Polypops Doll's House thumbnail 1
Polypops Doll's House thumbnail 2
+9
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case MB2E, Shelf DR113

Polypops Doll's House

Print
1969 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Graphic designer Clifford Richards designed some of the most memorable packaging and printed ephemera of the 1960s. Vibrant, witty and fun, they are an exuberant expression of the Pop Art decade.

Richards designed this gift box as the first of a range of children's self-assembly toys made by Polypops Products Limited, a small design-led operation supported by Polycell. These were similar in design, though simpler, to Richards' earlier 'Slottizoo' range (represented in the collection at E.3704-2004 to E.3708-2004). Each gift box was made exclusively for Goods & Chattels. It incorporated a poem authored by "Edipon" (Edward Pond).

Polypops Products date back to 1967 when Polycell displayed a range of cardboard prototype furniture at the Design Centre and then tested its market as Childsplay furniture at Hamley's toy shop. After more work on developing a laminate to provide a scratch-proof finish, establishing Polyboard in the summer of 1968, a range of children's toys were made from it. There were three designers employed by Polypops; Clifford Richards for graphics, Stephen Bartlett for furniture and Roger Limbrick for toys. Edward 'Eddie' Pond (1929-2012) was also an instrumental figure in the creation of Polypops. As the director of Polycell, he set up Polypops Products and Paperchase Ltd., before applying his background in textile and repeat pattern design to establish his own consultancy, Edward Pond Associates, in 1976.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 29 parts.

  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
  • Print
TitlePolypops Doll's House (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Laminated printed cardboard
Brief description
Polypops Doll's House, designed by Clifford Richards, 1960s
Physical description
A card doll's house with separate parts such as cooker, unassembled. With assembly instructions.
Credit line
Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund
Subject depicted
Summary
Graphic designer Clifford Richards designed some of the most memorable packaging and printed ephemera of the 1960s. Vibrant, witty and fun, they are an exuberant expression of the Pop Art decade.

Richards designed this gift box as the first of a range of children's self-assembly toys made by Polypops Products Limited, a small design-led operation supported by Polycell. These were similar in design, though simpler, to Richards' earlier 'Slottizoo' range (represented in the collection at E.3704-2004 to E.3708-2004). Each gift box was made exclusively for Goods & Chattels. It incorporated a poem authored by "Edipon" (Edward Pond).

Polypops Products date back to 1967 when Polycell displayed a range of cardboard prototype furniture at the Design Centre and then tested its market as Childsplay furniture at Hamley's toy shop. After more work on developing a laminate to provide a scratch-proof finish, establishing Polyboard in the summer of 1968, a range of children's toys were made from it. There were three designers employed by Polypops; Clifford Richards for graphics, Stephen Bartlett for furniture and Roger Limbrick for toys. Edward 'Eddie' Pond (1929-2012) was also an instrumental figure in the creation of Polypops. As the director of Polycell, he set up Polypops Products and Paperchase Ltd., before applying his background in textile and repeat pattern design to establish his own consultancy, Edward Pond Associates, in 1976.
Bibliographic reference
Best, Alastair. Imaginative Toys: Polypops Products Ltd. Design Mar. 1969, no. 243. pp.36-39.
Collection
Accession number
E.3709:1 to 29-2004

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdNovember 12, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest