Yes, I still own mine. Shut up.
If you don’t remember Popples I’ll let the wonderful Dan Van Winkle explain them to you succinctly: “They fold up inside of themselves. They are like kangaroos but ones that ride in their own pouches.”
That about covers it, right? Though to be fair, I had to hit Wikipedia up for these details as I was just a wee lass when these were popular and I didn’t consider things like greeting card companies owning my favorite characters. Popples are “characters created by Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), a subsidiary company of American Greetings,” according to Wikipedia. “Susan Trentel, who worked for TCFC and had created the first prototypes on Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, was the plush designer who invented the method for transforming the Popple.”
They were just cute and fun, OK? Anyway, toys were made by Mattel, and there was a television series with a live-action pilot from Shelley Duvall (of Faerie Tale Theater fame, natch), followed by an animated show. I can’t recall if I watched it.
Fast forward to today: “Netflix said Wednesday that it’s partnered with Saban Brands on a new original show about the 1980s toy line, ordering 26 half-hour episodes that will be available for streaming in 2015,” writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Haim Saban, chairman and CEO of Saban Capital Group said, “We look forward to debuting this new Popples series to children around the world. Netflix continues to be a great strategic partner, delivering compelling content that kids can enjoy anywhere and everywhere. With the global reach of Netflix, we know Popples will reach a whole new generation of kids that will love it as much as their parents.”
THR doesn’t specify if it will be animated, but I think that’s a good bet. What do you think of the Popples making a comeback?
(image via ForgottenToy)
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