This Old Toy's Fisher Price "Little People" History (2024)

This page contains the following sections:

1. The Grand and Glorious History of Little People
2. Identifying and Dating Your Toy
3. Logos and Dating
4. Knock-Off's

Thosespecial guys and gals (and doggies, too) that are referred to by Fisher Price as "Little People" take many shapes and forms. Certainly one of the most successful and well-recognized toy lines ever created, the Litlte People name lives on even to this day (1999), although it must be admitted that the current line offiguresbear only a passing resemblance to their ancestors. Be that as it may, the origins and history of the Little People products is not only interesting, but surely ranks as a classic American success story, and certainly exemplifies the true spirit and character of the company logo "Our Work is Child's Play".

For convenience sake, thefigures referred to as Little People can be broken down intofour main categories and eras. Further details on each of these eras can be found further below.

• The Pre-Little People.........although not considered as Little People at all, these are the figures used onmany different toys in the pre-1959 years that show the first design and style elementsin human figures that would eventually carry over into, and become, the most widely recognized and longest-lived line of toys in modern history.....the Fisher Price Little People.
• The "Original" Little People characters,introduced in 1959 and ending in 1990. Although there are several different styles of these figures that were produced during this period, they are all similar enough to be classified as the "Original" version, and in fact, this is how most collectors and experts refer to them as a group.
• The "Chunky" people. Although still called Little People by Fisher Price, these figures took on a significantly enlarged appearance (abouttwice the overallwidth of the originals) beginning in 1991 and lasting until 1996. Although these figures are not really any taller than the Original line, they are much wider, thus allowing for an-extra measure of child play safety (i.e. they can't be swallowed). Chunky People (as most people refer to them) are bright and colorful and have an increased level of facial detail and features compared to their predecessors.They certainly represent a recognizable evolution from the original figures, thus keeping the Little People toy line "theme" consistent. Many of the playsets, in fact, were restyled versions of the original playsets.
• The "Articulated" people. Like the Energizer Bunny, the Little People line just keeps going, and going, and going. Introduced in 1997, they arestill being made today (1999) and probably will be for some time to come. Although thephysical resemblance to the Original and the Chunky line of figures is weak, with a little imagination and effort (and of course,by the label on the box!), there's no denying that these guys and gals (and animals, too) can truthfully wear the Little People name with pride. Curiosuly enough, these characters have shrunk in overall size (compared to theChunky People) and closely approach the overall dimensions of the Original figures. They are also much more detailed and colorful, as well as (for the first time)having distinct body limbs (arms and legs), whichneither the Originals nor the Chunky versions did (well, one---and only one figure did---before you look here, do you know which one it is?). In additon, they are made of a softer rubber-like material than any of the previous versions.........they're "squishable". By the way, the word "articulated" actually means "having jointed segments", and although that's not the correct term to use in describing these figures, it's close enough (they have distinct limbs), andthe name does serve well in distinguishing thistype ofLittle People from the previous styles.

The first signs of the Little People concept (thepeoplethemselves) really begins all the way back in 1932 with the creation of the #600 Woodsey Cart toys. There were six different version of thistoy, with each one basically being a wooden hay-cart harnessed to a wooden animalfigure (either an elephant, a bear, a lion, a pony, a dog, or a clown). On the top of the cart is a segmented wooden figure who "drives" the animal/cart unit, and it is this figure that previews the overall appearance of what was to one day become the Original Little People line. Made for one year only....they were obviously not that popular back then!.....they were the only human-like forms that resemble the later Little People that were made by Fisher Price for the next 18 years. Then, beginning in 1950, we begin to see more and more toys introduced that builds upon this original design......the most popular being the #7 Looky Fire Truck. In this very popular toy, you can really see the fundamental shape, size, and facial features of what was to become, almost a decade later, the "Original" Little People. Following the success of this toy, the company quickly developed the #415 Super-Jet and the ever-popular #730 Racing Rowboat toys, both of which were for sale during 1952-53. More toys followed, developing upon the same theme and style, all of which culminated with the introduction, in 1959, of the #983 Safety School Bus, which not only carried on the same tradition of human character features, but also, for the first time, had figures that were removable from their vehicles, thus greatly increasing their play potential and possibilities. The rest, of course, is history!

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. You can get more information on the Little People Body Styles page for the complete low-down on this subject, but for right now here's the basic breakdown:

The Chunky Little People....more commonly referred to as "Chunky People" or just "Chunkies"......were introduced in 1991. 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. There were many incidents of small children choking on small toys (or toy parts) during the 1980's that led to "watchdog" groups that evaluated and informed parents of the dangers involved with certain toy designs. The Fisher Price Original Little People products were no exception. In fact, a popular book of that time that dealt with these issues was titled "Toys That Kill" and prominently featured on its cover a trio of Original Little People figures on the cover. Published in 1986 by Edward Swartz (it's now out-of-print), it most certainly provided the motivation for Fisher Price to re-design their most popular Little People line to something more "acceptable"........and thus the Chunkies wereborn!

And finally there are the current version of the Little People line, alive and still kicking as the21st century begins. Smaller in size than the Chunkies, but slightly larger than the Originals, these "soft" hard-rubber figures have a great level of detail and color to them, making them a worthy replacement and continuation of the Little People heritage. With their colorful appearance and greater level of anatomical detail, they will proudly carry the Little People into the new century with pride and success; after all, they are still Little People!

For more information on the Little People figures and other character figures made by Fisher Price over the years, please zoom on over to our Fisher-Price People types pages to see and read all aboutit!

Here's a real can of worms........are you ready?

If you're trying to determine the identity of a particular toy, there are a few tricks that you can use.

First, you must determine the Fisher Price Model Number of the toy. The model number is either printed on one of the lithos, or is cast or stamped into the bottom of many wood or plastic base toys, and can be up to a 5-digit number. If your toy is a doll, the model number is printed onto the "care instructions" tag that is sewn onto the doll (normally on the bottom side; many times it's completely faded from use though). Once you have this model number, then go to our TOYS BY MODEL NUMBER area and select the appropriate model number range and find the particular toy that corresponds to the model number you have. NOTE: there are many instances where a Model Number was used more than once; for example, the #104 was first used in 1931 for the "Lookee Monk" pulltoy, then in 1971-72 for the game set "Animal Scrabble Set", and finally again in 1981-on for the Music Box "Allouette".

So, let's say you've identified the proper Model Number, and it's an item that was made for a number of years.....such as the #991 Circus Train (1973-1986). Which year was "your" toy made? The best way is to look at the "date code" of manufacture that Fisher-Price started using in the early '70's. This is a small letter and number that is molded into the plastic. This letter and number is usually on the bottom or back of plastic base toys. We have found that this date code works perfectly on all Little People airplanes, such as the #182 Airplane, #183 Funjet, the plane used in the #996 airport, etc. It also works perfectly on the Little People plastic barn bases, and on Little People train engines. This date code doesn't seem to work for ALL toys, though. We have a #944 Lift & Load Lumber Yard that has "S4" molded into the bottom of the base, according to the chart below, this means it was made in October 1974. This date is improbable since the #944 wasn't sold until 1979. Therefore, please be careful when using these date codes:

If your toy has one of the letters mentioned in the chart above (A-X) and a number (0-9), then this date code may help you to identify the exact year and month that your toy was made. The letter represents the month, and the number represents the last digit of the year that the toy was made. Therefore, if you have a #996 Airport airplane and it has "D4" on the bottom, then that airplane was made in April 1974. Likewise, if you have a #915 plastic base barn and it has "T4" on the bottom of the base, then you know it was made in November 1984.

Please note that this date code system does not seem to apply to everything. If your toy is pre-1970, or it doesn't have a date code, then there is NO OTHER WAY to precisely determine the year that the toy was made. Well, unless the toy was made during a period in which one of the logos (below) was changed, or there was some significant visual change to the toy during those years (which is noted in our listings). Sorry, we know that's not the answer you want to hear, but it's true.

Also, beware: most toys that have the model number printed on a litho (or a sewn tag) also have a copyright date. The copyright date is NOT the date the toy was made; in fact, the copyright date normally proceeds the first year of production by 1-2 years (example: the 915 Farm has a copyright date of 1967 and it was introduced in 1968).

AND, to add to your confusion, consider this: as is standard within the auto industry, many toys are "introduced" during the calender year prior to their "model year". For example: the "1999" Chevrolet Camaro actually goes on-sale in September, 1998. This same practice is common in the toy biz: some (but not all) new toys are "introduced" during the previous calender-year. So a "new-for-1976" model toy may actually have been in the stores for the 1975 Holiday selling season (October-December).......since this season accounts for almost 50% of yearly toy sales, the manufacturers and retailers are always anxious to make the newest, latest, and greatest toys available during this buying frenzy. However, the toy never appeared in a "1975" catalog, only in the manufacturer's 1976 toy-line catalog (where it would be shown as "new for 1976")........which means, of course, that the "1976" catalog was actually produced sometime in 1975!

Think of it in this way:

Imitation, they say, is the greatest form of flattery. And though that may be true, in the case of copyright or trademark-protected products, it is also illegal.

Like so many other succesful, market-leading companies, Fisher Price has had its share of unauthorized competitors. Sometimes it takes the form of a "me-too" product........very similar to the original, but different enough (upon close inspection) to not infringe on any legal rights of the originator.

And then there's the pure unadulterated fakes...........such as the Illco "little riders" vehicles and the Mexican "JP" Company products such as the #146 Pull-Along Lacing Shoe and many others. Some, like the Mexican JP products, are easy to distinguish from the real ones.........the wording is all in Spanish...........while others, like the Illco vehicles and some Little People figures take a trained eye to distinguish. So, as always, "caveat emptor".............let the buyer beware!

Of course, if you're still confused, frustrated, or baffled, always feel free to write to us at info@thisoldtoy.com and we'll always be happy to try to assist you in any way possible!