The Popularity of Littlest Pet Shop

When it comes to pet shop toys, nothing has been more popular than the Littlest Pet Shop line of toys. This little pet shop was first introduced in 1992. The first line toys, produced by Kenner toys, were retired in 1996 after only moderate enthusiasm. It wasn't until 2005 that the Littlest Pet Shop was redesigned by Gayle Middleton for Hasbro. Since then it has become one of the most successful pet shop games in history. The pet shop animals in this game are inch tall puppies, kittens, and other pets. In five years, the Littlest Pet Shop has made of six hundred million.

What Is It?

The line of Littlest Pet Shop has grown in the years since it was redesigned in order to keep up with the ever changing market. More than three hundred versions of the pet shop animals have been designed in order to keep children interested in the toys. Then they have the television show and the Virtual Interactive Pets for those who prefer video games. They have even designed a number of books and pet shop stickers to go along with the toys. The line has even expanded to include the Littlest Zoo and exotic pet shops.

The Original Littlest Pet Shop

When the Littlest Pet Shop was first designed the main pet shop came with a variety of accessories and two lovebirds that kissed as a lever was switched. Additions that could be purchased included the following:

Bunny-A white bunny that also included a basket, ID tag, carrots, and a food dish.

Chameleon-This was a temperature sensitive lizard that came with an ID tag, water bottle, and special background for it to blend into.

Chattering Pets-There were three different sets of these animals. The forest set included a skunk, raccoon, squirrel, tree, and accessories. The cat set included three cats and a kitty condo with a purring function. The bird set came with four cockatoo birds and a clear cage.

Family of Pets-There were three of these sets as well, allowing kids to choose between bunny, cat, or dog. Each set came with a mother, several babies, and a variety of accessories.

Fish-This was a tank that had floating, colorful fish.

Gerbils-This was four gerbils that came with a habitat and accessories.

The Happy Puppy-This was a Dalmatian that came with a carrier, ID tag, food dish, and brush.

The Hurrying Hamsters-This was two hamsters with a container, ID tag, water bottle, paper litter, and pink wheel.

Mice-This was three mice with a terrarium, water bottle, and food dish.

Monkeys-This was three monkeys that came with a tree and various accessories.

Playful Kittens-This was two cats with a kitty condo, food dish, scratching post, and mouse.

Puppy Trio-This consisted of three dogs with a doghouse, fenced in grass base, food dish, bone, and newspaper.

Stamper Pets-This was either a cat or dog that had a rolling stamp built into the base of the pet. The cat came with red ink and the dog with purple ink.

Toucan-This was a toucan that had a cage, ID tag, perch, and food dish.

Turtles-This was two turtles in a terrarium.

As the line continued, it began to branch into new areas. Such as the Littlest Pet Shop Zoo which included an individual play set and a new variety of animals. Some of the options included a zebra, polar bears, penguins, honey bears, leopards, tigers, elephants, ducks, and lions. A number of play sets were designed after the Beethoven movie series became popular. All of these sets included the Saint Bernard dogs. For awhile, fantasy creatures such as unicorns and dragons were included in McDonald's Happy Meals. Then for the older kids who wanted to play video games came the computer version.

The Video Game Craze

In 2007, the Littlest Pet Shop released their Virtual Interactive Pets or VIPs. This allowed kids to visit an online world with their toys. The toy had a secret code in the collar that allowed kids to access the virtual land where there was games, they could decorate a house and purchase clothes for their pets with currency points. This became a very popular option with the older kids.

Unlike other toys on the market today, the Littlest Pet Shop is a quality toy. Not only do they provide wholesome entertainment for children, but they are also built to last. With so much to do, you can easily expand the Little Pet Shop so your child won't lose interest. With the average piece selling for four dollars, it is also an option that you can get your child without breaking the bank. Even Target is starting to sell exclusive pets that you can only get at their stores. So the next time you are shopping for toys for your kids consider the Littlest Pet Shop.