Here for your inspection is a highly desirable toy, the ORIGINAL Fisher Price Little People Play Family Castle #993 Play Set (circa 1974-77). This is a SPECTACULAR set!!!! It comes COMPLETE with ALL 21 pieces! In my opinion, it's in EXC++ condition.
This toy personifies Fisher Price's reputation for imaginative, durable toys. This particular #993 Little People Castle comes with a blue flag proudly waving in the breeze and a pink banner saying Play Family Castle #993 on its front tower. The flag's spring is shiny and free of any darkening or rust. The castle base consists of a drawbridge that really works (e.g. goes up and down but does not emit the ratchety sound), a trap door to capture unsuspecting invaders, a dungeon for dangerous "prisoners," a cave for a "friendly" dragon with a back escape hatch, and a moving staircase that conceals the castle's occupants in a hidden room during an attack. All levers, doors, and trap doors work as designed.
The EXTERIOR lithos are in FABULOUS condition (NEAR MINT-MINT). After repeatedly scouring these EXTERIOR lithos, the ONLY "imperfections" I can find are:
1. Minimal edgewear to the moat litho;
2. One small scuff on the litho on the back tower tower next to the sliding staircase. This scuff is extremely hard to see due to the nature of the the litho itself (multi-colored stones, mortar and intersecting vines on the litho).;
3. A handful on miniscule bubbles on the dragon stained glass window litho. These, too, are extremely hard to see and are concentrated along the left hand edge of the litho.
That's IT! The rest of the EXTERIOR lithos are FLAWLESS!
The INTERIOR castle lithos are uniformly bright and colorful with whimsical graphics and are free of any marks, tears, stains, creasing, or bubbling. All of the lithos, including the floor litho, are smoothly and firmly adhered to their plastic surfaces. Even the floor litho is devoid of any creasing, bubbling, or crackling. As is common in these floor lithos, there are some rubs on the litho where the stairs slide over the floor. I've included one photo of this rub with this listing; however, I've taken several pictures from different angles if you would like to see any additional photos. Compared to other castles, these rubs are relatively minor in nature. The most noticeable wear on the floor litho is located at the hub of the revolving staircase.
Other than a few isolated "dings," a few stray marks, and soiling, the plastic surfaces are in TREMENDOUS shape (EXC+++-NEAR MINT). I did a "trial run" to see if the white and black marks would come off with cleaning and they came off without any difficulty. There are no chips, cracks, breaks, or repairs on any of the plastic surfaces (base, towers, roof). All of the plastic surfaces have retained their vivid, original hues.
Because of the aforementioned wear on the castle's INTERIOR floor lithos, I've downgraded this base from NEAR MINT to EXC+++-NEAR MINT.
This particular Fisher Price #993 Castle also features the following RARE and VHTF accessories:
1 RARE Large red bed w/crown headboard with replacement foam (MINTY MINT--NOTE: Someone did an INCREDIBLE job of replacing the original foam with this firm, white foam);
2 RARE matching twin beds with crown headboards with replacement foam (MINTY MINT--NOTE: Once again, these beds look phenomenal with their replacement foam; the colors are bright and shiny);
2 HTF tall red thrones w/crown emblems (1 EXC++--minor edge wear on bottom of legs and front of armrests; other is in NEAR MINT condition);
2 HTF small red thrones w/crown emblems (NEAR MINT-MINT);
1 VHTF round red table with steak litho (NEAR MINT--minor edge wear);
1 VHTF black horse (NEAR MINT; ears, tail, facial features all intact; joints are firm; no chew marks or stress fractures; one scratch on right lower side);
1 HTF brown horse (EXC+++; all appendages intact and facial detailing is BEAUTIFUL; joints are firm; edge wear on outer edge of both front and rear hooves; isolated rubs on white stockings; some wear on tips of ears--NOT CHEWS);
1 EXTREMELY RARE pink dragon (EXC++-NEAR MINT--bright pink color on legs, head, neck etc.; arm and leg joints firm; head and tail joint loose but will hold a pose; EXQUISITE facial features; both ears firmly attached; has small amount of pink showing through on the edges of
the scales on its tail; yellow dots are 98% intact;; others may have been faint teethmarks; All in all, this is a VERY SHARP piece!);
1 VHTF white saddle blanket (EXC++--cluster of light scratches on left front shoulder and rear, right side portion of the blanket; I mainly found these via touch);
1 VHTF yellow scalloped castle harness (MINTY MINT);
1 HTF yellow bottom, white top castle coach or carriage (NEAR MINT--light wear on wheels).
No castle would be complete without its own set of "royals." This set includes 4 WOOD/plastic Little People characters:
1 HTF King (NEAR MINT-very minor paint loss around middle and on bottom of piece consistent with age; all points on crown free of any chews; rest of paint is bright and glossy);
1 HTF Queen (EXC++-NEAR MINT---light paint loss on middle of piece plus the "hint" of some possible "nibbles" on a couple of prongs on the rear of her crown);
1 HTF Prince (NEAR MINT---one teensy indentation on the base of one of the prongs; this is EXTREMELY difficult to spot and in no way endangers the integrity of the prong);
1 VHTF Princess (VG++-EXC---minor paint loss consistent with age around middle and bottom of piece; some roughness on either side on front side of hair);
1 VHTF Woodsman (EXC++-NEAR MINT--light paint loss consistent with age); and
1 VHTF ALL Plastic Knight (EXC++-some mild to moderate wear on the bottom of the figure).
I will be thoroughly Q-tip cleaning this play set before sending it on to its new owners. I spend a MINIMUM of 1 - 1 1/2 hours cleaning each and every Vintage, Fisher Price Little People play set I sell (except for those listed in My Rough Room). My sets are IMMACULATE!
Remember, this Vintage Fisher Price Little People Castle play set is NOT part of the recent recall of toys made in China. This set was manufactured in the United States 35 years ago.
Purchasers should refrain from allowing children under 3 years of age to play with these toys without adult supervision or to offer these toys to children who may be still mouthing their toys.
****NOTE****Please check out my other listings for other COMPLETE, VINTAGE Fisher Price Little People play sets.
This set weighs approximately 8 lbs. UNWRAPPED. My zip code is 47905 (Lafayette, IN). Due to the size of this set, it will probably require an oversized box.
I'm more than willing to combine listings whenever possible and I search for the cheapest shipping alternatives available for EACH and EVERY customer. If you purchase multiple items, PLEASE DO NOT SEND PAYMENT UNTIL I CAN MANUALLY INSERT THE CORRECT SHIPPING INFORMATION. OTHERWISE, YOU MAY BE INADVERTENTLY OVERCHARGED BY BONANZA'S SHIPPING CALCULATOR AND I MAY BE CHARGED MULTIPLE TRANSACTION FEES BY PAYPAL.
I'm finding that Fed Ex Home Delivery is OFTEN running about 33% cheaper than UPS or the USPS for larger and heavier packages or ones that travel longer distances to their destination. Fed Ex's quotes also include up to $100 worth of FREE insurance. Additional insurance may be secured for a nominal fee. In order to ship via UPS or Fed Ex, you MUST have a residential or business address---NOT A P.O. BOX, and must supply a home or cell phone number.
Since Bonanza's shipping calculator does NOT provide shipping quotes for Fed Ex Home Delivery, PLEASE DO NOT GO AHEAD AND SEND PAYMENT BASED ON BONZANA'S SHIPPING CALCULATOR. PLEASE WAIT TILL YOU ARE CONTACTED BY ME. I'LL DOUBLE CHECK AND GET YOU THE CHEAPEST SHIPPING RATES POSSIBLE. I'LL THEN SEND YOU AN INVOICE VIA BONANZA REFLECTING THE ACTUAL SHIPPING COSTS. ONCE AGAIN, DO NOT SEND PAYMENT UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THIS INVOICE.
I'm willing to ship to Canada using the USPS Priority International Mail. Buyers are responsible for all shipping costs. Insurance is highly recommended. I cannot be responsible for packages once they leave my possession. Similarly, Canadian residents are responsible for any Customs fees, duties, brokerage charges.
The price listed is for the item itself. The total amount due will be the purchase price of the item + the ACTUAL shipping cost to deliver your item to you. All shipping costs or extra fees (in the case of Canadian shipments) are the responsibility of the buyer. I will do everything in my power to find you the cheapest shipping rate—-whether it’s the USPS (First Class, Parcel, or Priority), Fed Ex, or UPS. I DO NOT PAD MY SHIPPING COSTS—-NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL! I SHIP WITHIN 48 HOURS OF A CLEARED PAYMENT.
I primarily utilize Fed Ex Home Delivery for items exceeding 5 lbs. in weight, measuring greater than 12 inches in any dimension, or traveling longer distances. I’ve been finding Fed Ex has been running @33% cheaper than the USPS (including Parcel Post) and UPS Ground. FYI, another benefit of using either Fed Ex or UPS is that their quote includes up to $100 worth of FREE insurance. Additional amounts of insurance may be purchased for a nominal fee (that is much less than the USPS). Fed Ex also provides automated tracking updates re: your parcel’s whereabouts directly to your personal e-mail account.
In order to ship Fed Ex (or UPS for that matter), I MUST have a residential or work place address, NOT a P.O. Box number, as well as a home or cell phone. Otherwise, they will not accept the shipping paperwork or transport your item.
Since Bonanza's shipping calculator does NOT offer Fed Ex Home Delivery as a shipping option, PLEASE DO NOT SEND PAYMENT UNTIL I HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MANUALLY CHECK THESE RATES AND INSERT THEM INTO YOUR INVOICE. Otherwise, the shipping calculator may overcharge you.
Packages traveling to Alaska or Hawaii will be shipped Parcel Post via the USPS. Insurance and delivery confirmation are required.
I’m more than willing to combine multiple purchases into one box whenever it is safe to do so to decrease your shipping costs. Once again, PLEASE wait to check out until I can combine your purchases on ONE INVOICE and can calculate their combined shipping rate via Fed Ex. If you pay for these items separately, I get charged multiple transaction fees by PayPal plus you get over-charged on your shipping. Of course, I will refund you any amount over $1.00 that you've overpaid on shipping. However, it's easier on both of us if you wait until I can send you the correct amount.
I’m more than happy to ship selected play sets to Canada and Australia. Remember that shipping to Australia can be quite expensive so please contact me for a shipping quote before you purchase an item. I will attempt to find the cheapest shipping rate possible. Also, Australian and Canadian customers will be responsible for any brokerage fees, Custom’s duties, or VAT’s imposed by your governments. I am not responsible for these charges. Insurance is required for all international shipments.
Last, but not least, I offer a 10% discount for orders totaling $125.00 or more.
ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO RETURNS ARE ACCEPTED. I have attempted to bring any noted "imperfections" to your attention prior to your purchasing the item. However, I'm only human. If I have missed something or you have a problem with your purchase, please contact me prior to leaving feedback.
