Little People Zoo

#916

c1984-1987

In 1984, Fisher-Price finally released a set that it seemed the Little People series had needed all along--a zoo. #916 did, indeed, sell well and was one of the more attractive of all the 1980's playsets, lasting until the end of Original Little People production in 1990. Unfortunately, while the zoo itself is nicely detailed as far as latter-day bases go, the animals disappointed a lot of Little People fans. Instead of detailed, well-made animal figures popularised through the #915 Farm, the #991 Circus Train, and the #993 Castle, the zoo had soft molded plastic animals with no moving parts that paled in comparison to their predecessors. Most collectors agree the zoo would have been a classic set had the animals been those like the Circus Train.

Another Fisher-Price miscalculation lay in the structure of the attached hippo head on the top level, which is hinged and moves up and down every time the 3-car tram passes over a button on the driveway. The poor hippo's head has a tendency to break at the seams after too much strenuous activity. Despite these drawbacks, the zoo is still a fun set and full of exclusive, and some hard-to-find, pieces.