Vintage Fisher Price Play Family
#997 Village 100%Complete w/Box, 6 pieces of Mail, and Wood/Plastic LP
(NEAR MINT--MINT) (A-1)
Welcome to the Fisher Price Village! Stroll down memory lane and check out this Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set that is 100% COMPLETE and in NEAR MINT condition! The set comes replete with its original box and all 6 pieces of mail. I've configured this set to align with the 1974-75 Fisher Price specifications as described by This Old Toy (thisoldtoy.com). The sheer number of accessories, along with the number of moving parts, associated with this base afforded the child a multitude of open-ended play opportunities. This is truly a CLASSIC Fisher Price Little People play set and suitable for some lucky child or avid collector.
The set consists of two separate pieces of a village joined by a bridge with a stop light. The two halves of the village are in great shape (NEAR MINT--MINT). All of the original lithos are in place and have retained their original vivid coloration and entertaining graphics. After repeated scrutiny of this play base, I can only find three "imperfections" on the EXTERIOR lithos on both halves of the Village. They are:
1. A miniscule tear on the Main Street Steak House litho; I believe this can be repaired using Rubber Cement;
2. A 3/4"L x 1/4" W bubble on the Barber Shop litho; and
3. A large, irregular shaped bubble on the Restaurant/Theater litho on the end of the red half of the Village. I only noticed this when I held the base up close to my face and rotated it in the light; it sounds egregious but it doesn't jump out at you.
I'm being super "nit-picky" here. Many of these "flaws" are barely detectable. I literally had to hold the bases up within 3" of my eyes and rotate it in the light to discern many of them. Many sellers would not divulge these; however, I do not want any of my customers to be disappointed by their purchase from me.
The INTERIOR lithos for the red half of the Village are in spectacular condition (NEAR MINT). The only "flaws" that I can spy are:
1. A 1/2" L x 1/8" W bubble halfway down the counter litho in the Post Office; and
2. Some loosening of the floor, Post Office litho, along with a small bubble on the same litho. I may be able to re-anchor this litho using Rubber Cement. Hopefully, it will also take care of the bubble.
The INTERIOR lithos for the yellow half of the Village likewise are in great condition (EXC+-EXC++). Noted "imperfections" consist of the following:
1. A couple of inconspicuous bubbles on the Candy Shop floor litho; and
2. One or two, small bubbles on the Jail litho. I basically found these via touch; they're truly hard to spot.
I might also add these are all the original lithos that came with the set. Their colors are mesmerizing and full of charm.
The plastic surfaces are free of any cracks, repairs, "dings," or repairs. There is some soiling but I believe this will be resolved during cleaning the cleaning process. The plastic surfaces should be much more vibrant after this cleaning. In general, I'd rate these plastic surfaces as being in NEAR MINT--MINT condition.
All parts work as designed (the fire station garage door slides up and down, all the doors open and close with ease, the fire siren works when the crank is turned, the garage lift raises and lowers the vehicles when operated, the knob on top of the police station opens and closes the jail cell door). The garage doors are free of any cracks between the slats. While the garage doors are a little stiff, I believe that this will be alleviated once I clean out the garage door tracks. Sometimes these sets get dust and dirt in the tracks and it makes the garage doors a little hard to open. The gas pump still has its original "hose" and nozzle. The nozzle on the gas pump is blemish free. The rubber strips adjacent to the Police Station and the Theater are intact and free of any fraying or breaks.
This offering also includes the following elusive accessories which are all in at least NEAR MINT --MINT condition unless otherwise noted:
1 RARE, overpass or bridge with working traffic light;
1 VHTF telephone booth with the sliding red door;
1 VHTF dentist chair;
1 VHTF barber chair;
1 RARE yellow twin bed without original foam (VG+-- original foam missing; I will be inserting some hard, tan foam to serve as a mattress for this bed; with the foam mattress, this bed warrants an EXC+++-NR MINT rating);
1 VHTF blue and white mail truck with red lettering and closed top and with Fisher Price being written on its wheels (NOTE: the hub caps are a little dull; I will be brightening these up with an application of Naval Jelly);
1 HTF yellow three legged grill (NOTE: Since photographing this set, I have acquired a yellow, three legged grill in MINT condition; you will be receiving the new grill instead of the one pictured);
1 HTF yellow patio table with green umbrella;
1 HTF small red firetruck with extension ladder and with Fisher Price written on wheels;
1 HTF white/green, side by side passenger car w/luggage rack and with Fisher Price being written on the wheels (NOTE: While this set usually came with a single seater, white green car with luggage rack, I didn't have one of sufficient caliber to put with this set. As a result, I substituted the vehicle shown in my photos for the other car. Fisher Price often substituted items depending on the pieces they had in stock at the time so I don't think this is anything to worry about);
1 HTF green/white, two seater car with front to back seats, fins, and Fisher Price written on the wheels;
1 VHTF red/blue police car (VG++-EXC--several tiny "nibbles" on the light);
4 yellow captain's chairs with the triangles on the back;
1 HTF yellow couch; and
1 VHTF yellow coffee table.
This set also features 9 Little People. All of them are in MINT to MINTY MINT condition. Six of them are WOOD/plastic and the other three are ALL PLASTIC. They consist of:
1 VHTF short, red -bodied girl with a blonde bob (VG++--Since taking these photos, I just now noticed there is a tiny, tooth mark adjacent to the little girl's left eye; I've replaced her with an identical girl only she's MINTY MINT);
1 VHTF short, yellow- bodied, frowning boy, with freckles and a red cap facing forward;
1 VHTF ALL PLASTIC, Lucky the dog w/ a red collar with links (MINT--no chews on ears!);
1 HTF, tall, blue- bodied Mom w/blonde pony;
1 RARE short, black- bodied fireman with white hat and red arms;
1 VHTF, short, gray bodied Postman;
1 VHTF short, blue bodied Policewoman (NOTE: Her cap looks a little askew; some might even consider her to be a Whoops);
1 HTF, white bodied, African American Barber; and
1 HTF, white bodied, Caucasian Dentist.
Last but not least, this play set contains all 6 RARE pieces of mail. These pieces of mail range from EXC (Fire House, Theater, and Barber Shop) to NEAR MINT- MINT (Post Office, Police, and Garage).
Accompanying this set is its original box. It displays some moderate edge wear, several tears, rubs, extraneous tape, some black marks, as well as a long, jagged tear on the front of the box. It possesses all of its flaps and does serve as a reference to recall which pieces go with this set. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, I would designate this box as being a 6.5/10.
Don't let this set get away! The overall quality of this set is INCREDIBLE! It has taken me many months to assemble this set. These Fisher Price Little People Villages are getting harder and harder to find---especially in this condition. This is a heirloom quality set.
I will be thoroughly Q-tip cleaning this play base and all of its accessories prior to sending it to its new owners. I spend a minimum of 1 1/2-6 hours cleaning each Vintage Fisher Price Little People play set I sell (except those clearly marked in My Rough Room). I utilize a variety of cleaning products. My sets are IMMACULATE!
NOTE: This play set is not part of the recent recall of toys manufactured in China. This Vintage Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set was manufactured 46 years ago in the U.S.A.
For those who have been given information that vintage Fisher Price Little People toys are dangerous, I'd like to offer some supplemental and contradicting information that is out there. First of all, Fisher Price products from the 1930's to 1990 were manufactured in the United States. A few of the Fun-with-Food play set components (1988-1990) and a few accessories for some of the later manufactured FP products were produced in Hong Kong. Mattel purchased Fisher Price in 1991 and subsequently shifted all production of FP toys to China.. If you look carefully at some of the information that is out there, problems with cadmium being in these and other toys made in China (e.g. girls' jewelry), was discovered around 2007. There were also some other dangerous chemicals found in certain stretch plastic toys (e.g. some Barbies etc.).
The supposed issues regarding lead being in the vintage FP play sets (prior to 1990) has been exaggerated. Yes, some lead was found in the yellow, red, or black paint or plastic of these vintage toys. However, MedMD noted that this lead was not transmitted through the skin (e.g. a child's hand etc. or by just touching the item). In order for it to be a problem, the child had to put the items in their mouth and chew on them. Most of the FP play sets, with the exception of the FP #930 Garage (which was created for 2 year olds and up), were designed for 3 year olds and up. Adult supervision was recommended for children under 3 or for any child that was still mouthing or chewing on their toys. If they're not mouthing or chewing the Little People and their paint or the yellow ramp on the Garage, the toys are safe.
Here are some links to other articles that discuss these issues:
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20070802/toy-recall-what-parents-should-know#1
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/fisher-price-recalls-licensed-character-toys-due-to-lead-poisoning-hazard
https://livingsafe.com.au/toxic-pvc-in-plastic-toys-how-to-avoid-them/
Lastly, the other big issue that is often reported regarding these vintage Fisher Price toys is that they were removed from the market because they were considered to be a choking hazard. I used to be the Director of Children's Services for two separate, five county developmental disability agencies here in Indiana. I secured a U.S. government issued plastic tube (or choking tube) to test all the toys we had in our agencies. None of these LP would fit through this tube; hence they were safe for a child when supervised and if they were not gnawing or chewing on the toys. I also worked at Texas Children's Hospital (a subsidiary of Baylor College of Medicine) in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX, for five years. I saw toddlers and preschoolers from all over the world. We used some of these FP toys with some of our clients. Once again, we never had any problems with them. Finally, I worked as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and University Supervisor in Purdue University's Graduate Speech Pathology training program and Purdue University's Child Development and Family Studies Preschool and Daycare classrooms. These vintage FP toys were utilized in all of these settings with no harmful side effects. Once again, they were not introduced to children under 3 or those who were still mouthing or chewing their toys.
SO, in summary, purchasers should refrain from allowing children under 3 years of age to play with these toys without adult supervision or to offer these toys to children who may be still mouthing their toys.
This play set weighs @ 6 1/2 lbs. UNWRAPPED. It will require an over-sized box. I'd like to ship this set via Fed Ex Home Delivery. In order to do so, I need a residential address, no P.O. boxes, and a contact phone number (e.g. home, cell, work place) for Fed Ex's paperwork. Otherwise, they will refuse to accept the package for delivery. My location is Lafayette, IN (47905).
The set consists of two separate pieces of a village joined by a bridge with a stop light. The two halves of the village are in great shape (NEAR MINT--MINT). All of the original lithos are in place and have retained their original vivid coloration and entertaining graphics. After repeated scrutiny of this play base, I can only find three "imperfections" on the EXTERIOR lithos on both halves of the Village. They are:
1. A miniscule tear on the Main Street Steak House litho; I believe this can be repaired using Rubber Cement;
2. A 3/4"L x 1/4" W bubble on the Barber Shop litho; and
3. A large, irregular shaped bubble on the Restaurant/Theater litho on the end of the red half of the Village. I only noticed this when I held the base up close to my face and rotated it in the light; it sounds egregious but it doesn't jump out at you.
I'm being super "nit-picky" here. Many of these "flaws" are barely detectable. I literally had to hold the bases up within 3" of my eyes and rotate it in the light to discern many of them. Many sellers would not divulge these; however, I do not want any of my customers to be disappointed by their purchase from me.
The INTERIOR lithos for the red half of the Village are in spectacular condition (NEAR MINT). The only "flaws" that I can spy are:
1. A 1/2" L x 1/8" W bubble halfway down the counter litho in the Post Office; and
2. Some loosening of the floor, Post Office litho, along with a small bubble on the same litho. I may be able to re-anchor this litho using Rubber Cement. Hopefully, it will also take care of the bubble.
The INTERIOR lithos for the yellow half of the Village likewise are in great condition (EXC+-EXC++). Noted "imperfections" consist of the following:
1. A couple of inconspicuous bubbles on the Candy Shop floor litho; and
2. One or two, small bubbles on the Jail litho. I basically found these via touch; they're truly hard to spot.
I might also add these are all the original lithos that came with the set. Their colors are mesmerizing and full of charm.
The plastic surfaces are free of any cracks, repairs, "dings," or repairs. There is some soiling but I believe this will be resolved during cleaning the cleaning process. The plastic surfaces should be much more vibrant after this cleaning. In general, I'd rate these plastic surfaces as being in NEAR MINT--MINT condition.
All parts work as designed (the fire station garage door slides up and down, all the doors open and close with ease, the fire siren works when the crank is turned, the garage lift raises and lowers the vehicles when operated, the knob on top of the police station opens and closes the jail cell door). The garage doors are free of any cracks between the slats. While the garage doors are a little stiff, I believe that this will be alleviated once I clean out the garage door tracks. Sometimes these sets get dust and dirt in the tracks and it makes the garage doors a little hard to open. The gas pump still has its original "hose" and nozzle. The nozzle on the gas pump is blemish free. The rubber strips adjacent to the Police Station and the Theater are intact and free of any fraying or breaks.
This offering also includes the following elusive accessories which are all in at least NEAR MINT --MINT condition unless otherwise noted:
1 RARE, overpass or bridge with working traffic light;
1 VHTF telephone booth with the sliding red door;
1 VHTF dentist chair;
1 VHTF barber chair;
1 RARE yellow twin bed without original foam (VG+-- original foam missing; I will be inserting some hard, tan foam to serve as a mattress for this bed; with the foam mattress, this bed warrants an EXC+++-NR MINT rating);
1 VHTF blue and white mail truck with red lettering and closed top and with Fisher Price being written on its wheels (NOTE: the hub caps are a little dull; I will be brightening these up with an application of Naval Jelly);
1 HTF yellow three legged grill (NOTE: Since photographing this set, I have acquired a yellow, three legged grill in MINT condition; you will be receiving the new grill instead of the one pictured);
1 HTF yellow patio table with green umbrella;
1 HTF small red firetruck with extension ladder and with Fisher Price written on wheels;
1 HTF white/green, side by side passenger car w/luggage rack and with Fisher Price being written on the wheels (NOTE: While this set usually came with a single seater, white green car with luggage rack, I didn't have one of sufficient caliber to put with this set. As a result, I substituted the vehicle shown in my photos for the other car. Fisher Price often substituted items depending on the pieces they had in stock at the time so I don't think this is anything to worry about);
1 HTF green/white, two seater car with front to back seats, fins, and Fisher Price written on the wheels;
1 VHTF red/blue police car (VG++-EXC--several tiny "nibbles" on the light);
4 yellow captain's chairs with the triangles on the back;
1 HTF yellow couch; and
1 VHTF yellow coffee table.
This set also features 9 Little People. All of them are in MINT to MINTY MINT condition. Six of them are WOOD/plastic and the other three are ALL PLASTIC. They consist of:
1 VHTF short, red -bodied girl with a blonde bob (VG++--Since taking these photos, I just now noticed there is a tiny, tooth mark adjacent to the little girl's left eye; I've replaced her with an identical girl only she's MINTY MINT);
1 VHTF short, yellow- bodied, frowning boy, with freckles and a red cap facing forward;
1 VHTF ALL PLASTIC, Lucky the dog w/ a red collar with links (MINT--no chews on ears!);
1 HTF, tall, blue- bodied Mom w/blonde pony;
1 RARE short, black- bodied fireman with white hat and red arms;
1 VHTF, short, gray bodied Postman;
1 VHTF short, blue bodied Policewoman (NOTE: Her cap looks a little askew; some might even consider her to be a Whoops);
1 HTF, white bodied, African American Barber; and
1 HTF, white bodied, Caucasian Dentist.
Last but not least, this play set contains all 6 RARE pieces of mail. These pieces of mail range from EXC (Fire House, Theater, and Barber Shop) to NEAR MINT- MINT (Post Office, Police, and Garage).
Accompanying this set is its original box. It displays some moderate edge wear, several tears, rubs, extraneous tape, some black marks, as well as a long, jagged tear on the front of the box. It possesses all of its flaps and does serve as a reference to recall which pieces go with this set. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, I would designate this box as being a 6.5/10.
Don't let this set get away! The overall quality of this set is INCREDIBLE! It has taken me many months to assemble this set. These Fisher Price Little People Villages are getting harder and harder to find---especially in this condition. This is a heirloom quality set.
I will be thoroughly Q-tip cleaning this play base and all of its accessories prior to sending it to its new owners. I spend a minimum of 1 1/2-6 hours cleaning each Vintage Fisher Price Little People play set I sell (except those clearly marked in My Rough Room). I utilize a variety of cleaning products. My sets are IMMACULATE!
NOTE: This play set is not part of the recent recall of toys manufactured in China. This Vintage Fisher Price Little People #997 Village play set was manufactured 46 years ago in the U.S.A.
For those who have been given information that vintage Fisher Price Little People toys are dangerous, I'd like to offer some supplemental and contradicting information that is out there. First of all, Fisher Price products from the 1930's to 1990 were manufactured in the United States. A few of the Fun-with-Food play set components (1988-1990) and a few accessories for some of the later manufactured FP products were produced in Hong Kong. Mattel purchased Fisher Price in 1991 and subsequently shifted all production of FP toys to China.. If you look carefully at some of the information that is out there, problems with cadmium being in these and other toys made in China (e.g. girls' jewelry), was discovered around 2007. There were also some other dangerous chemicals found in certain stretch plastic toys (e.g. some Barbies etc.).
The supposed issues regarding lead being in the vintage FP play sets (prior to 1990) has been exaggerated. Yes, some lead was found in the yellow, red, or black paint or plastic of these vintage toys. However, MedMD noted that this lead was not transmitted through the skin (e.g. a child's hand etc. or by just touching the item). In order for it to be a problem, the child had to put the items in their mouth and chew on them. Most of the FP play sets, with the exception of the FP #930 Garage (which was created for 2 year olds and up), were designed for 3 year olds and up. Adult supervision was recommended for children under 3 or for any child that was still mouthing or chewing on their toys. If they're not mouthing or chewing the Little People and their paint or the yellow ramp on the Garage, the toys are safe.
Here are some links to other articles that discuss these issues:
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20070802/toy-recall-what-parents-should-know#1
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/fisher-price-recalls-licensed-character-toys-due-to-lead-poisoning-hazard
https://livingsafe.com.au/toxic-pvc-in-plastic-toys-how-to-avoid-them/
Lastly, the other big issue that is often reported regarding these vintage Fisher Price toys is that they were removed from the market because they were considered to be a choking hazard. I used to be the Director of Children's Services for two separate, five county developmental disability agencies here in Indiana. I secured a U.S. government issued plastic tube (or choking tube) to test all the toys we had in our agencies. None of these LP would fit through this tube; hence they were safe for a child when supervised and if they were not gnawing or chewing on the toys. I also worked at Texas Children's Hospital (a subsidiary of Baylor College of Medicine) in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX, for five years. I saw toddlers and preschoolers from all over the world. We used some of these FP toys with some of our clients. Once again, we never had any problems with them. Finally, I worked as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and University Supervisor in Purdue University's Graduate Speech Pathology training program and Purdue University's Child Development and Family Studies Preschool and Daycare classrooms. These vintage FP toys were utilized in all of these settings with no harmful side effects. Once again, they were not introduced to children under 3 or those who were still mouthing or chewing their toys.
SO, in summary, purchasers should refrain from allowing children under 3 years of age to play with these toys without adult supervision or to offer these toys to children who may be still mouthing their toys.
This play set weighs @ 6 1/2 lbs. UNWRAPPED. It will require an over-sized box. I'd like to ship this set via Fed Ex Home Delivery. In order to do so, I need a residential address, no P.O. boxes, and a contact phone number (e.g. home, cell, work place) for Fed Ex's paperwork. Otherwise, they will refuse to accept the package for delivery. My location is Lafayette, IN (47905).
|
|
|
$240.00
|
