I confess that I love playing with the Fisher-Price Little People sets as much as my 2 year old son does.. maybe even more. But, there was one set that I'd really held off on purchasing for the longest time - and that is this one, Little People Home Sweet Home.

In fact, I'd been pretty ticked off at Fisher-Price about this house for some time now. Why.. you ask.. Let me tell you.

You see, when I was a child I had not 1 but 2, and maybe even 3 different houses. I distinctly remember having an aquamarine colored A-Frame house, an English Tudor style house and also vaguely recall a more traditional (yellow?) house with assorted furniture and figures. Of course, my Little People sets of my childhood long went to Goodwill, were given away to other children, or sold at garage sales. But, my happy childhood memories are still very much alive. I so wanted my son to have one of these playhouses. And yes, I confess that I wanted to play with this house too.

So why was I mad? Well, when I was checking out all the different sets available now in the current style of Little People (they are no longer the chokable barrel shaped people with marble sized heads made of wood, but instead are made of a sturdy plastic and have molded bodies painted with colorful clothing - they even have arms and names too!) I found there is now only one style of house available, the Little People Home Sweet Home.

So, what's the big deal?. Well, this set has "girl" written all over it. The window trims are a pale pink, with bright pink doors, and pink accessories - even pink beds. The rest of the house is done in bright colors that are more gender neutral. Now, I try to keep an open mind. My son does have a doll (though he's not so interested in it), I like to provide him options. Truthfully I secretly wanted to purchase this set anyways for my little boy for quite a long time, despite the fact that I knew my husband was going to have a fit if I brought home what is perceived as being a "girl's toy". However, when I found it on sale for a mere $16.99 I put any misgivings aside. Since this home is normally in the $30 dollar range I couldn't pass it by any longer. [Note - I got the $16.99 price at the Fisher-Price Toy Store in East Aurora, NY.]

What's Included?

When you purchase the Little People Home Sweet Home you get the main house, a family, and a handful of accessories.

The Home Made of durable white plastic this little house (measuring 12.75" x 10" x 14" when closed) has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, even a small balcony and a chimney... a perfect little starter home with some added luxuries. The window trim is done in pink with hot pink doors (that open and close), a bluish purple roof and teal green lawn for a base. The house closes for storage and a little clip on the side holds it closed (mostly) so you can put the people and furniture inside when its not in use. When open you can access the 5 rooms. On the ground floor is the kitchen (the refrigerator door opens and shuts) with an eat-in dining area and the living room. A spiral staircase leads up to the second floor to the bathroom and the master bedroom. The bathroom includes a toilet (with a lid), vanity and a full bath. The master bedroom has a cathedral ceiling. Over the bathroom is another bedroom, which is a child's room that appears to be a converted attic.

Note - Most of the little detailed styling, including carpetting, pictures on the wall, etc. are actually decals. A single sheet of stickers comes with the Home Sweet Home playset and they apply in less than 5 minutes with a provided "map" of where the decals go.

The Figures Included with this set are 3 figures, Linda - the mom, John, the daddy and baby Ashley. We already had Linda and Ashley because they came with the Little People Family Van set. These are the Caucasian figures, with brown hair. There was a toll free number on our box to call for inquiries about African-American figures. I called it and Fisher-Price sent me 3 additional figures. The baby they sent me is an African American baby Ashley and the Mom and Dad are actually the doctor figures from the now discontinued Eddie's Doctor Visit playset. I believe there are specific African American Mom and Dad figures out there but they are no longer in production. They also have replacement decals for the parents bedroom which feature portraits of the the African American people.

The Furniture & Baby Gear For the eat-in kitchen this set includes a pale yellow round table and 2 squatty chairs that can hold any Little People figurine. I found it funny that the set included not 1 but 2 twin style beds (in pink) for the master bedroom. Each bed only holds one figure so I guess Linda and John sleep separately. Also 'odd' is that no furniture is included for the living room! The set includes 3 pieces specific to baby Ashley including a pink high chair, a pink carriage style stroller (the wheels do not turn) and a rocking cradle/bassinett with attached baby monitor that is white and pink. This baby cradle is probably my son's favorite piece of furniture in the entire Home Sweet Home set. It is also the only piece that uses batteries (3 TRIPLE A's that are NOT included). The batteries are only necessary if you want to activate the nursery sounds. When you press down on the baby monitor you will hear one of the following sounds: "Ma-Ma", a lullaby, baby crying & laughter. My son likes to parrot back the different sounds, which thankfully are not too loud or annoying.

Storage is pretty easy and when it comes time to put the pieces away they intend for you to put them all inside then close up the house and clip the hook on the side. You do need to watch because some of the pieces can fall out of the balcony, doors, or the large arched window in the 3rd floor bedroom. We opt for storing our Little People in plastic bins and one of those 3 drawer carts with the larger sets standing alone nearby.

Our Experience - Making a House a Home

Like all the Little People sets this one encourages open ended imaginary play for your little one. The figures are perfectly kid sized for their chunky hands and its fun to play out different scenarios including the mom, dad and baby. We have many many sets and play with them all interchangably. Since my son is a little boy I got out one of our Eddie figures (the little blonde boy) and let him play with him in the house to see what he'd do. He's particularly fascinated with the bathroom, which is a good thing since we are in early stages of potty training. He really likes to put one of the figures on the toilet and another one in the tub. Of course, I found it particularly telling when he put the baby or the little boy in the tub and the dad on the toilet. How observant!

Previous versions also included a doghouse and puppy but it is no longer included with the set. Also, the current model does not have a handle on the top for carrying. I don't think they should have eliminated that as it was a cute feature. Previous versions also included a ringing doorbell, which may be a blessing that the current version does not have.

I do wish they had included living room furniture - at least a sofa would have been nice. Plus, why did they include 2 twin beds for the master bedroom? I distinctly recall having a double bed for my Little People when I was a kid. Also, because the bathroom and nursery occupy the same size space as the master bedroom, the ceilings are a bit low which doesn't leave a lot of room for maneuvering the people around, especially for chubby little toddler hands or parents who are playing along too! Also, this set doesn't include any vehicle with it.

Maybe they rely on the train for transportation purposes as Little People Fun Sounds Train does work really nicely with this Home Sweet Home set. The train features a matching teal colored gate at the Home Gate and a birdhouse and a lamp post made to go with this playset. We use our train and also a Little People playmat with Home Sweet Home The playmat and has a spot intended just for where the house will go making the playmat a lawn of sorts. Neither the train nor the playmat are required, but they add to the play experience for us. The possibilities are endless with these Little People, all thats needed is an imagination and some floorspace.

Several add on sets specific to Home Sweet Home are available. We also have the Lil' Sidewalk Rider set which is one of the add-on sets for the home as well as the Playtime Pals set, but have yet to purchase the Pretty Garden Set. These add on sets include other figures, Maggie with her trike and wagon, Maggie and Sonya playing dressup at a tea party, and Sonya Lee with a gardening cart and smaller house. Too bad they didn't make an add-on set with one of the little boy figures, also.

I continue to be not so pleased with Fisher-Price's assumption that this playset is just for girls. My son really loves the Home Sweet Home set and all misgivings that I'd had about it being too girly for him are really out the window. I do wish they offered the house in a more primary color scheme like the rest of the World of Little People playsets. When I called Fisher-Price to request the African-American people I spoke very openly with them about this. The reason I was given for it being done in this coloring scheme is because this set was intended for girls and the garage and airport for boys! I personally don't buy that one bit and am a bit angered by it. Children, regardless of gender, will enjoy playing with any of the Little People playsets.

Despite Fisher-Price's choice of stereotypically feminine colors, the Home Sweet Home playset is not just for girls!

http://www.fisherprice.com/us/littlepeople

Update - The new Fisher-Price Little People Sweet Sounds Home has been released. It is a 2 story home with additional sounds added. They appear to have fixed some of the troubles of low ceilings/clearance and the twin bed issue...



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 16.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months