ðə nˈeɪm ʌvðə ɡɹˈuːp wʌz sədʒˈɛstɪv ʌv "dˈɑːli bˈɜːdz", ɐ ɹˈæðɚɹ ɪmpˈɜːsənəl tˈɜːm wˈɪtʃ, ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti z dʒˈɜːnəlˌɪst kɹˈɪstəfɚ bˈʊkɚɹ ɐsˈoʊsɪˌeɪɾᵻd wɪð "ɡˈɜːlz bˌiːɪŋ tɹænsfˈɔːɹmd ˌɪntʊ θɹˈoʊəwˌeɪ plˈæstɪk ˈɑːbdʒɛkts".
The name of the group was suggestive of "dolly birds", a rather impersonal term which, in the 1970s journalist Christopher Booker associated with "girls [being] transformed into throwaway plastic objects".