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Hello Fisher-Price Fans!
Over the decades, there have been so many lines of Fisher-Price
toys to enjoy.
All Fisher-Price toys are equally delightful, however the various
categories of FP toys are as diverse and individual as the collectors
themselves. Below you'll see several types of Fisher Price categories
that are treasures to numerous toy lovers in many different ways. There
are many more production lines of toys not listed,
but here we show some of the biggies!
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Scroll on down or click on the toys below to see more info about them.
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The Play Family/Little People 1964-1989
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By far, the most collected line of toys are the Fisher-Price
Little People made from about 1964 until 1989. Easily the most
recognizable, too! There are
so many different sets to collect - if you include every single
set produced, there are about 100 of them! Many collectors also enjoy
collecting every individual Little Person, plus all the different parts in
every different color. And of course, many collectors got to have
the original box! The Little People (also called the Play Family)
toys are miniature
representations of society that have encouraged uninhibited play,
imagination, and creativity in children for generations.
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Wooden Pull Toys 1930's - 1970's
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Fisher-Price's original line of toys were the wooden pull toys,
made from the 1930's until around the 1970's, when plastic took over.
Created in various forms and styles, the Pull Toys have been
integral parts of numerous childhoods. It may be difficult to put into
words what kind of pleasure a child feels as he or she takes one of their
favorite toys for a "walk", but to those who have experienced it, it's a
memory that lasts forever! Hence, the Fisher Price Pull Toy remains one
of the most sought after items in the world of Fisher Price Toy collectors.
The many styles include animals (bears, dogs, cows, mice, etc), plus
objects (trains, firetrucks) and
many older ones were Disney characters.
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Wind-Up Music Boxes and Tick-Tock Clocks
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Another line of toys that were played with by so many children
were the wind-up music boxes, televisions, radios, and teaching clocks.
The most collectable ones
were made from around the 1950's until the 1980's. They came in
many designs and styles over the years, playing different
childhood songs we grew up with (including
Farmer in the Dell, Grandfather's Clock, Raindrops
keep Fallin' on my head, plus so many more!). The tunes and pictures are simple,
yet it's amazing how much meaning you can find in these toys when you
look and listen.
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Whoopses and Unusual Variations
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Whoopses are a very popular subgroup of Fisher-Price toys
that are highly desired by many collectors. Whoopses are
Little People figures (usually the classic 1960-1989 ones) that
contain something different about them - whether an unusual color combination,
a different face, or something odd like a double collar - that makes them
rare and very unique. Collectors
also enjoy Little People figures
that were not produced in mass amounts, and ones that came in
limited production sets. Many collectors also enjoy Little People
parts and pieces that were unusual colors, too!
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Chunky Little People and Newer-Style Little People
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The newer-style Fisher-Price Little People debuted in 1990,
replacing the classic famous Little People/Play Family style line
of toys.
The older style was
discontinued partly because
the figures were deemed a choking hazard. The Chunky Little People
were produced from around 1990-1996. The Chunkys (on the left above)
were much rounder and thicker, with molded hair.
There
were many playsets, including a house, farm, airport and amusement
park (plus many others!).
Around 1996, The newest and current
Little People came into production. These Little People have far
more detail and shape to them. Most have arms, even! These newest
Little People also come with many playsets, which will continue
to give today's children
many hours of fun and enjoyment with the Little People line of toys.
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Fisher-Price Pull Trains 1940's to 1970's
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A popular collectable group of pull toys are the Fisher-Price
trains. These trains were made from the 40's until the 70's,
with the earlier trains made of wood and the later ones made
from plastic. These trains usually had fun names, which included:
Looky Chug-Chug; Choo-Choo; Golden Gulch; Whistling Engine;
Huffy Puffy; Smokie; Dinkey; Playland Express; and Toot-Toot!
Toyfest (a now-defunct yearly toy festival in East Aurora, NY)
also produced two trains based on Fisher-Price models from the 60's.
Click here to see 18 different Fisher-Price
pull trains shown in detail!
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The Adventure People 1974-1985
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The Fisher-Price Adventure People were produced from around
1974 until 1985, and are a favorite among collectors who
remember owning them as kids!
The Adventure People featured many action figures,
along with their equipment and vehicles. The Adventure People
had over 70 different figures, and more than 30 sets. The
sets were usually geared towards action, and included things like:
a TV reporter van; rugged outdoors trucks and jeeps;
planes and helicopters; motorcyclers; emergency trucks; various boaters;
quite a few space ship sets; plus many others. The Adventure People
were designed to make kids use their imaginations and
decide what stories their figures will
have, since "with the Adventure People, you make up the stories!".
Click here to see a listing of all
Adventure people sets, plus photos of 79 different figures!
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The Huskys 1975-1986
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Fisher Price toys can be cute, but they can also be TOUGH!
And what better example of toy toughness than the Fisher Price Husky
Helpers! This line of toys featured numerous muscular men in
various occupations, along with their vehicles (such as
firetrucks, police cars, bulldozers) plus many
accessories that make for sturdy and strong play value! The Huskys
were never as popular as the Little People or Adventure People, but
they certainly have many loyal fans.
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Great Adventures
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The Great Adventure toys were made by Fisher-Price during the mid-to-late 1990's. They were (more or less) the toy that the Adventure
People evolved into, and the one that preceeded Imaginext. Most figures were articulated with moving arms and waists. The many
playsets included castles, pirate ships, western towns, wagons and even a skull island. Many vehicles and accessories came with each set like cannons, boats,
dragons, horses, vikings and more. Certain sets have been increasing in value, especially the iconic gray castle and certain figures.
These may become more collectible in the future so keep an eye out for them when visiting rummage sales and flea markets!
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And Everything Else Fisher-Price!
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There are so many other lines of toys that us collectors
enjoy. Just throwing some out there, these
toy include: the Tumble Tower; the classic zylophone;
chime toys; the many different Dollhouses and accesories;
the Fisher-Price Record Players;
the Rescue Heroes; Woodsy the Squirrel; the many plastic
pull toys; the wooden puzzles; the ever-recognizable Chatty Phone;
the recent modern-day replicas of
the classic toys; gosh and so many more! The list can go on and on.
If you name it, someone out there probably collects it (owning
every set mint-in-the-box, in every color combination,
and every rare piece as well). Yep, that's what us collectors do!
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Hasbro Weebles!
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The Weebles wobble but they don't fall down - how many of us
who grew up in the 70's remember that phrase! Even though
made by another company (Hasbro), many members of the Fisher-Price
Collectors Club love those classic Weebles too!
Weebles were originally produced by Hasbro starting around 1973.
The very first weebles came with the sticker on the outside of
the shell, which could be peeled away, therefore making them known
as the "peelable" Weebles. Later, after Hasbro realized this design
flaw, they produced ones with
the classic plastic egg-shaped shell. There were around 30-40 Weeble
sets made, with (I think) over 70 different Weebles produced, probably more.
After the early 80's, Weebles changed companies and changed appearances.
But like with most toys, the most collectible and
desired ones are the earliest ones from the early 70's to early 80's.
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Kenner Tree Tots
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The Tree Tots are another very collectible line of toys from the 1970's,
made by Kenner. The most famous and recognized is the Family Tree House set, which
has a large green tree that pops up and down, along with a family and their
furniture. Other Kenner Tree Tot sets include:
the Fire Station Tree (looks like the Tree House, but with firemen and
a fire station theme); a Light House; A whole Amusement Park set;
a Mountain Hideaway; The Sky Coaster; even an Star Wars Ewok Family set.
And some other pieces like a policeman and robber. There probably were
other sets not mentioned here, too! But by far and away, the most
collectible is the Tree House, which came in 2 different boxes, and
included a cat Tree Tot later in production. If you had the Tree House
as a kid (like I did) and your parents threw yours away (like mine did),
it will make you cry to
see what prices these fetch nowadays on Ebay!
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