The Royce Files

Another entry for classic toys. This one is another Fisher Price production. The Adventure People were a line of action figures and play sets produced by FP from the mid-70s until mid-80s. These 3 inch figures were around prior to the Kenner Star Wars line and had no built in marketing ploy to advance the line further. But that did not deter the kids who got these for birthdays or Christmas combining them into the Star Wars universe like myself. The Adventure People were pioneers in the small action figure market.  The Adventure People were cool and durable toys. Just look at that commercial. FP wanted kids,boys and GIRLS, to really play with these figures. Quite a few sets produced centered around outdoor recreation- a camping set with jeep and canoe, a van with a dirt bike, a safari set with truck and tent, a kayak set, scuba divers. Midway through their run, there were more sets and figures geared toward space or sci-fi.  My small assemblage I acquired as a child...

Fisher Price has produced over 40 million of these since 1960. They are still produced with a slightly different design for the "donuts" and base. The newer version I have has a few less "donuts." I am pretty sure every child of the last 50 years has played with one. And it has a wiki entry . The rock-a-stack has made a few cameos in Pixar films- notably the Toy Story series. Besides that there is not much out there about it. But there is an entry on how to make a candy rock-a-stack . I think the one below is from the mid-1970s. rock-a-stack  

Fisher Price made tons of wind up music playing items. This one plays It's A Small World and was produced in the late 70s. The song was popularized by the Disney created attraction for the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Afterward the attraction was moved to Disneyland. Copies have since been installed in all the Disney Theme Parks. However I would like to see them install it on their cruise ships. Mary Poppins composers Robert and Richard Sherman wrote the song. The graphics on the back seem to look like style of the ride but I have yet to find any Disney relationship concerning this toy. It still plays although there is some wear to the bottom. Once again Fisher Price proves durable after nearly 40 years. Music Box Pocket Radio: Small World

Fisher Price was the toy brand name I recall the most from my childhood- along with Kenner and Mattel. They did not produce much licensed products- although I think they did produce some items with Sesame Street characters. Basically they were the the go to manufacturer for fun and durable toys that spanned generations of children. They are still around today but I believe they are produced by Mattel. Timeline about them here . Sadly the timeline misses my favorite line of Fisher Price toys- Adventure People . I will write about that in another entry. By the time I came around Fisher Price had been around for about 45 years and was playing with the still usable hand me down toys from the 1950s and 1960s. Today's entry for the blog is the Chatter Telephone. This guy has plenty of play value for make believe  and action. The rotary dial makes ringing sound when turned and a sort of mumbling sound when the toy is pulled. Fisher Price released it in 1963. It is still being produce...