Little People Garbage Truck - How to Get Your Toddler to Take Out the Trash.
Written: Dec 15 '02 (Updated Jan 15 '03)
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Pros: Little People, Inexpensive, Cute sounds, Lots of fun!
Cons: Only 1 trash can, no on/off, where's the recycle bin?
The Bottom Line: Take out the trash, help the Garbage Collector load it in the truck and hear it get munched up and then start all over again!
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| marytara's Full Review: Little People Garbage Truck |
I recently attended a holiday party where there was a small gift exchange for the children. Parents were asked to provide a gift costing no more than $10 dollars for their own child to open and enjoy. This was a perfect opportunity to pick up another Little People playset for my 2 year old little "big" guy. As luck would have it, I found the Little People Garbage Truck at a bargain price of $7.99 at a local Big Lots store.
The Garbage Man's the person in the neighborhood..
The Little People Garbage Truck is one of the Fisher Price Little People Large Vehicles meaning that it is oversized for ideal preschool and toddler play. The entire truck is about 6 inches long and 6 inches high and 4 inches wide. Its just the right size for my 2 year old to manipulate and push along the floor. The wheels are sturdy black tires and roll smoothly on both carpetted and non-carpetted surfaces.
Included in this vehicle playset are:
Garbage Truck
Similar in looks to the ones that circulate most neighborhoods, the Little People Garbage Truck is made of sturdy plastic, making it safe for toddler and preschool play. The truck, itself is Oscar The Grouch Green with bright yellow accents and a grey roll bar/handle-hold on the top. The garbage hatch in the back has a yellow garage style door with a red recycling symbol on it. The hatch is controlled by a sturdy yellow crank which is only on one side of the garbage truck.
Trash Can
Made of plastic this trash can looks just like one that you'd find Sesame Street's Oscar The Grouch in. You know, the aluminum cans that used to be commonplace but have now been replaced largely by rolling plastic containers. Placed right side up, the trash can looks full and in the trash are a fish skeleton, a banana peel, an apple core, and an old shoe. P. U. Can you imagine the stink? Thankfully, this trash is just painted on! Or, you can imagine to empty the trash and flip it over the bottom of the can is open so now it looks like the can has been emptied.
Word of warning, the trash can is easily lost, but thats another story.
The passenger cabin of the Little People Garbage Truck is an open style and it holds one Little People figurine.
Garbage Collector
Though the garbage collector is nameless, he looks just like Jack - the mechanic who comes with the Little People Fun Sounds Garage. He's wearing one of those one piece blue coveralls, grey shoes and has on bright orange gloves and a backwards cap. His hair is a sort of longish dark brown with a mustache and slung over his shoulder is a black trash bag that looks just like one from Glad or Hefty, or perhaps a store brand.
*The photo portrays a different Little People figure with this playset - one wearing jeans a white T-shirt and a yellow hard hat. Fisher Price must have changed the figure they offer with this playset recently though the playset is identical.
Fun Sounds
Ah... the racket of trash cans being loaded and dumped and then compacted... The Little People Garbage Truck combines a whole bunch of fun sounds with a crank to activate them. Lift the crank and hear a Boing Boing Boing Crash! sound as the garbage door opens. Lowering the crank, closes the door and then makes a Crunch Crunch Crunch Gurgle/Burp sound of the trash being compacted, digested and "eaten" by the truck.
Be warned that some of the Fisher Price sets with "fun sounds" can become possessed from time to time. I have heard of some complaints about this truck where the sounds were randomly going off. This has not happened to us with this playset, but did with the Animal Sounds Zoo.
Take out the trash!
The trash can fits nicely into the garbage truck for both storage purposes and imaginary play. My son enjoys putting the trash in the back of the truck and dumping it out again. He also likes seeing what else fits in the truck, and has put the Trash Collector and other Little People figures in their upon occasion. Thankfully, the compactor is imaginary so they are unharmed when the door is opened.
Value for your $
As far as Little People Playsets go the Little People Garbage Truck is definitely a good value for your dollar. The playset includes the truck, a trash can, and the garbage collector little people figurine and is usually found for under $10.
Some Room for Improvement
The trash can
First of all, there is only one of these. How many people can fit all their garbage into only one can? Plus, it would have been more fun to give the kids a couple cans to play with, or even a bag of trash like the one that the garbage man has slung over his shoulder. Sure, I know this would mean more parts to lose also - but it just would have been more fun. Also, this can really doesn't look like most of the cans that I see in use today - the big plastic rolly kind. Fisher-Price might consider "updating" this set a bit to keep up with the times.
No Recycle Bin
Though there is a great big red recycling logo on the back of the truck there was no separate blue recycling bin included in this playset. In our neighborhood thats a whole different truck, anyhow...
Why? Fisher Price
Well, there is no on/off or volume switch. Though the Little People Garbage Truck is not a "noisy" toy by any means, but it would be nice to be able to control the sounds with some sort of switch for "quiet" play. Right now, the only option would be to take out the 2 AA batteries which power the sounds. (You'll need a phillips screwdriver for that).
Bits and Pieces
Like all Little People Playsets the bits and pieces are small and can get easily lost if you are not careful. Little People are the perfect size for toddler and preschool hands so they often “walk off”. Yesterday we lost the garbage collector under the coffee table - but never fear.. Mommy to the rescue and the Garbage guy can report to work bright and early tomorrow. Good thing, because Monday is trash day at our house!
Overall
My 2 year old son was instantly in love with the Little People Garbage Truck and occupied himself with it in the shopping cart during the duration of my shopping trip. He even held onto it in his carseat and fell asleep holding this truck for dear life. I had a fun time getting it out of his hands without waking him up and even more fun later that day when I tried to wrap it up before the party.
After he opened it at the party I kept it in the box because I didn't want any of the pieces to get lost, but he was content to play with it in the box and turn the crank over and over... Several other 2-4 year olds gave this truck a thorough inspection and seal of approval.
The Little People Garbage Truck was received very well into our ever growing collection of Little People. Little People are durable, easy to clean, toddler safe, and play is limitless. I highly recommend this little green garbage truck for both little boys and girls, especially the 2-4 year old set who like vehicles as well as Fisher Price Little People.
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Additional info:
Goes well with these Little People Playsets & Vehicles
Little People Main Street
Little People Discovery City
Little People Home Sweet Home
Little People Large Vehicles Assortment
Little People School Bus
Little People Family Van
Little People Dump Truck
Little People Cement Mixer
Little People Fire Truck
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$): 7.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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marytara
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Location: Jersey Shore
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