I have a very unique set to share with you this week. It's the UK version of the familiar Play Family Farm #915. Known as the Fisher Price Farm #910 it was made in the 1980's. The barn has the familiar base but with a red roof and much different lithographs outside and pictures inside. It came with familiar farm animals and pieces, but also a few unusual and exclusive farm pieces!
The set came with 19 pieces besides the base. This particular set is not listed in most of my usual FP references so my information is taken only from This Old Toy, the photos on the toy box and the toys I received. I've had two #910 Farms (the other is in my Etsy shop) and both were shipped directly from sellers in the UK. Both owners stated that these were the original accessories. So with that disclaimer here are some specifics.
First up the little people farm family. It came with a dad, mom, son and daughter. The biggest difference and exclusive pieces are the dad and son. They both wore blue caps, previously used in the USA sets for Pilots (see the little wing on his cap). The boy has an orange body and a blue cap.
ETA: His father (finally pictured above because of obsessive searching and help from good FP friends!) has a blue body and blue cap (basically a pilot) but with a yellow farmer scarf. He is awesome and I was thrilled to finally track one down. However, I will admit that he was so difficult to find (in my price range) that I haven't let my kids play with him (yet). He hangs out on my desk instead.
The mom is red with a yellow ponytail and the little girl is green with brown hair and lots of freckles. I have also seen the girl with a blue or green body and brown hair without any freckles.
Now to the barnyard. The #910 Farm included 7 animals, all with smooth bellies (no hexes). The animals that I received from the UK (and also saw on the box) are: brown horse, white cow, brown dog, black pig (with white ears), white sheep, red rooster and a white chicken! According to This Old Toy (TOT) the set included: black horse, white cow, black dog, white sheep, white dog, white chicken and red rooster. I'm not sure if that was a variation from a different year or if they are completely wrong. :)
The farm accessories included 4 fence posts, a water trough, horse harness, conveyor belt and 2 hay bales. The exclusive pieces to this set are the conveyor belt and hay bales. This particular piece is very unique. There is a handle on the side and when you turn it the black belt moves around and the hay bails then move. So cool!
The conveyor belt can stay flat on the ground or be propped up into the hay loft. The belt has little raised areas on it to prevent the hay from falling off. Genius!
The European kids had the coolest piece! Aren't you jealous?
The vehicle included in the set is a tractor and hay cart combo. There were two versions from what I can tell (a different version came in each of my UK farms). This seems to fall in line with the box photo and the description on TOT. Note the wheel/axle color combos, they are very specific to this set.
Here are both versions.
Let's move on and take a closer look at the Barn.
The outside has a green plastic base (same as the later US versions), brown doors with European hardware (they still moo like ours!!), white hayloft doors, a red roof with unique etching, a Fisher Price label and the white rooster with 8 little yellow chicks following behind. Notice that one little chick is a little farther behind, love the details! A similar mommy/baby chick FP logo was found on later US sets as well, but not with a red background.
Inside the hayloft has the same picture as our #915 version, the only lithograph that is the same. It shows a wood floor with hay scattered on it.
One side of the barn has lithographs of sun flowers, birds, a green frog, three windows and an angry looking owl in the hayloft window. Note that the UK barn looks like it is made of stones, rather than wood like our version.
The back of the barn has two doors. One is closed and the other has a cow busily munching some greens while looking out the top. Below his door is another plump white chicken. If you look closely you can see flowers, flower pots, a shovel and the farmer boy peeking out the window.
The opposite side has yet another door (that's 3 total if you're counting), and two more windows. They must really like/need lots of light in Europe! There is another angry owl in the barn loft window. If you look close you can see a bucket under a water spout (with a frog splashing out), horse shoe, hay and a pitch fork, tall grass, a tiny bird and a fluffy cat.
Inside the barn there are 6 kittens, two on this side playing in the hay and four on the other wall!
On the back wall the cow and farmer boy are looking out which matches the scene in the back of the barn. There is also some tack on the wall. The opposite side has the tiny kittens in a box with hay and one trying to escape out the door.
So what do you think? Which version is better, our #915 Play Family Farm or the #910 Fisher Price Farm? Did you notice what is missing from the UK version that ours has?
The downside to this farm is that it is so hard to get! When you find one you have to pay high shipping costs, and if you're missing some of the exclusive pieces it can take awhile to track them down.
