MILAN — With the Labubu craze far from winding down, GCDS cofounder and creative director Giuliano Calza is offering some compelling competition and tapping into the collectible toy fever with a project sprinkled with a dash of nostalgia.

Calza has teamed up with Mattel Inc. and its Mattel Creations design-driven platform dedicated to the intersection of pop culture, fandom and play to create a one-of-a-kind Polly Pocket play set, marking the first time a fashion designer has been called on to reimagine the doll’s miniature world.

Available in only 3,000 pieces and dropping Wednesday, the limited-edition toy centers on a pocket-sized version of Milan seen through the doll’s eyes and filled with clichés of Italian lifestyles.

These range from grabbing a slice of pizza to cycling through the city, from a quick stop at a gelato cart to a visit to the GCDS store — all experiences squeezed into Polly Pocket’s signature heart-shaped case in iridescent pink hue.

“Redesigning Polly Pocket marks a personal milestone,” said Calza. “Ever since I was a kid, the moment I thought of something beautiful, those pastel cases would appear in my mind like a reflex.

“Polly taught me that you can hold [an infinite world] in the palm of your hand, all you need is imagination,” he continued. “For me, it wasn’t just a game; it was a pocketed universe where anything was possible. That’s where I learned that even the tiniest ideas can have a giant impact if they deliver an authentic message.”

Calza said that feeling shaped him. “I’ve built my creative universe on the idea that ‘cute’ isn’t superficial — it’s a bold, emotional language of contemporary culture,” said the designer, who hopes the toy “resonates with the GCDS community and Polly lovers around the globe with the same emotional intensity it holds for me. Because when nostalgia meets design, it becomes desire.”

“Polly Pocket has always used its tiny worlds to inspire big imagination,” said Chris Down, Mattel’s chief design officer. “With GCDS, that sense of wonder takes on a bold new form — where fashion, nostalgia and creative freedom converge. Giuliano’s vision transforms a beloved icon into something unexpected and delightfully expressive.”

Flanking the toy, GCDS also developed a themed ready-to-wear capsule collection including T-shirts and spaghetti-strap dresses printed with images of the doll and nods to the themes of the play set; slogan T-shirts with actual tiny plastic dolls featured along the hem, and a cheeky crochet bikini with the upper reprising Polly Pocket’s star-shaped cases.

Approachable gadgets such as themed stickers, hair clips and combs, key chains, sleep masks and little heart-shaped mirrors and pouches round off the offering. 

The toy will be priced at 55 euros; items in the capsule collection will cost between 45 euros and 200 euros, while gadgets will mark the entry price to the project starting to retail at 9.99 euros.

The collectible toy and the capsule collection will be available on the GCDS online store starting Wednesday, and launch on the Mattel Creations website on Friday. 

Polly Pocket and GCDS fans could additionally buy a selection of pieces at the launch event the two parties will host at the Giardino delle Arti location in Milan on Wednesday. The fashion brand will recreate the play set for the occasion, welcoming guests to partake in an immersive experience replete with interactive installations ranging from gelato carts and a pizzeria to photobooths. 

The ties between Calza and Polly Pocket trace back to 2019, when designs such as satin bomber jackets, micro handbags and knits incorporating the brand’s original logo paraded on the GCDS fall 2019 runway.

Last year, GCDS teamed with the tiny doll again as part of its “Toys for Adults” fall 2024 show, whose invitations consisted of Polly Pocket dolls wearing GCDS hoodies. Also last year, in celebration of the doll’s 35th birthday, GCDS released a limited-edition of its fan favorite acrylic heart clutch in a transparent version filled with all the colorful miniature trinkets, making it available only in 20 pieces each retailing at 550 euros.

The famed plastic doll was initially designed in 1983 by Chris Wiggs, who created the tiny plaything for his daughter, fashioning a dollhouse out of a makeup compact that later became the basis for the original Polly Pocket heart-shaped plastic cases. 

After these hit shelves in 1989, Mattel purchased the property in 1998, redesigning Polly Pocket and making her slightly larger. They also introduced clothing, shoes and accessories for the doll — many of them rubber.

Although Polly Pocket toys were discontinued in 2012, Mattel brought them back in 2018, catering to a new generation of children and cashing in on retro nostalgia.