Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Fisher Price Nifty Station Wagon: Updated with Original Advertisement

If I were forced to choose a favorite from the hundreds of pull toys Fisher Price has made over the years, this would be it: the Nifty Station Wagon from 1960, a miniature version of America's beloved family road trip vehicle.


This 13 inch long kitsch classic sports a removeable roof, lovely fake wood side panels, stylish white wall tires, moving headlight "eyes", and a little wooden family (mom, dad, child of indeterminate gender, and dog) who were precursors to the classic Little People.

 Dig the funky tweed interior! I think my little sister and I had matching pants in this pattern back in the '70s.

Mom has her eyes closed. Maybe Dad is a crazy driver, and she can't bear to watch...

 Besides the headlight eyes, the front grill also has a "smiley mouth" bumper.

A simple mechanism causes the kid and dog in the back seat to spin wildly to the accompaniment of a raucous noise as the car moves, just like in real life. Those Fisher Price toy engineers were geniuses.


Updated August 11: 
Several people commented that they had never seen this vintage Fisher Price toy before, so I thought you might enjoy seeing the original advertisement, from the April 1960 issue of Playthings magazine (a trade journal). I have a small collection of vintage toy ads, catalogs, and brochures, and this is one of its highlights. Click on the pic to see it bigger and read the text.

6 comments:

  1. I've never seen this one before! After my time and before my kids....I love the the original FP little people. The early FP toys have so much more personality than the current ones.Thanks for sharing this...bring on more!!

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  2. Thanks Florine! I will have to do a vintage FP month soon for you and the other FP lovers. I have TONS of old FP pull toys, and also old Little People sets. Keep watching this week, as I'll be posting one of my favorite Little People sets: the A-Frame house from 1974.

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  3. I love this car! Darren and I are huge fans of vintage Fisher Price and this is something I've never seem before! What a terrific find Tracy!
    Congrats!
    You're so lucky to be able to come across such incredible stuff!
    4th and 5th bears nearly complete!!!!
    EEEEEEEEEE!
    Michelle

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  4. Hi Michelle!

    Me too: I love, love, love vintage FP toys. I find it impossible to look at an old FP toy and not smile. They just make me happy. :) We'll have to start trading FP stuff next!
    Can't wait to see the new bears!

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  5. Trading FP stuff?!!!! OMG!! I'm thrilled at the prospect!
    Last bear nearly complete!
    Hugs,
    Michelle

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  6. I found this at a Goodwill for .99
    I thought it was very cool but now I'm trying to find the hood and original people 😊

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