Pretend Play Reviews

My 21-month-old son enjoys watching the show on PBS, so I thought this would be the perfect toy for him....and I was right! He loves to play with all of the pieces, especially the light tower that really lights up; he can even do light it up by himself. The price may seem a little high, but since the planes and fire engine "talk" and the light tower lights up, it's worth the money.

What a wonderful surprise. I had purchased the Tarrytown playmat and was just looking for the characters for my 3-year-old son to play with on the mat! This set is much, much better then even the "little people" airport (too many bulky parts). I thought i was just getting plastic figures...when i realized they talked, the airport opens up and the lighthouse really works...I was shocked (i am not use to toy makers going above and beyond expectations). My 3-year-old and 13-month-old played with this for an hour without fighting. I noticed this toy isn't receiving 5 stars from others in "educational". I highly disagree. Imaginary play is so very important in a child's development and it has been a long, long time since I have encountered toy that sparks the imagination. I am glad I also purchased the playmat and the "5 character set"...these 3 items make a perfect playzone. However, a parent should keep this item out of a child's room if they plan on using "go to your room" as a punishment.

I bought this for my boys for Christmas. They are age 5 and 20 months now. They both play with it a lot. They planes and engine all talk. and the tower even lights up. One of my sons favorites! Very easy to store. I would highly recommend this toy!

My daughter received this magician's hat for her birthday, and has truly enjoyed performing magic tricks for all her friends, classmates, and visitors. She's really learned some showmanship with it, and even adults are at first amazed that her items seem to vanish from the hat. The hat itself is soft and well made. The bunny is a cute stuffed animal, but the best thing about the hat is that is works equally well with all smallish items. A great toy!

I bought this for my 4-year-old son and he is thrilled with it. The hat is very well made... soft and sturdy, so it's comfortable on his head and doesn't lose its shape.

He doesn't seem to tire of showing off his magician skills, and he has already experimented with putting different things in the hat to make them appear and disappear.

This is one of those simple toys that allows kids to really use their imagination. Best of all, no tiny little parts to lose. Even if the rabbit gets misplaced, kids can still use any small toy in the hat.

I bought this gift for my sisters toddler and he loved it!! I had read a review and was trying to decide whether it would be worth it or not. Well it was, and I am very happy that I bought him this toy. It was totally worth every cent to see his face light up when I showed him this magic trick for the first time. I showed him the hidden space inside the hat and within about two minutes he was off showing everyone his new magic hat. He told his grandma see theres nothing in there and then waved his hand over the hat and said abera cadabera and pulled out the bunny. He was about 3 1/2 at the time and I was worried that he would be too young for the trick but he wasn't. He is now almost 5 and I just visited him a month ago and he still enjoyed showing me the hat trick. He even loved wearing the hat on his head and he was laughing the the whole time he played with the hat. I think it also helps with abstract thinking and the concept that something is still there even if you can't see it. It also is very impressive to friends when your child (or in my case my nephew) shows them the trick. It is adorable. I am now pregnant and plan to get one for my baby also :)

My son was 8 months old and wearing 12-month clothes when he wore it for Halloween. The costume is really cute, but not very durable. The first time he wore it (for 2 hours) was fine. He got some food on it so I had to wash it. When it came out of the wash, part of the felt on the collar had ripped (although I washed on gentle cycle) and the unfinished seams in the sleeves were starting to unravel. After the third wearing, the unfinished seams in the legs were unraveling too. The crotch also started to pull at the seams, probably from my son crawling around. Also, I was never able to get the mask to go on. If you look carefully at the picture, the mask isn't actually attached. I think they faked it as there's no way you can get this on a child that can reach and grab. I debated putting the mask on him when he was sleeping, just to get a picture, but ended up not using it. So, for $15, you can get at least one wearing out of it and some nice pictures as long as you're not too hung up on the mask. I was disappointed in the quality of the costume. The seams weren't even finished and it's not that hard to do.

this fits great for a kid thaths 4,5,6 month then it to hard to put on if he is to big

I both this for my son thats 5 month old and He looks very cute it's very soft and the mask fits great it's great for halloween....

My daughter got this pony for her birthday and she loves it ! It is very cute , eats, hiccups , etc. The only negative thing I would say about the product is that the Velcro that holds the "carrier" behind the neck is too small and it will not stay on. She has to hold it up or carry it around. It really needs a bigger piece of Velcro to support the weight of the pony !!

My daughter got this for her 4th birthday and it is her favorite present. The only trouble we have is the carrier won't stay on, unless she holds the pony with her arms too. That doesn't bother her, though and she loves to brush her hair and feed her the bottle and listen to her cute giggle. What a great toy! My little girl doesn't like baby dolls yet, but loves to baby her stuffed animals and this is perfect for her. Defenitely a good choice for a (...) gift.

I wasn't expecting to like this toy when I read about it, but it is ADORABLE! My daughter (almost 6) has never been into baby dolls, but she loves ponies. This is a fantastic combination of the two--a baby-doll AND a pony to love. She has taken her everywhere since she got her--everywhere. She tucks her in each night, and buckles her into a seat belt in the car.
*The baby pony sucks her bottle (or your finger), makes cute little coos, burps, sighs, etc.
*The volume is just right, unlike many toys
*She turns herself on and off with activity or lack of--she goes dormant after a short while of inactivity, but re-awakens as soon as she is "loved" again.
**comes with batteries already installed and only has 3 twist ties to get her out of the box! NO CHAIN SAW REQUIRED!!!
Take her out of the box, and she's ready to play!
Definitely worth every penny!

(...). it is the greatest for my one year old. even my black labrador loves going in and out of it and even laying inside right besides my son. it is not too big and not too small. it is just the right size. it does not take 30 minutes to put together. i did it all myself in only 10 or 12 minutes. i did not even need my husband to help. the only thing i would change about it is that the roof is not entirely covered. we have to put it under a tree for shade. other than that it is great.

I got very frustrated at first trying to put this together. It took me an hour to get 3 screws in. My husband came home and we finished it up together but it took a very strong person to force the rest of the screws in because it has crooked sides due to it being a ship. I had to hold my weight up against it while he beared down just to get the plastic screws in the holes. It was very frustrating and took way more than 30 minutes. I'm glad we bought it. My children love it!

this is by far the easiest little tikes product to assemble. the instructions say 30 minute assembly and anyone can easily do it in half that time. the kids ages 3 and 4 really enjoy the telescope and the steering wheel. seems to be very sturdy and something that should give years of fun.

I have a same climber just without the swings.
I've had this for a few years. Weather will
play havic on this toy. We'll be cleaning this
toy soon. My friend Dixie likes climbers.
Overall a great climber! A++++!

This is our second Step 2 playhouse climber. Extremly well made and durable, hours of fun for toddlers and older. Setup is possible with only one person, however, if you have a helper and a socket wrench(highly reccomended) setup should take 2 hours.

Our kids 1 and 2.5 love this set, they can spend all day on the swings.

I really llike this swing set. Because the swings hold 100 pounds each, the kids will be able to use it for a long time. The only thing I was disappointed about is that the deck isn't very big. It holds 250 pounds, but it's not that big. And the entry from the steps to the deck is small. My 3 year old has hit her head on the cross bar when standing on the deck. But, she's figured it out. It hasn't stopped her!! She loves it. I am glad the set comes with stakes to secure it. It will rock when not staked down. I would highly recommend this play set!

My daughther is 4 years old and loves to play with the castle.
I have not much to add to what previous reviewers said -I mostly concurr. However I wanted to share my experience with putting the castle together: It took 3 adults 2 hours to put it together. The instructions are done well - it is just a lot of work (a lot of small parts: connectors and decorations). Plan ahead if you're buying it. It is a great toy!.

I grew up with the Playmobil Victorian dollhouse, and only recently did I start collecting other Playmobil sets. I bought this Fairy Tale Castle about a month ago and had the greatest time putting it together. The assembly directions include another building variation that seems to be a little more spacious, if you're planning to fit all the furniture sets in. Unlike the victorian dollhouse, this one is totally sturdy. I've moved it several times with no problem. And the accesory sets are incredible.

I recommend getting this item from Amazon.com while they have free shipping in the States. I have had problems finding toys by this company in every toy store I've been to, and having it shipped directly from Europe is extremely pricey!!

Playmobils are the best toys, they are sturdy, creative, and keep my girls busy for hours. The Fairy Tale Castle is beautiful, pinks and purple, graceful arches, and stunning cutwork windows. It looks like a castle from the Arabian Knights. The people have delicate decorations on their clothes. The furniture is very realistic and fancy, fit for a castle. We have all the room sets, and a few extras from the other castle, a fairy tale castle needs a Dragon and a Unicorn!

We purchased this marionette for our daughter's 7th birthday. She was fascinated at once and has not lost interest in this toy since. She's become very creative in developing storylines for Eunice (as she's named her). The manufacturers have developed a simple color coded system which makes this toy easy for children to untangle, and the marionette is very expressive and durable. It's not at all surprising that this product has won a highly coveted toy award. We most highly recommend it!

Delilah the Unicorn is a very shy and cautious creature. Her magical horn is highly prized so she would rather avoid most people, but she frequently leaves the forest to come to the aid of those in great need of her magical powers. Her extraordinary sense of intuition has many-a-time saved the day. Although she is soft-spoken and remains mostly silent, she is in fact the smartest character of them all and can speak almost any language. She's a listener and listens to all the things in nature around her. So when she puts forward an idea or even has a strong premonition it is best to heed her advice. The others rarely do though. Only in hind sight do they realize the wisdom of her advise.

I think I'll have as much playing with Delilah as my kids. It is so cute and has a lot of personality. I was impressed by its quality and it seems to be just the right size.

we used this on a extended car trip. Each time we took it out the puppets would be involved in a new story. great fun. good durability and bright colours.

I love this bc it is interactive and a toy but in a book form. I love that the big puppet fits mom's hand and the little one fits baby's finger

My 9 month old and I LOVE this book, and it is a wonderful toy to play with together. I look forward to when she starts talking and can maybe start voices the characters too! She also plays with it on her own. It is extremely well made and has stayed together admirably (especially considering all tugging and pulling a toy like this invites!) I agree with all the positive reviews!!! (Also loved the "peek-a-boo monkey" cube by Folkmanis . . .GREAT for peek-a-boo games if you're looking for more 'together time' toys!)