If you’ve ever been in the vicinity of a small child, you’ve probably tripped over something made by Fisher-Price. Founded in 1930, the company has specialized in imagination-stirring diversions for tots. Check out 11 facts about things that would make any toddler drool.
Herman Fisher was a salesman who wanted to raise the bar for toy quality in the 1930s, but a bid to buy the toy firm he was vice president and general manager of, All Fair Toys in Rochester, failed. While touring the company offices in East Aurora, New York, town mayor Irving Price liked Fisher’s pitch to craft better, more imaginative playthings. He decided to back Fisher’s dream with $100,000 in raised capital. By the mid-1930s, the company was booming.
2. Fisher-Price probably should have been called Fisher-Price-Schelle.
Helen Schelle was a toy store manager and designer in Binghamton, New York who worked for Fisher’s old toy firm. When Fisher-Price was founded, Schelle was named secretary and treasurer, contributing product ideas and helping to conceive of their initial launch of 16 toys. Even more importantly, she had valuable contacts in the industry that helped the start-up get on its feet. On their website, Fisher-Price offers a conciliatory note about her absence in the company name: “Sorry, Helen.”
Fisher-Price had great success with a series of string-pulled wooden toys that would bob their heads or move when tugged, but none had more impact [PDF] than the Snoopy Sniffer, a charming beagle introduced in 1938 that kept his nose to the ground when trailing behind his owner. “Snoopy” was apparently a popular dog name of the era: It pre-dated Charles Schulz's famous Peanuts comic strip by 12 years.
4. Fisher-Price made military equipment.
World War II brought a change in priorities for many manufacturers, and Fisher-Price was no exception. The company ceased production of nearly all their toys during wartime, instead using their resources to make ammunition crates, medical chests, and parts for combat planes [PDF].
Fisher-Price
In 1961, Fisher-Price decided to formalize what most toy companies should have already known: Focus group testing should consist of subjects with poop in their pants. Their Play Lab invites kids to interact with new product designs to assess their playability, ease of use, and creative spark. Roughly 1200 ideas are tested every year.
Most Depression-era toys were made out of wood or tin. But after World War II, when veterans returned home eager to establish a quiet domestic life, they created the housing boom and wood became scarce. Fisher-Price began experimenting with plastic by making the wings of their Buzzy Bee pull toy out of the material. By the end of the 1950s, half of their toys were made with the easily-sculpted stuff, which would grow to dominate the toy industry.
The tiny, stylized plastic population of Fisher-Price’s playsets were originally affixed to toys and not removable. But with the arrival of the Safety Bus in 1959, kids could take out the passengers and imagine all kinds of possible activities with them. (The driver, however, stayed put.) It inspired the company to create an entire line of sets with the mobile, chunky-headed figures, although diversity took a little while to arrive: The first black Little People figure wasn’t introduced until the 1970s.
8. The Fisher-Price Little People Farm once lost its moo.
For a brief period, the company’s trademark farm playset removed the familiar moo sound that triggered when kids opened the tiny barn doors. According to Fisher-Price, the change led to “udder outrage” by parents; the sound was quickly reinserted.
Fisher-Price’s PXL-2000 camcorder stretched the company’s typical demographic by targeting teenage consumers who wanted an inexpensive ($100) video camera during the camcorder craze of the late 1980s. Recording images on audio cassette tape, the picture captured on a PXL-2000 is a bit of a pixelated mess, and there were so many technical issues that the company quickly discontinued it. While kids weren’t happy, the sketchy image was the kind of avant-gardefilter embraced by artists. Dubbed “Pixelvision,” it was used by filmmakers in the fine art world for moody tone pieces. On May 19, you can attend the 25th annual PXL THIS film festival at Los Angeles' Echo Park Film Center.
10. Fisher-Price acquired the Corn Popper for just $50.
Spend any amount of time in a toddler-occupied household and you’ve probably heard the familiar tock-tock-tock of the company’s Corn Popper, a two-wheeled contraption that bounces balls around in a sealed dome at irritating decibels. Fisher-Price acquired the rights from designer Arthur Holt for $50 in 1957.
The next time you’re at a yard sale, keep an eye out for Push Cart Pete, one of the company’s earliest pull toys made out of Ponderosa pine. Debuting in 1936, it’s rare enough to command $9500 on the collectible market. If you can find a Donald and Donna Duck pair from 1937—Fisher-Price licensed Disney characters early on—you could score $5000.
The tiny, stylized plastic population of Fisher-Price's playsets were originally affixed to toys and not removable. But with the arrival of the Safety Bus in 1959, kids could take out the passengers and imagine all kinds of possible activities with them.
The Corn Popper was invented in 1957 by Arthur Holt, and sold to Fisher-Price for $50. The Corn Popper is one of the most popular toys for young children in history, and was designed to help them learn to walk.
In 1931, three of the four founders took 16 of their wooden toys to the American International Toy Fair in New York City and they quickly became a success. The first Fisher-Price toy ever sold was "Dr.Doodle" in 1931.
In 1931, Herman Fisher, Irving Price & Helen Schelle embarked on a journey to change the toy industry. Their goal: create playthings that inspire a child's development (but are also fun). More than 90 years later, Fisher-Price remains deeply rooted in the belief that play is the way children learn best.
In 1985, Fisher-Price trademarked "Little People" and formally changed the name of the brand. 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.
The heads of the Donald Duck and Daisy Duck figures can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. Parents and consumers are encouraged to take those figures away from their children. Fisher-Price will send each consumer a pre-paid return label to return the two figures and receive a $10 refund.
He was a head researcher at Manhattan's International Hospital. His experience in the medical field helped him to get ideas for his writing on mystery, and it helped him to create illustrations of the human body. Fisher completed an internship at Freedman's Hospital in one year during 1925.
While many consider corn a vegetable, it's actually both a grain and a fruit. Sweet corn cobs always have an even number of rows. The tallest sweet corn plant ever recorded was 35 feet and 3 inches. An acre of corn eliminates 8 tons of carbon dioxide from our air.
Founded in 1930 and headquartered in East Aurora, New York, Fisher-Price has been a favorite for generations of kids and parents with classic toys like Little People play sets, the Corn Popper, and the Chatter Telephone, among many others, and popular contemporary lines like Linkimals, Wonder Makers, Power Wheels, and ...
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Kültepe Kaniş-Karum have discovered a 4,000 year old ceramic rattle, which they believe to be the oldest children's toy yet discovered.
A number of other products designed for babies and children have been recalled in recent years. Millions of infant swings and rockers were recalled last August for "entanglement and strangulation hazards" after one child died and another was injured.
Ynon Kreiz serves as the CEO / President of Fisher-Price. Steve Christman serves as the VP Finance of Fisher-Price. Cole Racho serves as the VP Sales of Fisher-Price. Lauren duch*ene serves as the VP, Global Brand Marketing & Design of Fisher-Price.
In 1984, Fisher-Price introduced a logo incorporating the red awning design it had featured on its packaging since 1960. Originally used as a secondary variant, it became the company's main logo around 1994.
The Fisher-Price Little People Toys (also called the Play Family) were produced from around the late 1950's until current times. The toys made from the beginning up until 1990 are known as the classic Little People toys, and they are the ones most valued by collectors.
Born with severe astigmatism, Fisher didn't let poor eyesight hold him back, though it did lead to him to drop-out of school when he was 12. Regardless, his promotional genius was apparent. He taught himself to run backwards faster than most could run forward.
The name “fisher” likely stems from a lost-in-translation corruption of the French fur-trappers name for them centuries ago. To them, our native weasel's fur appeared similar to European polecat (a wild ferret) fur for which the French word is fichet or ficheux. Fishers are very capable predators.
He studied English and then Biology. While at Brown he became a successful orator, winning many competitions including the inter-collegiate oratory contest at Harvard University. Fisher graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi.
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