When did Britax start making seats under the Fisher Price Name??

MOM25BOYS

New member
I am just curious as to when they started producing under the Fisher Price name or have they always owned them. I was AMAZED last night when I finally got a chance to go cut the straps on my parents old Fisher Price Safe Voyage with a DOM of 01 to find sooooo many features like Britax. One big surprise was the purple chest clip off this 2001 seat! It looks almost identical to the new ones that Britax started using in 2005!!:eek: Was Fisher Price ahead of the game on that one??:scratcheshead: TIA.:)
 
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TerisBoys

Well-known member
Purple chest clip would've been a Safe Embrace - if it had metal bars on the back it was actually still good *cries*. The original FP seats (Safe Embrace line, Futuras, Grow-with-Me and Stay-in-View infant) were good for 8 years from DOM and WERE made by FP.

The Safe Voyage line were the only Britax seats.
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
Oh, well.:eek: It was pretty bad off anyways.... It had been sitting in my dads '69 Chevelle for years since they never used it with my boys or my niece. It evetually was put under the carport where the cats used it as a "lounger".:D I think I do remember the box saying Safe Embrace now that you mention it...:rolleyes: And it does have the purple straps and bars. Thanks Teri for the info.:thumbsup: So did Britax take the chest clip idea from FP? Is 2005 when they started producing under the FP name? I just think it is funny that Britax had those "box" like clips and Fisher Price had the "nicer" ones...:p
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Britax chest clips aren't Britax :). They've been around at least as long as those FP seats, and are on several other (usually high quality) brands...I'm guessing they were designed by the harness company (IMMI or AMSAFE are the big two).

:)
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
OK - if it was abused I'll stop sniffling. The old made-by-FP seats are some of my all-time favorites.

I honestly don't know how the chest clip change came about. I'm just glad Britax finally stopped using the clunky rectangles. Ryan's got a permanent scar from his (by the right corner of his mouth). Those old ones were SHARP.
 

hipmaman

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I actually prefer the old 'box' like chest clip. I swap all my new Britax chest clips for the old clips :) No sharp corners or edges, just clip in nice and well.

The clip is made by IMMI anyway and seats like True Fit has the same clip.
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
OK - if it was abused I'll stop sniffling. The old made-by-FP seats are some of my all-time favorites.

I honestly don't know how the chest clip change came about. I'm just glad Britax finally stopped using the clunky rectangles. Ryan's got a permanent scar from his (by the right corner of his mouth). Those old ones were SHARP.

Now, now don't cry....:whistle: I will take a pic just for you this afternoon of this lovely seat.:) I think the cover overall is in good condition, just needs cleaning and has some fade to it. I "almost" believe that they still have the box also somewhere.:rolleyes: My mom NEVER throws anything away! Could this one be used RF and FF?? Can anyone tell me the weight limits on it?? I don't have it in front of me right now.:)
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
It should be RF to 30#, FF to 40#. It meshed REALLY well with a Roundabout for 3 across. Top slots weren't quite as high as the RA, and the overall seatback was lower, but it was a really nice seat in it's day.VERY easy to install (built in lock-offs), EPS along the sides, and thick straps that didn't twist.

01 DOM - did it have the blue/gray cover or the blue/white check cover? Blue/gray was actually the FPSE-II and I believe it had LATCH.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
To answer the first question britax started making them only a few years ago. I remember Jennifer (the peach) and I went to a MNO and then went to burlington after to see the safe voyage! We are such dorks! :D I moved to Omaha in spring of 2004 and I think it was at least a year after I had been here so I would say some time after 2005.
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
Hmmm, it is faded, but looks like it was navy blue/white checks.:scratcheshead: No latch that I could see, but I did notice a plastic like foot, maybe on the bottom back. Does that make sense?? Like something you could push down for RF and lift up for FF. Or just maybe I am just that sleep deprived right now.....:whistle::D
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
Hmmm, it is faded, but looks like it was navy blue/white checks.:scratcheshead: No latch that I could see, but I did notice a plastic like foot, maybe on the bottom back. Does that make sense?? Like something you could push down for RF and lift up for FF. Or just maybe I am just that sleep deprived right now.....:whistle::D

Right :) the foot needed to point down for FF and be parallel to the bottom of the seat RF.

It was one of the first non-Britax seats to have EPS foam. The only other one on the market in the late 90's was the Century SmartMove - which was a hideous beasty of a seat to install RF.

It had 3 different covers (4 if you count the original employee only test seats). The earliest ones were navy plush with small white/light blue/gold flecks (the test seats were dark green with flecks), then there were navy/cream plaid cotton with solid blue sides, and finally the FPSE II which was flannelish with navy sides and a gray middle.
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
Sooo if this seat has a 8 yr expiration, then the chest clip is still good that I cut off:doh:, right? But you can't use it with any other seats except FP even though it is sooo much like the Britax.:)
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
To answer the first question britax started making them only a few years ago. I remember Jennifer (the peach) and I went to a MNO and then went to burlington after to see the safe voyage! We are such dorks! :D I moved to Omaha in spring of 2004 and I think it was at least a year after I had been here so I would say some time after 2005.


Thanks.:) I thought I remember hearing it was around that time, but wasn't sure after seeing this seat last night and its simularities with Britax.
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
Thanks.:) I thought I remember hearing it was around that time, but wasn't sure after seeing this seat last night and its simularities with Britax.

Yes - and at the time it was about 1/2 the price of the Roundabout - even cheaper when WM clearanced them for $30-$40 :eek::eek:

Many of us 'old-timers' had a Roundabout for a main seat, and a FPSE as a secondary. The two seats meshed together well too if you had to do 3-across.
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
Yes - and at the time it was about 1/2 the price of the Roundabout - even cheaper when WM clearanced them for $30-$40 :eek::eek:

Many of us 'old-timers' had a Roundabout for a main seat, and a FPSE as a secondary. The two seats meshed together well too if you had to do 3-across.

Yeah, I can remember now the night my mom and dad came home from shopping at WM and had bought this seat. New in 2001.:) Aaron wasn't quite 1 yet, but it was bought for him to use in there vehicle.:rolleyes: I know they paid more than the clearance price for it, maybe $80? Not sure though. Real bummer though about not knowing it wasn't expired yet.:eek: And I do like the straps on it. Not flimsy or silky but like the MA's.:thumbsup:
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I got that one on 'clearance' for $80 that year, too :thumbsup:
Keep that chest clip, people sometimes ask for them down in Swap, or at least it's a fun memento (I don't think I'd fret about it expiring, unless it was clearly worn or bent).

I didn't buy one originally, but it inspired me to buy a tether strap for my Evenflo Medallion, back in 1997 (the FP was the first seat with a tether!). Also, check the nifty flap in the bottom of the seat, so you could route the RF belt over the cover but the flap came down to protect it...SUCH a cool design!

I only chose the Medallion because it had super duper mega padding in it, the FP was so hard, I couldn't imagine putting my sweet newborn in it. And Britax? OMG, puhlease, who would spend THAT much :rolleyes::D:p (sad irony? the slots on the Roundabout were 2 inches higher than the Medallion, it would have easily saved me money buying another seat when my TWO year old outgrew it!...RA would have easily fit to age 4 for that extra 70 bucks..)

Ok, sorry for that trip down memory lane...I gave my FP seat to a teen mother friend of mine who really needed something better than the AO her mother had bought for her :p.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
To answer your first question, I *think* the FPSVD and other FP/Britax seats came out in early 2006.

When I was looking for a convertible for my DN (born in Feb 2006), the FPSVD was still fairly new. I think we began the convertible search in the summer of 2006.


Now, about the FPSE...

I LOVED that seat. I was actually a bigger fan of the FPSEII, which had a microfiber-like cover and had LATCH. I LOVED those seats. I loved the infant seat, the convertibles (regular FPSE and FPSEII), and the booster. :love::love::love::love:
 

Mama!

New member
I want to see a picture of these purple buckles vs the new ones. I've never seen a Purple FP buckle to my knowledge, even though I know one of my nephews had an old FP seat.
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
The seat was totally color coded too.

Blue for RF - both at the belt path and lower 2 slots.

Purple for FF - the metal frame/FF belt path, top slots, tether, and chest clip were purple. Chest clip was NOT used on the bottom slots, and optional on the second slots.

FPSE was also odd in that it followed European practice for harness slots - at or ABOVE until the second slots were reached - only then could they go below.

My William in the FPSE here - http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/terib/fpse.html file date is 3/01, so he was about 15mo there. And he had 1" to grow in the top/FF harness slots. In contrast, he's 17mo here in his RA. http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/terib/boostershelp.html Yes - he's always been a long torsoed bugger - he outgrew his RA at 3 which was just in time to pass it down to Ryan (who also outgrew it at 3)

*Disclaimer - in 2001 very few seats RF beyond 30# and had shorter seatbacks than now - RF to 2yo was a rare occurance.
 

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