Since its foundation in 1930, the Fisher-Price company has created over 5000 unique toys with the sole objective of providing children with essential motor and cognitive stimulation through entertainment.
All Fisher Price toys are characterized by their whimsical use of bright colors, emotive sounds, and engaging motion to achieve this goal.
Since I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic lately, I wanted to take some time today to remember one of the classic Fisher Price treasures from my youth.
You see, my entire childhood is filled with fun memories of such things, but one of these toys is at the heart of many of them: the Fisher Price Music Box Record Player.
What is The Fisher Price Music Box Record Player?
The original Fisher Price Music Box Record Player was a “change-a-record” music box that played songs off of various plastic records.
It worked very similarly to classic music boxes. You would simply wind the player with a knob and a spring mechanism would make the records spin under a tonearm to produce music.
The Music Box Record Player had a brightly-colored vintage design and was easy as pie to operate. In the box, you found 5 distinct double-sided “playable” records, for a total of 10 popular children’s tunes. It even had a convenient carrying handle for hassle-free portability.
- The original 1971 Fisher Price Change-A-Record Music Box, or otherwise known as the Fisher Price Record Player, is back
- An endearing classic
- Features 10 songs on 5 records
What Made The Fisher Price Music Box Record Player So Special?
Unlike most toy brands, Fisher-Price has always designed their toys based on real scientific research to be able to identify children’s needs and promote helpful developmental benefits.
The folks at Fisher-Price knew that music stimulates specialized sections of the brain that promote emotional, creative, and even visual skills. In other words, music boosts imagination and creativity in the brain of a child.
Furthermore, listening to music helps children learn to focus their attention by providing them with dynamic sounds and tones, thus enhancing their concentration.
When Was The Fisher Price Music Box Record Player Made?
The Fisher-Price Music Box Record Player was originally released in 1971 and it was made until 1983 when it was discontinued from the Fisher-Price catalog. This puts its release right smack in the middle of the record player craze, which lasted until the first cassettes were released in the 80s.
FUN FACT: Fisher Price, despite being a simple toy company, was never one to fall behind and lose touch with the latest tech, so right around this time they released a really cool Tape Recorder (from Amazon).
What Is A Fisher Price Record Player Worth?
An original Fisher Price Music Box Record Player can be considered a vintage item, so its current worth will depend on the toy’s condition. But vintage and classic toy collectors regularly pay big bucks for these toys.
If you have a mint-condition, in-box record player from Fisher Price, with all of the records intact, you could easily get several hundred dollars for it. Even individual records are worth good money, and there is an active market for them.
Can You Buy A Fisher-Price Music Box Record Player Today?
If you are looking to buy your little one a Fisher Price Classic Record Player (Amazon) today, you are in luck because in 2010 Fisher Price revived the music box record player for their Basic Fun’s line of Fisher Price Classics.
This version of the toy is a bit different than the classic version, but the basic functionality remains the same. That is, the toy plays 10 different songs that have been “recorded” on 5 different discs.
The best thing about this is that your kids can enjoy the same level of musical stimulation that previous generations did, except now the sound quality is worthy of the digital age.
Last update on 2024-11-21 at 21:37 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API