Little People Celebrate 50th Birthday

I can remember being a kid and playing with the Fisher Price Little People like it was yesterday. I cannot tell you how many hours of fun I had playing and pretending with the Little People sets. The Fisher Price Little People set that clearly sticks in my mind is the Farm House. My grandmother still has the same set that we played with 30 years ago and my kids have enjoyed playing with this same set just a few months ago. Hours of fun that allows your little ones’ imaginations to run wild! On March 21^st, Little People are celebrating 50 years of play with a yearlong celebration. I am extremely excited and honored to be a part of the 50 year celebration.

As a parent, I have to show the opening process. It is in my video as well, but I have to show this in a still image as well. As a parent, I dread opening toys because it seems as if I need a hammer, screwdriver and to turn my body twice in a circular motion to get the package to open. This new packaging is great for the companies as well as the consumer.

In 1959, Fisher-Price, Inc. introduced the Safety School Bus and in turn gave birth to one of the longest running and most beloved iconic toy brands known today as Little People^®.  Since then, more than one and a half billion Little People figures have delighted millions of children worldwide and have evolved from wooden figures into poseable figures that can sit, stand and even hold things in their hands.  

Today, Little People characters continue to inspire preschoolers to explore a whole world of discovery, imagination, learning and building through playsets, figures, books, DVDs, games, activities and more.  For the brand’s 50^th birthday, officially marked on March 21, Fisher-Price^® is planning a year-long celebration including commemorative playsets and much, much more.

I wanted to give you some of the historic background about the Little People. I was amazed to read the history and to see images of the original products that started all of us on the whole “Little People”

It all began in 1950 when two of Herm Fisher’s key toy designers created the Looky Fire Truck, with three little round-headed wooden firemen permanently attached to the toy.  Nine years later, the little wooden figures gained their independence with the introduction of the Safety School Bus, thus Little People as we know and love them today were born.  The Safety School Bus included six little wooden peg figures that could be removed from the school bus.  Only the driver, whose head turned while the bus rolled along, remained attached to the toy.  Throughout the past five decades, Little People figures have helped preschoolers discover a whole world of imagination and fun in a world that’s “just their size” – in amusement parks, castles, schools and, of course, who can forget the classic Play Family Farm^TM!

I celebration of the Little People 50^th birthday, Fisher-Price is set to introduce special limited edition commemorative 50^th birthday Little People playsets:

COMMEMORATIVE PRODUCT

Little People^® 50^th Birthday Play ‘n Go Farm:

Take a trip back in time with the Little People Play ‘n Go Farm playset, which has been designed to reflect the classic look of the original Play Family Farm^TM first introduced in 1968, complete with retro-style figures!  The playset includes farmer, sheep and cow figures, tractor vehicle, three connectable fence pieces and water trough play piece.  Everything stores inside the collectible tin take-along barn that features a handle and open/close top.   

($17.49/1-4 yrs./Available now)

Little People^® 50^th Birthday Play ‘n Go School:

Housed in a nostalgic, collectible take-along tin with a handle and open/close top, the Play ‘n Go School is designed to resemble the original Little People School House first introduced in 1971.  The playset includes retro-styled teacher and pupil figures, dog, teacher’s desk and chair, student desk and spinning merry-go-round for recess. 

($17.49/1-4 yrs./Available now)

You can visit www.fisher-price.com for more information about these, and many other products that your family will fall in love with! Fisher Price also provides valuable information and resources to parents, so be sure to check them out!