Instruction Sheet Spot the Difference

Let's play "spot the difference"!  You remember that fun game they always have in kids magazines where two pictures look the same at first, but when you look closer, you realize they are actually quite different.

Ready?!?!

Here's Picture 1 - The Silver Bells Wedding Chapel instruction sheet:

Here's Picture 2 - Another Silver Bells Wedding Chapel instruction sheet:

Photo courtesy of eBay seller azmusicsales

What's the difference!?!?

Okay, there are actually several, but the one that I'm the most interested in has less to do with the Chapel, and more to do with what's out front.

Here's another hint...

A close-up of the first sheet:

And here is a close up of the second instruction sheet:

Do you see what I see?  There are heart-shaped sidewalk connectors pictured on the first set of instructions, but none on the second set!

What does this mean?  Well, nothing for certain, but I think it's further evidence that I was on the right track in my previous post about sidewalk connectors when I said that I didn't think all shop sets originally came with the little heart-shaped buggers.

My current theory (and yes, it is just a theory) is that the sidewalk connectors were in the sets when they were first produced, but then later removed, since they are completely unnecessary for the sidewalk to stay together (and actually make it harder to move figures around on the sidewalk).  This theory might be helped a little by the fact that the eBay auction that contained the second set of instructions (the one not showing the connectors) also included the box which had a clearance price sticker still stuck to it.  It seems most likely that the toy would have been on clearance in 1990 after Fisher-Price discontinued the line.  But again, this is really just speculation on my part, especially since the auction also included a Village Map showing the 1989 sets. 

So as usual, I have nothing certain to say.  You'd think that Fisher-Price would have made the same toy the same way over a brief two year production period, but clearly, that is not the case.

Precious Places Village Tour Stop 1: The Silver Bells Wedding Chapel

I recently got to thinking what a shame it is that I don't have more pictures of complete Precious Places sets on this blog.  I mean, it's great to post pictures of rare parts and to talk about the questions that need to be answered, but most PP sets aren't super rare and don't have anything controversial/unknown about them.  However, that doesn't mean the not-rare non-controversial sets deserve any less attention, because lets face it, a lot of them are super cool!

All this has led me to start a series of posts called the Precious Places Village Tour.  It will simply be a photographic catalog of my PP sets that I am posting so that we can all admire these fantastic sets together.

For the sake of having some structure, I am posting these sets in order of their Fisher Price model numbers, which means that the first stop on the Precious Places Village Tour is #5151 The Silver Bells Wedding Chapel.

Here is a picture of my set:

I believe my set is complete, other than the fact that I don't have the box, instructions and village map.  (I do have a few village maps, but not enough for all my buildings to have their own.)

The thing I love about this set is the stained glass windows in the steeple.  They look so elegant when they are all lit up.  In fact, this feature makes the Wedding Chapel my personal favorite of the four shop sets.

The only thing I don't like about the set is that if you look closely at the bride Mary's face, she doesn't actually look very happy, and shouldn't every bride be happy on their wedding day?!

As far as collecting goes, you shouldn't have much trouble finding a complete Wedding Chapel set to add to your collection.  There is a constant stream of them on eBay and if you keep your eye out, you should be able to get a pretty good deal.

How about you?  What do you like about the Chapel?  Is it your favorite shop set?  Is there anything you would change or add to the set if you were designing toys for Fisher Price?  Please leave your answers in the comments section of this post.

Sidewalk Connector Hearts

On thisoldtoy.com (TOT) it says that the following sets all came with two heart-shaped sidewalk connectors: The Baby's Nursery Cottage, Best Friends Pet Shop, Blue Ribbon Pony Stable, Country Kitchen Cottage, Pink Slippers Ballet Studio, Silver Bells Wedding Chapel and the Twirling Melody Gazebo.

This is what the heart-shaped sidewalk connectors look like:



I am wondering whether these sidewalk connectors were something that may have been included in the sets when they were first produced, but later removed from production. I'm wondering about this for a few reasons:
1) Most e-bay auctions do not have these pieces. Granted they were small parts and would have been easily lost, but it still seems like there ought to be more of them if there actually were two of them in every building set sold.
2) As a child I had the Best Friends Pet Shop and I don't have any sidewalk connectors from that set. Now I can't be absolutely certain that I didn't lose them as a child, but I definitely don't remember them and I have every other part of the two sets that I owned, even the tiny pieces.
3) The most compelling reason I have for doubting that every Precious Places building set sold actually included two sidewalk connectors is that I have asked two e-bay sellers of "New in the Box" sets whether there were heart-shaped sidewalk connectors in the little plastic bags of parts in their auctions. Both sellers said they couldn't see anything like that in the bags of parts.

Anyone out there bought a "New in the Box" Precious Places building recently? Did it come with sidewalk connectors? I'd love to know if you found them in your set.