Littlest Pet Shop History

Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise owned by Hasbro. It consists of collectible pet figurines, identifiable by their large eyes and bobble heads. To date, Hasbro has released over 3,000 figurine variants. Invented and originally owned by Kenner Toys, the toy line is still popular today and has sold millions of sets across the world.
==1992 - 1996 (Generation 1)==
In 1992, renowned toy company Kenner Toys released the new toy line "Littlest Pet Shop." The figurines had a realistic touch to them. Each set had an action, activated by a magnet or other simple mechanism. This was the first generation of LPS pets.
To see a full list of Kenner Toys LPS sets, visit http://www.vintagelpscollector.com/.
To see more on the history of Kenner Toys, please visit the Kenner Products Wikipedia Page.
==Late 2004 - 2012 (Generation 2)==
=== G2.1 (2005–2007) - “Realistic Era” ===
Hasbro bought Kenner Toys from the Tonka Corporation in 1991,"Kenner History," Kenner Collector. http://www.kennercollector.com/kenner-history/ making Kenner a division of the company. When Kenner Toys was closed in 2000, Hasbro took on many of its franchises and continued to produce toys under their trademarks. It wasn't until July 21 of 2003 that Hasbro filed for copyright of the Littlest Pet Shop trademark, which was registered on December 14 of 2004."Gerben Trademark Library; Hasbro Trademarks." Gerben Law. https://www.gerbenlaw.com/trademarks/toy-companies/hasbro/#76532036Justia Staff. "Littlest Pet Shop - Trademark Details." JUSTIA Trademarks. https://trademarks.justia.com/765/32/littlest-pet-76532036.html 
2003 also began the early design stage for the new era, and in 2004, finalized sets began their pre-order shipments. Throughout the franchise's production, the printed copyright dates reflected the year of its designing process and early pre-orders, with the sets' standard store release typically arriving later in the year or early in the year after.
On February 18, 2005, Hasbro published a press release officially welcoming LPS's new generation to the public. Hasbro Staff. "THE BIGGEST WORLD OF LITTLEST PETS IS HERE WITH HASBRO’S NEW LITTLEST PET SHOP TOY LINE," Hasbro, 18 Feb 2005. Via Internet Archive, captured 09 April 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050409074628/https://www.hasbro.com/media/pl/page.release/dn/default.cfm?release=337 This was the beginning of Generation 2, which would be divided into three sub-gens; amongst G2 collectors, they are most commonly referred to as Gens 1-3, but are more accurately G2.1, G2.2, and G2.3 respectively. Hasbro's first releases (#001-#456) were the first of these sub-gens. These new molds exaggerated the head and eye proportions of the pets and offered a larger variety of figurines. The new adaptation of the toy line was popular for their "bobbleheads"; these heads were connected to the body by a short, clear tube barely visible below the head and allowed the head to move, or "bobble," around. The pets also had magnets which allowed for interaction with objects that contain an activation point for them. Most pets released in this era contain a red/pink magnet with an engraved paw print decal, while later pets released in 2007 contain a bluish-gray magnet.
Littlest Pet Shop's new slogan was, "How big is your Littlest Pet Shop?"
=== G2.2 (2008–2009) - “Symbol Era” ===
As the toy line evolved, Hasbro introduced bolder, more vibrant colors to the molds. Decals such as flower or vine designs adorned the bodies of some pets, and the franchise began to focus on personalities. Circular catchlights were replaced by symbols, categorizing the pets into personality types, the first of them being Cuddliest, Sportiest, Fanciest, Messiest, and Friendliest. Pets released in 2008 retain having magnets. This came to be known as Generation 2.2 (#457-#1265). For more information on LPS eye symbols, visit LPS Eye Types. 
This era also saw the introduction of Postcard Pets, highly detailed pets which come with postcards of the pets themselves often next to a real-life version of their respective species. 
In 2009, there were three new personality types introduced: Funniest, Happiest, and Sassiest. Also in this year, magnets were replaced with a peg hole (possibly due to a choking hazard). Later this year, the eye symbols were discontinued and the pets reverted to having standard catchlights.
Stickers began to be included in later Generation 2 sets as the 2009 Mail Order Pet promotions were launched. 
=== G2.3 (2010–2012) - “Contemporary Era” ===
Generation 2.3 lasted from LPS #1300 to #2675. Out of all three sub-generations, this one included the most pets, 1,375 in total. The logo and packaging get yet another overhaul, with the former featuring LPS Panda #1413 and the packaging featuring images of the figurines themselves instead of artwork. The Littlest Pet Shop toy line, while still keeping the bold colors, discontinued the use of unique shapes for eye irises. Some pets released in 2010 contained stamped-on eyes (often called “Sticker Eyes”) as opposed to being painted on an already molded pair of eyes on the pet’s mold. Stickers continued to be included in sets. This era also saw the release of series such as Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop, Fairies, Walkables, a series of sparkle pets, and Cutest Pets. 
This era also saw the release of Littlest Pet Shop Presents, a seven-webisode series released in 2011 on the official website and YouTube, featuring the pets going on their own little adventures while Blythe is away.
===Press Releases===
A number of press releases from Hasbro were posted throughout the Generation 2 era, that announced various new playsets and other milestones for the franchise. These releases help to establish a timeline for major LPS products; you can view our Press Release Archives here.
== 2012 - 2016 (Generation 3-4) ==
=== G3 (Late 2012–Early 2014) ===
Generation 3 (#2676-#3632) began in 2012 accompanying the Littlest Pet Shop TV series, and overlapped with the production of Generation 2.3 for a short period of time. The pets now came with names and stories, removing the creative liberties and independence that served as part of the charm of the original Hasbro franchise. The old molds were replaced by all new ones, removing their bobblehead characteristics and featuring a drastically different eye style. Body proportions were extremely exaggerated, such as thin torsos, larger heads, and small paws that made it difficult to stand the pets up. LPS's new slogan was, "Little pets, BIG personalities!" Many passionate collectors stopped buying new Littlest Pet Shops at this point. An article was released in April 2012 stating that Hasbro had posted a first-quarter loss due to weak LPS sales among other Hasbro franchises, with shares falling almost 4 percent.The Associated Press. "Slow-selling My Littlest Pet Shop, FurReal Friends hamper Hasbro profits." The Oregonian, 23 April 2012. https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2012/04/slow-selling_my_littlest_pet_s.html This was around the transitional period of Generation 3 and 4 and reflects poorly upon the change in production.
After getting so many complaints about the new adaptation, Hasbro released a series of the old 2005 molds called "Bobble in Style." However, this series disappeared after making more adaptations. It is evident based on the copyright dates stamped on the figures that these pets may have been produced with leftover molds; this may have even played a part in the Bobble in Style series' discontinuation. 
=== G4 (Fall 2014–2016) ===
In light of the toy line's downfall, Hasbro changed the molds once again in 2014. These new pets took on certain features of the 2005 pets, such as the bobbleheads and double-toned eyes, but continued to use new molds and had more expressive faces and poses. This generation has introduced gimmicks where the figurines contain small holes to place Deco Bits in and the heads can be removed to mix and match different kinds of torsos. The material changed, and the pets became heavier. The logo for the toy line was also given a redesign. This came to be known as Generation 4. 
In 2016 it earned a subseries, dubbed "Pets in the City," which reset the pet counter back to #1.
==2017 - Present (Generation 5-6)==
===G5 (2017)===
In 2017, the toy line once again reset the pet counter to #1; however, unlike "Pets in the City," it was not given a title or any other notable indication of being a subseries. The brief set of pets first focused on a rainbow-themed collection before producing more standard packages similar to G4. The logo remained the same as G4 and and its Pets in the City subseries.
=== G6 (Fall 2017–2020) ===
Approaching Fall of 2017, Littlest Pet Shop once again got a new overhaul, with the logo changing entirely, as well as its TV show, which is called Littlest Pet Shop: A World of our Own. The figures retain their bobble-heads, double-toned eyes and names, but opinions of them are different depending on the collector. Some appreciate that they pay homage to the more popular Generation 2, while others believe they have lost their original charm. As of 2020, the toyline went on hiatus. 
=== G7 (2024) ===
There will be a reboot of Littlest Pet Shop releasing in early 2024 by both Hasbro and Basic Fun, which was revealed in late 2022.
Information continues to come to light since the reboot was first announced; please visit this initial [news page] and the most current news on [this page] for more details.
==Materials Used In Creation==
In Hasbro's reincarnation of the Littlest Pet Shop toy line, LPS pets are made of a plastic called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. However, in recent years Hasbro has banned the use of this plastic in their products and is now using a new plastic material that is readily recycled.Hasbro. "Environmental Sustainability Newsletter." December 2013. https://csr.hasbro.com/eblast/index.html Wire ties used in packaging have been replaced by paper rattan materials, and paper packaging has been made more environmental-friendly. Known materials that have been used aside from PVC are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and rubber. 
==Media Adaptations==
The Littlest Pet Shop TV series released in 1995 was produced by Sunbow Productions.
In 2007, Electronic Arts gained rights to a number of Hasbro's franchises. In 2008, the Littlest Pet Shop game was released for Microsoft Windows, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Another game was released in Spring 2009. These games are listed below.
2008 (Littlest Pet Shop "Worlds")
 The three DS games are exactly the same software released under different names. "Worlds" is a term coined by the LPS community, as the series did not release a specific title to differentiate it from the franchise name.
-Littlest Pet Shop (Wii and PC)
-Littlest Pet Shop: Garden (DS)
-Littlest Pet Shop: Winter (DS)
-Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle (DS)
2009 (Littlest Pet Shop Friends)
 The three Friends DS games are exactly the same software released under different names.
-Littlest Pet Shop: Spring (DS); this game has the same software as the 2008 games, except for new spring pets, a spring world instead of the garden world, and some new mini games.
-Littlest Pet Shop (DSiWare)
-Littlest Pet Shop Friends (Wii)
-Littlest Pet Shop Friends: City (DS)
-Littlest Pet Shop Friends: Country (DS)
-Littlest Pet Shop Friends: Beach (DS)
The third LPS video game series, Littlest Pet Shop 3: Biggest Stars, was released in October 2010 for Nintendo DS. These games are listed below.
2010 (Littlest Pet Shop Biggest Stars)
-Littlest Pet Shop 3: Biggest Stars Blue Team (DS)
-Littlest Pet Shop 3: Biggest Stars Pink Team (DS)
-Littlest Pet Shop 3: Biggest Stars Purple Team (DS)
There were also two online LPS games that were released. Littlest Pet Shop VIP's was released in 2007, and was discontinued in 2008. A second online game was officially released in 2010, called Littlest Pet Shop Online, where all the LPS pets were anthropomorphic; they stand on two legs, wear human-like clothing, and do human-like actions, but was discontinued in the year after. Both games were promoted by Littlest Pet Shop stuffed animals, or plushies, with each holding a code that allowed you to use that pet in the game.
On November 10, 2012, a new Littlest Pet Shop TV show was released on the Hub.
Hasbro also released a mobile app for Kindle and iOS in 2012; unfortunately, services were discontinued in 2021. 
Following the overhaul in 2017, a new TV show called Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own was released in April 2018 and aired until January 2019. 
== Table Top Games ==
There have been many board game adaptations to Littlest Pet Shop. Monopoly released two editions of an LPS Monopoly game, one in 2007 and one in 2008. Other games, such as Hideaway Haven, LPS Prettiest Pet Show, and Littlest Pet Shop the board game have also made their way into the franchise. Several puzzle editions of LPS are also available. Please see Category:Tabletop Games from our directory page.
==References==
For more references, please visit these links:
-Littlest Pet Shop Wikipedia
-List of all Kenner Toys LPS
-List of all Hasbro Toys LPS
== Citations ==
Category:Littlest Pet Shop
Category:LPS
Category:Merchandise
Category:Toys
Category:History
Category:Trivia