Playmobil Family Camper
Price: £29.98
Buy online at Amazon
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Initial thoughts: The Playmobil Family Camper set is a typically well-made Playmobil item, including a bright yellow camper van than comes with a family of Playmobil figures, two bicycles, camping furniture and even a little sun canopy in case there’s ever a sunny day – unlikely if the Playmobils are camping anywhere near where we live, but we can hope. The top pops off the van, and there are two doors, so kids can reach everything easily and there’s some great attention to detail – there is loo roll in the bathroom, which I found particularly pleasing.
We liked: Flea has had great fun with this toy and I found it really easy to put everything together. What’s really nice is that everything a child could wish for in terms of imaginative play is included here – there are beds, bikes, even crockery for mealtimes. Flea loves sending the kids out on their little bikes for adventures, then coming home for dinner and everyone being sent to bed. Sometimes dinosaurs sleep in the camper van, but that’s okay.
We weren’t keen: From Flea’s perspective, at 4, some of the bits were perhaps a little too fiddly and small for her to get to grips with – the cutlery from the dining set, for example, soon got discarded. From my perspective, the biggest issue with this camper van is the roof, which clicks into place and can be removed easily to let kids play. Great, but if you make the mistake of picking up the van by the roof (which I’ve done, ooh, about five million times) it just falls off, and the van falls away, spreading all those teeny, tiny cute accessories all over the floor. This has resulted in Flea hearing several new words for the first time. Why, oh why, can’t it click into place a little more strongly?
Overall: The Playmobil Family Camper is of my favourite sets of Playmobil because it encourages kids to role play within family situations, and it’s really flexible in how kids can play. Great value for money considering all the accessories included within it, and it has stood up to a month’s play without anything breaking off or looking worn. Thoroughly recommended. Just don’t pick it up from above.
[Sally, Who's the Mummy?]
