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Little House on the Prairie possessed
the perfect ingredients to spawn a slew of related merchandise.
The long-running television series had a fan base of millions who read
and adored the nine Laura Ingalls Wilder books on which the show was based.
With popular TV veteran Michael Landon producing, writing, That
being the case, why was
relatively little Prairie paraphernalia produced for faithful viewers?
I
recently met some of the Little
House cast members at a collector's show in North Hollywood,
California and asked them to shed some light on the subject. The group
included Lindsay Greenbush
(Carrie Ingalls), Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), Charlotte Stewart (Miss
Beadle), Pamela Roylance (Sarah Carter), and Stan Ivar (John Carter).
I spoke at length with Greenbush and Arngrim. Both signed pages of
my memorabilia book, which gave me a perfect opportunity to get their insight
on the merchandise. Greenbush
was only 4 years old when she began working on the series, but remembered the
Laura and Carrie dolls made by Knickerbocker, the steel lunch box and the board
game.
She claimed to have owned the dolls at one time, but lamented that she no
longer had them.
However, she still has the board game that shows her character and the
rest of her TV family on the box.
Made by Parker Brothers, the game has a simple objective – to be the
first to get back to the house by avoiding an Indian war party, a wolf pack, and
a prairie fire.
Acquiring this adventure today will run collectors about $40. When
Greenbush spotted the photo of the Little House Tea Set in the book, she was
delighted to see that her character was illustrated holding a butterfly.
She said she loves butterflies, but didn't remember the drawing used to create
the item. When I shared the relatively short list of Little House
collectibles with Arngrim, she was quick to divulge why so few items were made.
She claimed that a snag in
licensing arose during the third season, when co-producers Landon and Ed
Friendly ended a court battle over creative differences.
Landon relinquished control of the show, which left Friendly with the
merchandise rights. Unfortunately,
the decision didn’t auger well for Little House merchandise, since one producer couldn’t approve
merchandise without the other’s consent. Unlike Greenbush
who appeared on all of the Little House
collectibles, Arngrim’s image isn’t on any of them.
The collectible
that impressed Arngrim the most was the 26-piece Little House on the Prairie
Tea Set. Made by Ohio Art in 1980
and includes several tin dishes, plastic utensils, four cups and a teapot.
It’s one of the most rare and valuable items in the collection, and can
sell for $100 or more when found in its 11 x 17-inch window display box.
When Arngrim signed my book, she added the caption “I should have been
on the tea set!” Arngrim brought
many stills and publicity photos to the collector’s show as well as a few
props of her own. One was a Nellie
Oleson wig that she wore in good humor while posing for pictures with fans. Walnut Grove, Minnesota is the site of the house where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived during the late 1800s. Today, fans can visit the Museum, which honors Wilder's life on the great frontier and beloved Little House on the Prairie TV series she inspired. Among the highlights are the fireplace mantel, rifle and powderhorn replicas from the TV show, a Wilder handmade quilt, scale models of the Ingalls’ farm and house used in the series, plus numerous photos, letters and historical documents. Walnut
Grove also hosts the annual Wilder Pageant each July.
The outdoor theatre production
depicts the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The
museum and gift shop are open from April through October, and can be reached at
PO Box 58, Walnut Grove MN 56180 or by calling 507-859-2358. CLICK
HERE
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