Rarely will you find any baby boomer or millennial without stories to tell about the famous vintage Fisher-Price toys that made childhood memories fun. These toys today hold both sentimental and materialistic value to whoever owns them.
The first Fisher-Price toy produced was the ‘Doctor Doodle’ from 1931; it sold at $3. This toy was produced as a duck that wore a black hat and would move its wings and quack as the owner pulled its strings.
In this guide, expect to learn everything you need to know about Fisher-Price toys, identifying them and also valuing them.
Table of Contents
The Fisher-Price Toys (A Short History)
The Fisher-Price toy company was founded on June 19, 1930. The company was famous for manufacturing different educational toys for children of different age ranges.
It all started when Herman Fisher, his wife Margaret Evans-Price, Helen Schelle, and Irvin Price came together. The combination of some of these names can be traced to how the company got its name.
One major mover of the company was Margaret Price who was an illustrator that became the art director for the company. She would design toys by drawing inspiration from characters from children’s books alongside Helen who had worked in a toy store earlier.
The success the company garnered is also largely due to the $100,000 fundraising event by the mayor of Aurora, New York where the Fisher-Price company was located. This funding enabled them to introduce their toys to the American International Toy Fair.
By 1950, the company switched from using wood to make their toys to plastic because they believed it would expand their options and give more life to the toys. Since its inception, the brand has created over 5,000 different toy types.
Many brands have also used the Fisher-Price name to sell their characters, including Disney, Dora the Explorer, See ‘n Say and Sesame Street.
Today, Mattel owns this brand thanks to its acquisition of HIT Entertainment in 2012.
Below is a video discussing the company’s history and some prominent Fisher-Price toy types.
19 Most Valuable Vintage Fisher-Price Toys
Below is a list of some of the most valuable and rarest types of Fisher-Price toys you may find around you. This list has been verified and sourced from different collectors of vintage items like Fisher-Price toys.
S/N |
Toy Name |
Year |
Price |
1. |
Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Raggedy Ann & Andy Toy |
1941 |
$5,000 |
2. |
Fisher-Price Donald & Donna Duck Pull Toy |
1937 |
$5,000 |
3. |
Fisher-Price Bunny Scoot Toy |
1931 |
$4,000 |
4. |
Fisher-Price Wooden Push Cart Pete Toy |
1936 |
$2,040 |
5. |
Fisher-Price Trotting Donald Duck Toy |
1937 |
$1,900 |
6. |
Fisher-Price Paper Wood Johnny Jumbo Toy |
1933 |
$1,830 |
7. |
Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Dr. Doodle |
1931 |
$1,400 |
8. |
Fisher-Price Popeye Boom Boom Paper on Wood Toy |
1937 |
$1,300 |
9. |
Fisher-Price Doc & Dopey Dwarfs |
1938 |
$1,247 |
10. |
Fisher-Price Popeye Cowboy Pull Toy |
1937 |
$1,000 |
11. |
Fisher-Price Little Joe Jedo Automotive |
1930s |
$1,000 |
12. |
Walt Disney Fisher-Price Mickey Mouse Band Toy |
1935 |
$950 |
13. |
Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Wind-Up Jumbo Bak-Up |
1931 |
$900 |
14. |
Fisher-Price Skipper Sam Toy |
1934 |
$900 |
15. |
Fisher-Price Penelope Penguin Toy |
1935 |
$800 |
16. |
Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Drummer Boy |
1934 |
$854 |
17. |
Fisher-Price Hot Mammy Toy |
1934 |
$700 |
18. |
Fisher-Price Bouncing Bunny with Wheelbarrow |
1939 |
$650 |
19. |
Fisher-Price Hot Diggety Toy |
1934 |
$550 |
19. Fisher-Price Hot Diggety Toy
Price: $550
Year: 1934
Usually, this piece is produced as a pair alongside the hot mammy doll, however, it is often sold separately in a different package. This African-American doll spots a loose overall and has a tie on. It is one of the rare Fisher-Price drawback string toy types with the string located at the back and covered with overalls.
18. Fisher-Price Bouncing Bunny with Wheelbarrow
Price: $650
Year: 1939
The bouncing bunny with wheelbarrow is quite a find from the Fisher-Price collection.
The toy appears to be a bunny pushing a wheelbarrow; one might say the bunny portrays a farmer that has just harvested crops from the farm. The signature bright colors remain with the string in front for movement.
At a Dan Morphy auction, it was estimated that this piece would sell for $600 but ended up going for $50 more.
17. Fisher-Price Hot Mammy Toy
Price: $700
Year: 1934
The Fisher-Price toys have several designs but there are similarities that you cannot miss. Some of these similarities include the pull string or bright colors that are common to many of them.
The Hot Mammy toy type is an African-American toy type and you can tell from the color of the doll and the hair on this doll. It is depicted as a female doll with a male counterpart called the Diggety toy.
Instead of a string or a push rod, this doll has a drawstring at the back which aids the doll’s movement and is covered by a long dress.
16. Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Drummer Boy
Price: $854
Year: 1934
The Fisher-Price drummer boy is one of the most popular designs from the 1930s. Rarely will you see a Fisher-Price list without the drummer boy on it. This popularity spans to other characters like mickey mouse.
This simple drummer boy piece as its name implies is represented by a young boy in uniform wearing a hat and drumming as the string is pulled. This toy like others in the Fisher-Price collection also spots a bright color.
15. Fisher-Price Penelope Penguin Toy
Price: $800
Year: 1935
Without a doubt, the Penelope Penguin is one scarce Fisher-Price toy. However, this does not in any way diminish its popularity as several newer toys are modeled after it; which should give you a good idea of how valuable it is when found.
Being the first of the Penelope penguin series, this toy as its name implies is a wooden penguin with a smaller penguin by the side on wheels. The distinct nature of this piece is hard to miss in any auction.
14. Fisher-Price Skipper Sam Toy
Price: $900
Year: 1934
The Fisher-Price Skipper Sam toy is one of the rarest designs from the Fisher-Price brand. It represents a man of color wearing a hat and rowing a boat. Produced in 1934, it is one of the brand’s designs that used wood as its primary material.
In any condition, you can expect this piece to remain valuable due to its originality and rarity. One fascinating fact about this toy is its ability to move independently when the back string is pulled.
This toy is not electronic but remains valuable to its owner, which is why it sold quickly at a Morphy’s auction in 2021.
13. Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Wind-Up Jumbo Bak-Up
Price: $900
Year: 1931
When you find a vintage Fisher-Price toy in its original pack, it’s value will definitely be higher since the package itself is incredibly rare.
The jumbo bak-up is one of the earliest designs made which means it is quite valuable, especially if it is in pristine condition. This item and its elephant design is not the easiest to find.
12. Walt Disney Fisher-Price Mickey Mouse Band Toy
Price: $950
Year: 1935
In the 1930s, it was common for other cartoon characters to use the Fisher-Price name to sell their brands, and the mickey mouse franchise was not left out of this arrangement.
The signature Fisher-Price wheel used here is located carries mickey mouse beating a drum with metal cymbals at Pluto’s rear. One major difference between this design and others is that rather than a pull string, this has a push rod to aid the movement.
11. Fisher-Price Little Joe Jedo Automotive
Price: $1,000
Year: 1930s
This toy is one of the fascinating pieces of the Fisher-Price toy collection. It was originally designed by a direct relative of Herman Fisher himself as an attempt to go into the automobile side of toy making.
The company might have considered producing this design but they never did but not before they designed a prototype. This prototype is the only known existing copy made. It pictures a little Joe Jedo with another person riding the automobile.
As expected, the design featured the famous pull string and was made as colorful as the other types of Fisher-Price brands, making it just as valuable.
10. Fisher-Price Popeye Cowboy Pull Toy
Price: $1,000
Year: 1937
Like others from the Popeye collection, this item is also tagged with the 1929 king feature syndicate copyright which only adds to its value. It is a one-of-a-kind piece manufactured in 1937.
While this design features Popeye, it is quite unconventional. Here, Popeye is portrayed as a cowboy on a horse with the signature uniform. This toy also comes with wheels and a pull string which aids movement.
9. Fisher-Price Doc & Dopey Dwarfs
Price: $1,247
Year: 1938
For this Fisher-Price toy design, production started in 1938 and spanned just one year; which is a clear indication that it is very rare find. The Doc & Dopey Dwarfs toy belongs to the Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs collection.
This piece features Doc and Dopey on what looks like a cart, beating a drum and smiling as they do. This item also features original rubber and wooden parts and the signature pull string which aids movement.
8. Fisher-Price Popeye Boom Boom Paper on Wood Toy
Price: $1,300
Year: 1937
The Popeye boom boom Fisher-Price toy is one rare vintage toy you will find. Its production started in 1937 but it did not take long before the company halted its production.
Also tagged with a 1929 king feature syndicate, this design is worth its value. From the appearance, Popeye is adorned in his sailor suit beating a drum made from a spinach can with a ‘come and get it’ inscription on the can.
One may have expected this piece to sell for at most $600, but we will find that it has become more valuable than its initial estimate.
7. Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Dr. Doodle
Price: $1,400
Year: 1931
When you hear that the first ever toy design to be sold by your favorite childhood toy maker is being auctioned, chances are you will be prepared to bid as much as you can, which is why it is believable that the Dr. Doodle Fisher-Price toy is highly valued
Like others that came after it, the first design features a pull string that enables the toy to move. This particular item comes in an original branded box and retains all its bright colors from production, making it a desirable for any vintage collector.
6. Fisher-Price Paper Wood Johnny Jumbo Toy
Price: $1,830
Year: 1933
The Fisher-Price company produced the Fisher-Price johnny jumbo toy mainly from 1933-1935, making it incredibly scarce. Additionally, its incredibly distinct design makes it more valuable than other Fisher-Price toys popular from that period.
The Johnny Jumbo takes the shape of an elephant with wheels on its legs, making it easier for the toy to move. It also appears to have a bell linked to its trunk that would make sounds as the toy is being moved.
5. Fisher-Price Trotting Donald Duck Toy
Price: $1,900
Year: 1937
Yet another incredibly rare design is the Trotting Donald duck toy which was produced for only one month for easter sales. This means you might find hard to find this particular Fisher-Price toy. It is a Walt Disney marked design for the easter celebration.
In this design, Donald Duck is attached to a cart, pulling the cart when he moves. The face also appears to be angry and the legs are connected through the sides.
This lot sold for $1,900, making it one of the most valuable Fisher-Price toys.
4. Fisher-Price Wooden Push Cart Pete Toy
Price: $2040
Year: 1936
With only a few of this specific design created, the Wooden Push Cart Pete Toy is without a doubt one of the most valuable Fisher-Price toys. From its name alone, you can imagine a rough image of what it looks like.
The distinct feature with Fisher-Price toys is the hat some of the earliest characters wore. This 1936 illustration appears to be wearing a small red hat that matches the wooden cart with yellow wheels.
3. Fisher-Price Bunny Scoot Toy
Price: $4,000
Year: 1931
If there is one item more valuable than a vintage item, it is one with all its parts intact. This factor is one of the reasons this bunny scoot toy is so valuable. It is also one of the rare designs of the Fisher-Price toys.
This design is in the form of a bunny with legs, although at first it looks like a whistle. The bunny appears to be riding a scooter with its legs by the side. It has its pull string located in front of the scooter for movement.
With thirty people bidding on this rare find, it finally closed at $4000, meeting its estimated bidding price.
2. Fisher-Price Donald & Donna Duck Pull Toy
Price: $5,000
Year: 1937
This incredibly rare piece is one from the Walt Disney Brand. It was created to promote the Donald Duck cartoon ‘Don Donald’ and it was created to look exactly like its character.
The toy features Donald Duck and Donna Duck on a wheel and when its strings are pulled, he plays the xylophone while moving up and down on the wheel.
1. Fisher-Price Paper on Wood Raggedy Ann & Andy Toy
Price: $5,000
Year: 1941
This piece is the only licensed raggedy Ann and Andy toy to be made. It was produced in 1941 when the original paper on wood design was the predominant style of design for Fisher-Price toys.
There is no better example for the Fisher-Price raggedy Ann toys than this, making it a valuable vintage item. It is created as a figure of Raggedy Ann and Andy facing one another and beating a drum with their names written on it.
In December 2015, this item closed bidding at a whopping $5,000 during an auction.
Identifying the Fisher-Price Toys
It is necessary that you can identify an authentic Fisher-Price toy even before you value it. Here are some tips you can follow to help you identify your item.
By Model Number
Fisher-Price toys all have a model number assigned to them, making them much easier to track and identify. For the earlier toys, you can find this number on the box used to package the toys.
Eventually, the company also added these numbers to the toys and you will find them either under or by the toy side.
N.B Do not mistake the copyright number for the model number or production date. This number will always be a year or two earlier than the production date and will start with the © symbol.
By Age
By the beginning of the 70s, the company began inscribing a date code of manufacture at the bottom of plastic and wooden toys. This method is only applicable to toys made during this period.
It was in the form of letters representing a month that would then be paired with a number from 0-9, representing the last number of the year they produced the toy.
Below is a table showing the letters used and the month it represents.
| Letter | Month |
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| H | June |
| K | July |
| M | August |
| P | September |
| S | October |
| T | November |
| X | December |
By the Materials and Figures
The earliest types of Fisher-Price toys are made with wood and often have a sturdy round appearance. This shape was popular with the little people collection in the 1950s.
By 1991, the signature appearance would change into a rounder shape, making people tag it ‘chunkies’. The signature material used in making these toys also changed from wood to light plastics.
By 1996, these toys would take a more unique shape and their faces distinct from the other types produced. The materials used also became a lot thinner than what was applicable previously.
How to Determine the Value of Fisher-Price Toys
Like many other vintage items, there are certain notes you need to take when it comes to valuing a Fisher-Price toy because all of these will add up when you have to determine the final value and some of them are:
Condition of the Item
Before reaching a final agreement on the value of a Fisher-Price toy, especially when you are the one looking to collect the piece, it is advisable to critically examine the toy’s condition to ensure it is in good condition.
A vintage Fisher-Price is more valuable when all its parts are intact and it works just fine, so to avoid paying more than what a piece is worth, ensure the item is in excellent condition before it is valued.
How Rare is my Fisher-Price?
Suppose you own a Fisher-Price piece produced in a particular year or in extreme cases, a one-time production piece. In that case, you should know that the toy’s value will be much higher than other types.
Many collectors are more interested in the limited-edition vintage Fisher-Price toys because even in their own time, they were very valuable and you can expect the value will only go up now.
Sentimental Value
Most collectors are interested in pieces like vintage Fisher-Price toys because it is what they enjoy doing. They will do all they can to own one of these rare pieces but may not be willing to pay more than its actual value.
Then, others may not even be collectors that would want to acquire a vintage Fisher-Price, maybe because it reminds them of a very fond childhood memory. Situations like these can affect the value of a piece by increasing its value more than it was worth originally.
Demand/Supply
Suppose a particular design of the vintage Fisher-Price toy is commonly requested. In that case, this creates a high demand curve for that item, affecting its value by increasing it more than it is originally worth.
Also, suppose a particular brand is in excess and available for supply. In that case, it will negatively affect the value since it is now a piece that one can acquire at any time.
Appraisals
This method may be the most effective way to determine the value of a vintage Fisher-Price toy, especially for someone who has little to no knowledge about collecting items. A popular online appraiser you can contact is Dr. Lori.
You may also consider the antiquesroadshow if you want to find appraisers from more specialized fields.
Final Thoughts
The Fisher-Price brand has been around for a long time and before you can successfully determine the value, you have to be sure you are really in possession of a vintage Fisher-Price toy. Here is how you can confirm this.
- Confirm that the material of the toy is made from wood or very light plastic
- Check for model numbers for the product that is usually printed on the packages or stamped under the toy
- Consult with a toy expert or a collector to help you determine the legitimacy of your vintage toy
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