Little People Family Van .... If I ever drive a purple minivan...
Written: Dec 27 '02 (Updated Jan 15 '03)
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Pros: Cute mommy, baby and grocery theme
Cons: Purple Minivan, stroller doesn't stroll, lacks on/off or volume
The Bottom Line: A very sweet playset for a toddler/preschooler who goes shopping with mom.
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| marytara's Full Review: Little People Family Van |
My two year old son and I spend quite a bit of time going shopping and driving to and from various stores around town. If there was a Little People playset that captured the essence of our daily lives it might be this one, the Little People Family Van.
Brushed off at first because I felt that this family van playset was too girly, I am glad to have gone against my initial instincts about this set. As it turns out, the Little People Family Van playset is one of my son's favorites.
What's Included
This set comes with a small purple and grey minivan with a white interior. The van is 8" long by about 5" high and wide. Its just the perfect size to hold up to 3 Fisher Price Little People and few accessories. The wheels are made of black plastic and even have a tread on them, and the van rolls pretty well on both carpet and wood floor surfaces. The side doors of the minivan do not open but the van is equipped with an open moon roof and open windows. The rear hatch of the van lifts up to reveal limited trunk space. Its just big enough to fit a sunny yellow stroller. Of course, the stroller takes up the whole trunk leaving room for nothing else -ain't that the truth.
At the wheel of the van is Mommy Linda who can also be found in the Little People Home Sweet Home set. Linda's sporting a Mommy-do of shoulder length brown hair pulled back in a purple heart shaped hair clasp and is wearing a yellow sweater and pink pants. Breastfeeding moms beware.. Linda's got a baby bottle in one hand (and a burp cloth strewn over her shoulder). Though Linda comes in the driver's seat of the family van, lets hope she actually puts her hands on the wheel before taking off. Instead, her arms are wide open - perhaps she is going to give her baby a hug, or maybe she is throwing her arms up in the air in a fit of desperation. The passenger seat of the van, aka the deathseat, comes vacant. (Perhaps, Mommy Linda drives like I do.)
The backseat sports a carseat and in it rides Baby Ashley. Ashley is also from the Home Sweet Home playset and is nestled cozily in a green baby carrier wearing her pink footy pajamas and holding her teddy bear. A little pink bow on her head accents her single sprig of blonde hair on her forehead. The Baby Ashley figure can be removed from her carseat and placed on the stroller which is in the trunk.
Next to Ashley is a single bag of groceries which can be removed from the vehicle. Linda must prefer Paper over Plastic from the looks of this grocery bag, which contains a carton of milk, some veggies and a handful of other unidentifiable groceries. When the bag is removed from the vehicle there is a space to fit another Little People figure, but no seat or post to keep hold the figure in place.
The Little People Family Van uses 3 AA batteries that install in the underbelly of the vehicle with the help of a phillips head screwdriver. Don't get your hopes up that this van moves by battery power, as it does not. The van is 100% Kid powered, and the batteries are used to power the van's sound effects. Pressing a small yellow button on the dash of the vehicle activates one of the following sounds:
Beep Beep!
Waaah!
...If your happy and you know it...
giggle giggle
achoo!
A few minor nitpicks
As per usual there is no on/off or volume control - the only option is to remove the batteries should the sounds become too sickingly sweet.
My biggest complaint about the Little People Family Van is that its purple. I don't drive a minivan, nor do I plan to. But purple would not be my first, second or even third choice of color. The purple does give this van a bit of a girly feel to it, along with the pastel and pinkish colors used on the Mom and baby. Its for this reason we have shyed away from the Home Sweet Home set - too girly. That being said, my son does enjoy the Little People Family Van and the color doesn't concern him. After seeing how much he enjoys this van, I would not hesitate to give this to either a little girl or boy as a gift.
My only other complaint about the Little People Family Van is that the wheels of the stroller do not turn making it kind of silly to push along.
Our experience
My son instantly took to the Little People Family Van and plays with it frequently along with his other Little People playsets. He does often put the baby in the front seat passenger side, but thats only because he seems to think that Maggie or one of his other Little People figures should ride in the back. He loves to play with the stroller and the bag of groceries - I am sure this is because these are everyday objects for him and he enjoys playing with the mommy and the baby. He especially loves the sounds of the baby crying and giggling, but is take it or leave it on the song "if your happy and you know it" -- I'd have to agree.
The Little People Family Van is just perfect for transporting Little People all around our Little People Village going to Main Street or maybe to the Animal Sounds Zoo for a day trip. If you have Little People to transport, then you definitely need the Family Van.
Overall, the Little People Family Van is a very sweet playset for a toddler or preschooler who enjoys playing with Fisher-Price Little People, especially one who spends a lot of time shopping with Mom. Even if mom doesn't drive a purple minivan and wouldn't be caught dead driving one.
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Additional info:
Goes well with these Little People Playsets & Vehicles
The Little People Family Van is made to match the Little People Home Sweet Home set but also contains duplicate figures of both Mommy Linda and Baby Ashley to this set. This set goes well with any of the Little People playsets and is part of the family of Little People line of Large Vehicles which also includes a Garbage Truck , Fire Truck and more.
My Standard Little People Warning!
Fisher-Price states that this toy is for ages 1 year and up. Fisher Price Little People could pose as a choke hazard for small children so please supervise your child while playing with this set. On a side note, the Little People of today are significantly less of a choke hazard than the simpler version of the past. Being larger and with appendages it would be a difficult feat to get in your mouth. (I tried and it was not a pleasant experience - but that’s not to say a child wouldn't do it.)
Cleaning: Do not immerse this toy in water. Clean it with a damp cloth (soap and water) or a baby wipe.
Savings: If you are interested in getting coupons for Little People products, join the Little People Club by going to the Fisher-Price site.
http://www.fisherprice.com/us/littlepeople
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 5.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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marytara
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