Fisher-Price facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fisher-Price, Inc.

Logo used since 2019
Type	Subsidiary
Traded as	NYSE: FP (1991-1993)
Industry	Toys
Fate	Acquired by Mattel in 1993, becoming a subsidiary
Founded	June 19, 1930; 95 years ago (1930-06-19)
Founders	Herman Fisher Irving Price Margaret Evans Price Helen Schelle Rebecca D. Fisher
Headquarters	East Aurora, New York , U.S.
Products	Baby toys dolls
Brands	Imaginext Laugh & Learn Little People
Revenue	US$1.07 billion (2020)
Parent	Quaker Oats Company (1969–1991) Mattel (1993–present)

Fisher-Price, Inc. is an American company that makes fun and educational toys. These toys are designed for babies, toddlers, and young children. The company's main office is in East Aurora, New York.

Fisher-Price was started in 1930 during a tough economic time called the Great Depression. It was founded by Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Helen Schelle, and Margaret Evans Price. Since 1993, Fisher-Price has been part of Mattel, another big toy company. Some of their most famous toys include Little People, Power Wheels, and the Chatter Telephone.

The Story of Fisher-Price

Fisher-Price began in 1930. The founders wanted to create toys that were fun, clever, well-made, and offered good value. They also wanted toys that encouraged action and play. Early Fisher-Price toys were made from strong steel and a type of wood called ponderosa pine. This wood was chosen because it did not splinter easily and could handle a lot of play. Colorful pictures were added to the toys using a special printing method called lithography. Margaret Evans Price, one of the founders, was the first Art Director. She designed many of the first push-pull toys, based on characters from her children's books.

In 1931, the founders showed 16 of their wooden toys at a big toy fair in New York City. They were a huge hit! The very first Fisher-Price toy ever sold was called "Dr. Doodle." In the 1950s, Fisher-Price started using plastic to make toys. Plastic allowed for brighter colors and decorations that lasted longer. "Buzzy Bee" was one of the first plastic toys they made. By the end of the 1950s, Fisher-Price was making 39 different toys with plastic.

Growing with New Toys

The 1960s brought a very popular toy line called the Play Family. These toys later became known as Little People. The 'Family House' was one of the most popular Little People playsets. In 1969, Herman Fisher retired, and The Quaker Oats Company bought Fisher-Price.

In 1990, Quaker Oats decided to make Fisher-Price its own separate company again. This happened because of tough competition from other toy companies. Fisher-Price became a company whose shares could be bought and sold on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991.

However, in 1993, Mattel and Fisher-Price decided to join forces. Mattel bought Fisher-Price for $1 billion. Fisher-Price kept its offices in New York, but it became a full part of Mattel. After this, Fisher-Price focused on toys for babies and young children and started selling its products around the world. By 1997, Mattel decided to sell all its toys for young children under the Fisher-Price name.

In 2004, Royal Caribbean Cruise lines added special play areas for children on their cruise ships, called Fisher-Price Cabanas. These were like fun playrooms for kids.

Important Toy Safety Recalls

Fisher-Price has sometimes had to recall toys to keep children safe. A recall means the company asks people to return a product because there might be a problem with it.

On August 2, 2007, Fisher-Price recalled almost a million toys, including some Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street toys. This was because the toys might have been painted with lead-based paint, which can be harmful.

Rock 'n Play Sleeper Recall

On April 12, 2019, Fisher-Price recalled all 4.7 million of their Rock 'n Play sleepers. This happened after more than 30 babies died while sleeping in them. The product was designed to hold babies in a tilted position. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said these deaths happened when babies rolled over while not strapped in, or under other conditions.

Years before the Rock 'n Play was made, doctors had already recommended that babies should sleep flat on their backs in an empty crib. This advice, called the Back to Sleep campaign, helped cut the number of sudden infant deaths in half. The Rock 'n Play was sold even though it went against these safety recommendations. Fisher-Price continued to sell it for years after the first deaths were reported. In January 2023, Fisher-Price reminded everyone about the recall because more deaths had been reported.

Popular Fisher-Price Toys

Fisher-Price has created about 5,000 different toys since the 1930s. One of their most famous toy lines is Little People. These toys include figures of people and animals, along with playsets like houses, farms, and vehicles. The figures were first made of wood, but now they are plastic with detailed features.

Besides Little People, other popular toys and brands from Fisher-Price include Power Wheels, View-Master, Rescue Heroes, the Chatter Telephone, and the Rock-a-Stack. They have also made toys based on popular characters like Disney characters, Sesame Street, and Dora the Explorer.

Fisher-Price also makes products for baby care and has started creating electronic toys for young children. In 2009, Fisher-Price bought the toy rights for Thomas & Friends. Later, Mattel bought the company that owned Thomas & Friends, so now Fisher-Price makes toys for characters like Mike the Knight and Bob the Builder too.

Current Toy Lines

Baby Products

Past Toy Lines and Brands

Video Games

Fisher-Price also had video games! In the 1980s, several games were made for personal computers and the Commodore 64. Some of these games were later made for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Some of the video games included:

Other Products

Beyond toys, Fisher-Price has also made other products for families. These include things like books, computer software, car travel accessories, shoes, music, eyeglasses, and videos.

See also

In Spanish: Fisher-Price para niños

• List of game manufacturers
• Mattel
• Hasbro
• LEGO
• Playskool
• Little Tikes