toy canon #5: kenner's littlest pet shop
Right up there with My Little Pony and Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop was the toy line that consistently ignited my imagination as a kid. If there was one thing I would not shut up about when I was a tiny tot was how much I loved animals, wanted dozens of pets, and maybe even wanted a career in that field (which I let go of quickly because writing about animals was infinitely easier to me than studying science.) The majority of texts I borrowed from the library heavily featured animals: Zoo Books, Beatrix Potterās canon, fables, the Animal Ark series (see my Read-A-Thon for more details there.) I think the only shocking thing about my adoration of animals is that I completely missed out on the whole Steve Irwin phase, but we didnāt always have access to Animal Planet/Discovery Channel when I was growing up.
Since these toys were small, I was able to mix and match playtime with them and many other figures that I owned including a plethora of Pokemon figurines. My favorite way to play with LPS was to build my own towns and pair certain critters up in family units. They didnāt have to be the same species; often, I just had a vibe for who made sense together. Compared to my ponies, I have unfortunately forgotten most of the lore, but I will do my best to recover it for these archives.
In previous Toy Canon updates, I alluded to the infamous Mattel Warehouse that was near my childhood home. My parents would go there semi-regularly to scope out potential presents for birthdays and Christmases. What made this appealing to them was that items were often on discount because the boxes might have been dinged up, some pieces might have fallen out of the box, etc. But they stocked such a wide variety of coveted toys such as Ninja Turtles, Hot Wheels, Barbie, and Littlest Pet Shopāmy beloved over all else from the brand.
Unlike with my ponies, LPS was mainly a solo-play collection of toys. Rather than directing episodes with my brothers, I usually staged scenes silently, making up dialogue in my head, and then moving pieces around like chess figures. It probably looked boring to people who might pop in the room to check on me, but that was actually my preferred method of playing with toys. It freed me up to make up whatever stories I wanted without external judgment.
The most significant play session was pretty late into my childhood; in fact, Iām almost certain that I must have been in middle school at the time. I assembled almost every little figure that I owned into a massive post-apocalyptic scavenger town that sprawled across the entire center of my room. The structure stayed up for days until it became far too unwieldy given that I shared a room with my brother and needed to respect his need for space haha
This wasnāt a super gritty narrative either, because that wasnāt my bag.. but since I only had so many accessories, the idea was that the families had to barter and trade for what they needed, to find new roles for themselves in this post-Whatever Ominous Thing Happened world. It was mostly an excuse for me to make use of what I had in interesting ways since I couldnāt have a proper house for everyone, but they could turn set dressings into makeshift homes.
Letās dive in then! The research for this post was made possible thanks to the archive blog Toy Sisters
This will likely be covered in a future post, but I was obsessed with One Hundred and One Dalmatians as a kid and struck gold at thrift stores after the two live action movies came out because there were so many cute toys, including dozens from McDonalds alone. This is all to say that I very much loved this little puppy. I donāt recall owning the playset so he must have come on his own at a thrift store. According to the packaging, he would wag his tail via a magnet in the brush I didn't own but I would manually move the tail up and down myself.
Aside from these memories, Iām assuming that he was a Good Boy. Someone who wanted to help out, was maybe a little hyper. He might have traveled around the camps to check on others in case they needed food or other resources. While my memory is hazy, I do know that he was not an adult dog, but a teenager and hung out with the characters from the Puppy Pals set.
Bashful Bunny with Bunny Basket (1992)**
I messaged my younger brother to confirm that I owned this entire playset, which was a rarity! One thing LPS was infamous for was doing color palette swaps for ānewā releases. I had two of these bunnies and I imagine they were probably related to each otherāmaybe sisters? This one was likely the sweet one always lending a hand, but in a different way than the Dalmatian. She was someone you came to for advice and comfort rather than her actively roaming.
Puppy Pals with Playhouse (1992)
This set sparks a lot of joyful memories. I didnāt have the mailbox or Poodle, but everything else was a staple that received lots of play. The spaniel was one of my favorites; thereās just something about her appearance that had main character energy to me. The spaniel was part of a group of friends who could lean on each other for support and were generous in sharing what they could to those in need. She best friends (maybe even in relationship?) with the collie who always had such a friendly vibe; a quiet, patient dog who could help keep his friends grounded during times of crisis. The Dalmatian completed their community trio, though he was far from a third wheel since they never squabbled and always tried to make everyone feel welcome.
Iām pretty sure this was an open-box one that was missing the mommy and had two of the same style of kitten. Otherwise, this is another standout set that makes me super nostalgic. Remember how I was a sucker for playing babysitter with my Polly Pockets? I wish I had way more baby LPS sets because I loved their teeny tiny paws and small round eyes. I even remember which colorways I had for each kitten: White Kitten 1 (an adventurous, playful type), Gray Kitten 2 (a sleepy, lazy boy who always wanted to play), Kitten 4 (the girl who hated getting in trouble as much as she did being left behind) , and Kitten 5 (her twin brother, a rambunctious scamp who was usually the one leading them headon into mischief.) Sibling stories always appealed to me and having two that looked alike actually made them even more interesting to me for storytelling. Will they help each other or get annoyed? I think they must have had some degree or Marie and Toulouse to them, but at the end of the day they would still help each other out.
The set itself was fine. The sticker decal looks pretty goofy, but a scratcher toy and magnetic ball of yarn had their uses and charm. The basket has an important storytelling component for more background on this family so Iāll get to that later!
Cutesy Kittens with Kitten Playhouse (1993)
This is another set that stands out in my memory. The gray cat could scratch the post when you pressed her tail and the other catās head had a magnet for playing with toys. The gray cat was definitely the sassy, best friend type; she was a little more acerbic than others could deal with, but she always came from a good place. I imagine she was friends with the poodle since I was never a Cats vs Dogs kind of person. The other kitty was the protagonist cat equivalent to the spaniel dog. She was a go-getter, unsure but determined. I think those large blue-green eyes won me over. Sometimes she would go to others for advice but would still leave with her head up high when they poked holes in her ideas.
Beethovenās 2nd Nuzzletime Nursery (1993)
Iām sure I must have seen these movies, but I barely remember anything about them. I think this was a thrifted set rather than one purchased at full-price since several pieces were missing, such as Missy, Chubby, and the piano. I mainly recall playing with Tchaikovsky (who was absolutely not named that in my canon) and Dolly, which, shocker, must be because I love brother-sister duos. Tchaikovsky was also a trouble-maker who would team up with the more adventurous of the kittens. Dolly was a little more hesitant, preferring to stay home and with a bit of a tattle-tale streak. I donāt remember playing with Moe at all, but Iām sure he was there tagging along in some capacity to fill up space.
Beethovenās 2nd Puppy Pool (1993)
The only piece I had from this set was Dolly and she was such a cutie! Unlike the previous Dolly, sheās in such a dynamic position with her pigtail ears flying behind her and tongue flopping out of her mouth. She was the tomboy of the child generation of LPS toys (not unlike Spinelli from Recess), often leading the way with Tchaikovsky. Itās funny, but since I was not at all familiar with the characters from the movie, I didnāt even realize that I had two Dolly figures since their demeanor is so opposite!
I actually have a vivid of memory of my parents buying this at the Mattel Warehouse! It was such a big score because it had almost all of the pieces and certainly all of the figures. This bathtub got a lot of play, as you can probably imagine from me waxing poetic on that Bathtime Fun Kelly set. I never used the mat because it looks cheap and also probably easily got lost in the mix of our toys, but the other accessories stuck around.
My poodle was a high-maintenance diva ā bossy and beautiful like Georgette from Oliver and Company. While the poodle was generally more interested in looking out for herself (or, to be more precise, to convince other people to give her what she needed without lifting a paw).
The Golden Retriever and White Dog were married in a Pongo and Perdita-like relationship (in fact, those were the names I gave them) and they were caretakers of all those kittens. Since I didnāt have a momma kitty, and this dog just looked like such a kind and maternal character, that basket became hers and she took the kittens in as though they were her own.
Perdita and Pongo were also the main characters in the Big Apocalypse play session. They were trying to make ends meet to ensure that their family would be fed and safe. I distinctly remember amassing resources around the basket, which was their home base. The little orange kitten would tag along with Pongo as they traipsed around the market to barter. Since I didnāt like the pug, which looks a lot more like a Sharpei IMO, since he had this weird squishy texture to be able to blow water out of his mouth. I designated that as a toy my brother could play with on the rare occasion when he joined me.
Snuggle Bunny with Pretty Basket (1993)
Compared to the more prim and proper white bunny, I think the one was a little more easy going and bubbly. Given that was I was really into bunnies as a kid, Iām surprised I donāt have stronger memories of how I played with the bunny sisters. They werenāt played with quite as often as the dogs and cats, maybe because they didnāt have bigger families.
Jolly Toucan with Perch (1993)
The ring perch has serious Polly Pocket vibes to it, which is delightful. I definitely owned this full set and remember playing with the bird cage and pressing the Toucanās head down to make its wings flap. He couldnāt really stand on his own and I donāt recall playing with them as often with the other animals. True to the Jolly name, I imagine this one to be quite hyper, chatty, and upbeat. But he could have also just as easily been a busybody like Iago always sticking his beak into other peopleās business. Not knowing the specifics makes me feel wistful.
Cozy Home Pets Bustling Gerbils with Gerbil Tunnel (1993)
This was one of the incomplete thrifted sets that I owned. The tunnel was always a bit wonky and might have been missing a core piece to make it work correctly, and I only had a couple of the gray gerbils, which I always interpreted as being rats instead. The ones I owned had magnets on their tummy so that you could guide them around the cage, but I didnāt have the wand to make that happen. Mainly, I remember them scurrying around town since they were small, like the kittens, and could get through all the small pathways to nick things.
This was such a gem to find at the thrift store even if it was missing the fishing line and seal. I mentioned this in my Polly Pocket post, but I love the translucent, sparkly material that they use for the cave as a fun way to convey ice. Penguins always remind me of my younger brother and these two had a metal ball underneath them so that they have a gliding effect on the ice cave and we used to slide them around on any surface we could. They had a personality kind of similar to the gulls in Finding Nemo ā repetitive speech and not much going on except a one track mind for food. The polar bear has such a sweet face. Despite the clear differences in the environments that they were from, I have a feeling the two of them would have been friends.
Another great birthday find from the warehouse! My parents really nailed it with the Zoo line because I adored this tiger. Since she had a special set, I used to play with her on her own quite often, but I would have used every toy that I had in the bigger play sessions. She wasnāt a baby in my head canon either; more like a kid my age who wanted to break free from the locked gate to scamper off on adventures. When I was doing one of my bigger crossover play sessions, she would be grouped together with the beige kitty from the Cutsey Kittens duo. They werenāt exactly related, but the tiger felt like she could pass as a little sister anyway.
This was also a set I remember receiving as a birthday present. You could feed the monkey with a little bottle that would be suction filled with water and then they would pee their cloth diapersāagain, like with the Kelly dolls, this was not a feature that I was interested in using. I had much more fun having the chimp lounge in the hammock or hang off of the bars. Unlike the tiger who I would play with independently in addition to the bigger group, I think I exclusively played with the chimp alone or with the other zoo animals. I just didnāt think it was as cute as the other animals and itās design really made it seem most suited to its environment.
Zoo Honey Bear with Cozy Cove (1993)
The third and final zoo birthday present! This is such a simple set, but I loved it so much. The honey bear has that same sweet face as the polar bear, but came with that little mug of honey and a sparkly cave wall to cozy up in. Despite how intimidating wild bears can look, this one looks sweet as pie and thatās how I played with her. Just a warm and caring lady who would be delighted to bake you a pie and offer some neighborly hospitality. Now that I think about it, thereās a character in a TTRPG campaign/short story series that I was working on set in a Beatrix Potter-like fantasy worldāa black bear who served as the head teacher of the schoolhouse. Maybe I was subconsciously thinking about this cutie when I designed her.
Sparkling Pets Fluffy Persian with Cozy Kitten Nest (1994)
I was delighted to find this kitty and her carrier at a thrift store, especially since this line had such a different design from the earlier releases. I adored her fluffy tail and pearlescent fur. She looks just like a royal princess, which was a fun contrast with the post-apocalypse setting. How is this proper lady going to adjust to a street life? Unlike some of the prissy characters who would gag at getting their claws dirty, this Persian cat wanted to pitch in and help. In that way, she was much more like Duchess than Georgette.
Dazzling Hair Pets Royal Palace Ponies (1996)
Stumbling across this entry transported backwards in time. Iām pretty sure that this was a thrifted set because I didnāt have the dog, bird, or hair accessories, but I did have the yellow pony (with the darker blue bridle, which I did use), building, and carriage. Oh my goodness! I definitely played with this a lot because for some reason I was drawn to toy vehicles. Though the carriage would have lost its opulent flair in the dystopian world, it would have made for either a useful form of transportation, shelter, or makeshift store for stocking and trading goods. I canāt say with confidence how I actually used it though as nothing immediately comes to mind except that I would combine it with the one My Magic Genie doll I ownedābut thatās a story for another day.
I wish that I had more to report for these toys because I treasured them so much. They might have been a much flimsier plastic than many of the other figures that I owned, but I promise they sparked my imagination so much. My parents never caved to my desperate pleas to adopt an animal, so my LSP menagerie helped partially satisfy that desire. In the 2000s, when Hasbro rebooted the line, I wasnāt buying toys even though I still had my entire childhood collection. The giant heads and tiny bodies werenāt at all appealing to me. I liked that the original line looked, for the most part, like real animals because thatās what I personally wanted. As a teen/young adult, I was definitely critical of the reboot, but in retrospect I can understand why it would have been appealing to kids at the timeāespecially since I loved Lisa Frankāand there can be room in the world for realistic and fantastical animal toys.
Thank you for reading! Źįµį“„įµŹ
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