When I first saw the barn, I fell in love with it. Little did I know that it was already long out of production. While Fisher-Price does have other Laugh and Learn “house-style” toys that are similar, they just don’t compare with the charm of the barn.
While these are no longer available new, there are a plethora of them still on the secondary market. Even better, replacement parts are available through some sellers on eBay. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend running to that market or Amazon as your first line of locating this super cool toy. While it’s always worth checking, the sellers of used Laugh and Learn Barns online can get pricey.
If you have one that’s complete, you can usually get about $50 – $60 for it in working condition with all the parts. I’ve bought two of them – one that was complete for $25. The other one that was just the barn for $6 at a thrift store. These were both purchased at the end of 2017, but I’ve seen several for sale in the $30 – $40 price range afterward that were complete.
The $6 one was pretty dirty and had clearly been stored for a while in a garage or shed, but worked perfectly. The one I paid $25 for was mainly bought mainly because it had all of the parts. The lady I bought it from on the Facebook marketplace met me on the porch where she snuck it out of the house, because she felt her 6-year-old had outgrown it and didn’t want a temper tantrum when she sold it.
Which, opens the door for a conversation about how much kids love this toy.
The second barn was donated to our church nursery and immediately became the focus for the attention of every child that entered, from age 3 to about age 7 – both boys and girls. One little girl even got in trouble with her momma when she refused to leave the barn when it was time to go. Her mom called, “Ok, I’m leaving then.” The little girl was like “Ok, see ya, bye,” without taking her eyes or hands from the barn.
The barn has a lot of features. First, let’s look at the front of the barn. The opening of the door is pretty sizeable so that even most average-sized adults could crawl through. I don’t even have to squeeze, though my over 6′ family members would probably have an issue with it. The door swings open and closed easily and swings both ways. Here, Bug demonstrates how easy it is.
One of the first things kids usually notice is the vegetable garden. The vegetables are cleverly disguised puzzle pieces with leaves that sit in their correct spots in the “earth.” There is one each of red, orange, and purple (which I imagine being a radish, carrot, and turnip, respectively).
Right above the veggie garden, is the farm’s cow, who is ready to be “fed” the veggies, which are caught in a little basket behind the cow (which we will look at in a moment).
The cow also opens her mouth wider if you press her bell.
In the middle of the alphabet across the top of the front lives the rooster. He doesn’t do much, other than flap his wings when you press his belly.
Going down the right side, there is a blue ribbon that flashes and blinks to the music when the music is triggered, but doesn’t really do much on it’s own.
Under the ribbon is the piggy. A roller on his tummy turns him from clean to dirty. He sings a little song when you roll it.
Under the piggy is a little flipbook that has a couple of pictures. Notice that here is where the other farm animals are represented that don’t appear on the rest of the toy (I appreciate those little touches).
Now, let’s look at the back of the toy. Notice how the front is the outside of the barn and the back is “inside” the barn?
Starting to the right this time, we find mother hen and her nest. The barn originally came with 3 eggs that were pretty thick, sturdy plastic. The hen is located behind the cow, which means that when you feed the veggies to the cow, they fall down into this basket with the eggs. This also means the eggs can be fed to the cow (you can see the hole that is the cows mouth in the picture). The trough (patterned with textured hay on the bottom) usually catches anythign that spills out. The eggs also have a spot to push them under the hen so they fall down a chute to the basket.
Across the top, are embossed numbers 1 – 10 and some musical notes (also the battery compartment that screws closed). Here is a sliding barn door that goes between night and day.
Next is the barn light. The switch flips the light on and off and also the blue ribbon we looked at on the other side. Switching the light on and off makes a little song play.
Finally, under the lamp is a little radio that plays various things like a weather report and music by turning the dial. This is also where you turn the whole barn on and off, control volume, and select between music, ABC learning, or more advanced learning. The dial is a sunshine.
Overall, the barn is a great buy for entertaining little ones. Hopefully they will release a new model in the future, but no word of that is available at this time.
If You Have Missing Parts:
- Large Easter eggs work great to substitute for missing eggs (you can also use small balls from the dollar store.
- Several other “puzzle pieces” for Fisher Price, such as those for other house type structures, will fit in the square, circle, and triangle slots).
- Several Ebay sellers now “part out” this item. So if you find one with a broken radio or light, you can usually find a replacement piece. Eggs and shapes are also usually available.
Where to Buy:
Note: This item is almost exclusively only available used.
Amazon: Occasional, but usually incredibly pricey there (Usually $200+ used)
Ebay: Always/Often (Usually $40 – $150 and often missing parts, but parts – including pieces to repair old ones – are usually available)
Walmart: Very Rarely, Second hand sellers with prices similar to Amazon
Secondary Sales Sites (Private Sites): Rarely
Garage Sales/Craigslist/Facebook: Occasional (Usually $25 – $45 with or without parts)
Thrift Stores: Occasional (Usually $6 – $40 with or without parts)
Big Box Retail: Never. This is discontinued.
Pricing Via Internet
Please note, “Listing Price” is what hopeful sellers will try to sell for hoping a collector will buy it. “Selling” is the price the item is most often currently sold for online. None of these included shipping.
MSRP: $99.00
Highest Seen Listing Price (New): $399 (Amazon, November 2017)
Normal Selling Price (Used – All Parts): $40 – $100
Normal Selling Price (Used Missing Parts or House Only): $25 – $40
Normal Selling Price for Replacement Parts (Ebay): $10 – $18
Garage Sale Pricing: I’ve found this item at local sales and on places like Craigslist ranging from $25 – $65, depending on what comes with it. Usually the higher price is for a complete set.
Amazon Link:Fisher-Price Laugh & Learning Farm
Manufacturer’s Page: Laugh & Learn Learning Farm
Ebay Link: Laugh & Learn Barn