Not content to influx our children's culture with only Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, and My Little Pony, they have added another exciting stuffed animal / tv show from our past. Are you ready?? Do you already have your guess ready?
That's right... Poppels!
Now I know Poppels was a TV Show, but I actually have never seen it. It may not have made it to Alaska or, more likely, it was on too early for me to care about getting up and watching it (a la She-Ra). I had the actual toy, which was left in Alaska with the rest of my toys. I don't know if anybody else still has a Poppel, but I loved mine (just not as much as the toy that I still have - Mutsy, who is pretty pathetic looking today).
Last weekend, when Autumn went to purchase a toy at Target with her Birthday money, she saw this lovely little Poppel. When I saw it I was like 'oh I used to have one of these!', and I think it's a mark of how far our friendships has come that she decided to buy the little guy. Now these days they are far more advanced, she can record a message into her Poppel and throw it to a friend, who can play the message. This is way more high tech than I would've even imagined as a child, but she loves it.
There's your blast from the past for today, personally I am still waiting for Rainbow Bright to make a comeback...
Posted by 10lees at September 4, 2007 08:00 PMI still think that I have rainbow bright stuff at my parents house. That new poppel is very scary looking. Does it even turn inside out or whatever wasn't that pretty much all they did before. I myself never had a poppel. My mom said we were too old for them. I think she said this a lot though so she didn't have to buy things. I do remember one year for Christmas all my younger cousins got poppels and my brother and I got underwear from my grandmother. I was pissed. Who wants underwear for Christmas instead of toys. I don't even want that now.
Posted by: bran at September 4, 2007 10:21 PMum... that's not a poppel... i cant even find a whole freaking picture online... what is this world coming to? what do you mean i cant find it on wiki??? i got this one off a german site (i think).
http://www.stuc.uva.nl/liber/introLiber/Voorkant_bestanden/image002.jpg
we had vhs tapes of poppels episodes, and i never managed to see them on regular tv. i think the toy was way more popular (poppelar?) than the show.
it is pretty sweet that autumn chose this little guy after learning about your lost toy. ;o)
Posted by: dr gonzo at September 5, 2007 07:23 AMhere is the wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popples
and here is the imdb:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174420/
Sadly that little guy does look a lot like the popple I had as a child. And yes it has a pouch, but it comes out of it's bum area (haha) and actually covers the whole animal (mine I couldn't actually get it to cover the whole popple, at least not without violence.)
Now we wait for a new TV show...
Posted by: 10lees at September 5, 2007 08:04 AMThere were always two kinds of poppels: the smaller ones like this with flimsier pouches and the bigger ones with actual fabric pouches (in sizes ranging from about twice this size to gigantic). My cousins had both (including the full-sized ones that my mom wouldn't buy me) because they got everything they wanted.
I am excited about Poppels coming back because I thought they were so cool. I will quote myself, "Look here, b-----es, it's Poppels!"
Also, 10, I love your quote on the top of your blog.
Posted by: Lo at September 5, 2007 10:11 PMI am correcting myself. After extensive eBay research (10 mins.), I have found that the smaller ones are called pufflings: http://cgi.ebay.com/Popples-Lot-of-3-PUFFLINGS-Vintage-1980s-Toys_W0QQitemZ170145803214QQihZ007QQcategoryZ95264QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
This is the one that I had as a kid: http://cgi.ebay.com/Purple-Popple-Popples-1985-Vintage-Excellent-Cond-9in_W0QQitemZ330162660860QQihZ014QQcategoryZ95264QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Posted by: Lo at September 5, 2007 10:20 PMyou see... if i could SPELL correctly, i'd probably be better off.
Posted by: dr gonzo at September 6, 2007 07:04 AMmy sis had that purple one. i had potato chip - the yellow one. and i can almost remember the theme song... very akin to "the littles" - remember them??? they have been syndicating that series on some random national channel around here.
lo, this might make you feel better - i wanted a cabbage patch doll (the ONLY doll i have ever desired), and one christmas i got my wish. i briefly wondered where the cutie's "birth certificate" was, but continued on my merry way. until (dun dun dunnnn!!!) i discovered, thanks to my next door neighbor, that i had am impostor! no xavier roberts siggy on it's tummy!!
i was so upset. i remember arguing with my mom about it, and also remember how upset she was that i was angry about it. a few years ago, when she was unearthed again (and given prime position on the guest bed at gramma's house), i heard the real story.
i have a sort-of famous "aunt" who crafts dolls and doll clothing for boutiques. she hand-created (HAND-CREATED!!) the cabbage patch doll and it's wardrobe just for me. no wonder mom was pissed when i was ungrateful... turns out i had a better-than-brand-name toy and didnt know how to appreciate it!
Posted by: dr gonzo at September 6, 2007 07:13 AMDr G, you can blame me on the spelling. I think Pop-pel makes more sense that Pop-ple, and really I didn't pay that much attention to spelling as a child.
They did market these small ones as Popples and not as Pufflings - but there is no TV show to explain the difference. I haven't seen an ad for them yet, but there weren't very many left at Target.
I had a magenta Popple, it was cute. They are pretty adorable. And yes, the new ones are not the same - but you should see what they did to Strawberry Shortcake, she has like a million smelly friends now.
Kudos on your better than real cabbage patch Dr G. I had a real one and I quickly lost interest after I got it.
Posted by: 10lees at September 6, 2007 08:02 AMwhO'S YOUR MOMMA that your Popple/Poppel was left in Alaska - My Gosh!!! What child neglect is THAT!! I bet that Robin and Rhema got to play with it!!! The audacity!!
Yeah- well it's nice that spelling is no indicator of intelligence. :) did I tell you that I flunked the spelling exam for the Daily NewsMiner - 3 times - I finally gave up ... I did tell them that I would look up the word if I was not sure - but it did not impress them one bit.
Way off the subject huh?
Love,
Your neglectful M
Wasn't X's signature on the butt? I'm pretty sure it was on one of the butt cheeks.
Posted by: Lo at September 7, 2007 11:57 AM