talk to me about playmobil.... The good, the bad and the total crap :)

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

before i start im buying early and spreading the cost so no need to remind me it's still August! !

so im pretty stuck on what to buy dd's 7 and 3 at xmas. both love small world stuff in particular happyland.

I've previously bought dd1 sylvannians but were completely ignored and unplayed with.

so im thinking playmobil even if the people are a bit creepy looking

would u recommend?

what are the best and worst sets?

Mine have the following:

Swimming pool - this has been played with quite a lot as the weather has been good where we are this summer. It's a bit fiddly though so I would only buy if it's a good price. I got it for 18 pounds. My nephew has a different one which has loads more pieces/people than this model.

This fairy carry-along case is a good buy (I bought it for about 18 pounds) as it's a good starter kit. Quite a few bits and pieces and all stored away in a case. There are lots of equivalents in the different Playmobil series.

I also have a few fairy/princess sets - but to be honest, I wish I had bought something bigger rather than different sets. Just too many bits! I end up monitoring all of the Playmobil when kids come round to play, to make sure all the tiny pieces aren't lost. (My kids are 5.5 and 3.5 though, so still quite young).

I've debated about getting them the Princess castle but I'm not convinced even though they have enjoyed playing with it at a Playmobil Park.

Another good starter is the little cases like these - I've had the fairy one and also given others as presents. You can usually get the fairy one for 7.99 or thereabouts so don't pay full price for them!

I've read on Mumsnet that the camping car, caravan and hotel seem to go down well with kids, as does Noah's Ark.

The pony farm is good.

I loved the motor home/camper van.

(kids did too!)

Campervan.. Swimming Pool. Both great and have lasted a few years now.

It is all fantastic. You cannot go wrong.

DS loves knights and dragons and has some outrageously huge castle thing from his ungodlymother, but there is a smallish castle set with a dungeon ( I think it is a bagged rather than boxed "extra set") that was really good financial and play value.

The camper van is fabulous and has been much enjoyed as has the vet's surgery. We also have a couple of excellent cranes, and a wicked bin lorry. All visiting children particularly like the bin trolley. The dinosaurs also great, especially the stegosaurus with eggs that open with tiny baby stegosaurusses inside.

DS had the Noah's Ark for Xmas last year but its' not as detailed as some of the stuff, so not especially mad on it. The animals are good though.

We have masses of playmobil and it is all played with a great deal. The only thing that wasn't a success was the aeroplane as the wings/other bits fall off too much to make it good to play with (so it has not had much use and gets on my nerves taking up loads of room). Dcs are not so keen on the carry along/fold up stuff.

Came on to say the opposite to MrsFogi! Mine love the aeroplane, also the camper van and house. All gets played with lots, nightmare to tidy and store though!

I've bought the pirate ship from Amazon for DD2 and also several smaller sets. She loves it!

Bought the princess palace second hand.. Bloody nightmare. It was huge! And kept on falling to pieces and they just didn't play with it. Sold it after a few months.,
They tend to love the vehicles.. Family suv, city life convertible, we also have the summer fun family home..

The advent calendars are a good deal under £9 on Amazon when I brought DD's two weeks ago.

I agree the camper van is great. I also got the small closing house off ebay for about £10 with lots of furniture. Its a nice size to store (fits in an Ikea expedit storage box) and easy for DD to carry around with its handle. All the bits shove in then it closes with a clip to hold it all in.

We have the big school (now in the loft because its so big it dominates her room), a big car ferry also in the loft because we've moved house and the bathroom isn't as big.

DS2 has lots of the spy bits with alarms etc. DS1 has the folding and the large police station and masses of vehicles but at 11 he's agreed to part with it now and stick with his extensive lego displays (hes Autistic and emotionally quite young in many ways).

In the bathroom we have a fishing boat, a police boat and various things you can flip a motor between including a scuba diver type thing. Those go down well.

I love playmobile but the larger bits are hard to store so I'd say think about your space then decide what to buy. DD has some bits on a high shelf across the top of her wardrobe but to play with those we need to lift them down and put them away again. The stuff that packs into the Drona toy storage boxes we have gets far more play because its accessible.

We just sold a load of playmobil that wasn't used.

Too many small pieces, comes apart too easily for decent playing, far too expensive for what it is, just didn't get played with.

The wooden le toy van castle & pirate ship and Papo figures (pirates, fairies, Knights, dragons etc) however are used ALL the time as are the Lego police station, fire station, aeroplane & campervan.

I wouldn't bother buying playmobil again. Waste of money.

The pirate ship and the sets in the carry cases.

Sorry they are the ones that we've gotten the most use of. The pirate ship has been staffed by mini my little ponies for a good six months now

Pool, school and random room sets are welp played with, and the car (red thingy with a top box).

Camping set well played with and a littpe carryhandle box with horelses in.

Vets set ignored (however dd is only 3.5 so she may grow into it).

We got a wooden dolls hpuse and furnished it with ebayed playmobil so that is well played with. Nothing more so than the Pool thpugh.

Best thing we ever bought my dd was the Play mobiles ale along Princess Fantasy chest. It has two 'stages' with sets and props and dolls.

It all folds away and isn't too big.

She got it for her third birthday and still plays with it now.

We also have a castle and the two different armies of knights. Again still being played with 4 years on.

I've found it all to be very good quality and stand up to 'robust' play.

You can pick playmobil up for pennies on ebay btw.
Not necessarily for Christmas, but well worth a look if your DC's like it.

Its sturdy enough to survive the dishwasher too, so can be passed on almost indefinitely.

Don't look at things individually, our Playmobile and Sylvanian live together and are played with together.

But I agree with PP's that the swimming pool and camper van are favourites.

We have a Sylvanian house and Bus. Playmobile furniture in the Sylvanian house.
The Pyramid never got much use but DC4 is showing interest in it.

What do they like doing in their imaginative play? We got the school the Christmas before DC1 started school & it has been played with every day in the intervening 18mths. We also have the swimming pool, beach, hotel, aeroplane, camper van, playground & some farm bits. This seems to all the DC to endlessly recreate the favourite bits of their lives!

wow lots of replies! the campervan and swimming pool seem to be most popular. dd1 does love a campervan (currently has 4 in her room!) so will have a look at that one!

they do tend to mix and match the toys - moshi monsters being the main occupants of most games!