In all my years of collecting things like a pin-point-pupiled, slobbering maniac, I've never really understood why this madness takes me over, when that madness is going to hit and what will be the subject of my frantic eBay searches and dreams of epic scores.
But it's happened again, kids. The seed was first planted back in October, during my last toy show adventure, where I spotted a few of those adorable little peg-bodied folks known as the Fisher-Price Little People. Like any kid that spent a good chunk of their childhood in the 1970s, Fisher-Price Little People were a major part of my early play, specifically for me the Sesame Street playset and the Medieval Castle set. Of course, I had a handful of other random characters from this world and remember even more from friends' and cousins' personal collections, and considering how many fond memories I had of these toys, It's actually pretty surprising I have just now gotten around to collecting them.
Well, I didn't buy any during the toy show and I'm suspecting that this is a major ingredient to my toy obsessions; kicking myself for not buying them when I saw them. Soon I was looking them up online and trolling eBay. Well, after himmimg and hawing over it, i finally took the plunge and left my Paypal account smoking in the aftermath.
And here they are, my first (as an adult collector) Fisher-Price Little People...
It all started with this little smiling pooch right here...
Out of all of the fisher-Price Little People I had as a kid, he was always my favorite and was hung onto long after my interest in such "baby toys" faded in place of Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Masters of the Universe. Incidentally, a little fun toy trivia for you, his name is Lucky and he comes with red, blue, yellow or (the rather rare) white collars. There was also a super cute Dalmatian version of him (all versions of which I plan on hunting down).
I have so far grabbed only two lots (a third one of clowns is on its way as I write this), and in these lots I've managed to score such characters as the blond policewoman, the white-hatted fireman (I always found it weird that they had arms), a blond lady in a blue dress and the classic smiling kid with wispy orange hairs.
Also, I scored this brilliant African-American family (I love her hair!), which is a testament to how forward thinking Fisher-Price was back in the late '60s onward.
Less racially sensitive is the "Indian Chief" below (oh man, that nose), but times were different.
Heading up the mustache brigade in my newborn collection is the Circus ringmaster, Zoo Keeper and Train Conductor. These could easily double for hipsters in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Just add a fixed-gear bicycle and a backpack full of old vinyl records.
Anyway, this is the beginning of what I can only hope will be a beautiful collection (as if I needed another one, but whatever).
Incidentally, if any of you out there are also Little People collectors, I have a spare Circus Ringmaster, blond lady in a blue dress and Lucky the Dog. Hit me with an email if you're interested.
That's all for now, gang!
