My parents captured many Christmas morning photographs when I was young, but this one from 1974 is a little unusual. Most of our Christmas photos are candids taken in the midst of our present-opening frenzy. In this one, I’m pausing to pose in front of a half-unwrapped gift. The smile on my face shows how happy I was to uncover that gift–the Fisher Price Play Family Village.
Fisher Price began producing the Village in 1973. At age 6, I longed for it as intensely as I would long for the Barbie Star Traveler a few years later. I’d loved Play Family toys since I was a toddler, and the Village was the ultimate play set, with a fire station, police station, dentist’s office, apartment, restaurant, theater, garage, and more.
I’ve been wanting to acquire a Village for years, but finding a complete one at a price I was willing to pay proved difficult. Finally, about a month ago, I was able to add this toy to my collection.
I wanted to share a few pictures of it, simply because its colorful lithography and smiling people make me happy. As much as I enjoy nostalgia, I try not to fall into the trap of pining for a simpler time. In 1974, our country was dealing with Watergate, continued involvement in Vietnam, and an oil embargo–things were anything but simple. But a toy like Play Family Village transports me to a time when my parents still stood between me and the outside world’s troubles, and daily life seemed almost as uncomplicated as a walk down Play Family Main Street.
- The gift I’d wished the hardest for in 1974–the Fisher Price Play Family Village.
- This half of the village includes the fire station, dentist’s office, and theater.
- Cute touch–the apartment includes a Fisher Price record player.
- The box–a little worse for wear after 40 years, but aren’t we all.
- It must be hard to practice dentistry without hands.
- Off to save a cat from a tree!
- She’s smiling because he hasn’t given her the bill for her car repair yet.
- Life isn’t entirely perfect in the Village–but when frowning ne’er-do-wells strike, smiling police officers throw them in the slammer.
- This guy would never “go postal.”
- Here’s something a modern village wouldn’t need–a phone booth.
- Someone’s had her doughnuts this morning.
- It must be hard to deliver mail that’s bigger than you are.
- A mother-daughter lunch.
- The “entrance” to the Village’s finest dining establishment.
- The theater is featuring an animal act today.