Little People were the brain child of the Fisher Price toy Company. In the early 1930’s Fisher Price developed wood toys that could be pushed or pulled and often squeaked! They then created the toy sets that included the famous Little People. Constructed of all wood with painted happy faces. The toy sets were quite the rage; tall ships, school house, play lot yard, and farms. All with a unique family of little people belonging to each set. I started my collection of Little People some 15 years ago, although I have loved them for much longer. Oh if Little People could talk…I often wonder what would they say! Spanning back over the years I recall my excitement of each find. Didn’t matter if they were missing an eye or an ear…Just felt good to add another one to my collection.
I don’t really care for all the odds and ends that make the Little People more comfortable! The little chairs, cars, tubs, tables, beds and all the rest. My passion is in the Little People only. I’m proud to say I have well over a few hundred Little People in my collection. If not more! I do have doubles and some triples of the same Little People, but I still treasure them all. Fisher Price is my favorite Little People to collect. In the more recent scare of the lead factor inflicted on these toys, I still value their appeal and remain dedicated.
My personal collection is displayed in my home in custom built oak cases. They are colorful and a real conversation piece. I have many Little People from different sources, such as: Shelcore, Avon, Lego, Weeble People, Tyco, and Little Tikes-just to name a few. I have big Little People and even the known hard to find ones. Some of the more favorite ones are the little boy with the pot on his head, the other boy with the sad frown on his face and of course the purple
princess with her 10 point crown. Finding a purple princess without a chewed on crown is a real chore! Children often put the Little People in their mouths and chewed their hats and molded plastic hair. The newer sets are larger than the past sets and also revolve around a theme or type of employment. Many well known charaters have become Little People. This includes: sesame street, mickey mouse, Barney, and even Winnie The Pooh. They all live within my collection.
I’m always on the look out for Little People, at garage sales and on-line sites and auctions. You just never know when you might run into a Little People. I guess I collect them for the fun of it and someday will pass them down to my own child, hoping the collection will stay intact and continue to grow. I do have some farm animals in my collection and even McDonald’s french fries! The Little People don’t seem to mind! They share their shelves with Mr. Potato head and goofy too. My collection has even traveled! They have been displayed in local children based programs. They have been displayed in our local children’s library. They really are famous. Most of all I love them because they are quiet and never talk back!
