Fisher-Price

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Fisher-Price, Inc.
Type Wholly Owned Subsidiary
Founded 1930
Headquarters East Aurora, New York, USA
Industry Toys
Revenue 2.02 Billion USD (2005)
Slogan Play.Laugh.Grow
Website www.fisher-price.com

Fisher-Price is a well-known brand of toys, with headquarters located in historic East Aurora, New York. The company is a wholly owned subisidiary of Mattel. One of the better-known lines of Fisher-Price is their Little People toys, which include various sets of buildings and vehicles with their respective "people" figures, which used to be made of wood and metal but are now made of plastic. The figures, which were once armless and legless but are now molded with more detail, have holes in the bottom allowing them to be used as finger puppets. Fisher-Price also had, during the 1970s and 1980s, a series of full bodied action figures, and currently have a popular line of action figures based on rescue service personnel.

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[edit] History

Founded in 1930 by Herman Fisher, Irving Price and Helen Schelle, the name Fisher Price was established by combined two of the three founders names. With their headquarters located in East Aurora, New York, Fisher Price is now a well-recognised toy brand and trusted by many. In 1931 the three founders took 16 of their wooden toys to the International Toy Fair in New York City and they quickly became a success. The first Fisher Price toy ever sold was Dr. Doodle in 1931 – the same toy, in excellent condition, would be worth a considerable amount in today's collectables market. During the 1960s, the famous Little People product line was introduced and soon took over earlier toys. The Little People toys were made of wood (but are now made of plastic) and included factories, farms, schools etc. The product line continued to grow in popularity and during the 1970s, Little People expanded to include Sesame Street characters. Herman Fisher retired at the age of 71 in 1969 and that year Fisher-Price was acquired by The Quaker Oats Company.

In 1991, Fisher Price regained its independence from The Quaker Oats Company and became a publicly traded company. Two years later, in November 1993, Fisher Price merged with Mattel and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel. By 1997 Mattel decided to market all of its preschool products under the Fisher Price name. Today Fisher Price is one of the top ten brands in the world and is a household name in toys for babies, toddlers and young children. Since the creation of Fisher Price, the brand has reinvented many of its classic toys. The Chatter Telephone, for example, was launched in 1962 and is said to have been the "first" telephone for over 26 million people! The phone has a smiling face and rotary dial – even though it's been around for years, it still provides entertainment for children today. Rock-A-Stack is another classic – with colourful rings that have to be placed in order of size onto a pole – young children learn colours and develop their hand-eye co-ordination. Since the introduction of Rock-A-Stacks in 1960, over 40 million have been sold.

Fisher Price has created over 5,000 different toys since the early 1930s, and many toys have become classics – remaining popular for generations of young children. Some of the best known classic brands include Power Wheels, View Master, Rescue Heroes and Little People. Other brands marketed under the Fisher Price name include Disney, Sesame Street, Barney, Dora the Explorer and See 'N Say. Fisher Price celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2005 and remains a potent force in the toy market – the brand is known for its excellent standards of quality, innovation & safety.

Fisher-Price has recently begun developing preschool electronic toys for the tech-savvy child.

[edit] Current Brands & Products

  • Amazing Animals
  • Baby Gymtastics
  • Brilliant Basics
  • Dance Baby Dance!
  • ESPN GameStation
  • ESPN Shot Block Basketball
  • ESPN Fast Action Football
  • Fun 2 Learn
  • Fusion Crew
  • GeoTrax Rail & Road System
  • Imaginext
  • Kid Tough Electronics (Digital Camera & FP3 Player)
  • Kitchen Play
  • Laugh & Learn
  • Little People (safer update of the Play Family line)
  • Loving Family Dollhouses and accessories
  • Miracles and Milestones
  • Ocean Wonders
  • Peek-a-Blocks
  • Pixter
  • Pop-onz
  • Power Wheels
  • Puffalumps
  • Quizard the Learning Wizard
  • Rescue Heroes
  • Roll-a-Rounds
  • Shake ’n Go!
  • Snap ’n Style Friends & Fashions
  • Smart Shopper
  • SparkArt Creativity System
  • Star Station Entertainment System featuring hit music from Kidz Bop®
  • Sweet Streets
  • View-Master

[edit] Babygear Products

  • Baby Monitors
  • Booster Seats
  • Baby Bouncers
  • Car Seats
  • Entertainers & Activity Centers
  • High Chairs
  • Infant Seats
  • Play Yards
  • Rainforest Collection
  • Strollers
  • Baby Swings
  • Tubs & Potties

[edit] Fisher-Price Friends Brands & Products

Fisher-Price Friends:

Fisher-Price Learning:

  • I Can Play Piano
  • InteracTV System & DVDs
  • Learn Through Music Plus!
  • Read With Me DVD Story Comprehension & Vocabulary System

Nickelodeon:

Nick Jr.:

[edit] Historic Brands & Products

[edit] Other Fisher-Price Products

Other Fisher-Price products include Activegear for families on the go, books, software, car travel accessories, footwear, infant carriers, music, and videos.

[edit] References

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[edit] External links

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