Thursday, May 16, 2013

"come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination.."

“I think all toys should be invisible. Not only would they improve children’s imaginations, but they’d also be really affordable. In fact, every toy would be free.”
― Jarod Kintz, $3.33


      My sister and I were texting the other night when she mentioned Fisher- Price Little People. As a child Little People were the best entertainment in the universe. Obviously, they were fabulous toys but they were powered by pure imagination to make all the possibilities come to life. Recently, I discovered the Little People Castle on eBay ( http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_kw=VINTAGE+FISHER+PRICE+PLAY+FAMILY+CASTLE+LITTLE+PEOPLE) being sold for over two hundred fifty dollars. Of all the Little People sets , the castle was my favorite.  The castle set came complete with knight in shining armor, king, queen, prince, princess, horse and carriage, carriage driver who I named "Pierre" and a winged dragon that was lost in the yard the first week. It was an unforgettable gift when I was four and one of the most amazing presents my parents ever bought me. Countless hours were spent inventing stories and adventurous escapades alone or with my sisters. The first Little People set I received was the super cool airport with a giant plane that seated six Little People passengers. It was so neat even my Dad, the Cessna pilot and Air Force veteran wanted to play with it too. I guess all parents buy their children toys they want to play with. One year I received the school which had a real chalkboard and magnetic letters you could stick on your refrigerator. My sister Laurie,  who is now a  teacher may have been influenced by it's uniqueness. This was followed by the bustling Little People Village with race cars, a fire station, police station and barbershop. My niece had the Little People House and farm. Sometimes my Mom and sisters would set up a miniature city for me using our entire living room space.  Inside, outside, in the car, the store, the bathtub, show'n'tell at school, wherever I went, Little People came with me. Everyone has a favorite toy from their childhood whether is was Barbie dolls, My Little Pony (right, Steve?)Lego's, Tonka Trucks or Matchbox cars. And now if I wanted to spend two hundred dollars I could play with the castle again but I'm just going to hold on to my own precious memories and fondly reminisce for awhile. Below is a link to a Buzzfeed article featuring photo's of  Fisher- Price Little People. If you loved them as much as I did, enjoy a blast from the past!!http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/22-awesome-fisher-price-little-people-playsets-you-wish-you