The first version was called the “Play Family Castle”. It was produced from 1974-1977. It contained Little People which were made with wood bodies and plastic heads, except for the silver Knight which was all plastic. The Castle had a blue or yellow flag on a spring flagpole atop one of the towers.
More information on the Castle set, and this applies to both versions:
The furniture for this set consisted of one double bed, two twin beds, two tall thrones and two short thrones. All these pieces had a small crown on the top edge. There was also a round table with a litho (decal) on it depicting a steak dinner. The furniture could be either red or yellow plastic. To the best of my knowledge, the colors were never mixed. You got either all red or all yellow furniture in your set. For whatever reason, most collectors seem to prefer the red furniture.
Two items that were always mixed were the armored horse saddle and scalloped harness. These came in both white and yellow, but were never both the same color in one set. Another variable was the royal coach. It could have either a yellow base with white top..or a white base with yellow top.
I didn't realize that they had made 2 different castles. It is kind of funny because I was 4 when their first castle was introduced and my first son was 1 when the second castle came out. Pretty cool, actually. I love Fisher Price, always have. With 7 kids have had many, many Fisher Price entertainment around here. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for this post, I'm confused about the red/yellow thing, and trying to figure out which pieces go with which set...we have 2 castles. I have a question---you said:
ReplyDelete"The furniture could be either red or yellow plastic. To the best of my knowledge, the colors were never mixed."
But the picture on the box that came with the one I just bought has the 4 red thrones, but the beds and table are yellow!
Any thoughts?
thanks!
I checked further and apparently the colors were sometimes mixed in the first year of production. It seems there is no right or wrong way to assemble the furniture for this set. All the boxes show the furniture colors mixed, but most sets were assembled with either all red or all yellow furniture.
Deletethanks for checking. Funny that the boxes would show something different than what was actually included!
ReplyDeleteActually, it's not at all unusual for Fisher Price playsets. In the Play Family House sets there were many different color combinations of furniture used, but the box only showed one. In other sets, the Little People shown on the box were not the same ones included in the sets. You may want to check out thisoldtoy.com to see the amazing number of variations that might have been included.
ReplyDeleteI have the 1974 model #993 and it has been in our family for 40 years. The cardboard towers are waterlogged and done. I bought replacement parts for it but I cannot figure out how to remove the bolts to replace the cardboard towers. Any tips or advice?? Thank you
ReplyDeleteI wish I could help you, but I can't. I've never tried to disassemble a Castle. I do have a friend who tried, but he wound up cracking the green plastic base. The only thing I can suggest is that you go online and search for a new Castle. If you can find one with no accessories, it shouldn't cost too much. Sorry :(
DeleteGreat post! I found the original castle 2nd hand, had no idea there was a later version. I have the King, Queen, prince and princess, but they are the all plastic version. One of my all time favorite play sets ever!
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing. The Castle is a terrific set, and you can put any pieces you want in it. The children don't care which parts are "original" to the set. They just want to play. Enjoy it.
ReplyDelete