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Fisher-Price's Little People Turn 50

littlepeopleFP-TOPpic.jpgWho could forget Fisher-Price's Little People? Our favorite has always been the blond with the ponytail and great smile. (She reminded us of Betty from Betty & Veronica). In the same year Barbie turned 50, so are Little People and they are celebrating with a bang.

 
 

Fisher-Price has a great interactive Web site up which illustrates the history of the Little People toy line from 1950's to today. And they will continue their celebration through the summer as a Little People live musical is making its way across the country to local zoos including the San Diego Zoo, Atlanta Zoo and Brookfield Zoo.

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While they aren't re-releasing original play sets, Fisher-Price is introducing updated versions of many of the classics including the Play n' Go School, Play n' Go Farm, Play n' Go Home and Play n' Go Fire Station.

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toys - toddler, toys - kids, Fisher-Price, Little People

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Comments (13)

No WAY! 50!
I still have the little school but not all the pieces.
My grandma has the garage and my kids play with it everytime we go...it was awesome with the little elevator that would mash your fingers! and the cars get caught in it. SO FUN!

posted by HomeSpunThreads on April 7th 2009 at 2:52pm
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I love Little People! I still have the garage set that is seen on the site, the original. The box itself has worn down over time but the garage is in great condition. I just recently handed down to my 16 month old the Fisher-Price Sesame Street Playhouse. It too is in great condition (that's 30 years!). My daughter loves it! I have to thank my parents for holding on to these treasures.

posted by cmlau on April 7th 2009 at 3:24pm
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I loved these when i was little. My mom still has some of our old ones too.
Looking at the Little People site, it doesn't look like their toys are half as cool now...

Is there a place to still buy the old school stuff???

posted by lab director on April 7th 2009 at 3:33pm
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Does anyone have any idea what kind of plastic was and is used today?

posted by JudiAU on April 7th 2009 at 4:05pm
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Oh I loved all of the little people when I was little. My mom still has mine, along with a few houses and the hospital. She has created an amazing playroom which contains all of my old fisher price treasures....her grandchildren (and their friends) love all of the old toys...

Check out her playroom...you can see the hospital in the bookcase and one of the houses on the floor...

http://portlandsunshine.blogspot.com/2008/11/birdies-nest.html

posted by portlandsunshine on April 7th 2009 at 4:07pm
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They (the old ones, not the remakes) are *such* classic toys. One of the few plastic toys I like! :) I recently scored that parking garage at a junk store for my 4 year-old and am saving it as a distraction for him when baby #2 arrives in a week or so.
I have a flickr group for vintage fisher-price, if anyone wants to join in the fun:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/fisherprice/

posted by julie_k. on April 7th 2009 at 4:49pm
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No idea what plastic they used, but on ebay you can find way old originals in WOOD. Yeah the faces will have been worn off, and you'll pay a premium if there are no bite marks (the little heads are just too tempting!), but so worth it! I just bought a little lot of people and two cars to see if my 16 month old would like them...he does!!! I am planing on watching these auctions for the garage and farm sets, but now they will likely be worth more bc of this anniversary. Garage sales here I come!

posted by complainypants on April 7th 2009 at 5:12pm
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My mom saved a couple of Little People sets from when my siblings and I were little and I am so grateful! We have the Sesame Street set complete with wooden Burt & Ernie and an awesome circus train. My 15 mo love, love, loves them. I only wish she had saved more.

posted by Sarah in Nola on April 7th 2009 at 7:00pm
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I didn't know FP was turning 50, but I just added a post to my blog two or three weeks ago with photos of all my old FP toys, which were such a big part of my life. If you want to take a stroll down memory lane: http://charlottesfancy.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/vintage-fisher-price/

posted by MollydeA on April 7th 2009 at 8:35pm
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I loved our FP toys. We had the castle, camper with station wagon, and the barn. I played with the parking grage above at church. I love them. The new people arent as cute as the old. But our one yr old loves the animals. The smaller size is a choaking hazzard. I personaly think they should come back with the old and have age approprate people.

posted by jackied302 on April 8th 2009 at 9:08am
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Timely post! We were visiting the other day with an elderly couple that keeps one of the classic versions of the Little People Parking Garage around for young guests - amazingly, it's in pristine condition. Our DS loved it, but like jackied302, I was also thinking choke hazard. The current versions just look so bulky in comparison and lack that certain charm of the original - but are infinitely safer I'm sure.

posted by hush on April 8th 2009 at 11:18am
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I love little people.

I love the ones I had growing up in the 80's, And the ones leftover from my mom and her siblings which came from the 60's and 70's and the 90's ones my younger sisters had.

And I like the new ones too. I think they're darn cute and it's all I can do not to stock up on my favorites for my future children!

posted by Shannon Kay on April 8th 2009 at 3:11pm
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I grew up in the 80's and I miss the old style Little People. I'm not so down with the new designs. I prefer the simplicity of the old design. Although I think wooden peg people will fit in the little people holes that are in the old playsets. All I could scrounge up from my grandmother's attic was a lone cowboy, a ferris wheel and a school bus. I used to have the garage set, a house, and the barn, but am not sure where they've ended up. I can only hope I come across some of the old-style people at a garage sale or thrift store. Maybe I'll break down and go looking on e-bay too.

posted by KiraArts on April 9th 2009 at 11:07am
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