By Rachel Coyne on December 23, 2011 in
Originally conceived as a series of small dolls with round heads and cylinder-shaped bodies, the Little People have grown and changed a lot over the past 50 years, but they continue to spark the imagination of young children just as they have always done. For many preschoolers, Little People are the first role-play toys they're introduced to, and with the variety of characters and playsets available, the playtime possibilities are endless.
Becoming Little People
When the original concept for Little People first appeared in 1950, they weren't even given a specific name. The Looky Fire Truck--a toy fire truck with three small round-headed fire men permanently attached--was developed by toy makers from the then-unknown Fisher-Price company. After the success of the fire truck, Fisher-Price developed more toys featuring similar doll characters throughout the 1950s. In 1959 they introduced the Safety School Bus (pictured above at left), which featured six removable figures with bodies made from skinny cardboard tubes.
The Nifty Station Wagon went on the market in 1960 with two adult figures and one child figure, and the small dolls became known as the Play Family. In 1968, the Play Family Barn (see video embedded below) was the first playset offered, and featured a variety of barnyard animals for the Play Family to interact with, and a barn door that would "moo" when opened. This launched the creation of many playsets--including the Play Family School, the Play Family Airport, and a Sesame Street set--with new sets still being developed today.
As the Play Family line of products expanded and the toys grew in popularity, consumers began referring to them as "those little people." In 1985, Fisher-Price updated the toy's logo and registered the name "Little People," thus turning the Play Family into the Little People we know now.
An evolving body of work
Over the years, Little People have undergone several makeovers. The original dolls were made from cardboard tubes, and by 1961 they were being made out of wood. While the cardboard versions were simply cylindrical, the wooden ones went through a variety of body shapes, eventually giving the female dolls an hourglass figure.
The biggest change to Little People happened in 1991. The figures gained some unwanted notoriety due to the 1986 book, "Toys That Kill," that not only listed the figures as a choking hazard for young children, but also prominently featured a photo of them on the book cover. Mattel--who had purchased Fisher-Price--ordered a redesign of Little People, and what became known as "Chunky" People were created. Though they looked similar to the original Little People, "Chunky" People were shorter and wider, making them impossible to swallow, but the new style was not a big hit with consumers due to older children seeing them as baby toys.
In 1997, Little People were redesigned again, this time into molded plastic shapes that featured more details and exciting new features, like arms and hands, which led to an ever-growing selection of playsets. Some of the new Little People were even given specific names and personalities, which helped to expand the brand to include books, CDs, and games. One of the newest incarnations are Little People Wheelies; check them out in action in the video below.
Where are they now?
Once Little People became identifiable characters, their world expanded rapidly. In 1999, two claymation videos featuring Little People characters were produced, which launched an entire series of episodes that were featured on PBS KIDS Sprout On Demand. In 2003, Fisher-Price and Royal Caribbean joined together to create a Little People-themed cruise catering to families with young children, and in the following year, Loews Hotels began offering Little People-themed hotel rooms.
Starting in 2007, Fisher-Price began partnering with zoos all over the country to create Little People-themed play spaces, which led to the creation of Little People Live!--a live musical show performed at various zoos throughout the year. And finally, there's the truest test of a toy's popularity: Yes, Little People has an iPhone app.