Little People

"Discovery City" redirects here. For the ghost town in British Columbia, see Discovery City, British Columbia.
For other uses, see Little people (disambiguation).
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 preschoolers ages 6–36 months and to ages 3 and up, originally produced by Fisher-Price in the 1960s as the Play Family People. The current product line consists of playsets, mini-sets and accessories, books, CDs, VHS tapes, music cassette tapes, and DVDs focusing on various configurations of nine characters named Eddie, Sarah Lynn, Maggie, Michael, Sonya Lee, Tessa, Mia, Koby and Sofie. Mattel reports that since the brand's launch, over 2-billion Little People figures have been sold in over 60 countries.[1]

The "Little People" name, registered and trademarked by Fisher-Price in 1985, came from Fisher-Price following the lead of consumers who referred to the early Play Family playsets as "those little people".[2]

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). Following the success of this toy, in 1952 and 1953 Fisher-Price developed the "Super-Jet" and "Racing Rowboat".

Another early Little People precursor, the "Safety School Bus", was introduced in 1959. The set included a school bus together with six independent figures made out of tall skinny 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". The Nifty Station Wagon came with two adult figures and one child figure, thus the first "Play Family" was born. 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 happy face of the traditional Little People debuted 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 various 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 following, 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 middle 1970s, Fisher-Price produced the Sesame Street town, with various Sesame Street stores, a bridge with stop lights and Sesame Street characters such as Bert, Ernie, and the only Little People toys that have been modeled after 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.

Chunky Little People

In 1988, Marvel Productions made an animated series of 5 Little People videos such as Favorite Songs, 3 Favorite Stories, A Visit to the Farm, Jokes Riddles and Rhymes and Christmas Fun, which were released by New World Video. This video series centered around two children named Timmy and Penny and their Baby Sister, their parents, and their dog Lucky. In 1991, the Original Little People figures were redesigned for younger 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. A book published in 1986 by Edward Swartz titled Toys That Kill prominently featured a trio of original Little People figures on the cover. 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 birthday with the reintroduction 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 movement. The Little People characters were given distinct personalities and voices in a Stop motion animated video and DVD series in 1999 with Aaron Neville singing the theme song.

List of Fisher Price Little People Episodes and Videos: 140 Episodes Total 6 Music Videos Total

Vol 1. Big Discoveries (Animals And Friends DVD)

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

Vol 2. Christmas Discoveries

Michael And The Bears, Sonya Lee Makes New Friends, Eddie's Christmas Surprise, Sarah Lynn's Saves Christmas, Maggie's Gift Of Music

Vol. 3 Discovering Animals (Animals And Friends DVD)

Trading Places, Happy Birthday To Zoo, Faster Than A Speeding Frog, Sarah Lynn At The Circus, Michael's Magical Night

Vol 4. Discovering Things That Go (Neighborhood Adventures DVD)

Eddie's Big Race, Sonya Lee And The Super Sundae, Maggie Brings The Mail, The Wheels On The Boat, The Parade Of Wheels

Vol 5. Discovering Music (Creativity Collection DVD)

Sarah Lynn Shares A Song, Eddie Finds The Beat, Sonya Lee Sings, Michael Helps The Harmony, Maggie's Musical Masterpiece

Vol 6. Discovering Seasons (Fun To Learn Collection DVD)

Sonya Lee And The Season Of Spring, Water, Water Everywhere, The Big Blue Ribbon, Eddie And The Super Skates, The Season Of Friendship

Vol 7. Discovering Creativity (Creativity Collection DVD)

One, Two, Three, Draw!, Big, Bigger, Biggest, The Musical Mobile, When Flowers Fly, Picture Perfect

Vol 8. Discovering Friendship (Friendship Collection DVD)

The Big Bike, Friends Forever, Smile, Smiley, Smile, Michael's Mystery, Sarah Lynn's Best Friends

Vol 9. Discovering Storytime (Storytime Collection DVD)

Eddie And The Cornstalk, The Frogly Duckling, Hansel Eddie And Sarah Gretel, The Monkey Who Cried Elephant, Sonya Had A Little Lamb

Vol 10. Discovering Numbers (Fun To Learn Collection DVD)

Sarah Lynn's Counting Song, Freddie's Froggy Family, How Much Is Too Much?, All Sorts Of Flavors, Follow That Sheep

Vol 11. Discovering Your Neighborhood (Neighborhood Adventures DVD)

All Washed Up, Patrick's Busy Day, Up, Up And Away, Where There's Smokey, The Junk's Not Trash

Vol 12. Movie Night At Farmer Jed's (Storytime Collection DVD)

Friends Helping Friends, The Fast And The Froggy, Feathered And Furry Friends, Sarah Lynn's Sing-Along, Before Your Very Eyes

Vol 13. How They Became Friends (Friendship Collection DVD)

When Eddie Met Freddie, Maggie Moves In, The Mystery Of Sonya Lee, Michael's Amazing Gift, The Legend Of Farmer Jed

Vol. 14. Discovering More Music (Musical Stories DVD)

Bang, Boom, Bonk, The String's The Thing, Come Blow Your Horn, Sweet Tweet, Strike Up The Band

Vol. 15. Discovering Happy Memories (Musical Stories DVD)

A Boy And His Frog, Sonya Lee's Nice Nature, Sarah Lynn's Sweetest Friend, Michael's Happy Go Round, Maggie's Helping Hands

Vol. 16. Discovering The ABC's (ABC Stories DVD)

Sing A Song Of Letters, P Is For Parrot, Michael's Capital Idea, I.O.U. A Vowel, Time For A Rhyme

Vol. 17. Discovering Our Five Senses (ABC Stories DVD)

Do You See What I See, The Nose Knows, A Crunch In Every Bunch, Sarah Lynn's Soft Touch, I Hear A Memory

Vol. 18. Discovering Good Manners (Good Manners DVD)

Me First, No Thanks, The Last Laugh, Promises Promise's, Favor For A Friend

Vol. 19. Discovering Helping Others (Good Manners DVD)

Up A Tree, Zoo For You, The Big Jam, A Grand Helping Hand, Treats For The Town

Vol. 20. Discovering More Animals (Animal Stories DVD)

The Big Bounce, The New Zoo Switcheroo, Brother Goose, Lighter Than Air, Carnival For The Animals

Vol. 21. Discovering Our Environment (Animal Stories DVD)

The Great Indoors, The Litter Bug, Every Little Drop, The Big Box Of Make-Believe, How Does Your Garden Grow

Vol. 22. Discovering Shapes And Colors (Creative Ideas DVD)

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

Vol. 23. Discovering More Creativity (Creative Ideas DVD)

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

Vol. 24. Discovering Lil' Kingdom Castle (The Lil' Kingdom DVD)

All The King's Horses, Queen For The Day, Eddie And the Dragon, Once Upon A Pumpkin, Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

Vol. 25. Discovering Lil' Kingdom Fair (The Lil' Kingdom DVD)

Follow The Bouncing Ball, Do, Re, Mi Makes Three, What Goes Up, Easy As Pie, Fit For A King

Vol. 26. Discovering More About Your Neighborhood (Adventures In Discovery City DVD)

Dough On The Go, The Big Building, Maggie's Merry Mix-Up, Doctor, Doctor, More Trees Please

Vol. 27. Discovering More Things That Go (Adventures In Discovery City DVD)

Hi Diddley Hay, The Grand Sand Castle, My Mess Is Your Mess, Rasing The Roof, Every Little Voice

{C.G.I.} Zoo Talkers - See Who's At The Zoo

See Who's At The Zoo

{C.G.I.} Wheelies - Zig's Big Adventure

Zig's Big Adventure, Eddie And The Mystery Driver

{C.G.I.} Meet the Little People Friends

Mia - "If You're Shy", Koby - "Silly All Day", Sofie - "Art Makes Me Smart", Tessa - "You Don't Have to Be a Girl to Twirl", Eddie - "Zoom, Boing, Boom!", Flower Power, Farm Feet, Special Feature - "Meet the Little People"

Little People A to Z Learning Zoo

In 2007, Little People produced the 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 huge step for the company because now education is infused in their product.

Television series

During March 2016 in Canada on Family Jr. a television series based on the toys by HiT Entertainment of DHX Media began airing.[3]

Cartoon Network UK's sister pre-school channel Cartoonito will premiere the Little People TV series on April 11, 2016.[4]

Characters

Crew

For HIT Entertainment:

Episodes

Season 1

Each airs in a 15-minute block and is 11 minutes without commercial breaks.

  1. Teamwork Takes Talent![5] debuted 14 March 2016[6]
  2. Imagination Cures the Blues! debuts 21 March 2016 at 3:55 PM EST[7]
  3. Proud to Be You and Me! debuts 21 March 2016 at 4:10 PM EST[8]
  4. Better Lean to Wait Your Turn! debuts 28 March 2016 at 3:55 PM EST[9]
  5. The Right (and Left) Stuff debuts 28 March 2016 at 4:10 PM EST[10]

In popular culture

The Robot Chicken episode Midnight Snack aired a sketch with Little People by using stop motion animation and dubbed voices.

Sources

References

  1. ↑ Coopee, Todd. "Fisher Price Little People". ToyTales.ca.
  2. ↑ Tricia Cruz (2009-03-27). "Celebrating 50 years of "Little People"". WIVB.com.
  3. ↑ "DHX Television Offers Family Channel Networks on Free Preview Beginning Today". 1 March 2016. New to Family Jr. during the free preview is the debut of the Little People series from Mattel and a special presentation of the brand new CGI-animated series Rainbow Ruby
  4. ↑ "Boomerang UK And Cartoonito UK April 2016 Highlights". RegularCapital.com. Turner Broadcasting System Europe (Press Release). Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Little People". RogersOnDemand.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "549 FAMJR / 1549 FAMFJHD". Bell.Ca. Retrieved 20 March 2016. (subscription required (help)). The gang enters a talent contest and wins by playing together cooperatively.
  7. ↑ "549 FAMJR / 1549 FAMFJHD". Bell.Ca. Retrieved 20 March 2016. (subscription required (help)). Tessa helps a sloth overcome his boredom and discovers how to cure her own boredom in the process.
  8. ↑ "549 FAMJR / 1549 FAMFJHD". Bell.Ca. Retrieved 20 March 2016. (subscription required (help)). Sofie gets caught in a fib and learns it is best to always tell the truth.
  9. ↑ "549 FAMJR / 1549 FAMFJHD". Bell.Ca. Retrieved 20 March 2016. (subscription required (help)). Mia learns how to wait her turn from a pushy octopus.
  10. ↑ "549 FAMJR / 1549 FAMFJHD". Bell.Ca. Retrieved 20 March 2016. (subscription required (help)). Koby overcomes his shyness and learns to ask for help.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, May 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.