1931 Fisher Price Woodsy Wee Zoo

The oldest Fisher Price toy in my collection comes from the company's first year of production in 1931, and is part of the firm's original line of 16 toys. The Woodsy Wee Zoo was one of several sets designed by Margaret Evans Price, wife of company co-founder Irving Price. Margaret Price was an esteemed and accomplished children's writer and illustrator of the time, with a talent for creating charming and colorful characters.

The set is still in its original stone-lithographed cardboard box. I love the caption at the bottom:

Inside, the set nestles in an insert, its name beautifully printed in a cool 1930s font:

The Woodsy Wee Zoo  is comprised of five different wooden animals on wheels, with metal hooks that enable them to join up and form a train. The colorfully lithographed critters include a giraffe, camel, elephant, lion, and bear, with the tallest critter, the giraffe, measuring 5 1/2 inches tall.

A slightly larger set released the same year, the Woosy Wee Circus, included these same animals plus a baby elephant, horse, clown, dog, and monkey.