Saturday, August 26, 2006

nostalgia

Fisher Price house, inside

Very rarely do I get as enthusiastic response about my thrifted finds as when I score a vintage Fisher Price playset.

It seems to be something that has the ability to instantly transport us back to childhood. We remember favorite toys, yes, but there is another level to childhood memory brought back by the smooth, smiling wooden faces of the Little People. We recall details, like the color of the collar on our dog figurine. The 'moo' of the barn door as it opened. The fat, ribbed bodies of the sheep as they milled about behind white plastic fencing. The detail of our Fisher Price memory is amazing.

It seems as though a great many of us spent a good part of our youth playing with the same beloved toys - which is probably why it is so difficult to find them today in anything other than 'well-loved' condition.
And it makes me smile to find them that way.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh fisher price! My cuz and I spent HOURS with his set... i was always so jealous! we had to protect everyone from the... monster? ... by hiding them in the home.

Rebecca said...

Yup, I had that little house. I had a fire station that went with it. The little dalmation figure was my favorite.

savvycityfarmer said...

Somewhere in the abyss of my basement I still have the "Moo" barn you're speaking of...love you finds all of them.

AnneMarie said...

I kept.. or rather my mom did... a bunch of FP toys. I gave my kids the old school house for Christsmas to play with.. I have the playground equipment for them to play with too :)
I kept a bunch of my old toys and they play with them.. more loving for more toys :) gotta love nostalgia!