Organizing Polly Pockets with Caboodles
Have you heard of Caboodles? You are probably going to say yes. Apparently I lived under a rock in the eighties when these were popular because not only didn’t I have one I’ve never even heard of them.
Hello Caboodle! Where have you been all my life?
Unfortunately though this one isn’t mine, my girlfriend picked this one up at the thrift store last week. I’ve since found out that Caboodles were basically huge make-up cases for young girls that open up like a fishing tackle box and have two levels and plenty of compartments and a mirror. Good grief, of all the 80’s trends out there why did I have to miss this one? I totally would have given up my bubble skirt for one of these babies!!
I love it! Of course I can’t help but immediately think of all the other possibilities it could be used for. This case would be perfect for hair accessories, jewelry, scrapbooking and beading supplies or even Polly Pockets which is exactly what my girlfriend is using hers for. Check it out.
As any parent of a little girl knows, those darn precious Polly Pockets come with a gazillion little pieces making the Caboodle an excellent storage solution for this organizing dilemma. Wouldn’t you agree?
Any ideas how I can sneak it out of my girlfriend’s house without her noticing? 🙂
Ahh, I can’t believe you’ve never heard of Caboodles! I loved these as a kid 🙂
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I still have two Caboodles from when I was a teenager back in the ’80s. One is pink and has three levels. It is for makeup and I still use it. The other one is white with two levels and it is for fingernail polish and accessories and I still use it. I love them. I can see how they would be great for all sorts of different things.
Oh how toys change over the years…I used to love Polly Pockets when I was a kid…back when their hair was made of plastic and completely molded to their bodies…and the only accessories were the buildings they lived in and various pets…do they seriously have clothes now (as it looks like based on those pictures)? Its like they have massively grown in size and magically grown hair. And their extras were small/simple enough to fit in their Polly pocket cases (homes). They never required additional outside storage. Oh what am I going to do whenever I start having kids…lol Oh and Caboodles weren’t just for the 80’s, we had them in the 90’s as well. I now use a Sephora train case instead, for my make up tho.
I love my caboodle. We use it when we travel, to carry toiletries. My little sister gave it to me when I was in college, that would mean she was about 8.
I love the Polly Pocket idea. It would also work for the insane wardrobe that Barbie acquires!
I have never heard of Caboodles but I definitely want to get myself one now though after seeing them in action!
What a great idea! I have a couple of Caboodles floating around here…and my girls have a TON of Polly Pocket stuff. I am going to have dig up the Caboodles and do some reorganization!
Yes! I loved them for my make up when I was like 12? haha.. you know lipglosses, little fake eyeshadows, etc..
Great idea for the polly pockets though!
Oh how I miss my Caboodle! 🙂 I wonder if my mom still has my old one….
Ohhh yes I had a pink one…I bet my mom still has it. Loved that thing. No tellin how many camps I drug it to.
I had a pink one when I was younger and leapt for joy on a visit to the US when I saw one in Wal-mart!
Victoria
They are still selling Caboodles, if you go to their website there is a ton of retailers. Target is even selling them online with free shipping.
I was the Queen of the Caboodle back in the 80s! I had a dozen of them. I also had no idea they were still around. I’ll have to go looking for them. What a great idea for coralling Polly Pockets. We have a gazillion of them lying around our house.
Oh, to have my old Caboodles back. Young girls tackle box really!
Unfortunately I remember caboodles and had a couple. There I just dated myself. These are neat to store small things in and as of now do not have a girl but the lego years are coming up and they would be perfect.
Yes! Love those things…..great for little stuff.
Great idea! I may have to steal it. 😉
We also have multiplying Littlest Pet Shop and Puppy in my Pocket toys. My mom found a clear front child’s backpack on wheels and I keep all of those little boogers in it. It works wonderfully!
Check Value Village! They have them on a regular basis- that’s where I found mine, for like $1.99.
I had one, and still have it, it is now my sewing box 🙂
I use my Caboodles for a first aid kit. We have one in the car and one in the house. They work great for that too!
My husband has my Caboodle in the workshop. Thankfully it was white, not pink! It now holds an assortment of nails, nuts, screws, etc.
On the other side, the Polly’s are in two clear tackle boxes, the flat ones with removable dividers. DD decorated them with stickers, adjusted the compartments for dolls, dresses, shoes, etc. Works great for corralling all that polly stuff!
They are still in business
http://www.caboodles.com
They are great little organizers!
I still have my old Caboodle I got for Christmas back in 1990. For the longest time I used it for what it was intended for…makeup, jewelry, and hair things. As a missionary kid, having my own portable “dressing table” was essential!! Later, it was relegated to storing trinkets I didn’t want to part with. Even later than that, when I started deputation to go to the mission field myself, it became a part of my “portable office”!! I still have it even now as a nanny/personal organizer/wife. It’s sitting under my bed, filled with extra pens, pencils, stickytac, and whiteout!! It’s beat up, scratched up, etc…but I hang onto it cause it is one of the original style Caboodles, which were manufactured better…it even fell out the door of a moving vehicle and tumbled away once…but never broke!!
What really strikes me as funny is that my mom actually bought a real tackle box at Sears before there ever were Caboodles and used it (still does) for her hair stuff and jewelry. I bet she even still has a few of my pink plastic barrettes in there from when I was a little girl!! I tease her and tell her she should have patented her idea cause Caboodles made a lot of money on their cases!!
Great idea. Now how do I get my caboodle back from my teenage daughter so that my 8 year old can organize her polly pockets. Those things multiply in there sleep.
Hahaha. Caboodles were so great. I used to store small stuff like polly pockets in mine too. Great ides adn I’m sure there are tons of other things you can think of to store in there. Maybe bathroom items like q-tips and cotton balls as there were different sizes.
Good memories!
Great idea! My old pink & purple caboodle is now home to scrapbook supplies. 😀
I still have mine, I’m not sure what’s in it though, guess that would be a good organizing task for me, see what’s in it. lol
Oh nostalgia! I think I spent about 6 years begging for a caboodle. My parents finally gave in, sort of, and I got a tackle box made into a caboodle complete with puff paint dot letters of my name on top. 🙂
I may have to round up the polly pockets around here and “lure” them into a “tackle box”. Great idea! Now, a padlock to keep little sister out of the “choking hazards” would be even better! Any ideas?
Jasmine has LOTS of polly pockets, I don’t use a Caboodle for storage but I do use a small fishing tackle box that I bought for cheap at walmart. It has tons of compartments and all her stuff fits in there nicely, she loves it 🙂
Great idea with the caboodle though.
I have a no Polly Pocket rule due to all of the pieces, but this organizational idea makes me ALMOST want to go out and get some. 😉 Awesome idea!
Never heard of cabdoodles either. Polly pockets? ugh. Yes, we have them also. Crazy little things with a million pieces. very precious.
Now I wish I never would have gotten rid of my Caboodle! It would have been a great organizing tool!
What a great idea! I hadn’t thought of using Caboodle’s for the kids stuff! I loved them when I was growing up too AND I *think* they still sell them at WalMart. It seems like not that long ago my friend and I laughed and reminisced as we walked past them.
These could be put to tons of use w/ my girls’ stuff. Little Pet shop, polly pocket, barbie, farm animals, etc. They love tiny things that all fall to the bottom of the toy chests. THANK YOU!
Caboodles are great!
Nope, I’ve never heard of Caboodles before either, but that looks pretty darn cool to me! What a great way to organize your small bits!
I love this tip! I was inspired to part with my hot pink caboodle to organize my daughter’s polly pockets.
Target has always had Caboodles even pretty recently although I haven’t gone out of my way to look at them, I know they were there. They have some online too.
i had a peach caboodle…and yes, it had LOTS of makeup in it LOL
Polly Pockets!!! I wish I had thought of that. And, I still have a Caboodle in my old bathroom at my parents house!! My daughter has a million polly pocket pieces and we have always tried to think of ways to contain them!! Thanks for that great idea!
Lovely idea with the ‘Caboodle’, however,
A Fishing tackle box works great, too!
….and has yummy little places with snap lids
to keep all those pesky, er, darling tiny
shoes out of the carpet!! This was probably this NiNi’s bestest idea for her
beloved granddaughter…
Oh, my! You’ve just made me feel OLD! I came across mine the other day (still had some OLD makeup in it). I thought about tossing it but it looked so useful that I kept it. Glad I did.
Well, I guess I’m in the same boat as you are since I’d never heard of a Caboodle before. I’ll also admit that I graduated from high school in ’83 and left college in 87 (well at least full time I do go to the local state U for about 1 1/2 years). Guess I was out of the loop.
That does look like a great way to store Pollys though, my girls has plenty of them and puts them in shoe box totes…..at least that is what I bought them for. 🙄
Great idea with the Polly’s.
They also work well for Barbie and all her teeny tiny shoes and multitudinous wardrobe.
Oh, and I too have seen them in the Target stores.
~J
Oh…Caboodles! Loved them! I might have to go find one for some of my Rosary making supplies! That would be great!
I think I just had a Sweet-Tarts flavored flashback.
Now I could kick myself for getting rid of my awesome hot pink and black caboodle from 1980-something-something-mumbling-to-avoid-dating-self.
Oh gosh…I probably had 3 or 4. I loved those things!
I have been looking everywhere for this particullar style u have in the pictures but it seems that either they are not making this style anymore or what? I love this style is the only one that does not brake my make up I have purchase many of their style n none work for me as this one please if u know were I can buy one contact me thanks
What a great idea! I have been trying to figure out how to organize those little things. I see caboodles all the time at Goodwill. I will have to pick one up. Thanks again!
I think this is a great idea and wish I had my Caboodles back.
where did u find ur caboodle at?
I have this caboodle in a purple glitter color. It actually has little dividers that go in the side compartments so you can section them off. Mine came with three, and you can remove them, put them in either side, or all on one side.