Blame Polly Pocket
My love of the tiny and cute can likely all be traced back to Polly Pocket (the original, in all it's "choking hazard" glory). Up until a few years ago, I'd always considered my childhood to be pretty normal. And it was in so far as regular school and stable family life is concerned. But it's becoming apparent as I get older that my frame of reference for some things is very different than the average person.
I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis (two 60° curves in a reverse S) in second grade and spent most of the four years following that wrapped in a plastic shell. To prevent further curvature, I had to wear a brace 23 hours a day until I was old enough for fusion. As you can imagine this limited my ability to enjoy the rambunctious outdoor life. My hobbies had to become a lot less active. Mainly because when you are wrapped in plastic and foam, overheating happens easily and quickly. Creativity and imagination became essential in finding ways to spend my free time. Also, so much reading....
Due to the severity of my scoliosis, I had to get evaluated and new xrays atleast every 6 months. This meant a lot of time in waiting rooms. Polly Pocket was the perfect toy for these occasions. It was portable and had tiny adorable accessories all contained in it's own carrying case. I still have a few of these sets but I'm sure some of the pieces have been lost to various doctors' offices. I was also obsessed with beanie babies, and would often get a new one after particularly long days of appointments. The cute animals were my downfall.
It's not a huge leap to look at my new tiny creatures in cages and see a perfect marriage (at least in my mind) between Polly Pocket and beanie babies. One they're adorable animals (occasionally adorable monsters) in a perfectly self-contained package, and two they never fail to make me smile. As someone who has often needed those little bits of joy in their life, I absolutely love being able to do the same for others.
Did any of these little guys put a smile on your face? If so, let me know! Or let me know which animal or being would make the perfect cage dweller to raise your spirits!
Stay Whimsical!
Angi