angling I think. As for tiny details, I remember when I did some miniatures painting for D&D my friend who had done it for years had modified an old detail brush of hers to have like five bristles for the super tiny detailing like eyes and chains, and it worked really well! We called it the One Brush because it felt like it had just one strand left once you got some paint on it. That and toothpicks were what we used for details, depending on if we needed lines or dots. Hope that helps you with any future Pollys!

[@MotherLover69]

I adored this video!!!! I was a huge polly pocket fan as a kid since I mostly got the vintage hand-me-downs and seeing the old style polly made me so nostalgic

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much for your lovely words ☺️☺️ I'm so glad you liked the colour of the dress and that you enjoyed the video!!!

[@parad0x200]

AAHH I REMEMBER PLAYING WITH THIS EXACT SET AT MY GRANDMAS HOUSE AS A KID THE NOSTALGIA!

[@CrazyGirlSteph21]

First time watching your video, and you did fantastic! You're so real and authentic with your explanations.

[@gallusmacclure4107]

I (or my sister or best friend, I can't remember) had a Polly Pocket TOWN where Polly was magnetic and you could move her around and she even got in her bed with the covers pulled up. It was incredible and I'd love to find that toy again

[@suitov]

I barely saw Polly Pocket sets in person in the 90s but I was dimly aware of them through tv adverts. The unicorn is similar in colour scheme to my OC, which is a bonus. :D

[@jammytomato]

Being a toy designer in the 80’s and 90’s must’ve been fun

[@canoestir]

the change with the hydrogen peroxide and uv is always so wild to see

[@sabishikitsune9714]

I use empty water bottles with museum putty on the lid to hold my miniatures while I paint. It really helps! And watered down paint is magic

[@sophierose684]

SO CUTE!!! loved the video and the continued horsey theme 🥰

[@kenenigans]

I loved my polly pocket when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure I still have it somewhere in my moms attic. I really want to look for it now

[@arioctober]

Molotow liquid chrome is my favorite thing ever!! 😍

[@eatpinkjin1132]

For painting really tiny things I use a brush that is smaller than what I want to draw! Works pretty well for nail art, might help :)

[@Hikari_Moon]

I used to have this one exact Poly Pocket when I was little, I loved it so much and I used to take it around with me everywhere!

[@coffeefrog]

The junk I played with as a kid is vintage now? Gosh, I feel so old!

[@lachauntiswashington231]

I used to love playing with Polly Pockets. I didn't know there were any in the 90s. I thought these came out in the early 2000s

[@MrCaffeine-g4i]

Vintage yet younger than me.. Anyhow, always enjoyed these compacter versions of Polly Pocket

[@GoGoGadgetDoom]

I am astonished at the compact result.

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you :) :)

[@TheRevRen27]

Yes!!! PLEEEEEASE do more vintage Polly Pockets! 😍😍

[@mellysandshrew]

Polly Pockets are some of my favorite childhood toys, specifically this era with the compact playsets, so seeing you restore one is extra exciting for me! I think you did a very nice job, I will always be astonished seeing how amazingly well the peroxide and UV light removes yellowing from old plastic, the compact looks brand new! The work you did on the figures is great, too, they turned out looking very cute 🥰

[@brookenthewoods]

I had this one when I was younger! All the memories 🥰🥰🥰

[@geekfaerie]

When working on tiny details a magnifying LED desk lamp is very helpful. Amazon carries various styles. I recommend one that has a flexible arm so you can position it how you need it.

[@Izelikestea]

found this exact set at a carboot when i was 7, and i still have it! complete with the unicorn and polly mercifully. you did a fantastic job making new ones though!

[@xpandorasboxx]

I absolutely adore these teeny tiny lil mini toys like these, they are soo cute. I'd love to see more of this kind of restoration, or of any toy, actually! They're fun to watch, no matter what the toy itself is, though I do have a preference for the vintage and older ones

[@samanthazeiger1553]

I'm having a chill Saturday evening and I LITERALLY was just thinking wow I wish retro geek would post a new video. Yay!

[@ravengateley7677]

Turned out very cute, it is nice to see the yellowing on a polly pocket vanish so well! I grew up with several but no longer remember which ones without seeing them. They were always a little fun to play with but things were sooo easy to drop and lose. When the larger kind came out and had those stretchy clothes I loved 'em and didn't lose things so easily.

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much for your message ☺️☺️ I never had them but it's never too late :P

[@mortysempai6585]

Honestly like seeing how you repair classic toys in general.

[@krockedteeth]

I love that the toy isn’t going to be becoming garbage. You also so creative

[@SamiSpoon]

Beautiful work!! I really enjoyed this restoration

[@emz3924]

I’d love for you to continue to restore any toys or figurines that you personally enjoy!! The way you film/edit, and your commentary always make these videos an absolute joy to watch!

[@nikishazechiel6848]

I love this video! I love how you stay YOU! I love how you are willing to try new things and I love your honesty about it!! THANK YOU!!! I sincerely think you did an amazing job!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so so so much!!! ☺️☺️

[@nikishazechiel6848]

@@RetroGeekCrafts you are most welcome!!!

[@taurinecat]

This video reminded me that my first and favorite Polly broke at her one point of articulation. My kid fix for it was gluing her back together using black puff paint.

[@KimchiiKnight]

Love this! Also, when I have to paint very tiny things, I often paint with needles in case that helps you!

[@SilvaLuna]

Childhood memories incoming ☺️🥰

[@cassygore]

WOWIE ZOWIE! I love it! I do own a few modern Polly Pockets, and I remember hearing about retro ones in recalled toy videos, but they still give me enjoyment to see like the modern ones nonetheless. Great work, as always!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

I haven't seen the modern ones in person yet but I love the 90s ones. Thank you so much for your message ☺️☺️

[@cassygore]

@RetroGeekCrafts No problem! Always happy to send support!

[@emememememememememe]

me muerooo 🥺 desde chiquita estoy obsesionada con estos compactos, para cuando fui nena ya ni estaban en el mercado, una sola vez vi uno viejo de algún familiar y quedé hipnotizada para siempre 😂

[@JMNL07]

I had this exact Polly pocket! Such memories!

[@blightwingdragon9467]

loved Polly pocket growing up and Mighty Max :D

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Awesome ☺️😎

[@hellcat1401]

I wish I still had all of my Polly Pockets and accessories.

[@TahtahmesDiary]

I looooved Polly Pocket as a kid…I don’t remember them being so loose at the part that bends, this one has probably been through a lot 😅

[@pawshooves4743]

You should make your own Polly pocket! ❤😮😊

[@lehuynh7660]

i really like your video and restoration !! i think it looks great !

[@aliwilson4130]

The breadth of the different toys you customize and restore is awesome!

[@roxie5693]

Everyday you upload is free serotonin and joy!! I LOVE your videos!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Hahaha loved this!! Thank you so much ☺️☺️

[@mariexlupin]

Wow you did a great job! I don’t know if I could ever paint something so tiny haha

[@hannah836]

I squawked when I got the notification that you did a polly restore! I absolutely love this compact! I had it as a kid and was so much fun to play with :) you did an awesome job giving it new life :)

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Haha thank you so much ☺️☺️

[@RRRaebear88]

My childhood! You did a great job for your first one! I’m sure others had said this but I would love to see more Polly Pocket restorations😊

[@RayeBlevins]

I use green stuff often!! It's amazingly hard when dry!

[@ellis16]

oh, you are a delight! :D thank you for giving life to these lovely things.

[@fikanera838]

I love vintage Polly Pocket! Looking forward to more in this series!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you ☺️☺️

[@queenbucko711]

Yes please create more content like this I’ve never watched the channel and would love to see more ❤

[@azzikko2688]

So cute! I had one with a very tiny white unicorn.

[@rainybrewster]

I love this a lot!! Please keep exploring other toys, its so nice to watch :')

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Thank you so much ☺️☺️

[@Definitly_not_Ross]

Amo tus videos, son muy relajantes. 💗💗💗

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Muchas gracias ☺️☺️

[@halmoser]

Those are so TINYYYY

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

Yes 😂😅

[@angelictakiko5341]

Wow, I never thought about using bleaching cream to retro bright stuff. Thats perfect for stuff I cant submerge.

[@Ghost_emoji]

I had this one!! There was a hidden comb that was supposed to be on the back of the bench

[@hannahl4108]

This entire video was a joy to watch start to finish! So much loving work went into this, and it’s absolutely beautiful! You did an incredible job! 💖💖💖👏👏👏🎉🎊

[@consciousmist]

I love Poly Pocket! They are very, very small though. If you liked doing the small details then do make more, you'll get better at it as you go!

[@RetroGeekCrafts]

They are!! Thank you so much for your encouragement ☺️☺️

[@brandijo7632]

Scream Queen 👑 I used to collect these growing 💗 up. Something fun is (since I started collecting Funkos (and I like Retro toys) They had a collection of All kinds of Retro Toys. My Polly Pockets not in a compact of course, cause she's about a 5 inch Funko. But I do like that she's that cool size.... Plus I do have a Polly Pocket Clamshell Funko, that has a. Cute 😊 smiley face, and is holding the lil Polly Pocket dolly in his hand 👏 (So that I thought was cute 😻)

[@iconicallybratz8630]

I absolutely loved this!🫶🏼

[@KirstyM100]

Sugestion for painting tiny things, you can get magnifying glasses with increasing strengths/size. I've seen them most when looking for diamond dot painting.

[@konoikurozora5851]

I never had (or even seen) a Polly Pocket! It's a cool vid though - I like seeing you work on various types of toys, not only ponies!

[@AlessioFangano]

Adorable video and great result in the end! As for working on tiny things (sculpting, painting etc) I can't do without my magnifying visors. They have interchangeable lenses often so you can adjust them for what you are working on but the focal length is rather short so using them while on camera might be challenging. They are definitely and eye (and mind) saver though! :D Keep up the good work!