Play Family Village

#997

c1973-1977

Billed in 1973 as the "Biggest play center ever built for the Little People", the Village lays claim to the most accessories of any Little People set (not counting the letters and numbers of #923 School as accessories). The bulky, two-halved base is admittedly clumsy and sometimes a pain to open and close with the drawbridge attached. It's believed the version that has a hook by the garage roof was a mid-production alteration after there were problems with the non-hook version falling apart in transport. The six pieces of mail were quite tempting to lose and hold the high demand today. #2500 Main Street was sort of a remake with some of the accessories carrying over, including the mail. Unfortunately, the letters are NOT the same size, nor do they carry the same markings as those from the Village.

This set includes a variety of exclusives, including the phone booth with a door that really opens and closes, a barber and dentist chair, the letters mentioned above, and the yellow bed with green foam. All of these exclusives are very hard to find, and quite costly when they are found.