To multiple generations, they are nostalgia personified

Nostalgia personified is perhaps the most concise way to describe the appeal of vintage Fisher-Price toys. Today Fisher-Price has become a household name, with annual sales of more than $1 billion, but it was a very different world 77 years ago when company founders introduced their “16 hopefuls.”

Fisher-Price was founded at a rather inopportune time—just a year into the Great Depression. But the East Aurora, N.Y., company, founded by Herman Fisher, Irving Price and Helen Schelle, was focused on making quality wood pull toys—now famously known for their colorfully paper-lithographed bodies.

The “16 hopefuls” included a tuxedoed duck (Dr. Doodle) and his bonneted companion, Granny Doodle, as well as a menagerie of other animals. With their bright colors and whimsical movement, the pull toys were instantly attractive to children.

“Everybody laughs when they see a Dr. Doodle pulled and his head goes up and down. They’re timeless in their appeal,” said 30-year collector Bruce Fox, a senior director of sales at Fisher-Price. He calls the toys’ simplicity and whimsical designs “a lost art—something you can’t reproduce today.”

Although the Bliss company used paper-on-wood lithography on its toys and dollhouses decades before Fisher-Price was even in business, Fisher-Price toys had a distinctive look and style of lithography for their timeframe. “They were different from anything else that was made here,” said Tommy Sage Jr., general manager of Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa.

The lithography created a dynamic and lively personality on a simplistic wood toy. And the toys’ personalities have continued to drive the vintage market, which attracts new collectors with each passing year. In terms of Fisher-Price, vintage is typically defined as pre-World War II toys.

While there’s no shortage of people looking for vintage Fisher-Price, there is a shortage of the toys themselves. Production on some of the earlier models was limited—often one year or less—and the pull toys of the 1930s and 1940s were often well used by their young owners, so very few early pieces have survived. Even fewer retain their rare original boxes.

With toys made of such ephemeral material as paper and wood, condition is key to value. Ripped or missing paper, missing parts or pieces, and broken mechanisms greatly detract from a toy’s value.

“To find the pre-World War II stuff in good condition is very desirable,” said Sage, who has seen many examples of Fisher-Price finery hit the auction block at Morphy. “Most of the ones we’ve sold have come out of a few select collections.”

In fact, the company holds the record price realized at auction for a Fisher-Price toy. At a sale a few years ago, they sold an extremely rare 1936 Pushcart Pete for $14,375. Interestingly, the toy was an early painted and enameled piece, not one of the more familiar paper lithographed pieces. That, Sage said, ultimately added to its rarity.

“When you get a pristine, rare Fisher-Price toy from the 1930s, it’s big money,” said Fox, who has published one of the only reference works available on the toys—Fisher-Price Historical, Rarity, and Value Guide, 1931-Present 3rd Edition (Krause Publications, 2002). “Big money” could mean four figures for certain early toys. Dr. Doodle, which sold for $3 in 1931, is one of the most elusive early toys. Fox said it could bring $1,500 to $2,000 in mint/boxed condition.

Morphy Auctions has recorded astounding prices for other whimsical Fisher-Price pull toys. At a 2004 auction, a 1935 Penelope the Performing Penguin sold for $3,025, even with a nonfunctioning motor. In the same sale, a Dr. Doodle brought $2,200; a 1931 Bunny Scoot commanded $4,313; and a Donald Duck Chick Cart sold for $1,100. The latter is an example of the marriage of the Disney name with the Fisher-Price brand, which has proved to be fortuitous for all involved, including consignors reaping the financial benefits of these crossover collectibles.

The earliest Disney Fisher-Price toy was the 1935 Mickey Mouse Band, which featured Mickey Mouse standing on a platform and moving his arms to beat a drum; the cymbal rested on the end of Pluto’s tail. It came with an 18-inch stick, which was used to push the toy.

While Disney Fisher-Price toys tend to sell for a little more than unlicensed generic pieces, Sage said it is “more often than not, Fisher-Price collectors who buy them.”

Fox believes the current market for vintage Fisher-Price has stabilized. “I think everything’s down now based on the economy,” he said. “I do think that things are undervalued right now,” but added that a few top collectors seeking the true rarities sometimes can drive prices up.’

“There are more collectors getting into the high end. It’s strictly a matter of numbers,” Fox said. “You don’t have an unlimited amount (of toys).”

Still, despite avid seekers and waning supply, the Fisher-Price name won’t likely be forgotten anytime soon. “Everybody associates with it,” said Sage.

Fox agreed. “It’s a multigenerational thing, and the brand name has been ensconced for generations...it warms the cockles of your heart.”

Remember the little people?

“It’s hard to put into words exactly why Fisher-Price has such timeless charm. Perhaps it’s the bright colors and smiles. Maybe it’s the cute miniature versions of society. Perhaps it’s reasons too numerous to list. In any case, Fisher-Price truly does have the power to brighten a rainy day.”

That point of view, expressed on the Fisher-Price Collectors Club’s Web site articulates just what so many people love about Fisher-Price. And while many FPCC members avidly seek the vintage prewar toys, others have an affinity for the post-1960s toys, especially those known as the “Little People.”

The range was introduced at Toy Fair in 1959—the same year Barbie debuted. The thumb-size painted-wood characters made their first appearance in the Safety School Bus. That familiar yellow piece, complete with all six people, could sell for $250 or more mint/boxed.

“Little People have an appeal, and always will, because of the nature of the beast,” said longtime Fisher-Price collector and author Bruce Fox. “It’s a brand that’s 50 years old, and they’re also very affordable. I think they’ll always be collectible.”

In the 1960s, Little People were given other modes of transportation, including a station wagon, fire truck and train. By the latter part of that decade, Little People—as well as most Fisher-Price toys—were being produced in plastic, ushering in a new age for the company as well as for collectors.

Today, while many postwar Fisher-Price toys are readily found and affordable, there is renewed interest in the Fisher-Price Little People—those made entirely of wood are the most coveted—as well as 1960s-1970s plastic playsets, such as the omnipresent 1960s red barn and the 1970s airport.

Some sets can bring several hundred dollars in complete mint/boxed condition. Better start scouting around for your old school bus!