playmobil, help, please!

[geemom]

Hi there!  I'm new here, and looking to order playmobile for girls, 5 and 8.  WHich ones do your kids like?

We have none.  I see all of these cute little additions, that I love, such as a lady with puppies, or a horse and carriage.  I like the forest cabin, the tent for summer, and the kings and queens.

Question is:  Do I need to order one big play center too?  are all the little bits and pieces silly if we don't have a "structure" to go with it?  If so, which is a good one that can lend itself to many different play scenarios? 

Any tips on where to buy?

Thank you for reading this, Happy Holidays.

[kittynurse]

Originally Posted by geemom 

WHich ones do your kids like?

Um, all of them?  LOL Seriously though, it really depends on what your children are interested in.  My one son is really into Egypt so naturally we've been buying from the Egyptian line for him.  My other son is into pirates and knights so he gets those types.  We tend to stick to particular themes rather than buying randomly from each of the different lines but YMMV.  We do have a few random sets as well and they get incorporated into the themed sets.

I don't think you necessarily *need* the big set for them to have fun with a theme.  That's what is so amazing about Playmobil, the kids can be so imaginative with whatever pieces they have.  Having said that, we do have some bigger pieces because the kids wanted to expand their play but they aren't really necessary if you don't want to leap in to a huge expense right away.

Playmobil has plenty of smaller sets and even sets with carrying cases that you can start with and see if the kids like it.

I'm in Canada so I don't have great advice as to where to buy Playmobil.  Toys R Us will probably have some selection.  If you go to the Playmobil website you can find a list of stores in your area I think.

My one piece of advice is make sure you have a good storage plan in mind!  You'll thank me later - trust me! ;)

Martha

[JudiAU]

"Um all of it" is a pretty good answer. Playmobil is such fun. Try and understand the pricing though before you by because it is subject to huge markups at various retailers and on amazon.com resellers and whatnot. The playmobil website is good and Toys R Us often has specially packaged versions like a slightly smaller school that is less expensive. Occasionally Toys R Us has badly advertsied BOGO 25% but it never gets discounted more than that.

Classics would be house of some sort or a pirate ship or a few cannons and "fancy people" . "take along sets" http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Search-Show?cgid=Mitnehmen  and "carrying cases" http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Product-Show?pid=5892&cgid=Mitnehmen offer particularly rich value because they have a lot of accessories.

My kids (4,2) love the pirates, knights, fairies, and seasonal stuff the most.

[LuckyMommaToo]

If it's possible, I'd let your kids look at the Playmobil site and see what they get excited about. DD's number one choice for Christmas is the hospital. I thought for sure she'd want the school, but no, she was adamant about the hospital. (She has had PM for a couple years but doesn't have any large structures. She specifically requested one this year.) She tends to like the realistic sets more than the fantasy ones.

I've often ordered from utoypia.com. Like a PP noted, they do sometimes go on sale at TRU. A local toy store here had 25% off everything on Black Friday, so that's the other place I tend to get it.

have fun browsing!
-e

[ASusan]

DS got the pool w/ waterslide for his 4th birthday recently. He LOVES swimming and has been making diving boards with his legos for months. I went based on that.

http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Product-Show?pid=4858

I should have ordered it from playmobil or B&N, but waited too long and paid more than I should have at TRU.

For Christmas, I bought him the zoo feeding station. I bought it a few months ago, when I thought he would be "into" the zoo and animals. Not sure if he will be, but we'll see. I got it for $20 at a local store.

http://www.amazon.com/Playmobil-4461-Feeding-Station/dp/B000NVHXHE

[EmsMom]

My kids like the bits and pieces of playmobil more than the buildings.  They were always like this with the doll house furniture, too.  They freely mix the sets.  The cowboys go to the service station, etc.   There are many small sets that gave my kids a lot of play and fit very nicely into the Christmas stocking (even a Santa set and a Snowman set).  Alas, I think this is the first year with no playmobile.

[cristina47454]

Could someone please explain play mobile to me? I'm serious. I just don't get it. Is it like...Little People for older kids? I must be missing something, because I know people make such a big deal about it, but...uh...

Lego I get. You build it and it's cool. And then you play with it. Is there a building component...or is just the playing? Please help me understand.

[trekkingirl]

this thread sounds like a toy ad

[EmsMom]

Originally Posted by cristina47454 

Could someone please explain play mobile to me? I'm serious. I just don't get it. Is it like...Little People for older kids? I must be missing something, because I know people make such a big deal about it, but...uh...

Lego I get. You build it and it's cool. And then you play with it. Is there a building component...or is just the playing? Please help me understand.

Just the playing aspect.  I think the appeal is it has such a wide array of play themes.  In other products, there are these very strict  girl themes and strict boy themes (pirates, star wars, etc.).  Playmobil has doctor stuff, vet, egypt, cowboys, firetrucks, etc.  My kids liked it a lot.  Still play with it and they are big.

[LoveOurBabies]

My girls love the Playmobil doll house. It's 5302 I believe and fully furnished the way it is in the picture. I love it because not only is it a decent size, colourful, has cute features like a doorbell, mailbox, balcony on every level... But can also be extended! I love that I can add another level to the house as our people collection grows or decrease the size should the house suddenly become a restaurant or shop! I think it's one heck of an awesome toy.

The other aspect I like is that Playmobil figurines and Calico Critters figurines are roughly the same height.. So they can easily fit into Playmobil homes, cars and join in the village fun.

Playmobil versus Lego - We do both. Lego is great in that you can build almost anything, pull it apart and build something new. However, playmobil is also great in that a lot of peices are far more realistic than Lego could ever be, will not fall apart should you accidently knock it over (which is what happens with Lego and causes a lot of frustration for the child) and can be mixed with various other sets to build a very realistic small town/city. We have kept a decent amount of Lego bricks (1000 peices) but we also won't be without Playmobil - It has it's own sets of benefits that IMO Lego simply can't match.

Good luck making the decision! I order all my Playmobil from Europe, it's far cheaper than the shops even when they are on sale.

[geemom]

thanks for the helpful replies!

I showed my little girl and she went gaga over the dinosaur stuff.  I saw TRU has buy 2 get 1 free through tomorrow in my area, but I will definately see if I could try to navigate the Euro shopping idea if viable.

Does anybody know if the Nativity and Christmas Playmobil goes on big sale after Christmas?  I am curious because that was one of the favorites my daughter showed me, but I do not want to pay extra if I could save by waiting a little longer.

THanks!

[LuckyMommaToo]

Could someone please explain play mobile to me? I'm serious. I just don't get it. Is it like...Little People for older kids? I must be missing something, because I know people make such a big deal about it, but...uh...

Playmobil is incredibly detailed. So my son sets up fantastic scenes with his PM knights vs. agents, and there are endless tiny pieces to use (which, admittedly, can drive some parents crazy)! It's well-designed, well-made, and really gets my kids into imaginative play. Like a PP said, Lego is fun to build, but generally falls apart if you want to play. PM doesn't. (We have and love both.)

Does anybody know if the Nativity and Christmas Playmobil goes on big sale after Christmas?

That's a good question. IME, TRU usually puts them on sale at least once before Cmas, but you may have missed it already. I've never noticed them on sale afterward; partly I think it's because the same sets are around for multiple years. We bought the Nativity seven years ago. But maybe....

[JudiAU]

Playmobil is pretend play with figurines and the 4,000 accessories of those people to say nothing of the 14 beard styles. They often are played in connunction with actual legos. One of the nice things about duplo legos is that they hold playmobil feet perfectly. Legos are great in their own right but the playmobil people are much much better.

Christmas items do get discounted a bit but most of it ends up on ebay, marked up as "rare."

Where and how do you order playmobil from Europe?

[goldfishkate]

Just throwing this out there. If you have a child who likes to destroy toys then Playmobile isn't for you. I love the toys- the cuteness and the quality.  My son (6) has a few smaller sets and the large knight castle. He still needs help putting the sets together so my husband or I will spend a great deal of time snapping all the pieces together and applying the stickers. He'll play with it for a week then decide to take it apart and "rebuild" it another way. It never goes back together right and we lose the little snaping locks. The small accessories get left all over the floor and I hate stepping on them. They also get sucked up into the vacuum. Playmobile is great but it's just not for my kid. 

[kathirynne]

My daughter plays with the mermaid sets as bathtub toys.

[SavannahK]

I just saw a Tuesday Morning flyer advertising deep discounts on Playmobil, like the $80 sets for $29. Might be worth checking out if you have one nearby.

[pbjmama]

totally going there tomorrow! thanks for the tip.
 

Originally Posted by SavannahK 

I just saw a Tuesday Morning flyer advertising deep discounts on Playmobil, like the $80 sets for $29. Might be worth checking out if you have one nearby.

[MrsHin2002]

I've also lucked out on some 2nd hand playmobil sets - some sellers have even saved the boxes and instructions! This will be the 2nd Christmas in a row with new-to-us Playmobil under the tree I get mine through kijiji (same idea as craigslist) - might be worth a try!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

[Ellien C]

One of the things I really like about playmobile is that you get ALL of the pieces you need to play with. You know how some pictures show kids playing, and then you find out that like the food and the dishes are sold separately and you are really only getting the dolls? Well, Playmobile, while expensive, is good because you get everything you need. I have the kitchen to the castle and it came with EVERYTHING. All the food, dishes, brooms, utensils, person and changeable skirt.

The hands can hold things. THe people can ride horses, sometimes there are shoes. There's just a lot you can do with playmobile. And the dishes and accessories work for polly pockets and in the doll house as well. Hats come off and go on other people and so can hair. The little dolls  have expressions - sometimes the bad guys look evil! Some need a shave, some have beards. Some have longer hair than others.

We don't have any big sets, but a few rooms here and there have been fun - we have just the kitchen, not the whole castle. And a small theatre that is uses as a room and the seige tower (also a great room). I bought the seige tower and theatre second hand.

[freestylemama]

My daughter plays with her people more than the big sets.  She builds them houses out of blocks or magnatiles or puts them on her train.  Basically, she incorporates them into her other (non Playmobil) toys.  We have the school and the vet clinic, and they don't get played with that often.  She does have a different, big, wood dollhouse that her playmobil people "live in". 

She loves the wheel chair and the stroller people and they probably get the most use at our house.