PollyWorld: How a Children’s Film Dismantles Gender Stereotypes in Roller Coaster Culture

The 2000s was a decade during which toys were separated in the boys’ and girls’ aisles, and there was a certain embarrassment associated with asking for the opposite-gendered toy at McDonald’s. Gender roles were embedded in children’s leisure, and defying them usually led to the labels of “tomboy” or “sissy.”

As a young girl in the early 2000s, my toy collection was dominated by Polly Pockets, the three-inch plastic dolls dressed in stylish rubber clothing. They were always sold in the “girl” aisle, where pretty much every toy was some kind of fashion doll, wrapped in hot pink packaging. Despite my curiosity about the toys in the “boy” aisles — like Hot Wheel tracks that looked like roller coasters (one of my other favorite hobbies) — I never dared to venture in. The confused and disapproving looks from adults let me know that I was breaking some kind of societal norm, even though I didn’t really understand why that was considered wrong.

Naturally, I was thrilled when I got a DVD copy of the 2006 movie PollyWorld, which combined two of my favorite interests as a kid — theme parks and Polly Pocket — in ways I didn’t know were possible.

PollyWorld Movie Trailer:

In the film, Polly and her friends participate in the fictional television game show “Roll Like That” at Polly’s theme park, PollyWorld. (Yes, you read that right; Polly has her own theme park themed to herself.) During the show’s filming, Polly meets her dad’s new fiance, Lorelei, who is only interested in her father for his money. Along with Polly’s jealous classmate Beth, Lorelei attempts to send Polly to boarding school so she can have her dad to herself, but her plan is foiled in the end.

PollyWorld has a number of attractions, but the one every young coaster enthusiast longed to experience was the Pollywhirl, the cartoonishly intense roller coaster the characters ride as part of a challenge for the game show. This coaster, which Polly describes as the “tallest, fastest, pretzel-up-your-guts-est, roller coaster ever created,” has two dueling tracks, one pink and the other purple. Along with near misses, these dueling coasters feature launched lift hills, airtime hills and a handful of inversions.

Before Polly and her friends ride the Pollywhirl, viewers get to experience an endearing scene that most theme parkgoers have lived through at some point in their own roller coaster adventures. Chrissy, one of Polly’s friends, admits that she is too scared to ride the Pollywhirl. Polly and her friends agree to forgo riding the coaster to ensure Chrissy doesn’t feel left out, even though it means they can’t win the challenge. After some taunting from rival Beth, Chrissy agrees to brave the coaster and ends up enjoying the ride more than anyone else in the group. It’s a touching moment to see the friends taking care of each other, and even more heartwarming to see Chrissy face her fears and discover a new passion.

Many coaster enthusiasts have had a similar experience to Chrissy, in which they ride a certain roller coaster that kick-starts their passion. Even enthusiasts who wouldn’t dare get caught watching a movie intended for young girls can relate to this scene. Relatability is a huge factor in this film’s success, but its greatest strength is how it dares to present roller coasters in a way that had rarely been done before.

PollyWorld depicts roller coasters and theme parks through a completely feminine lens, which major media and even theme parks themselves still have not dared to attempt.

Think about the imagery in ride promotions, park signage and theming. What comes to mind? Dark, bold colors? Fonts with sharp edges? A deep male voice listing the stats of the ride? Roller coasters are almost always presented from a masculine lens, leaning into the stereotypes that, like men, coasters have to be intimidating and tough.

Think about it. Have you ever seen a hot pink roller coaster? (And no, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure doesn’t count as pink.) Imagery typically associated with women, such as soft pastel colors like pink or images like flowers or hearts, is nowhere to be found in roller coaster theming. Of course, both the typically masculine and feminine stereotypes are, well, stereotypes, and don’t reflect the interests of either group totally. Women can enjoy images of snakes baring fangs, and men can enjoy images of beautifully curated gardens. Why is it then that theme parks have neglected theme rides with feminine imagery?

Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure.
Photo: Mike Matscherz. View full-sized image.

Before you say “well, a ride themed to butterfly gardens wouldn’t be very scary,” let’s take another look at the Pollywhirl. This coaster is proudly painted in pink and purple, with flower decals painted on the trains, and it was still enough to intimidate the characters in the film. After all, PollyWorld is Polly’s theme park, and the imagery and attractions in the park are meant to reflect how a young girl would decorate her own park. Polly’s girly style is reflected by the park’s stylization, yet it doesn’t compromise the levels of thrills and excitement.

Other media at the time directed toward young girls similarly succeeded in creating aesthetics that were feminine and badass simultaneously. Shows such as Totally Spies and Winx Club feature teenage girls fighting crime without compromising their femininity. Both shows emphasize elements like fashion and female friendships that demonstrate how women can accomplish typically masculine activities like crime-fighting while maintaining their traditionally “girly” characteristics.

PollyWorld follows this trend by taking the typically masculine roller coaster and presenting it in a way that shows young girls that roller coasters aren’t just for boys. As a young female enthusiast who fit the target demographic of PollyWorld, this film had a huge impact on me.

PollyWorld showed me that I didn’t have to be a boy to enjoy roller coasters, but, more important, it was one of my first introductions to the concept that hobbies, toys and everything in between doesn’t have to be gendered.

Roller coasters are for people of all gender identities, and it is up to the current and future generations of coaster enthusiasts to ensure the coaster community is an inclusive space. “PollyWorld” introduces a vision of what this could look like, and while I don’t expect to see the next big coaster to be themed after a plastic doll, it would be heartening to see a bright pink coaster dominating a park’s skyline one day.

Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm.
Photo: Bobby Nagy. View full-sized image.

DC Rivals Hypercoaster at Warner Bros Movie World Australia.
Photo: Courtesy of IAAPA. View full-sized image.

— Ella Watylyk