Fisher-Price-R- Little People-R- Celebrate 40th Birthday At ToyFest; Mayor Proclaims Day 'Official Little People Day'.

EAST AURORA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 1999--

The entire town of East Aurora, New York came out today to celebrate the 40th Birthday of one of the world's toy icons - Fisher-Price Little People characters. As part of the town's ToyFest celebration, the Little People received a mayoral proclamation for the officially declared "Little People Day." The entire crowd, young and old alike, joined in the festivities to celebrate the rich history of Little People toys, which have brought hours of fun and discovery to generations of preschoolers.

"If the Little People had birth certificates, the place of birth for every one of them would be listed as East Aurora, New York," says Mayor John V. Pagliaccio. "How appropriate that the whole village of East Aurora came out today to celebrate the birthday of one of our own."

"It is in fantasy play, what is often called 'role play', that preschool children begin to identify themselves in the context of their culture. This is a hugely important developmental stage, and toys like the Little People playsets are especially appropriate for this kind of play," says Christopher Byrne, The Toy Guy(TM) and editor of The Toy Report. "For two generations, children have used these toys to 'try on' the roles of firemen, policemen, school teachers and more. Interestingly enough, many of the adults I speak to remember the Little People vividly. And why not? The warm feelings they engender are exactly the kind of play experiences they are eager to pass on to their own children.

The Little People characters are often remembered as round-headed, peg-like figures representing everything from farmers to police officers to schoolteachers to children. Now celebrating their fortieth birthday, with more realistic details than ever before, Little People toys still spark imaginations by bringing the adult world down to a child's size - in school buses, circus trains and of course, who could forget the classic Little People Farm.

"I began collecting Little People for my daughter in 1988 and now have more than 1,000 Little People in my collection," says Jeanne Kennedy of Mesa, Arizona, founder of the Fisher-Price Collectors' Club. "It's turned into quite a passion for me. There are thousands of Little People collectors around the world and we seem to have all been struck by the same nostalgic cord."

Since the introduction of the Safety School Bus in 1959, well over 1 billion Little People figures have delighted millions of children all over the world.

As part of the ToyFest celebration, Little People costumed characters rode in the ToyFest parade followed by a Little People birthday cake float. In addition to granting the Little People toys a special proclamation, the mayor led the crowd in the singing of "Happy Birthday" and invited event-goers to the Fisher-Price headquarters for birthday cake. And, for the first time ever, the Little People made their film debut at the Toy Town Museum, where their claymation video was premiered by hundreds of toy collectors and the general public. Produced by a world-renowned creator of high quality children's entertainment, these five minute videos will be packaged with Little People playsets beginning this fall.

"Celebrating the birthday of Little People is like celebrating a part of everyone's childhood," says Neil Friedman, president of Fisher-Price. "Parents and children in East Aurora and all over the world can conjure up memories of playing with Little People toys. Bringing that much joy to that many people and being able to spark such a nostalgic cord is something we're very proud of."

ToyFest is an annual special event held to celebrate the heritage of toy making in Western New York. The event includes a two-hour parade, antique show and sale, a special Kids' Space with hands-on activities created with the help of Fisher-Price designers, a 10K race, and more.

Additional Little People Background:

Fisher-Price has been calling East Aurora its home since 1930 when Herman Fisher and Irving Price first formed the toy company. In 1950, two of Herm Fisher's key toy designers created the Looky Fire Truck, with three little round-headed wooden firemen permanently attached to the toy. Nine years later, the little wooden figures gained their independence with the introduction of the Safety School Bus, thus Little People figures as we know and love them today were born.

The Safety School Bus included six little wooden peg figures that could be removed from the school bus. Only the driver, whose head turned while the bus rolled along, remained attached to the toy.

A year later, two additional toys with removable figures joined the line; Snorky the Fire Engine and the Nifty Station Wagon. For the first time, both toys came with a removable animal figure - a dog. Today, a Nifty Station Wagon, which also came with the first "Play Family(TM)" (two adult figures and one child figure), in mint condition in the box, could command up to $600 among toy collectors.

Throughout the next four decades, Little People toys have helped children use their imaginations and discover the world around them by bringing the adult world down to a child's size. Little People characters have held a number of different occupations. There have been doctors and nurses, farmers and schoolteachers, clowns and train conductors and more. Real life play sets including the House, Garage, Farm, Amusement Park and Airport gave children the play environments in which to maneuver the different characters for hours of fun.

Now, with a strong collector base as well as a continuing line of Little People characters and playsets for this generation, Little People toys continue to hold a special place in the hearts of young and old alike.

Fisher-Price, Inc., located in East Aurora, New York, is the leading maker of infant and preschool toys in the world. The Company was founded in 1930.

Come visit us on the web at www.fisher-price.com. Consumers with questions can call [phone].

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