Toy OTD: Fisher-Price Tick-Tock Clock #997 (1967)

This toy goes way back for me, though it isn't the original I had as a kid. It's a very simple idea - you wind it up, and it plays like a music box while the sun/moon disc rotates. Tiny scenes of a kid's day are revealed as the die-cut window on the disc rotates. Since I've heard the song since I was a tot, it's incredibly soothing, like watching an episode of Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood at any point in your life (If you're too young to remember watching it, just humor me).

Like most F-P toys of this period, it's mostly wood, with a little plastic used to its strengths (the plastic 'crystal' surrounding the clock face, for example. As with the Tooly Birds, this was made in an industry with far less licensing - there's references to Hickory Dickory Dock and Dick and Jane in the artwork, but that's basically it. The design is charming - maybe a touch bland - but it evokes storybooks from the early sixties very nicely. The only construction variation I've noticed is that some of the plastic handles are yellow and some are red, so keep an eye on that if it's important to you.

This toy is really tough - it took getting left outside in the sun and rain to ruin the one that we had, and even then the paper labeling got the worst of it!

Because the toy is so durable, it's not too difficult to track down a working one. The trickiest part is finding one with a nice-looking 'crystal', so it depends on how fussy you are, and how much you're willing to pay. There's two eBay auctions going right now, and the starting bids range from $7.50 to $14.99 + shipping. Make sure to ask if the music box works if it's not metioned in the product description - always approach eBay with a heaping spoonful of caveat emptor. Good luck!

PS - If you're a huge F-P nerd, you can buy a print of this toy's patent here.

Toy OTD: Fisher-Price Barky Pull Toy #462 (1960)

Here's another great old-school Fisher-Price toy! This type of toy construction was used a few times to create different characters (see Gran'pa Frog), but each of them is a clever variation on the same overall design.

It's hard to beat the killer combination of richly rendered labels, wooden construction, and the charm of a mechanical ratchet noisemaker. Even with the traditionally styled illustrations, the toy feels very stylized, but very appealing!

This is an older F-P toy, so it's a little more expensive than its later counterparts. I can't find it on eBay or anywhere else online, but some patient hunting should turn one up. I'd expect to pay between fifty and a hundred dollars for one, probably on the higher side. Good luck!

Toy OTD: Fisher-Price #444: Queen Busy/Buzzy Bee (1962-1985)

This isn't one of Fisher-Price's best toys necessarily, but I had one as a kid, so nostalgia demanded that I get a spiffy replacement from eBay!

Queen Busy Bee is nice and simple, with a cute noisemaker and plenty of charm. The designers get a lot of play value out of their simple materials, accenting the spinning wheels and wings with bouncing spring antennae. I wonder if the illustrator knew what the artwork was for - there's wings painted onto the 'thorax', even though the toy has wings as separate parts! It's very cute, regardless.

This toy was made for so long, there's tons and tons of them out there - it'd almost be harder not to own one! Needless to say, there's some variations in the construction, but basically no one version is much more expensive to get than another (well, the '59 model will cost you, but in general it's not a pricey toy). A quick search on eBay revealed thirty-seven different auctions, so this is kind of a fish in a barrel unless you're looking for the box, or want to the toy to be in ultra-mint condition. Have fun!

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Spin-Offs Hit Stores

Since Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is about a living toy store, there probably won't be a lot of custom toy merchandise, but a fair number of retro-style toys are popping up as tie-ins. Target has some replicas of old-school Fisher-price toys, including this Snoop 'n' Sniff which you can get for only $24.99!

I haven't been able to look any of these over in person yet - I'm assuming they'll be all plastic, and not wooden like the older versions. Still, it's a great way to get your kids (or yourself) classic toy replicas for a fraction of what the originals would go for on eBay!

Toy OTD: Fisher-Price Lacing Shoe Music Box #991 (1966)

This toy may not be a gold medlaist in the Fisher-Price olympics, but nevertheless it's got charm to spare! There's tons of play value too, in spite of it being a teaching toy - tiny passengers that ride in the cockpit/toe of the shoe, and there's a tumbler scrolling sweet drawings as it plays music. So cute! This type of stylization is getting rare these days - I think it helps kids learn how to be imaginative through toy representations of the world that are more abstract, more symbolic than literal.

The increasing amount of plastic is used very well - for the carrying loop (upper left), the opening toe, the scroll-viewing panel, and the high-wear wheels. Of course, it teaches kids how to tie their shoes, too! I wonder if this works for left-handers - it look me a long time to learn how to tie my shoes because of that.

This is a more recent toy from the F-P line, so it's not all that tough to find. If you don't mind tracking down the figures separately (though it does have the original box), there's an eBay auction for this toy starting at $14.99 + shipping. Also, here's more information about this item than you'd ever want or need - enjoy! Happy hunting!

Toy OTD: Fisher-Price #464 - Gran'pa Frog (1958)

I love this era of Fisher-price toys - made with simple wooden shapes, but the paper labelling is well drawn and tastefully rendered in a storybook style. Plastic parts are just starting to creep into the equation, but it's only used for the parts that would be too fragile if they were made of wood. And of course, the noise-maker is totally analog - serrated wheels, offset axles and a paper and wood resonator make an appealing 'croaking' sound when the toy is pulled.

Your best bet to find one of these is either at a toy show, or on eBay (that's where I've scored most of my F-P collection). Make sure to ask a lot of questions before you bid - a lot of people sell 'display pieces' that won't roll or move properly, or have a broken noisemaker. Sometimes the item descriptions don't exactly lie - but they're not always very forthcoming, either.

Here's an auction for a reproduction that's starting at $9.99 + $8.45 postage. I haven't seen this one up close, so I can't say if it's inferior to the original toy. Sometimes I buy repros if the originals are prohibitively expensive - be warned, when you start getting into '50s F-P toys (and older), things get pricey.