Pho-TOY-graphy: Some exceptional photos of vintage Fisher-Price toys found around the internet

Photo by Dutempsaperdre78

Fisher-Price absolutely takes the cake when it comes to picking my favorite vintage toy brand. Those toys made me very happy as a child, and they still comfort me as an adult. Even just seeing them in a photograph tends to really excite me. And this li'l group of toy pics is a fine example of some that have turned me on lately...

Photo by Chris White

Photo by Lolie Jane

Photo by Cracklin Tulip

Photo by The Aunt with Gum

My BIG 40th BIRTHDAY circus celebration!

August 22nd, 2010 is a date that won't soon be forgotten (not by me, anyway). My dear mother-in-law, aunt-in-law (?), and husband all threw a fantastic circus-themed 40th birthday party for me that just about blew my socks off! They thought of everything, and they did it all perfectly. The food, the decorations, the cake, the music (circus band, natch)... It was all totally wonderful! Even the pinata (yes, I had a pinata for my adult 40th b-day party) was incredibly circus-y.

An intimate gathering of 15, everyone was either close family or friends. A good, fun time was had by all, and people kept saying how impressed they were by everything.





I was told this is the latest and greatest
pinata available on the market, today... Well,
of course. Would I rate anything less??







Here's a good shot of some fun party favors: Barnum's
Animal Crackers, various noisemakers, and peanuts
(masquerading as popcorn).







This was my wonderful birthday cake! It not only
looked festive, it was delicious, too!







"Smile, you're on Candid Camera!"
This is my good friend, Matt, amused by something, as
other party guests march into the kitchen to get their
fair share of lunch.







Being that I was the piggy, err, I mean guest of honor,
I was given the first spot in line for grub. And, boy, was
it good grub! Barbara and Wanda really know how
to prepare a tasty spread!







Okay... How cute is this??







Many colorful circus posters, like
this one, were hung up as decorations
throughout.







My bff, Lisa, and me.
F.Y.I. - In case you happen to be
familiar with the blog, Atomic Tea
Party, you might find it interesting
to know this is the same Lisa who
hosts that wonderfully kitsch soiree.







Me, my mom, and my husband... ready to eat!







Gift time!
I absolutely dug all of my gifts, but
some did stand out from the rest. Like
this one, for example. It's a vintage,
Fisher-Price cow named, "Bossy Bell",
and both her tail wags and bell rings
when you roll/pull her across the floor.







Meanwhile, back in the kitchen...
It looks like Wanda and Barbara are finally getting
to fill up a few plates of their own. Thank goodness!
I'd swear I didn't see either one of them sitting down
during the party, they were so busy being such
excellent hosts.







Pinata time!
Here, my mother-in-law, Barbara, is blindfolding me
so I can take the first few "whacks!"







"Alright... Now, what?"
I swear, I wasn't really that clueless.
But it sure looks like I was, huh?







Many tried before him, but only he knew the sweet
taste of victory! Yep, that's my husband bangin' the
bejesus (and all the goodies) out of my beautiful birthday
pinata... Oh, well. Someone had to do it!




The birthday photo gallery could go on, and on, and on... but I think I've tortured you long enough, now. Thanks, if you managed to stick it out this far! Also, "Thank you, again!" to Mom, Aunt Wanda, and Tommy for all of your hard work and dedication which made the difference between a regular old party and a fantastically fabulous 40th! I love you all!



~ Birthday Clown via Google Images. All photos property of Anthony See. ~

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Fisher-Price Little People Play Family Action Garage

This was yet another toy that fascinated me as a young'un. And yes, it was also made by Fisher-Price. Why such consistant brand-loyalty when it comes to my childhood toy memories? Well, I certainly wasn't a label whore! Not back then. It must have something to do with [1] My parents bought me a lot of Fisher-Price toys, and/or [2] All of those toys were super colorful and real fun to play with! So it's easy to see why they made such an impression, and why I remember them so fondly.

For sure, the Little People Play Family Action Garage was definitely one of the best! I loved rolling the cars up and down the ramp, a lot. It was especially satisfying to "drive" one of them into the elevator, crank it up to the top level and then let it roll back down the ramp super fast, all 'Dukes of Hazzard' style! Disregard the fact that I was too young to know what 'The Dukes of Hazzard' show was, and forget that it wouldn't even exist until 1979. All that mattered to 5-year-old Anthony was playing, and having lots o' fun with that toy!


~Photo by Laura McConnell of Dog Bone Art~

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Fisher-Price Musical Ferris Wheel

Photo by Allison Jones

It is time, once again, for me to reflect on another one of my favorite childhood toys. Today, I am talking about the Fisher-Price Musical Ferris Wheel!

This toy was MAGICAL. Not only did it play music when you wound it up, its wheel also spun around, and around, and around as the "mad boy" cranked it! AND you could put your Fisher-Price Little People (Even the dog!) in the chairs so they could go for a ride! You'd have to ask my mom, but I'm pretty sure that this toy had the power to entrance and almost HYPNOTIZE me. Even today, if I just think about it, I can still hear the tune it played, 'In the Good Old Summertime'. It was such a cheerful little song!

Photo by Raya


As I've mentioned in at least one other post, I LOVE to collect the toys that I can remember having enjoyed the most when I was a child. It's sort of my way of recapturing the innocence of my youth, I guess. Maybe, that's the basic reason why, as an adult, I still enjoy toys in general? Of course, I also just like having fun... Whatever the reason may be, toys, especially the best from my childhood, make me HAPPY!

Photo by Raya

Hopefully, one day I will own this toy again. Yes, I know that I could buy one on eBay or from any number of other vintage toy retailers, BUT it must be just right! I cannot accept just ANY old Fisher-Price Musical Ferris Wheel... It must be absolutely perfect, or as perfect as it could possibly be for a vintage toy. I'm very persnickety when it comes to these things, what can I say? It's most likely psychological, same as with the whole "recapturing the innocence of my youth" thing. At least, I'm aware of this "problem". And isn't THAT the first step to recovery?

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Fisher-Price Movie Viewer

There is probably only a handful of toys that I can fondly remember playing with as a child growing up in the 1970s. I plan to feature them one at a time, so as to give them the attention I feel they deserve.

The first toy that I would like to "focus" on is the Fisher-Price Movie Viewer. Its design was suggestive of an old movie camera and it even hand-cranked like one. The main difference, of course, was that you used it to watch movies, not film them. The movies that I can remember viewing with it were all animated cartoon shorts. And there were only two of those that I used to watch again and again.

Walt Disney's 'Lonesome Ghosts' was my all-time favorite. It starred Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as ghostbuster/private eye types investigating an old haunted house. They even had on hats like Sherlock Holmes wore, and a magnifying glass, I think...

My favorite sequence was when they were already inside the old house and Mickey opens a door, only to be nearly drowned by a HUGE wave of water that comes rushing in! And four "spooky" ghosts come-a-floating on that very tidal wave. One of the neatest things about the viewer was that, because you powered it by hand-cranking the red dial, you could make it go as fast or slow as you wanted. Even frame by frame or BACKWARDS! So, the whole water sequence alone had a myriad of possibilities and could keep me fascinated for hours. The tale concludes when the three bumbling "detectives" are being chased by the ghosts and crash into a stack of flour barrels. They are then covered head-to-toe in white powder and end up scaring the ghosts away!

The End.

This was my 'Blade Runner'

at the tender age of 4!

My second favorite was Walt Disney's 'Three Little Pigs'. Now, I don't have to tell the story of that one, do I? Again, the thing that I loved to do was watch it in slo-mo or throw it in reverse when the Big Bad Wolf blew down the pigs' houses. I also enjoyed all the happy pig dancing and laughing in this one!

Their houses would get blown
down, then rebuilt again and again...

Thanks to a retro toy seller, I can now crank-up these gems whenever I feel like remembering some of the simpler joys of my youth. There ARE others, but I'll save those for another time!