A couple weeks ago I traveled to East Aurora, New York to visit Fisher-Price’s headquarters. As one of their Canadian mom ambassadors, I was joined by three other moms from our team; Caroline Fernandez, Tammi Roy and Lena Almeida, plus 10 bloggers from the U.S team.
Lisa Arneill, Tammi Roy, Caroline Fernandez, Lena Almeida Fisher-Price HQ
My love for Fisher-Price has been lifelong so I was incredibly thrilled to tour their facilities and see where all of the magic happens. Also a huge vintage fan, I was also excited to get a glimpse of their collection of toys and learn more about the company.
Founded in 1930 by Herman Fisher, Irving Price and local toy retailer Helen Schelle, Fisher-Price’s toys were originally made of heavy steel parts and ponderosa pine. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that the company would first experiment with plastic, using it cautiously in case it wasn’t durable enough.
Our first stop on our tour was their Heritage Museum, a building on the property that is not open to the public. Inside, we were able to wander around the vast showroom and drool look over their incredible collection of vintage toys.
As I picked through every showcase I was amazed at the history inside this room. It was then that I realized that many of their top selling toys like the Snap-Lock beads, the Corn popper and the Xylophone were designed in 1957. All three of these toys are still available in their original form for sale today. The iconic chatter telephone was introduced in 1961 and the rock-a-stack that every child had one year later. Boy did they get it right, straight from the beginning.
In my mind I have a long list of favorites that I scoured the cases to see but was a little surprised when many of them weren’t in the Museum.
It wasn’t until we headed into the main building that I realized why. Down almost every hall way the company had built floor to ceiling glass showcases that are filled with every toy you could think of. It was incredible!
And this is when I was struck by how iconic this company was. As Kristen Howerton from Rage Against The Minivan put it, ‘It’s like my entire childhood is contained in these walls.’ And I agree.
“Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”
