We visit Little People Main Street Daily!
Written: Dec 26 '02 (Updated Jan 15 '03)
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Pros: 100 % Kid-Powered, Several figures and accessories, can configure many ways
Cons: Doesn't stay shut, many small pieces, many stickers to apply
The Bottom Line: Lots to see and do on Little People Main Street, a must have for your Little People village.
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| marytara's Full Review: Little People - Main Street |
Last year I hit the after holiday sales and picked up several Little People sets on sale including this set, Little People Main Street. The set normally sells for around $25 but I purchased it for around $15.
Tucked safely in the back of my son's closet all year I was sorely tempted to break it out early a few times - but resisted. I finally gave in a few weeks ago and gave this to my son at his 2nd birthday party. What a perfect gift!
Making Main Street
The Little People Main Street set comes disassembled in several pieces that snap together - no tools are required. Snapping the pieces together is not too difficult, but more importantly there is a whole page full of sticker decals that need to be carefully applied. It is actually easier to put the stickers on first, and then build it - otherwise you will be reaching your adult sized hands into some tricky places trying to get the stickers on "just so". I recommend putting the Little People Main Street together while your child is not around or busy doing something else, otherwise they will try to play with all the pieces and help you with the stickers and it will not be a pretty sight.
A Map of Main Street
Little People Main Street is made up of 3 sections that can either be connected together or they can be stacked or detached and set up different ways.
The main building is a large white 2-story building which is a firehouse on the ground floor. The firehouse has a red door which really opens and closes to accomodate the small red firetruck that is included with this playset. Inside the firehouse there is a firefighter's outfit hung up (stickers) and even a kitchen. Outside of the firehouse is a red mailbox that opens to fit 2 little parcels. The letters are tiny 1X2" pieces of white plastic with molded in details. One is a piece of mail complete with return address, stamp and sealed with a heart - the other is a package that looks like it was tied with string. The letters also fit in the back of the blue mailtruck included with this playset.
Outside of the firehouse kitchen window is a small stone walkway which leads to a park with a functioning tree-swing. On the other side of the firehouse is a one-person green lift elevator which leads to the 2nd story of the building.
The 2nd floor has a barber shop on one side and a pet shop on the other side. The barber shop has a candy cane striped barber pole and a removable high back chair which can be seen through the open window. Fisher Price has even included details such as hair clippings, molded into the plastic on the floor around the chair. Next to the barber shop is a pet shop with a grooming area. On the wall of the petshop are various pet accessories and pets and the focal point of the room is the grooming station. Its a large green pedestal that actually rotates. Molded into the plastic are important details like a dog dish with food in it and even a mousehouse complete with a mouse.
The roof of this two story building is flat and large enough to hold either of the other two small buildings and has a rooftop helicopter landing pad (with helicopter). You can get to the roof by either the elevator or a small staircase which is on the outside of the building. There's even a removable red flag that can be placed on any of the rooftops or the vehicles.
The second section is a blue diner type restaurant with a rooftop patio on top of its red awning. The roof has a tiled floor and a built in chair, perfect for dining, peoplewatching or sunbathing. Accessories for this section include a little white table with a yellow umbrella, a yellow fast food menu sign, and 2 food trays with food on them (stickers). The sign has a picture of a hamburger, coke and fries on one side, and a menu on the other side. One tray has a sandwich, cookies, apple, and strawberry shake, and the other has a picture of a bananna, apple, orange, and muffins. The trays can be stored in two little slots inside of the restaurant, next to the little red door that opens and closes. Outside of the restaurant there are colorful flower bed stickers, even.
The third section is a blue carwash with a red roof that doubles as a service station. One side of it is a ramp with a yellow guard gate at the top of it. The carwash is a drive through type with yellow cloth "cleaners" that hang down to wash them and can be moved back and forth by a little sliding lever. There's also a gaspump with a red hose and nozzle are attached to the front of the building. This modular section is reminiscent of the Little People Fun Sounds Garage Playset.
Main street is not complete without a traffic signal. The sign is made of yellow plastic measuring about 2X3" and the light is green on one side and red on the other.
Main Street Folk
Little People Main Street comes with four figures - including 3 people and 1 pet. Only one of these people (the firefighter) can be found in other little people sets. So, if you collect the Little People figures you will be happy to have some new faces found in the Little People Main Street.
Firefighter - Known from the Little People Large Vehicle - Firetruck playset this is Firefighter Cheryl. She has long blonde wavy hair and is wearing a black helmet, a red long-sleeve raincoat with a yellow stripe in the middle and 2 silver buckles, and boots.
Little Boy - An Asian boy wearing a red shirt, blue pants with silver keys in his side pocket, and white shoes. He doesn't have a name, but he looks just like the popular Sonya Lee figure we pretend that he is her brother.
Little Girl - A little caucasian girl with long brown hair, a purple ponytail holder, wearing a pink shirt under purple overalls, pink shoes, and a yellow purse.
Cat - An orange cat with white front paws and a white chest wearing a blue collar with a yellow heart-shaped tag.
Vehicles on Main Street
Firetruck- A small red firetruck with a 2 rung ladder in the back. This little truck has a spot to fit one Little People figure and also a little hole which fits the gas pump nozzle. Though firefighter Cheryl is the driver of this truck, you can often find any of the Little People figures (including the cat) driving the firetruck on our Main Street.
Mailtruck- A blue truck with a flat bed - it can be used to hold the 2 parcels that come in this playset, or another Little People figure can be placed in the back. The truck also has the little hole for the gas pump. Our mailtruck visits the Fun Sounds Garage frequently as well the roof top diner.
Helicopter- A cheery yellow helicopter with white propellors that actually rotate. This helicopter is scaled to fit on top of the helicopter landing pad that comes with the Little People Main Street and also the Little People Fun Sounds Garage Playset . The helicopter holds any one of the Little People figures. We also have the Little People Large Vehicles - Helicopter. This larger helicopter makes sounds and lights and comes with Chuck the pilot, so sometimes Chuck pays a visit to our Main Street helicopter, though the actual helicopter is made on a larger scale.
What we love
100% Kid Powered
Just like the Little People sets that I grew up with, the Little People Main Street set is 100% Kid Powered. There are no batteries required to activate sounds like many of the other new style Little People sets. I love this because not only does that make the Main Street a nice quiet toy, it also requires nothing but an imagination. You and your child can make up any and all of the sounds that you want during your imaginary play.
Bang for the buck
I did get this set on sale, but even purchased at regular price I feel that the Little People Main Street is a great value. This set includes 4 figures, 3 vehicles and a 3 multi-configurable buildings and more than a handful of accessory pieces that can be played with individually or integrated with any other Little People playset. Three of the figures that come with this set are unique to Main Street. Finally - a set that doesn't contain duplicates of other large playsets. How many Eddie's and Sonya Lees do you really need?
Attention to detail
Few Little People sets have as much detail as the Little People Main Street. Though many of the details are stickers which are applied, most are molded right into the plastic making the Main Street come to life. With working doors that open, an elevator that goes up and down, a swing that swings, a car wash that washes and a functional mailbox your little one will enjoy a truly interactive experience. My son is absolutely fascinated with the small mailbox and will mail the 2 little letters and open and shut the mailbox door. The pieces are kid sizes but small, and they really give his fine motor skills a workout.
What's to complain about
You want me to stick how many stickers?
.. Ok well, my first complaint is so many darn stickers to apply to it while setting it up for the first time. When we want to play with Little People, we want to play right away. Thankfully this is a one time hold-up.
Pieces are easily lost
Moreso than other Little People sets, the Little People Main Street includes many many small pieces that are very easily lost. For example the 2 letters, if not stored in the mailbox are prone to go missing. The same applies to the 2 food trays which come with the diner, and the red flag for the rooftop.
Folds up to take along or store
The diner and service station components fold up to the rear of the main building when its time to put the Little People Main Street away. On the top of the roof of the main building there is a built in sturdy blue handle which can be used to carrying purposes. Being able to fold up a toy for storage or carry along purposes should be a plus, but for this toy it is not. There are simply too many pieces which fall out of the windows and go lost if you attempt to pick it up and move it. The 2 side pieces also fall easily off the hinge meaning that it is impossible to stay closed shut. I do not recommend this for take along play and prefer to use a rubbermaid bin method for storage purposes. As it stands, our Little People Main Street has remained set up for the past 2 weeks since my son received it and I anticipate it will be set up for as long as he enjoys play with Little People.
Limited Availability
With the introduction of the Little People Discovery City, the Little People Main Street has become harder to find. I find this personally disappointing that Fisher Price saw to "replace" an excellent playset that relied only on a child's imagination with one thats powered by batteries.
Overall
My son and I are thrilled with the Little People Main Street. Me, I'm asking myself, why didn't I break this one of out of the closet sooner? Meanwhile, my son is playing with the Main Street daily. Yesterday he received a ton of toys for Christmas but what did he play with once all the wrappings were undone? He went right back to his Little People Main Street. I think that every Little People village needs a Little People Main Street. This is one set sure to please kids who love Little People and meets with parent approval as well. If you like Little People, you will like Little People Main Street.
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Additional Info
Goes well with these Little People playsets
I would normally list a whole bunch of playsets here that I feel "play nice" or are most similar. For Little People Main Street you can't go wrong. This set goes well with any other set, or as the only set you purchase for your child. With many of the smaller sets its nice to combine them but this set has enough playability on its own. Of course, once you combine it with your other playsets watch out. The sky is the limit! Ok Ok, I think that the Little People Main Street goes best with the Little People Fun Sounds Garage Playset or the Home Sweet Home sets. Its most similar to the Discovery City set.
My Standard Little People Warning!
Fisher-Price states that this toy is for ages 1 1/2 years 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.)
100% Kid Powered - No Batteries Required!
To clean this playset- use a damp cloth with soap/water or a baby wipe. Do not soak this or immerse this because there are so many stickers that will get ruined or fall off. Little People figures themselves are washable by immersion or in the dishwasher top rack.
For More Info
http://www.fisherprice.com/us/littlepeople
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
marytara
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 in Education, Kids & Family |
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Member: MT
Location: Jersey Shore
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