The Fisher Price record player is back! Gone are the days of scoring one at a garage sale only to realize you don't have any records to play on it. And gone are the days of paying exorbitant prices on Ebay for an old one. The company Basic Fun has been bringing classic Fisher Price toys back to the market for a few years, but this is the toy we've been waiting for.
A press release earlier this summer indicated that the record player would debut in Target stores this past August. Has anyone seen one in their local Target? They're not on Target's website yet, but we did find them for sale online through Urban Outfitters (for a hefty $40) and we expect to see them at other retailers soon. The player includes 5 records with the same tunes you'll remember from childhood including 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and 'London Bridge'
You can find other Fisher Price classics like the Chatter Telephone, Two Tune TV, Milk Wagon for sale from various online vendors. (Try Back to Basics Toys, Amazon and Basic Fun for starters).
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I've seen these at the Target in Pikesville, MD. They had the record player, the TV, and I think the piano too.
The TV at least is such poor quality. My kid never got to play with hers as a toddler as the button twists around and nothing happens. Waste of money. The ancient one at grandma's, however, still works fine.
chicago area targets have these toys though i didnt notice the record player. have to look again!
Agreed - NYC area Targets have them, too.
I loved that record player!
Oh wow - AWESOME!
I still have the record player and the tv, but don't let my son play with them just yet (he's 2) - now I can get him his own without worry about him smashing them! Both still work great.
Plus, these will make for great xmas presents for kids of those who remember having them - and their kids can now have them too!
Oh I just adored my record player - it went absolutely everywhere with me!!!
My toddler nieces have the new version of the TV and it works just fine for them. They love it and if they didn't share a bed, I'm sure they would be fighting over it all night long.
I scored an old record player on ebay some time ago but I cringe everytime my son (2 years old) play with it... I think I'll get a new one for him and keep my old one :) (they just have to release them in Europe, pfff)
I still have my piano and am thrilled that I can get one for my son to play with. I LOVED the piano and so it doesn't play well anymore...problem solved!
I still have the record player and records my siblings and I shared! I'm excited because this means I should be able to get new parts when I need them! (Even when I wind it tightly it only plays a minute)
Awesome!
My daughter just got the record player as a gift for her birthday! I'm not sure where my friends bought it, but they are apparently available in the Boston area too!
Was looking for a birthday gift and found the the piano in a San Diego Target. It is the sweetest! And not annoying like some music toys can be.
Now I need to go to my Target and see if they have the record player- then buy two.
They have the milk jugs!!!!! :: squeels with delight :: My daughter and neice play with our old set which my parents squirreled away. I don't know if the record player survived... We gave it a lot of use!
Uh - I am SO getting these. $40 seems more than a bit pricey, though. I'm sure they didn't orignally cost that much!
We bought the chatter telephone for my daughter. LOVE IT. Then of course she got as a birthday present (from a friend we see all the time) a crazy lights and sounds and music etc. electronic one. She actually likes them equally, but I sure wish we didn't have to keep the crazy one around.
We just found our record player and it works but is very sluggish...anyone know how to fix it?
It bums me out that companies are marketing on parents' nostalgia to make kids into little consumers. Last thing we need is more plastic toys that aren't built worth a darn and just going to break and end up in a dump (not to mention all the waste that is created in production and with the packaging). At least the originals were primarily wood and made in the US. Chances are, if you can't find it used on ebay or through a thrift store, our kids don't need it.
The milk wagon rules. I didn't even remember playing with that until I saw it just now, too weird.
oh i had the recorder. i have the radio but its retro complete with wobbly spring intena. i have several toys from fisher price that have lasted. i let my kids play with them. i havent let my son play with the train yet...but i think i will now. i too am dissapointed that they dont make quality toys anymore. why dont they???
Plenty of quality toys out there...they just don't generally sell them at big box stores and they certainly don't make them in China.
I still have the record player! My son is 4 now and loves playing with it!
JudiAU, great point. Some of my daughter's favorite toys are ones I've purchased from small business owners on Etsy who have made them by hand. More of an initial investment but they will last forever and her kiddos can play with them one day :)
She also plays with all of my childhood favorites but they have all been purchased from charitable thrift stores (curse my mother and her all too frequent toy purges!). Another great source for the originals is the Goodwill online auction site. There are a number of record players up for bids right now and one, with all the records, is currently only going for $5! Buying something that already exists instead of feeding the consumerism monster is made better by the fact that you are giving your money to an organization that helps job place those with disabilities.
Alas, too late for us...
They had all of these toys at the Target in Durham, NC this weekend. I got the chatter telephone as a birthday present for my friend's one-year old. The prices ranged from 9.99 to 19.99.
The originals are still WAY better quality and much more charming than these. But, sounds like Fisher Price is finally starting to figure out what moms these days want to buy their kids.
Maybe I'm too young, but the originals of these weren't made of wood. I think the original Snoopy dog was wood, but most Fisher Price toys in the 60s and 70s were plastic. I had the milk truck, and I really want to buy it and the record player for my daughter. My mom, however, was NOT impressed with the new version of the teaching clock--it didn't tick right or play the right music--so she bought an original in good condition from eBay for my daughter. Who loves it. I recently bought the Toy Story 3 version of the Chatter phone, which is cute, but the string for the receiver is so short my daughter doesn't like playing with it. I understand long strings can be dangerous, but kids need to be able to put the phone to their ear without dragging the entire phone too. It could be a little longer. And didn't the original have a string to pull it around too?
I have an old chatterbox phone with base made of wood--plastic top. And it has a pull string too.
My hubby refused to let me buy these when I we saw these at Target because he said we didn't "need" them. I hate shopping with him.