Most-coveted sets from childhood?

[sarafina]

What sets did you covet most when you were a kid - what did you search hardest for after seeing it in a pamphlet or in a friend's collection?

I remember desperately seeking the Jogging Gerbils for awhile. I saw them in the little brochure (oh, how I stared longingly at that terrible little photo!) and always had a love for the LPS rodent sets (something about extra teeny animals and little terrains really hit me). When our city got a Toys R Us, I zipped straight to the LPS aisle and spotted the gerbils on the stocking shelf at the top. Eureka!

I also coveted the fillies, which never appeared in stores near me but were mysteriously pictured in the brochure. I loved the adult Sparkling Ponies and couldn't imagine anything more perfect than those fillies...I've gotten some as an adult, but never managed to find them as a kid.

One of my friends returned from a trip with the calf and the lamb, and I was so enthralled - I hadn't seen them anywhere and couldn't even recall seeing advertising photos. It made me wonder what other LPS sets were out there, unknown to me!

There are a few other sets - the Chirpy Birds, Mommy & Baby Kitties, etc. - that I recall seeing at friends' birthday parties and wanting terribly, though they weren't too hard to come by and I managed to acquire them soon enough.

And then of course there's the Pony 'n Pet Stable, which I saw in the Sears wishbook and sought desperately. To no avail.

[Notua21]

Oh! The set I coveted most was the Wash'n Pretty Filly. I used to stare at it in the little pamphlet and think 'someday I WILL get one'. After several failed attempts to snag one on eBay, I decided to try Etsy and found one MOC and purchased it from our very own babyliketysplit! I love it soo much! I've since acquired loose ones to prevent me from wanting to desperately tear it off the card to play with it

Of course, I wanted all the fillies, but that little yellow one was the one I fell in love with and got me into re-collecting them! I also recall wanting the sparkling pond sets quite a bit.

[jillrose]

I stalked every new cat and bunny set that came out! But I think the ones I always loved most were the Mommy and Babies sets. I was disappointed when Kenner stopped advertising new items in their pamphlets; for instance I never even knew Jewel Pets existed until this year! But I would put every cat and bunny set that I knew of on my wish list every Christmas

[ibuildabrit]

I love the wash n' pretty filly the best too!
My most coveted was the orange pet shop, I thought the love birds were amazing! Sadly I never got it as a child and when I got it as an adult, some of the passion for it had faded because it looked so plain next to all the other sets that I had never known about as a child. Also I wanted the kitty club set! Desperately! And when I got it, I was so happy. It's still one of my favorite sets.

[jeapos88]

my most coveted set, was the mom and baby pups. I had a friend who had tons of lps, and when i'd go over to her house I loved to play with the mom and baby pups set. Once I started collecting as an
adult that was the first set that I bought.

[TequilaMockingbird]

I remember seeing the gerbil set on the counter at KayBee toys and wanting it badly. It was set up so you could try it out and play with it. But I remember my parents saying it was too "expensive". So I got the hamster set instead. But I really had always wanted that one. I remember having the bunny and puppy ready to go pets as well and getting the pet shop for my birthday. I love the mommy and baby bunnies and also got the 93 Bunny for easter. I never ended up getting the gerbils, so I guess that was my most coveted. I remember getting older and seeing the dazzling hair pets and thinking how much the line had changed and not liking them. I also remember seeing the swans/foxes/deer and thinking the same thing. At the time they just seemed so different and not really "pet shop" like. I dreamt of owning my own pet store as a kid, so swans made no sense. lol. If only I could go back in time and tell my younger self to buy them all and store them away in perfect condition. if only there was a time machine….

[sarafina]

if only there was a time machine….

Oh gosh...I've lamented that countless times while collecting LPS!

[ibuildabrit]

A time machine would be so great!

[jillrose]

AAAAAAHH!!! Joey I remember KayBee toys! Now I feel really old

[sarafina]

Gosh I remember seeing bins full of boxed LPS sets (the frogs in particular) on clearance at KB toys for $5 or something...ahhhhh why did I not stock up?

[ibuildabrit]

Kaybee toys was were I got a few of mine. I remember those clearance LPS.

[animal_lover]

I'm kind of jealous of you guys with all of your childhood buying/wanting memories. I don't remember lps being in stores at all or ever desperately wanting a set. I think i may have wanted one or already had one or something and then I got the rest of my collection all in one christmas I think. I guess my grandparents/parents figured I played with the one set so much that I would want more? I really don't remember honestly. All I remember is always playing with them. Usually when I played with my dollhouse. They would be the families pets and then I would pretend they were going to the vet or to the pet shop, etc. I had no imagination as a kid.

[sarafina]

Aw, it sounds like you have lots of fond memories of LPS. They made perfect pets for dolls!

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

I remember wanting so badly many sets. The water garden kitties was one of them and it became a most loved and played with set. Oh, the royal carriage ponies! I never saw them in store...only the royal palace ponies who I knew were different and couldn't convince anyone else I wasn't crazy!
KB toys....my goodness I remember them and their clearance sales and wishing I had more money. I remember always saying I would come back....and never did.

We had an awesome dollhouse growing up. Some LPS visited, but the main pets were haggen renaker ceramics. And yes, I still collect them, too! I may have too many hobbies....Hmm....and no humans lived in the house. Babs and Buster Bunny bookmarks were the heads of household, their kids were Garfield, daisy duck whom we renamed Julie, and a small mouse figurine. Wild!

[ibuildabrit]

I got the water garden kitties with the box at goodwill when I was a kid! Best four bucks spent in my life! I originally bought my LPS as pets for my barbies. I think they made good companion animals. The LPS got way cooler than barbies did as the years went on though.

[moonlightkitty]

I know it's not very exciting but the Toddling Turtles. I wanted them SO BAD. I looked and looked and looked and accepted defeat when LPS was discontinued. But I found them last year! Now I have the Toddling Turtles and the Tiny Tortoises and they are so damn adorable.

Also the Happy Pups with cozy puphouse - I LOVE that alternate colouring on the pups, and I got them last year as well. So happy.

[sarafina]

Oh gosh, I LOVE the turtle sets! They're so sweet, and their little terrariums are such fun to play with.

[jtph]

Definitely the Twinkling Sledding Party my best friend had it and I was SO green with envy, haha. I looove huskies and the overall look/colour of the set was perfect to me. It's still my favourite now. I never had it as a child but I finally got my hands on it last year (one piece at a time, lol).

[sarafina]

It's such a gorgeous set - it seems like a collector favorite, for sure.

[moonlightkitty]

It's such a gorgeous set - it seems like a collector favorite, for sure.

I didn't covet it because I had it, but to this day it's still one of my absolute favourites. It's perfect, you get FOUR pets and an awesome sled and it lights up and is sooooo pretty LOL.

[jtph]

Yeah it's funny, I think our mums colluded a lot on which sets to buy each of us because we had very few duplicates but between us, I think almost all of the collection you could get in Australia. So I had the water garden kitties... which was the one SHE always wanted once she saw mine, lol! I love the kitties as well, but there's just something about those huskies!

[jillrose]

My mom and my best friend's mom totally did that. They would shop together at Christmastime and around our birthdays to ensure we got different sets. I don't think they realized how much jealousy that created sometimes

[sarafina]

I don't think they realized how much jealousy that created sometimes

I never had that situation (of moms colluding with toy shopping), but I can see how it would spark some jealousy, even though it seems like a great idea!

I love the kitties as well, but there's just something about those huskies!

I agree! The set is so beautiful - I love the muted, wintry colors, and the huskies themselves are gorgeous. The bunny is ridiculously cute, and I always loved getting little "bonus" pets like that in sets. It's a great set for playing with, too - some LPS sets were super cute, but I just didn't get as much play out of them as a kid...the huskies, though, were played with constantly.

[ibuildabrit]

I think the water garden kitties and the twinkling sled party was the pinnacle of LPS. They were cute and fun! Lots of actions on both sets and beautiful. I love those sets.

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

the water garden kitties and the sledding party were just amazing and i cannot wait to have them both again. the water garden kitties were mine and the sledding party was my sisters.
we always had different sets so we could have more. the only exception seemed to be if something came out in a different color (I had the 1993 carrier kitty, she had the 1992 kitty) or if it was something that the really only had 1 of.
she liked mice, i liked cats. She got the gerbils as her first set, i got the cozy home puppies...
i got the dalmation, she got the cat...we were very similar except when we were complete opposites!

LPS was a much loved and played with set. i remember the parade ponies and how i must have went around washing everything and everyone! all the dress up fashion shows that my horses had...lol!