Vintage Fisher Price
Play Family #985 Houseboat
Complete with all plastic LP
EXC+++--NEAR MINT (N)
"Come on down to my boat baby, Come on down where we can play..." Remember that song from the 1970's? Well, here is a set that will revive that old song's lyrics....the vintage Fisher Price Play Family #985 Houseboat that is 100% complete in EXC+++--NEAR MINT condition.
The set features 15 pieces, some of which are VHTF (e.g. little blue boat, lobster table, life preservers, Houseboat Captain). The Houseboat itself makes a putt-putt sound when its string is pulled. Its original EXTERIOR lithos are all present and in NEAR MINT condition. There is one light gray smudge on the upper edge of the left-sided Fisher Price anchor litho. I am not sure what caused this or if it will come off during the cleaning process. I just now noticed this. In any case, it does not detract from the appearance or functionality of the Houseboat. The remaining EXTERIOR lithos are free of any fading, marks, edge wear or the like. The lithos are devoid of any bubbles or creases. Even the Captain's console litho is free of any edge wear!
Complementing these EXTERIOR lithos, the original INTERIOR floor litho is also colorful and intact (MINT). It is free of any marks, stains, fading, discolorations, tears, rubs etc. It is smoothly adhered to the underlying plastic surface.
Everything works flawlessly as designed (the diving board pulls out, the steering wheel turns, the little blue boat fits securely on the locks in the rear etc.). After much scrutiny, the only "imperfections" I can find on the plastic surfaces are:
1. A barely visible, orangish discoloration on the lower edge of the white surface on the left-hand side of the boat; this is no wider than the width of the human hair and is only present on about 2-3" of the white trim; you almost need a magnifying glass along with a bright overhead light to detect this; I'm being super "nit-picky" here;
2. A faint, 1" L orangish streak on the front deck of the boat; I doubt if this will come off during the cleaning process; and
3. A few, light surface scratches on the underneath side of the boat.
The plastic surfaces have retained their bright coloration and luster. They are free of any chips, "dings," abrasions, fading, cracks, or breaks. The wheels exhibit little if any "road wear." The flag spring is free of any rust and the flag itself is fully intact. The spring has darkened over time and I will be applying some Naval Jelly to brighten it up once more. The Fisher Price lettering on the top of the boat's roof displays 100% of its original, full glorious silver trim. The plastic pull string is not original to the set but is a replacement string. Overall, in my view, this Houseboat has led a relatively "charmed life" and is in NEAR MINT condition. This is an heirloom quality Houseboat.
With the exception of the red grill (VG++), all of the accompanying accessories are in EXC --MINT condition. You will be receiving the following:
1 VHTF little blue boat;
2 HTF yellow lounge chairs;
2 HTF red captain's chairs, one with a dot on the back of the chair and the other with a triangle;
1 VHTF red lobster table;
1 HTF yellow B.B.Q. grill (NOTE: Since I didn't have a yellow B.B.Q., I substituted an VG++-EXC red B.B.Q. grill in its place; one of the legs on this grill shows multiple, shallow "nibbles;" without these, this grill would garner a MINT rating);
2 RARE yellow life preservers;
1 VHTF, ALL PLASTIC, white- bodied Captain with a blue cap;
1 VHTF, ALL PLASTIC, yellow- bodied, smiling boy with freckles and red cap facing forward;
1 HTF, ALL PLASTIC, red- bodied girl with blond bob and bangs (slight fading to left eye and middle of mouth);
1 ALL PLASTIC, blue- bodied lady w/blonde pony; and
1 ALL PLASTIC, Lucky w/red collar (one tiny red mark on left side of head; I believe this will come off during the cleaning process).
The Houseboat and all of its accessories will be Q-tip cleaned with TLC before sending it on to its new owner. I spend a minimum of 1 1/2 -6 hours cleaning each and every vintage Fisher Price play set I sell except for those listed in My Rough Room. I utilize a variety of cleaning products and tools to make these babies shine! My sets are IMMACULATE!
Don't let this Houseboat "sail away" without you. This set is not part of the recent Fisher Price recall for toys manufactured in China. This set was produced in the good ole' U.S.A. 49 years ago.
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 cadium 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 conclusion, it is recommended that this set not be given to children under 3 years of age or to those that are still mouthing their toys. Adult supervision is recommended.
This set weighs approximately 2 lbs., 9 oz. UNWRAPPED. My location is Lafayette, IN (47905).
The set features 15 pieces, some of which are VHTF (e.g. little blue boat, lobster table, life preservers, Houseboat Captain). The Houseboat itself makes a putt-putt sound when its string is pulled. Its original EXTERIOR lithos are all present and in NEAR MINT condition. There is one light gray smudge on the upper edge of the left-sided Fisher Price anchor litho. I am not sure what caused this or if it will come off during the cleaning process. I just now noticed this. In any case, it does not detract from the appearance or functionality of the Houseboat. The remaining EXTERIOR lithos are free of any fading, marks, edge wear or the like. The lithos are devoid of any bubbles or creases. Even the Captain's console litho is free of any edge wear!
Complementing these EXTERIOR lithos, the original INTERIOR floor litho is also colorful and intact (MINT). It is free of any marks, stains, fading, discolorations, tears, rubs etc. It is smoothly adhered to the underlying plastic surface.
Everything works flawlessly as designed (the diving board pulls out, the steering wheel turns, the little blue boat fits securely on the locks in the rear etc.). After much scrutiny, the only "imperfections" I can find on the plastic surfaces are:
1. A barely visible, orangish discoloration on the lower edge of the white surface on the left-hand side of the boat; this is no wider than the width of the human hair and is only present on about 2-3" of the white trim; you almost need a magnifying glass along with a bright overhead light to detect this; I'm being super "nit-picky" here;
2. A faint, 1" L orangish streak on the front deck of the boat; I doubt if this will come off during the cleaning process; and
3. A few, light surface scratches on the underneath side of the boat.
The plastic surfaces have retained their bright coloration and luster. They are free of any chips, "dings," abrasions, fading, cracks, or breaks. The wheels exhibit little if any "road wear." The flag spring is free of any rust and the flag itself is fully intact. The spring has darkened over time and I will be applying some Naval Jelly to brighten it up once more. The Fisher Price lettering on the top of the boat's roof displays 100% of its original, full glorious silver trim. The plastic pull string is not original to the set but is a replacement string. Overall, in my view, this Houseboat has led a relatively "charmed life" and is in NEAR MINT condition. This is an heirloom quality Houseboat.
With the exception of the red grill (VG++), all of the accompanying accessories are in EXC --MINT condition. You will be receiving the following:
1 VHTF little blue boat;
2 HTF yellow lounge chairs;
2 HTF red captain's chairs, one with a dot on the back of the chair and the other with a triangle;
1 VHTF red lobster table;
1 HTF yellow B.B.Q. grill (NOTE: Since I didn't have a yellow B.B.Q., I substituted an VG++-EXC red B.B.Q. grill in its place; one of the legs on this grill shows multiple, shallow "nibbles;" without these, this grill would garner a MINT rating);
2 RARE yellow life preservers;
1 VHTF, ALL PLASTIC, white- bodied Captain with a blue cap;
1 VHTF, ALL PLASTIC, yellow- bodied, smiling boy with freckles and red cap facing forward;
1 HTF, ALL PLASTIC, red- bodied girl with blond bob and bangs (slight fading to left eye and middle of mouth);
1 ALL PLASTIC, blue- bodied lady w/blonde pony; and
1 ALL PLASTIC, Lucky w/red collar (one tiny red mark on left side of head; I believe this will come off during the cleaning process).
The Houseboat and all of its accessories will be Q-tip cleaned with TLC before sending it on to its new owner. I spend a minimum of 1 1/2 -6 hours cleaning each and every vintage Fisher Price play set I sell except for those listed in My Rough Room. I utilize a variety of cleaning products and tools to make these babies shine! My sets are IMMACULATE!
Don't let this Houseboat "sail away" without you. This set is not part of the recent Fisher Price recall for toys manufactured in China. This set was produced in the good ole' U.S.A. 49 years ago.
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 cadium 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 conclusion, it is recommended that this set not be given to children under 3 years of age or to those that are still mouthing their toys. Adult supervision is recommended.
This set weighs approximately 2 lbs., 9 oz. UNWRAPPED. My location is Lafayette, IN (47905).
|
|
|
$115.00
|
