Years of fun & games
Toy giant Fisher-price still a player
The oldest
Dr Doodle and
Granny Doodle were among the very first toys created by Fisherprice. Granny was a wooden pull-along duck who waddled, bobbed her head and quacked. She originally sold for one dollar in the US, but it wasn’t until
1933 that
Harrods became the first store outside
America to stock Fisher-price toys.
The first cult toy
In 1938 the firm created Snoopy Sniffer which became the toy sensation of the year. When pulled along the wooden dog moved all four feet, had a spring tail and made a woof-woof sound. He remained one of the firm’s most popular toys for 44 years, selling more than five million.
The Little People
The Looky Fire Truck inspired what would become one of the world’s most popular toys – the Little People.
Created in 1959, the toy designers noticed that at testing sessions kids would try to remove the firefighters’ round heads from the truck – but they were permanently attached. They decided to take the heads out and make full-bodied figures out of them.
They were originally called the Fisher-price Play Family, but the name was changed after kids went to stores asking for the “little people”. They are still as popular as ever and more than two billion have been sold.
FOR 90 years Fisher-price toys have been keeping kids entertained across the globe.
Herman Fisher thought the world needed better toys that “appeal to the imagination, that do something new and surprising and funny”.
He joined forces with Irving Price and Helen Schelle to create toys that would go on to enchant generations.
From the famous Xylophone and Rock-a-stack, to the Activity Centre and record player, the US company has invented some
Fisher, Schelle and Price
The toys that stood the test of time
In 1957 the firm created three toys which were to become classics – the Corn Popper, Snap-lock beads and the Xylophone. These three toys are still as popular today as they
were back then. of the world’s most memorable playthings. Toy expert Peter Jenkinson says: “From baby boomers to Gen X and Y I think we’ve all had a Fisherprice toy foisted on us at an early age.
“Their Play Lab has played a fundamental part in their success, closely watching kids interacting with toys and each other and fine-tuning toys along the way.”
As the firm celebrates its 90th birthday today, we take a trip down memory lane to look at how its toys have captured the imaginations, and hearts, of millions of children.
Rock n Roll
The Rock-a-stack was introduced in 1960 - brightly coloured rings that teach kids how to stack in order of sizes. More than 52 million of them have been sold and the 2020 version will be 100% recyclable and made from sugar cane.
Chatty babies
The Chatter Telephone was originally named the Talk Back Telephone but its name was changed after parents said they didn’t like the idea of their kids “talking back” to them.
This classic is still on sale but has been updated over the years.
Designers added push buttons – but both adults and kids said they preferred the old-fashioned telephone dial so it was changed
back.
Future DJS
In 1979 the company introduced electronics for kids with the first Fisher-price record player. The following year it introduced a tape recorder. In 2015 Beatbo was launched which allowed parents and kids to record their favourite phrase and remix it into a song.
Thank You Heroes
During the pandemic, Fisher-price’s design teams have been deployed to make face masks. The firm released a line of collectible action figures and Little People Community Champions called “Thank You Heroes”. Profits go to first responders.