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Little People (toys)

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Not to be confused with Cabbage Patch Kids.

The Fisher Price Little People logo used beginning in mid-2007. From left to right: Eddie, Sonya Lee, Michael.

Little People is a toy brand for children ages 6–36 months and to ages 3 and up, originally produced by Fisher-Price, Inc. in the 1960s as the Play Family People. The current product line consists of playsets, mini-sets and accessories, books, CDs, and DVDs focusing on various configurations of a group of characters by their names. Mattel reports that since the brand's launch, over 2-billion Little People figures have been sold in over 60 countries.[1] In 2016, Little People was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.[2]

The "Little People" name, registered and trademarked by Mattel and Fisher-Price in 1985, came from Mattel following the lead of consumers who referred to the early Play Family playsets as "those little people".[3]

By 2019, more than two billion Little People figures had been sold in more than 60 countries.[4]

History

Original Little People

"Safety School Bus" 1959

Little People started in 1950 with the "Looky Fire Truck" and three round-headed fire men (attached permanently to the toy).[5][6] Following the success of this toy, Between 1952 and 1953, Fisher-Price developed the "Super-Jet" and "Racing Rowboat".[5]


Another early Little People precursor, the #959 "Safety School Bus", was introduced in 1959.[1][7] The set included a school bus together with six independent figures made out of tall slimmer pegs of cardboard tubes wrapped in lithographs simulating clothes. The toy gained instant popularity and other sets soon came out.

"Snorky the Fire Engine" 1960

Little People Play Family

In 1960, Fisher-Price introduced two additional toys with removable figures; "Snorky the Fire Engine" and the "Nifty Station Wagon."[8] The Nifty Station Wagon came with two adult figures and one child figure, thus the first "Play Family" was born. In 1985, Fisher-Price trademarked "Little People" and formally changed the name of the brand.[1] Today, Little People are known and sold throughout the world. A Nifty Station Wagon in mint condition, in the box, could command up to $1,000,000 among toy collectors.

"Original Little People" figures

Body style variations

The original Little People went through six major styles of body (base) configurations, and even within each major classification there may be one or more minor style variations. By 1961, the figures were produced with wood; plastic was used for their vehicles and buildings. A few years later, the typical smiley face of the traditional Little People introduced in a "straight-body" format. All of the people had a basic cylinder body with the female figures only identifiable by the addition of slanted, oval eyes and eyelashes. By 1965, the Little People consisted of a small cylindrical base and a wider cylinder shape for boys and men and a conical upper shape for the girls. Adult women had a kind of hourglass-shaped upper body. The bottom portions of the bodies were indented slightly (allowing for placement in the corresponding holes in other furniture, cars and other vehicles, in which the figures were able to "sit").

Little People playsets

In 1968, Fisher-Price introduced the first Little People playset, the famous Play Family Barn with barn doors that made a "moo" sound when opened. Also at this time, the figures were made with plastic bodies instead of wood. The Play Family dollhouse was introduced in 1969, with other playsets to follow, including a firehouse, an airport and a service station. Eventually, the toys encompassed a wide range of playsets, furniture packs, and accessory packs.

In the mid-1970s, Fisher-Price produced the Sesame Street town, with different Sesame Street stores, a bridge with stop lights and Sesame Street characters such as Bert, Ernie, and the first Little People toys modeled after non-celebrities: Loretta Long (Susan), Roscoe Orman (Gordon), and Will Lee (Mr. Hooper). Soon after, the Little People Discovery Airport, a hospital, and a school would also be released. Little People characters had by then been also produced with plastic products exclusively.

During the late 2010s, a line of celebrity Little People was launched with playsets including Kiss Little People[9] and The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" Little People.[10]

Chunky Little People

In 1988, Marvel Productions made an animated series of six Little People videos such as Favorite Songs, 3 Favorite Stories, A Visit to the Farm, Fun With Words, Jokes, Riddles and Rhymes, and Christmas Fun, which were released by New World Video, which the deal was signed in August 1987.[11] This video series centered around two children named Timmy and Penny and their Baby Sister, their parents, Cousin Marvin and their dog Lucky. In 1991, the Original Little People figures were redesigned for children. They were made "chunkier", were more bright and colorful, and were designed so that they could activate motion within the play sets. Most people believe that these figures were developed as a replacement for the original Little People due to the increasing concerns and pressures from parents and consumer-advocacy groups for safer toy designs. After Fisher-Price was bought by Mattel in the 1990s, Little People reappeared on the markets, their figure significantly larger in size from the original Little People characters due to revised toy safety guidelines. These figures are called "chunky" by collectors.

Articulated Little People

In 1997, the figures underwent a drastic redesign, from simple lathe-turned shapes to sculpted bodies. Little People became much more detailed and smaller in overall size – in fact, closer in size to the original Little People. For the first time, the Little People figures had arms, hands, more detailed clothing, molded hair, and facial features.

In 1999, Little People celebrated their 40th anniversary with the return of the first Little People toy ever: Little People School Bus and characters. The play sets include the school bus, circus train, construction vehicles, and other play sets.

In 2000, the Little People line introduced electronic sounds and movements. The Little People characters were given distinct personalities and voices in a stop motion, animated series with Phil Craig, known for starring in The Time Traveller's Wife, Cinderella Man, and Spider; and Aaron Neville singing the theme song. The series was produced by Denmark-based Egmont Imagination and Canadian Cuppa Coffee Studios between 1999 and 2005.

Characters

  • Eddie (voiced by Susan Roman) is a boy who is Sarah Lynn's twin brother. He has a pet frog named Freddie (vocal effects provided by the late Robert Smith).
  • Michael (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is an African-American boy who wears a red cap. He loves to be creative and inventive.
  • Sarah Lynn (voiced by Susan Roman) is a girl who is Eddie's twin sister. She has a pet dog Lucky.
  • Maggie (voiced by Karen Bernstein) is a girl who wears red framed glasses. She's very smart with big ideas.
  • Sonya Lee (voiced by Caroly Larson) is an Asian-American girl. According to her verse of the theme song, Sonya Lee is very gentle, true, and kind to people and animals.

Episodes and videos

Since 1999, 135 individual episodes and six music videos have been produced for the Little People franchise. They have been collected into around 27 volumes and released for home media on VHS and over 15 DVDs with some being distributed by Lions Gate Home Entertainment through Artisan Entertainment as part of its Family Home Entertainment sub-label.

№ Volume DVD Episodes
1 (1999) Big Discoveries Animals and Friends "Michael and the Corn Field", "Sarah Lynn Gets a Big Lift", "Sonya Lee's Day at the Zoo", "Maggie's Friends Pitch In", "Eddie Saves the Circus"
2 (2000) Christmas Discoveries Christmas Discoveries "Michael and the Bears", "Sonya Lee Makes New Friends", "Eddie's Christmas Surprise", "Sarah Lynn Saves Christmas", "Maggie's Gift of Music"
3 (2001) Discovering Animals Animals and Friends "Trading Places", "Happy Birthday to Zoo", "Faster Than a Speeding Frog", "Sarah Lynn at the Circus", "Michael's Magical Night"
4 (2002) Discovering Things That Go Neighborhood Adventures "Eddie's Big Race", "Sonya Lee and the Super Sundae", "Maggie Brings the Mail", "The Wheels on the Boat", "The Parade of Wheels"
5 (2002) Discovering Music Creativity Collection "Sarah Lynn Shares a Song", "Eddie Finds the Beat", "Sonya Lee Sings", "Michael Helps the Harmony", "Maggie's Musical Masterpiece"
6 (2002) Discovering Seasons Fun to Learn Collection "Sonya Lee and the Season of Spring", "Water, Water Everywhere", "The Big Blue Ribbon", "Eddie and the Super Skates", "The Season of Friendship"
7 (2002) Discovering Creativity Creativity Collection "One, Two, Three, Draw!", "Big, Bigger, Biggest", "The Musical Mobile", "When Flowers Fly", "Picture Perfect"
8 (2002) Discovering Friendship Friendship Collection "The Big Bike", "Friends Forever", "Smile, Smiley, Smile!", "Michael's Mystery", "Sarah Lynn's Best Friends"
9 (2002) Discovering Storytime Storytime Collection "Eddie and the Cornstalk", "The Frogly Duckling", "Hansel Eddie and Sarah Gretel", "The Monkey Who Cried Elephant", "Sonya Had a Little Lamb"
10 (2002) Discovering Numbers Fun to Learn Collection "Sarah Lynn's Counting Song", "Freddie's Froggy Family", "How Much is Too Much?", "All Sorts of Flavors", "Follow That Sheep"
11 (2003) Discovering Your Neighborhood Neighborhood Adventures "All Washed Up", "Patrick's Busy Day", "Up, Up and Away!", "Where There's Smokey", "The Junk's Not Trash"
12 (2003) Movie Night at Farmer Jed's Storytime Collection "Friends Helping Friends", "The Fast and the Froggy", "Feathered and Furry Friends", "Sarah Lynn's Sing-Along", "Before Your Very Eyes"
13 (2003) How They Became Friends Friendship Collection "When Eddie Met Freddie", "Maggie Moves In", "The Mystery of Sonya Lee", "Michael's Amazing Gift", "The Legend of Farmer Jed"
14 (2005) Discovering More Animals Animal Stories "The Big Bounce", "The New Zoo Switcheroo", "Brother Goose", "Lighter Than Air", "Carnival for the Animals"
15 (2005) Discovering More About Your Neighborhood Adventures in Discovery City "Dough On the Go", "The Big Building", "Maggie's Merry Mix-Up", "Doctor, Doctor", "More Trees Please"
16 (2005) Discovering More Things That Go Adventures in Discovery City "Hi Diddley Hay", "The Grand Sand Castle", "My Mess is Your Mess", "Raising the Roof", "Every Little Voice"
17 (2005) Discovering Shapes and Colors Creative Ideas "Where Oh Where Have My Circles Gone", "The Long and Short of It (also known as Room to Grow)", "Try Triangle Again", "All the Colors of the Rainbow", "Sarah Lynn's Shape Song"
18 (2005) Discovering More Music Musical Stories "Bang, Boom, Bonk", "The String's the Thing", "Come Blow Your Horn", "Sweet Tweet", "Strike Up the Band"
19 (2005) Discovering More Creativity Creative Ideas "Don't Rain On Maggie's Parade", "Up a Tree House", "That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles", "Michael's Big Show", "Sarah Lynn's Hit Parade"
20 (2005) Discovering Our Environment Animal Stories "The Great Indoors", "The Litter Bug", "Every Little Drop", "The Big Box of Make-Believe", "How Does Your Garden Grow"
21 (2004) Discovering the ABC's ABC Stories "Sing a Song of Letters", "P is for Parrot", "Michael's Capital Idea", "I.O.U. A Vowel", "Time for a Rhyme"
22 (2005) Discovering Lil' Kingdom Castle The Lil' Kingdom "All the King's Horses", "Queen for the Day", "Eddie and the Dragon", "Once Upon a Pumpkin", "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall"
23 (2005) Discovering Lil' Kingdom Fair The Lil' Kingdom "Follow the Bouncing Ball", "Do, Re, Mi Makes Three", "What Goes Up", "Easy as Pie", "Fit for a King"
24 (2005) Discovering Our Five Senses ABC Stories "Do You See What I See?", "The Nose Knows", "A Crunch in Every Bunch", "Sarah Lynn's Soft Touch", "I Hear a Memory"
25 (2005) Discovering Good Manners Good Manners "Me First", "No Thanks", "The Last Laugh", "Promises Promises", "Favor for a Friend"
26 (2005) Discovering Helping Others Good Manners "Up a Tree", "Zoo For You", "The Big Jam", "A Grand Helping Hand", "Treats for the Town"
27 (2005) Discovering Happy Memories Musical Stories "A Boy and His Frog", "Sonya Lee's Nice Nature", "Sarah Lynn's Sweetest Friend", "Michael's Happy Go Round", "Maggie's Helping Hands"

Little People A to Z Learning Zoo

In 2007, Fisher-Price produced the Little People A to Z Learning Zoo. This production introduced animals to the Little People family. The A to Z learning zoo includes 26 animals that each begin with a different letter of the alphabet. This interactive play mat allows children to learn the alphabet, recognize letters, and learn facts about animals. This was a significant step for the company, as education is now infused in their product.

Television series

Main article: Little People (TV series)

Choking risk with the original Little People

The thumb-sized shape of the original Little People figurines could become lodged in the throat of young children and prevent the flow of oxygen. There have been seven children who died and one that was seriously injured after choking on the figurines. In one case, the company paid a $2.5 million settlement to the parents of Iain Cunningham after their son became physically and mentally disabled from choking on a figurine. At the time, the judgment was considered the largest liability settlement in the American toy industry.[37][38]

In 1990, New York Attorney General Robert Abrams negotiated a settlement with Fisher-Price in which the company agreed to post a more specific choking hazard warning label on the boxes of Little People toys.[39]

A book published in 1986 by Edward Swartz titled Toys That Kill prominently featured three original Little People figures on the cover and featured the Iain Cunningham case.[38] The American Museum Of Tort Law features an exhibit on the Little People choking hazard.[40]

While the product was redesigned in 1991 to become chunkier and therefore harder to for children to swallow, Fisher-Price contended that the redesign was not in response to choking deaths and that the Little People figurine are safe when they are played with by children of the appropriate age. In response to the choking deaths, the company launched the "Family Alert Program" campaign in 1992 to warned parents not to let young children play with Little People playset and other toys that are designed for older children.[41] A Fisher-Price spokesman stated that "the original Little People were designed for children 2 to 6 and met all the safety standards for Fisher-Price, and we've never had a complaint from parents of children in that age range."[42]

In 2010, Health Canada issued a warning that pre-1991 Little People toys should be disposed after a recent choking death of an infant.[43]

The Robot Chicken episode "Midnight Snack" aired a sketch with Little People by using stop motion animation and dubbed voices. However, they are not the current Little People characters.

The indie rock band Sunny Day Real Estate's debut album Diary features Little People on the album cover.

Sources

  • This Old Toy's Original "Little People History"
  • Behold the Little People - The Life and Death of America's Favorite Play Family by Mark Simple, in X magazine #7, July 1992
  • History of Mattel
  • "Mattel History". Mattel. Mattel, Inc. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  • Fisher-Price Little People at Retroland

References

  1. ^ a b c Coopee, Todd (January 4, 2016). "Fisher Price Little People". ToyTales.ca.
  2. ^ Chappell, Bill (November 10, 2016). "Toy Hall Of Fame: Dungeons & Dragons, Little People Honored; So Are Swings". the Two-Way. NPR.
  3. ^ Tricia Cruz (March 27, 2009). "Celebrating 50 years of "Little People"". WIVB.com.
  4. ^ a b Miner, Dan (February 14, 2019). "All you need is ... these Beatles-themed Fisher-Price figures". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Ladd, Kara; Al-Nasrawi, Rula; Miller, Gregory E. (March 22, 2018). "The Fad Toy Everyone Was Obsessed With the Year You Were Born". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Fisher-Price at 90: See how children's toys have changed over the decades". Gibraltar Chronicle. January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Meisenzahl, Mary (October 18, 2020). "Fisher-Price is putting a virtual toy museum on Instagram with 90 exhibits tapping into nostalgia for a new spin on experimental e-commerce — see inside". Business Insider. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Roberts, Kate; Scher, Adam (May 15, 2014). Toys of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87351-941-0.
  9. ^ "KISS by Little People | Fisher Price".
  10. ^ "All You Need Is Love & This Little People Set Of The Beatles (!!!)". Romper. September 17, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "'Little People' From Fisher-Price Toys To Be Video Series". Variety. August 19, 1987. p. 46.
  12. ^ "Fisher-Price WWE Little People". Wrestling Figure Database. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Fisher-Price Just Debuted 'The Office' Little People Set". Y101. August 17, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Fallon, Sean (July 17, 2020). "Lord of the Rings Little People Figure Set Launches for Hobbit Day". comicbook.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  15. ^ Fallon, Sean (September 23, 2020). "Lord of the Rings Little People Figure Set Launches for Hobbit Day". comicbook.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  16. ^ Gates, Kaitlin (September 25, 2020). "You Can Now Buy Fisher-Price Figures From The Movie 'Elf'". Simplemost. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Fallon, Sean (October 6, 2021). "The Golden Girls Little People Figure Set is Back In Stock". TV Shows. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Daniels, Karu F. (September 27, 2021). "The Rolling Stones, Rosa Parks and 'The Golden Girls' are now Fisher-Price Little People collectibles". www.nydailynews.com. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Ted Lasso Little People Figure Set Launches Ahead of Season 3". TV Shows. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  20. ^ Krol, Jacob (August 9, 2022). "Fisher Price Unveils The Ted Lasso Little People Collectors Set". SI Showcase - Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Fisher-Price releases RuPaul figurines, honors efforts to 'inspire'". KTLA. May 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  22. ^ "Fisher-Price® releases Little People® Go Bills! figure set for 2022". www.buffalobills.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Freile, Victoria E. (September 9, 2022). "Wegmans to host Buffalo Bills Little People launch party". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  24. ^ Fallon, Sean (March 28, 2022). "Avatar: The Last Airbender Gets An Exclusive Little People Figure Set". Anime. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Gates, Kaitlin (September 21, 2022). "Fisher-Price Made An 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' Little People Set For The Movie's 40th Anniversary". News 5 Cleveland WEWS. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  26. ^ "Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs latest play? Toys in Little People Collector set". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "Move Over, Li'l Sebastian: Fisher-Price's 'Parks and Recreation' Little People Set Is Here". Mental Floss. April 4, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  28. ^ Shrishty (July 16, 2023). "'Star Trek: The Original Series' Little People Collector Set Beams Down to SDCC". Collider. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  29. ^ Verdon, Joan. "Mattel Expands Its Little People Football Collectibles To All NFL Teams". Forbes. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  30. ^ "The Friends cast now comes in Fisher-Price toy form — and the special-edition set has plenty of fun Easter eggs". EW.com. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  31. ^ Chan, Tim (October 11, 2023). "Fisher-Price's 'Barbie' Movie Little People Set Is On Sale for Amazon Fall Prime Day". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  32. ^ Dougherty, Maggie (November 2, 2023). "Little People Collector Sets Have Made Their Way to Hawkins". The Pop Insider. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  33. ^ "The boys are back: NSYNC Little People Collector figurines unveiled by Fisher-Price". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  34. ^ Tingley, Anna (October 11, 2023). "'Seinfeld' Characters Get Miniaturized in New Fisher-Price Collector Set — And It's on Sale for Prime Day". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  35. ^ "Mattel Miniaturizes Travis Kelce and Christian McCaffrey for Super Bowl-Themed Little People Sets". Peoplemag. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  36. ^ Dougherty, Maggie (January 31, 2023). "Celebrate the Big Game in a Little People Way with This Super Bowl Champion Set". The Pop Insider. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  37. ^ "Fisher-Price Agrees to Pay $2.25 Million in Choking Case". AP NEWS. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  38. ^ a b Singer, Merrill; Baer, Hans A. (August 15, 2008). Killer Commodities: public health and the corporate production of harm. Rowman Altamira. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-7591-1240-7.
  39. ^ LIGUORI, JON R. SORENSEN AND IRENE. "FISHER-PRICE MUST PUT WARNINGS ON 'LITTLE PEOPLE'". Buffalo News. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  40. ^ "Ralph Nader Opening American Museum Of Tort Law In Winsted". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  41. ^ "'FAMILY ALERT' SAFETY PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN SET BY FISHER-PRICE". Buffalo News. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  42. ^ ARTIS, JOANNE BALL. "ATTORNEY BLASTS FISHER-PRICE ON TOY SAFETY". Buffalo News. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  43. ^ "Old style 'Little People' toys are a choking risk". CTVNews. March 25, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
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