Another Great Toyline (to make you smile!)

[grayhank]

As I've recently said in another forum post, I've been away from the Mego site for the past couple of months. Here's a glimpse as to the reason why I've been away during that time. Some of you may have seen pics of part of my toy collection on the old forums. Well as an avid Star Wars toys collector I basically finished out the line. I then turned to collecting an old childhood favorite...Megos.

After buying up all the Megos that I could find and afford, I started making my own customs. Once I made about 18 custom Megos I felt it was time to catch up on another old childhood favorite. Anyone who remembers collecting and buying the original Megos when they came out as a kid will surely appreciate this other classic line. I'm sure many of you had these back in the pre-Mego days! Hope these bring back some fun memories for you! Enjoy!






Ok the pics are coming now!







http://a749.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/l_38dcacc7386ff834926a3bca44228f34.jpg

You can see I've been quite busy on ebay. I now have over 225 different Little People. No two figures are exactly alike in this pic. Unfortunately there are far too many to fit into one group shot. The first three rows are very old as they are the original all wood bodies & heads.

http://a216.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/44/l_00c1ebfa50d4db16cc48d7cd0106baa7.jpg

If you're going to have over 225 different Fisher Price Little People, you've got to have a few playsets to go with them. These sets are nearly 100% complete and original. I could probably write a book on what goes with each set now.

If anyone has any Fisher Price Little People items they are looking to part with, please send me a PM because I am still looking to buy!

[Wolverine1969]

Pretty cool collection there. I have my castle, airport and garage to this day. Probably still have a large number of the FP people as well.

[Marvelmania]

That sure looks fun! I never had any Little People toys when I was a kid and I'm glad that I don't collect them now (far too many, lol). Love the pictures!

[jwyblejr]

The funny thing is,they just aired 12 Angry Little People again on Robot Chicken. One of their better skits if you ask me.

[The Toyroom]

Definitely made me smile! Some awesome stuff there!

[MegoMonk]

That's a great collection. I think I only had the airport and barn as a kid, but I got a lot of playtime out of them.

[toys2cool]

Great collection man,I love it,and the way you displayed them looks perfect :grin:

[Evel KMego]

That's a fun looking collection! Wow, when you set your mind on something you really go for it!

[Comic Book Geek]

Great collection. I had quite a few Little People sets. My Grandmother bought me one every b-day and Christmas. I think you've covered everything I had except... the Farris Wheel.

[MegoScott]

Awesome. If I could handle the pandora's box it would open I'd get a Castle and the Village. I loved those sets so much as a kid I always wanted them. But it's too much to collect and store for me. Still, a reasonably priced line to collect and a lot of fun. Great toys.

[The Toyroom]

Great collection. I had quite a few Little People sets. My Grandmother bought me one every b-day and Christmas. I think you've covered everything I had except... the Farris Wheel.

The Ferris Wheel! My little brother had that when he was a baby and he'd throw it off his high chair tray! That thing was heavy! I always liked the little boy who cranked the wheel...didn't look too pleased to be working that day!

We also had the schoolhouse and a different barn than the one pictured above.

[grayhank]

Yeah that Castle is what got me collecting those little buggers again! I found an almost complete set at a yard sale. I thought to myself upon seeing it that that was the one set I always wanted as a kid but never got. So I bought it thinking how silly it was to be a 43 year old man buying preschool toys. I then had to research it to see what pieces were actually missing. I did not realize at the yard sale the door I was about to open. The Castle set contains some of the most expensive and hardest pieces to acquire: The Pink Dragon, the Knight and the extremely rare Horse Carraige Harness. It was an ebay nightmare!

I am somewhat easily distracted and have OCD. I can look on ebay for a specific item like the horse harness and end up buying two or three other things in the process. Needless to say that's how my entire little people collection came to be in less than two months time. Somebody please STOP ME! :yeah:

[HardyGirl]

I've always loved FP Little People, but I never owned any as a child. My dad's co-workers daughters had them, and we'd always play when I visited them. (Please don't think I'm racist for what your about to read:please_y:), but the reason I never asked for these is b/c I always thought they were only for white children. I never knew any black kids who had these, (I grew up on the outskirts of Harlem), and my dad's co-worker's kid were white, so in my little kid brain, I surmised these toys were for white kids. Fast foward to adulthood, when I started teaching pre-school when I lived in WI, the 3-old class had almost all of these sets and a TON of people. The kids loved them, I secretly wanted to take them home and play w/ them like I did when I was a kid at those little girls' house. I hate the ones they have now. They don't look nearly as fun,:no: and look how many survived playing w/ them in their original shape. If I had kids, I'd get them class FP Little People.

[grayhank]

That's an interesting point you make. Indeed most of the Little People were in fact white. There were probably three or four recurring black boys and a couple of black men for about the first 10-15 years of the line. The first black woman didn't appear until the Sesame Street set came out which included Susan (and Gordon). These are the only two Black parent types in the entire vintage line. A black girl wasn't made until the new School was finally introduced near the end of the vintage run. This girl has only appeared in this set and she is considered to be rare. Also appearing in the set was the first Asian boy. A couple of the newer sets also featured the first Hispanic looking boy and girl.

Here's a glimpse into Little People Cultural Diversity

http://a83.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/14/l_e29e31a396eeb8975ef0b74ae0402a1a.jpg

[HardyGirl]

I'm not so sure black kids not having FP Little People was an issue b/c of lack of black figures as much as it was a cultural thing. I knew plenty of black kids who had white dolls/action figures. And black kids had other FP type toys like that Chatter Phone, and the school days desk and the wind-up radio music box. But the kids I grew up w/ just never owned any Little People. The first black kid I saw w/ an FP Main Street set was my little cousin Dane and his family lived in Laguna Beach CA (a prodominently white area). I really don't know why this was the case. I just thought I wasn't supposed to own any. Weird how kid's minds work, huh?

[Scout]

This brings back memories! I had the farm, the castle, village, and parking garage, I think. I had a cousin who had some of the others. One really neat thing about these in the '70s was that they were bright colors and they weren't just "for boys" or "for girls." Mine got handed down to brother and then sister. Some time in the '90s I was in a toy department somewhere and saw, in the boy aisle, an FP castle that was all black and purple and had knights and dragons, while in the girl aisle the castle was pink and teal and full of little princesses who...I don't know, were just supposed to pick flowers all day? Made me a little queasy.

[Hulk]

Great collection. I have always thought that if there were another line of toys I'd like to eventually collect from my childhood, these would be them. They really predated Megos as far as toys that I remember using my imagination with, and they just have good vibes to them. Thanks for sharing.

[smonte00]

I think I had the airplane. I forgot that they used to be made of wood.

[nvmbrsdoom5]

Fisher Price toys are great. I played with them for a long time....probably much longer than I should have! I used to even use the castle with my Star Wars and Micronauts, etc. The castle playset and the garage were definitely my favorites. Yet another in a long line of vintage toy series that I would love to collect someday, but haven't delved into it yet. I did bid on the garage a couple of times on Ebay recently but always got outbid.

Whenever I try to tell people about these toys to see if they remember them, there's always two things that jar their memories.....the Sesame Street playset, or the little black and white dog with the red collar. People always seem to remember those.

Good luck with the collection, I'd love to see more pics later as you get even more!

[grayhank]

I made my first custom from the little black & white dog with red collar. I made an all black head dog with white details. Nothing fancy just reversed him a bit. Did you know that the dog also came with Yellow (rare) and Blue (rarest) collars as well. Plus there was a dalmatian which I never knew about until I starting buying these again.

The Little People Dog Show - My custom Black Dog on Right

http://shutter07.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/003/03/49/80/ED/EN5M0Dv829Yaduhpmv5WouCGH5Yy9s7b0300.jpg

[nvmbrsdoom5]

I may have seen those other collar variants before, but I never remember seeing that dalmation, that's pretty cool. Good job on that custom black dog on the right :D

It's really amazing how many different variations of these figures there are, total. To be a completist collector of FP Little People must be maddening.

[grayhank]

It's extremely maddening but lots of fun! I am trying to get at least 1 of every main varient. The varients break down into three basic categories as:

Little People with wood bodies / wood heads (which I'm estimating to be probably around 60-70). Then wood bodies / plastic heads (I have no idea how many but it's got to be over 100). Most of the original wood/wood were reissued as wood/plastic plus newer figures. Then the 3rd category is all plastic (again reissuing most of the original all wood, then the wood/plastic and additional newer characters - about 150 plus). These numbers don't even include the special characters like Sesame Street and McDonalds characters.

And I thought collecting these was going to be easy!

[Comic Book Geek]

When I played little people the dog was always the villain. Once the Sesame Street set came out all the muppets were his monster henchmen. He controlled the castle dragon too.

The smiling kid with the red hat was me, and I was the FP land superhero, and I made a little cape for myself. Sometimes the knight was me wearing iron man type armor.

My FP little people come in second after megos as for being the most important toys of my childhood.

The castle is perhaps the best playset ever made.

[boywondermax]

"The dog was always the villain." Hilarious! That made me laugh so hard!

[Sowth]

What a great collection! Thanks for posting the pics, very cool.

So many memories...

Cheers,
Will

[palitoy]

I spent a small fortune on refurbishing my FP Sesame Street sets for my kids, it was worth it. I do get weird looks when my kids bring the figures in public.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Great collection! As a kid, I only really remember having the schoolhouse, and that was actually my sisters I inherited. I found it in my dad's basement this weekend.

My wife found the original castle beside some garbage along my father's street a few years back. My kid plays with it more than any other playset he has. And he's 5.

I think the simplicity of the old-school Little People makes them more open for imaginative play, as opposed to their more detailed "cuter" modern counterparts. Just my opinion.

Chris

[palitoy]

I agree they were/are wonderfully designed. Kids just glom to them, durable as all hell too, much of my childhood stuff (airport, garage, sesame street) is in terrific shape.

[Megospidey]

My wife collects this line.

We went to Canton, Texas a couple of weekends back, and she purchased the Ferris Wheel with all 5 original little people still sitting in their chairs! The only thing missing was the operator's hat.

[grayhank]

My wife collects this line.

We went to Canton, Texas a couple of weekends back, and she purchased the Ferris Wheel with all 5 original little people still sitting in their chairs! The only thing missing was the operator's hat.

I'm envious! I've been trying to find the Ferris Wheel on ebay lately. It's a very difficult piece to get because it has a lot of lithograph detail and fragile parts. Most of the time the lithographs are torn off or the parts are broken. Plus many sellers list the item as complete. Just because they include 4 little people with the set does NOT make it complete. It has to be the correct 4. One of which is very hard to find. So that one is proving to be challenging.

I did just get the cousin to the Ferris Wheel which is the Merry Go Round. It looks beautifully prestine, however it doesn't work. I don't know if I'm brave enough to try and take it apart to fix it.

[phil]

That is a great collection! Nice to see some old Fisher Price toys.

[ShadowAvenger]

Great collection of Little People. I had the farm and garage sets while my sister had the camper set when we were kids.

[nvmbrsdoom5]

A quick question for you, if you wouldn't mind, Grayhank......in the pic of your playsets display, the set that is in the left row second from the top....is that an A-Frame house playset? I have a vague recollection of this toy, I'm sure that I or someone I know had that set once, but I can't remember much about it! Any info on that set would be appreciated, I'm really curious to know...

[grayhank]

Yes that is the A-Frame house modeled after a "Swiss Chalet". Made 1974-1976. My set is the 1975 (2nd) release. The roof folds down to reveal the interior of the two floor house. Instead of a staircase (which was common with the other houses) it came with a ladder for the people to reach the 2nd floor. I believe it is the only set to come with bunkbeds. It has sliding "glass" doors on each side of the house and a bell hanging from the outside balcony. The vehicle that came with the set is a 4 seater Jeep. Set also included 2 lounge chairs, 2 captain chairs, BBQ Grill, Picnic Table and 2 benches. The Little people were the standard Green Dad, Blue Mom, Orange Boy and Turquoise Girl. The dog was black with yellow collar. All had Wood Bodies w/Plastic Heads. But I could merely be guessing to all of this :biggrin:

The Play Family A Frame House

http://shutter08.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/11/002/7F/6F/F7/FD/Xlp-w-ecch6M9JtGfMTi-AfyQexm+zuX0300.jpg

[nvmbrsdoom5]

Cool thanks so much for the info. Seeing the pic with the set opened like that, I definitely remember playing with this now. Talk about going waaaaay back into the memory banks with this one, I was 2 in 1975 so it was probably around 2 or 3 that I had this. I'd forgotten about it completely!

What great sets these were, seriously. I can see why any young child would still today enjoy playing with this stuff.

[Megospidey]

I'm envious! I've been trying to find the Ferris Wheel on ebay lately. It's a very difficult piece to get because it has a lot of lithograph detail and fragile parts. Most of the time the lithographs are torn off or the parts are broken. Plus many sellers list the item as complete. Just because they include 4 little people with the set does NOT make it complete. It has to be the correct 4. One of which is very hard to find. So that one is proving to be challenging.

I did just get the cousin to the Ferris Wheel which is the Merry Go Round. It looks beautifully prestine, however it doesn't work. I don't know if I'm brave enough to try and take it apart to fix it.

Going from memory I thought it was 5 - but it may be four. I will take a picture of it tonight and post it.

We'll play "antique roadshow", and you can tell me if they are the correct people or not! :smiley1:

[grayhank]

LOL - It's 5 if you're counting the attached Ferris Wheel Operator Mad boy!

[Megospidey]

Here are some pics of the Ferris Wheel my wife bought at Canton, Texas (First Monday Trade Days) a couple of weeks ago. The little guys are all wood, not plastic. I think she paid $40 for it.

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/834/fplittlepeopleferriswheio9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/7778/fplittlepeopleferriswhezg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/8868/fplittlepeopleferriswherw1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5171/fplittlepeopleferriswhenz4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A couple more of her items. The camper set she found for $30 at a flea market. It comes with the commode, sink, and ladder. The boat was hers as a child.
http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/3347/fpboatandcamper003xh3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/313/fpboatandcamper005xd2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1387/fpboatandcamper001qi1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2803/fpboatandcamper002xf8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[grayhank]

Ok starting with the Ferris Wheel. I'm calling it the second issue from 1967 because it looks like the Ferris Wheel Operator has a blue body. If his body were green the set would be 1st issue. Two of the people are from the first issue set. The Light Blue boy and Red Girl (you actually have two half sets of the 1st issue people because ya gots two of each). The main difference between the 1st issue and the 2nd issue people is the Light Blue Boy would be dark blue for the 2nd issue. You are however missing the green boy w/freckles and a black dog with white ears to make a complete combination. The dog is actually the first version of the little people dog - who kind of looks like a reversed Snoopy (not the type of dogs pictured a couple of posts back).

The 2nd Issue Ferris Wheel Little People:

http://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/gk.jpghttp://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/bb.jpghttp://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/br.jpghttp://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/jv.jpg

Overall the set looks nice but is missing quite a bit of lithographs on the sides of the Ferris Wheel itself. Your "straight bodied" little people appear to be in very nice condition. They are one of the oldest styles. The cap for the Operator would be yellow assuming that's the blue bodied operator.

The Play Family Camper (1973-1976)

http://shutter12.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/07/007/4C/74/BB/9B/oEoVGJ-An0W+2tuswMY2IAXCmSutYbTc0300.jpg

Truck w/Camper
Boat
Motorcycle
BBQ Grill (Red or Yellow)
Umbrella Table (Red/Yellow or Yellow/Red)
Red Table with Hot Dog Lithograph
4 Captain Chairs (2 Red/2 Yellow or 4 Red or 4 Yellow)
Sink
Toilet
Red Ladder (rarist item for complete set)

1st & 3rd Issue People (wood bodies/plastic heads)
Green Dad
Blue Mom
Yellow Boy w/Red Cap & Freckles (Smiling)
Red Girl w/Blonde Bangs
Dog w/Red Collar (blue collar in 2nd Issue set)

4th Issue has all the above (except blue collared dog) with plastic bodies/plastic heads.
__________________________________________

Play Family Happy Houseboat (1972-1976)

http://shutter02.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/07/004/37/1E/33/37/6DyKDBQMZfaMsj34+1-zJhbjqyqjXHGF0300.jpg

Boat w/Upper and Lower Deck (has blue lift flap)
1 Small "Dingy" Boat (blue/white)
2 Yellow Lounge Chairs
2 Red Captain Chairs
1 Red Table w/Lobster Lithograph
1 Yellow BBQ Grill
2 Yellow Life Presevers (Rarist items)

Little people are almost identical to Camper Set People except White Body Dad w/Blue Cap (Considered to be the very first ALL plastic little person). All the other people in the set will have wood bodies/plastic heads or all plastic bodies. Again, the dog either having a red collar or yellow collar in this set.

I'm beginning to think I should write that book after all! Just please NOBODY ask me about the School Bus, my head will probably explode!!!

[Megospidey]

Thanks! Yup, you need to write a book because we had no idea. Thanks for the great information.

[megomonkey]

I've posted this before, but....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1s9MKDrmU

NSFW (language!!!!), but a hillarious use for these guys...

[grayhank]

I'm doing this one just for fun since it is probably the most popular favorite of all the Little People sets! My set is the 1976 version. Regardless of which version you may have, this set contains some of the hardest pieces to acquire so I will list the approximate values on those rare pieces.

The Play Family Castle (1974-1977) Reissued (1988)

http://shutter09.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/15/002/7F/C9/33/61/CO7Lg9fqhuCNevUTGsOl4iW8oiUDgp5F0300.jpg

3 Level Castle with turquoise flag, trapdoor, dungeon, moving staircase, drawbridge over moat, and Dragon's den. The staircase is attached but slides open to reveal hidden chamber. Most castles have scratch damage on the floor lithograph from the staircase.

1 Pink Dragon (must have intact ears - $25.00)
1 Black Horse (must have both ears & tail - $15.00)
1 Brown Horse (must have both ears & tail - $8-10)
1 Horse Carraige (Yellow/White or White/Yellow)
1 Horse Carraige Harness w/scalloped edging (Yellow or White) - Hardest piece to complete set ($15-25).
1 Horse Blanket (Yellow or White)
2 - Large Thrones (Yellow or Red)
2 - Small Thrones (Yellow or Red)
NOTE: All 4 thrones should be the same color.
1 - Round Table w/Fruit Platter Lithograph (Red or Yellow)
1 - Double Bed (Red or Yellow/Bed Foam is opposite color)
2 - Single Beds (Red or Yellow/Bed Foam is opposite color)
NOTE: The Beds and Table should be the same color. In most sets all the furniture was the same color but combinations are acceptable.
SPECIAL NOTE: Nearly every bed in every Fisher Price set used a sponge foam mattress. This foam deteriorates quickly over time. Even if you can find a bed with the original foam it will basically crumble and disolve if touched. I have replaced the foam in nearly all of my sets with a rubber foam. This is the only repro part that is generally acceptable to collectors.

Little People (all wood bodies/plastic heads except the all plastic Knight)

Dark Purple King w/crown
Dark Purple Queen w/White Hair & crown
Turquoise Boy w/crown
Turquoise Girl w/Red Bangs & Crown (*see below for Variant)
Green Woodsman w/Green Cap and Star shaped collar (* see below for Variant)
Knight (always all plastic) ($15.00)

The Castle set was reissued in 1988 as a Classic Edition. The turquoise flag was omitted. All the Little People had plastic bodies/plastic heads. Aside from a color change to the King & Queens body from Dark Purple to a much lighter Magenta, this set contains two unique Variants.

Green Woodsman w/Green Cap - Spade Shaped Hankerchief Scarf.

Turquoise Princess w/Blonde Hair with side buns (Princess Leia Type Hairstyle). (VHTF - $$) This figure is probably the most valuable of all the Plastic Body/Plastic Head Little People. If you have one I WANT IT!!!!

http://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/qb.jpghttp://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/qa.jpghttp://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/jq.jpghttp://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/gvb.jpg

[grayhank]

Turquoise Princess w/Blonde Hair with side buns (Princess Leia Type Hairstyle). (VHTF - $$) This figure is probably the most valuable of all the Plastic Body/Plastic Head Little People. If you have one I WANT IT!!!!

http://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/a-original-lp/1-pics/animals-people/gvb.jpg


WOOHOO!!! I was finally able to get this one today! Cost me $30.00 (Ouch!) But that's what OCD will do to a person :biggrin: