Shortly after my daughter turned one, my mother began rolling out all the toys she has saved over the years, decades in fact, from when my sisters and I were little. My daughter has the fortunate place in our family, on both sides, of being the first grandchild so in addition to brand spanking new toys she also receives some classic hand me downs such as my Fisher Price train, circa 1980.
Courtesy of the internet, I was able to find a photo of what my train looked like back in its glory days:
And here is what mine looks like now.
It may be a shell of its former self, but it’s experiencing a new lease on life thanks to my daughter. We no longer have the animals and Fisher Price Little People that came with this set and the stickers were peeled off years ago, but the four sturdy cars still exist and this little beauty has been rolling around our kitchen floor for well over a year now.
What I love about all Fisher Price toys is their durability, they literally last a lifetime and their bright colours, but my favourite products are the Little People, the cute figurines that accompany the play sets.
In our current toy collection, we have about twenty or so of these little guys and I’ve discovered during the countless hours playing with my daughter that they all, for the most part, are interchangeable with other sets. In other words, the “Tourist” that accompanied the Airport set can share his taxi with the “Soccer Player” we purchased separately.
Or the red plane, also from the Airport set, can fly “Grandpa” and “Grandma” to their next destination; two characters also purchased separately.
We’ve taken to naming all the characters in my daughter’s roster which not only makes it more fun but has really helped developed her memory. Just this morning, she asked me where “Eddie” was and then promptly remembered he was left under the kitchen table last night.
Here is Eddie reunited with his best friend, Tessa.
Snapping the Little People into the different vehicles not only allows her to be creative and choose who drives whom around town, but also helps develop her gross motor skills.
One lucky Mom in our network just won this set of fabulous five: Tessa, Koby, Eddie, Sophie & Mia!
And Moms in our upcoming programs will have an opportunity play and WIN a number of other Fisher Price products.
Perhaps my own grandchild, did I really just write those words?, will be playing with Mia or Eddie one day in the future, but not too soon, several, several decades from now.
Do you have a favourite Fisher Price toy?