Fisher-Price, Inc. is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York.
[4] Price had retired from a major variety chain store and Helen Schelle previously operated Penny Walker Toy Shop[5] in Binghamton, New York.
Fisher-Price's fundamental toy-making principles centered on intrinsic play value, ingenuity, strong construction, good value for the money and action.
[6] Mrs. Price was the first Art Director and designed push-pull toys for the opening line, based on characters from her children's books.
[8] In the early 1950s, Fisher-Price identified plastic as a material that could help the company incorporate longer-lasting decorations and brighter colors into its toys, introducing "Buzzy Bee"[when?]
A new management group set the company's focus on basic, infant and preschool products and began expansion into international markets.
The recommendation that babies sleep flat on their backs, in an empty crib, has cut this death rate in half.
[18] The Rock 'n Play was designed 15 years after these sleep recommendations were published and, according to an article from The Washington Post, violated them.
Fisher-Price sold the Rock 'n Play without first getting medical advice from more than one pediatric specialist and without doing any real-world safety tests.
Fisher-Price also designs and sells infant care products and has begun developing electronic toys[22] for preschoolers.
[24] It was accompanied by the Woodsey Log Library, a companion book series written by Marci Ridlon and illustrated by Cyndy Szekeres.