Sesame Street Little People

Sesame Street was a HUGE part of my childhood -- records, storybooks, stuffed animals, bedsheets. But best of all -- the Little People playset. In the 1976 snapshot below, looking beyond my brother modeling a Sesame Street pillow case around his waist, the playset can be seen on the floor just to his left.

Produced by Fisher-Price in the mid-1970's, the Play Family Sesame Street playset was one of the coolest toys I remember from my childhood.

 
Images courtesy of ThisOldToy.com

Until recently, I had always assumed that the playset had come with all of the Sesame Street Little People we had as kids; however, as I scoured the internet for images and information about this set, I found that seven of the characters were purchased separately in the set seen above on the right. The JcPenney catalog page below shows that this set originally sold for fifteen bucks. Today, a complete set often sells on eBay for upwards of $100.

Lucky for me, our set has remained intact. From the trash truck to Ernie and Bert's beds, every last piece is still around -- granted it's showing signs of being 35 years old. After years of wear and tear from my brother and I, my nephew took his turn a few years back and now the play set is part of my daughter's Little People army. Curiously enough, she doesn't like to mix these pieces with her other Little People. When it's time to play, she is very clear to distinguish between Sesame Street Little People and "regular" Little People.

The images below are of our actual Sesame Street playset taken last fall. Not seen in these pictures are the white ladder and kitchen table/chairs which also came with this set. These pieces are still around but were mistakenly placed with another Little People set at the time of these pictures. Click the images for larger views...

 

  

 

 

In recent years, two very different areas of interest in my life collided in the form of a popular YouTube video. The creator, using many Fisher-Price Little People (but mainly the Sesame Street set), has recreated the Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing. If you're familiar with the movie, you'll love this. If not, you'll likely be offended.