fpclub.org
Last Updated: July 5, 2021

Hello Fisher-Price Toy Fans! If you are a collector, or just enjoy Fisher-Price toys in general, here are some toy collecting books that showcase the many toys produced over the years. On this page, we look at 3 popular toy guide books. One by Brad Cassity (the "yellow book"), and two by Fox and Murray.

Fisher-Price Toys by Brad Cassity (2000)
Fisher-Price: 1931 to Present 3rd Ed. (2002)
Fisher-Price: 1931-1963 1st Ed. (1987)


#1: Fisher-Price Toys: A Pictorial Guide to the Most Popular Toys
  by Brad Cassity       Copyright 2000

General Info:

This book was published in 2000, in soft cover format. And WOW - this is every Fisher-Price Little People Collector's dream! It shows full color photos of just about every Fisher-Price toy made from the mid 60's until around 1989. Along with the Little People/Play Family sets, it shows Little People, Dollhouse Decorator Sets, Adventure People, Huskys, Dolls, and so much more. Many photos in the book were from the private collections of our members of the Fisher-Price Collectors Club. The book is arranged by set number, with full indexes in the back to help you hunt down the exact page number of your favorite sets! For each toy, there is a price range listed for what the toy is worth, though of course these prices are from years ago, and prices change over time!

This book is an absolute favorite of Little People collectors, since it lists all parts and pieces for most sets! Even lists many rarer color variations, which are valued by collectors and sell well on Ebay.

This book has been out-of-print for many years (as of this writing in 2019). If you want to get a copy, you may have to look on Amazon.com's used books or maybe Ebay. It has been speculated that the future value of this book may go up A LOT, since there are no other Fisher-Price books with such individual detail about sets, parts, and variations. As many of these soft cover books wear out, it can make finding a new one a challenge. It's unlikely the book will be reprinted (though we wish it would!), so get one while supplies still last!

Index:

The index is arranged first by type of toy (Little People sets, Adventure People, Dolls, etc), and then by set name. This is a nice index for Little People collectors, since most of the sets are listed together, so it's easy to see which ones you have and which ones you are missing!

Page Photos:

Here are some sample pages from the book, to show all the layout and detail.

The overall layout has sets listed by set number, with color photos showing all the parts. Many also show the original box. Book has close-ups of the different sets,
along with a description of the parts, too!

Here is a close-up of a Little People set, the Camper #992. Parts are shown, plus the box.
Some sets are shown unopened in the original packages

Adventure People sets are shown in detail, plus Huskys, dolls, puzzles, pull-toys, you name it!
The index is arranged by type of toy. Listed here are Little People sets alphabetically by set name, with the page number to find that set



#2: Fisher-Price: Historical, Rarity and Value Guide 1931-Present
  by Bruce Fox and John Murray     Updated 3rd Version       Copyright 2002

General Info:

This book showcases Fisher-Price toys arranged by the year they were first produced. It spans from the year 1931 to 2001. The pages show group photos of the toys of each individual year, plus descriptions, history, and toy trends that were happening at Fisher-Price at that time. The book does not show individual playsets in fine detail (aka does not show every Little People set with all the parts). This book is a great overview of the toys, which can make it very useful to take with you to rummage or antique sales, since it shows older toys as well as newer ones. We find this book is a very nice compliment to Brad Cassity's Fisher-Price book (the above-mentioned "yellow book") since they show the toys organized in two completely different ways.

This book is currently out of print (as of this writing in 2010). The value of this book has been going up on Ebay and Amazon - it can be tricky to find one for a price close what it originally sold for (like in the $20 range).

Index:

Like the photos, this book's index is also arranged by year first produced. Within each year, the sets listed by set number. This can be a tough index to use to locate a toy if you don't know the year it was first produced! Also shows a rough price range of the worth of a toy (based on values from the year 2001).

Page Photos:

Here are some sample pages from the book, to show all the layout and detail.

  
The book is arranged chronologically by year, showing group photos of the toys first produced during that year    Book has text describing the highlights of each individual year



  
Group photo of some of the toys from 1962    Close-up of some toys from 1974



  
The book goes beyond the classic Little People and Wooden Toys. Here are the "chunky" toys from 1991.    Close-up of the index, organized by year first produced





#3: Fisher-Price: A Historical, Rarity and Value Guide 1931-1963
  by Bruce Fox and John Murray       Copyright 1987

General Info:

This is the first version of John Murray and Bruce Fox's Fisher-Price books. This first version covers toys from the very beginning starting in 1931, until the year 1963. A majority of the toys shown in this book are wooden pull toys. Only the oldest Little People sets are included, since the "classic" Little People (the ones we are most familiar with) were first produced around 1965. The book is similar to the "purple" book above, with the toys arranged by year, starting in 1931. Each year has highlights of toy trends of that year, plus colored photos of some of the new toys produced for that year. The toys are shown in more close-up detail than in the 3rd edition (the "purple book") mentioned above.

This book is not hard to find for a decent price on Ebay or Amazon (as of this writing in 2010). Classic Little People toys (the ones from 1964-1989) tend to be the most collected nowadays. This book does not cover them, which makes it less desired. But it's still a great book to have for any Fisher-Price fan, since so much history is showcased.

Index:

Like the "purple book" above, this book's index is also arranged by year first produced. Within each year, the sets listed by set number. Values of the toys are listed on a scale of "1" to "5", with "1" being the most valuable, and "5" being more common and worth less. Of course, these values were from 1983, so value and rarity could be very different today!

Page Photos:

Here are some sample pages from the book, to show all the layout and detail.

Book shows the toys in group photos organized by year. Shown here are toys from 1949 Shown here are toys from 1961


The only "classic" Little People sets shown are the very oldest ones, like the Amusement Park The earliest toys are from 1931 - shown here are Dr. Doodle and Granny Doodle pull toys


The book has pages and pages of the history of Fisher-Price The index is arranged by year, then by toy number. Above is the index for 1957



Thanks for stopping by! Hope this helps you pick out the right book for your collection!



Home Page / News and Updates / Gabby Goose Newsletter / Annual Toy Sale / Convention 2019 / Adventure People Figures ID Guide / Adventure People Overview / The Adventure People Illustrated Carded Figures / Wooden Pull Trains / East Aurora Information / Overview of Lines of Fisher-Price Toys / History and Goals of the club / Membership Information (Joining the club) / Some member's Collection Photos / Overview of Little People Toys / Fisher-Price toy guide books / More Links / Member Memorials /

Back to the Fisher-Price Collectors Club Home Page

www.fpclub.org

Fisher-Price Collectors Club