Popples
Popples is a toy and television franchise created by Those Characters From Cleveland, the toy and licensing design division of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored marsupial teddy bears with long tails ending in a pom-pom. Each Popple character transforms to resemble a brightly colored ball. In 2018, Popples was sold to Hasbro.
History
Susan Trentel, who worked for TCFC and had created the first prototypes of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls and Care Bears toys, was the plush toy designer who invented the method for transforming the Popple. Supposedly, the idea came from rolling up socks. Trentel worked with art director Thomas Schneider on the creation of the first prototypes.Toy merchandise
Popples were manufactured by Mattel between 1986 and 1988. Each toy had a pouch on the back that could be inverted so the character rolled into the pouch and resembled a brightly colored ball.Original line (1986)
The first introduction included nine Popples in three different sizes:- Pretty Cool is a male Popple with blue fur, pink hair, orange cheeks and contrasting orange and yellow ears.
- Party is a female Popple, with pink fur, hot pink hair, lavender cheeks and contrasting lavender and pink ears.
- Pancake is a female Popple with purple fur, orange hair, pink cheeks and contrasting blue and pink ears.
- Puzzle is an male Popple with orange fur, green hair, pink cheeks and contrasting blue and red ears.
- Prize is an female Popple with dark magenta fur, white hair, lavender cheeks and contrasting green and pink ears.
- Puffball is an female Popple with white fur, yellow hair, orange cheeks and contrasting blue and magenta ears.
- Pretty Bit is a female Popple with lavender fur, hot pink hair, pink cheeks and contrasting pink and blue ears.
- Potato Chip is a female Popple with yellow fur, pink hair, pink cheeks and contrasting lavender and magenta ears.
- Putter is a male Popple with green fur, orange hair, pink cheeks and contrasting red and blue ears.
Rock Star Popples and Baby Popples
Pufflings
A line extension brought about Pufflings, which looked like little Popple pets that could flip inside out to look a bit like a beanie hat and carried riddles and jokes on tags inside them. The Pufflings came in six different colours: Red, yellow, sky blue, purple, white and magenta.Sports Popples
These Popples turned into sports balls: Big Kick, Dunker, Touchdown, P.C. Pitcher and Net Set. The Sports Popples included Cuester, who turned into an 8-ball, but no toy was made of him. Similarly, no toy was made of the original Pitcher, but a toy was made of P.C. dressed in a baseball outfit to replace him.Other full-sized Popples
There were numerous other Popples toys made during the series' original run, including Flower Popples, Pillow Popples, Fruit Popples, and Costume Popples that wore special outfits and turned into something related. There were also Special Edition Popples toys with limited distribution.Pocket Popples
Another successful related line of merchandise were Pocket Popples. Based on the same characters as the larger plush Popples, they were scaled to fit in a pocket or bag. They had PVC faces, articulated arms and legs, and fabric ears, tails and pocket.2001 relaunch
In 2001, Toymax relaunched the Popples toy line. This rendition features three characters named Pixie Doodle, Polka Dottie and Pinwheel Penny. Toymax also produced Glow 'N Charm Popples and a Snoozytime Popple wearing pyjamas and a nightcap, as well as celebrity Popples designed and customized by celebrities such as Tiffany, Rachael Leigh Cook, Elisa Donovan, Nicole Oliver, Melissa Joan Hart, Ananda Lewis, Shoshanna Lonstein, Jessica Biel and Christina Ricci.2007 relaunch
A second relaunch was attempted by Playmates Toys in 2007. This rendition features four characters, KissyPopp, HappyPopp, PrettyPopp and MonsterPopp, marketed under the name 'Popp 'N Giggles Popples' which contain a sound box that makes a popping sound followed by a giggle when the Popple comes out of its pouch. Also released in 2007 was an updated version of Popples 'Pufflings' called 'Popp 'N Mini Message Popples', SpeedyPopp, FriendlyPopp, RiddlePopp and SecretPopp which could record a 'message' and play it back.There are also mini plush Popples in the style of the original 1980s Popples available in Japan and other Asian countries, resembling Party, Puffball and Potato Chip. Merchandise such as bags, clothing, keychains, iron-on patches and stationery featuring the classic Popples exist as well.