Price: £7.99
Buy online at Playmobil

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Initial thoughts: If you’re looking for something a bit different as an Easter gift this year, or you don’t want to add to the chocolate mountain any more than necessary, you might consider these cute Playmobil Easter Eggs. We were sent a green egg to review, which contains a set of Playmobil toys in a large, plastic egg, which can be used as a money box once the toy is removed.

We liked: Flea tends to get more than enough chocolate over Easter from friends and family, and it’s great to have something that isn’t chocolate, and which I know she’ll play with for a long time afterwards. The Playmobil Easter Egg set we received included a zoo keeper with a baby and adult panda and some (presumably) bamboo leaves, which was sweet, although definitely not suitable for under 4s. Other eggs available include a figure on a motorcycle, a knight on a horse, and a paediatrician with patient. A bit random, but that’s Playmobil for you!

We weren’t keen: The Playmobil egg has a slot on the bottom which leads me to believe it can be used as a moneybox afterwards – which is great; I wouldn’t feel great about just discarding such a substantial plastic toy in the trash. However, this is egg-shaped, and the slot is on the flat bottom of the egg – which seems counter-intuitive to me – you have to pick up the egg and turn it upside down to put coins in. It’s a small niggle, though, it just made me think, “huh?”

Overall: I think the Playmobil Easter Egg is a fantastic alternative to chocolate eggs if you know children will be receiving their share of chocolate from other people. There are a good set of choices that should please all kids, and the plastic egg can be used as a moneybox afterwards, making the whole thing remarkably good value for money at £7.99.

[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]