Playmobil - ages? pieces to start with?

[KBecks]

I'm not sure if I want to start Playmobil yet.... but I want to learn more about it. Alek is nearly 4, and we're having a new baby so tiny parts is not what I need, but we could control it in limited quantities.

I searched and see people here at the BBB like it overall -- great!

I came to Playmobil through considering a dollhouse or some dollhouse furniture things and a few pieces to gauge their interest, but maybe the boys would like something different.

What do you recommend? Thanks!!! I like buying used on Ebay too but I don't really know what I should focus on if I go that way.


ETA: I'm going to ask as many possible toy questions (and participate in as many toy, book and clothes threads) as possible so that I stay away from the politics threads!

[Karenn]

:) I'll help you in your effort to stay away from polictics. I love to talk about playmobil. :)

I almost always find the best deals at www.ridgeroadstation.com because they usually have a free shipping deal. Right now it's free shipping if you spend $30. I usually do better there than ebay. I've also gotten good clearance deals at www.Kidsurplus.com. Target's a great place to get an inexpensive starter set too. Independent toy stores around here are often expensive, but tend to have the best selection.

DS likes Knights, Pirates and Police. Those sets all come with weapons. I had to think about that before I went with it. The pirates get the most play. His first set was a knight that came with a horse and armor. He got it when he was four and spent endless amounts of time putting it together and taking it apart again. DD likes the modern living house stuff, the grand mansion stuff and she's getting the hospital figures for her birthday. I think if I were starting out, I'd get one of the sets from Target (I think they have fire, police & pirate sets) and see how that was received.

[schums]

We started Playmobil when DS was about 4. He was (and still is) VERY into pirates, so we got him a relatively small pirate boat (they sell similar ones at Target for about $20) that came with a few guys, and a bunch of accessories. DS still plays with that (it's at g-ma's house now), but has a MUCH larger one at home. We put away most of the REALLY small pieces (think tons of little coins, like 1/4" or smaller), and they haven't been missed. Now, we have the BIG pirate ship, pirate lagoon, several pirate add-on sets, the BIG zoo, and the treehouse (at g-ma's). I'm sure I'm missing a set or two, but you get the idea.

The dollhouses tend to be $$$$, plus they come with nothing (or next to nothing), so to really play with the dollhouse, you have to buy a bunch of extra sets (people, furniture, etc.) which really adds to the bottom line. They do have the take along houses, but they tend to be pretty small (think old style FP house). Might not work for 2 kids at the same time. Honestly, unless your boys are asking for the dollhouse, I'd take them to either Target/TRU (smaller selection, but lower price point) or to an independent toy store and see what they are interested in.

As for buying on e-bay, by the time you add in shipping for most sets, it's almost cheaper to buy new (if it's not a retired set). Playmobil toys tend to hold their value VERY well, especially if you have the whole set and the box. Sometimes you can find NIB sets for a little cheaper on BIN ebay (like $10-$15 off even including shipping), but my experience is that you really have to know the EXACT set you want and set up an automated search to find them before someone else buys them. Check your local Craigs List too -- sometimes people will post them there (sometimes cheaper, sometimes not, but no shipping/taxes).

We LOVE Playmobil. It is consistently played with in our house. It is very well made and has survived a lot of abuse here. It's been worth every penny, and some of our sets cost a LOT of pennies!!

HTH!

[KBecks]

Thanks for the awesome replies. I have to remind myself to start small. I am trying to avoid pirates for as long as possible, even though they are popular and cool. I don't feel comfortable with the fighting, even with knights and castles, yet. We'll get there I'm sure but I don't want to introduce it. (One of my parenting hang ups, and in part because my nephew who plays pirate says -- I'll KILL YOU!) Aack! Mommy is a sensitive soul about that.

I will check Target and the online stores!

[AngelaS]

We started with the Horse and Pony ranch since my dd is a horse nut. We now have most of the barns, gobs of farm animals and so many other sets that I'm almost embarrassed to admit. :) Pick a theme that you think he'd enjoy and buy one of the larger sets from that to start with. Or scope out your local resale shops, I've found some GOOD deals at resale shops and garage sales on Playmobil.

The Zoo's another great seat and they added a circus this fall too. :)

[Karenn]

The firefighter set at target doesn't come with any weapons. That's what we often give as a gift since I never know where my friends stand on the whole weapons in play issue. I know what you mean about not being ready for the fighting. I really did have to think hard before we went down that road.

[hellokitty]

I also sometimes see playmobil at TJ Maxx. Also check small local toy stores. There is one an hr away from us, that we love. It's your traditional small business owned toy store. Anyway, I think that they seriously have the entire playmobil series. Almost an entire wall of their store is dedicated to playmobil. I asked about the advent sets and were told that they usually sell out of them the day they put them out, but they will give me a call and put some on hold for me if I'd like them to. Everyone keeps saying that target carries these advent calendars, but ours does not, our target's playmobil section is extremely tiny, maybe two sets and then a few smaller character kits. So, ymmv depending on your target.

[Ceepa]

I asked about the advent sets and were told that they usually sell out of them the day they put them out, but they will give me a call and put some on hold for me if I'd like them to. .

I recently saw the advent on a Playmobil display but I can't remeber where. TRU I think.

[August Mom]

DS has been big Playmobil fan, but we had to put them away because of DD. She puts everything in her mouth and DS won't play with them alone in his room. I've almost rationalized that the parts are *so* small that they are less of a choking hazard than some other things, though. Many parts are really tiny.

DS was a little over 3 when he got his first Playmobil - a garbage truck. It didn't have any tiny parts (I was nervous about it when he was just 3). He liked it and tends to like the vehicles best.

Next we got firefighters. Again, the big firetruck was the favorite (lots of little equipment parts with the firetruck, though). Then, we got the soccer field and players. This is probably DS's very favorite. It's a game, though, so someone else typically needs to play too. And, the soccer balls are the perfect choking size (marble size). It's fun, though. And, the players are different nationalities which is fun to discuss. We talked about the different team's flags and uniforms, where they were located in the world, etc.

Then, he got the police. All the police sets come with guns, very small guns. He really liked the police car, but didn't really get into the station or anything else.

Anyway, pick something basic that he has a general interest in and then see how it goes. I would start relatively small and go from there (but get a regular-sized vehicle or set, not just a person on a motorcycle or something - those aren't very exciting).

I also like ridgeroadstation for pricing and the free shipping as Karenn suggested.

Good luck.

ETA: I forgot to mention the airplane - very cool and fun, although a bit frustrating because the landing gear comes off. That may be DS playing a little too aggressively, though. We also have the control tower. It is neat, but DS tends to ignore the structures for the most part and concentrate on the people and the vehicles. Every child is different, however. And, as a LP mentioned, the walls do come apart.

[LBW]

Have you looked at some of the themes on playmobil.com? We l-o-v-e PM around here, and have way too much. I think our first sets were the cargo ship and some accessories - a forklift that actually works, cargo containers filled with "coal," etc. We also have pirates, knights, polar explorers, and some Dakar Rally sets that are now discontinued. There are lots of options if you are trying to avoid fighting toys. In the Farm line, look at the Forest Lodge and Rangers Post, for instance. The Airport line, especially the airplane and the control tower, are really great, too.

I've purchased most of our PM from ridgeroadstation.com. I have lucked out and found it at garage and rummage sales, too.

If you don't have one already, try to get a copy of the PM catalog. My oldest would look at it for hours, bring it in the car, and even take it to bed.

ETA: Personally, I wouldn't start with one of the large structures, like a dollhouse or castle. The walls click together, but they can easily come apart, so playing with them can be frustrating for younger kids. If you do go with a large structure, you might want to think about using glue to hold the walls together. We've never done that b/c DS1 likes to build and take things apart, but I've thought about it b/c it drives ME nuts to be constantly reassembling castle walls.

[kristenk]

More playmobil fans here! DD loves the kids and babies the best. We actually have an assortment of things.

The family camper is pretty cool.
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aabe_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-US-Site/Sites-Catalog/en_US/v1220417288445/imagesOnline/products/3647.jpg

It has a nice combination of the things that DD likes for her playmobil people to do - driving, eating and sleeping!:)

Another frequently used item is a car that an aunt got her for Christmas. I think it came from ebay.

From a different aunt, DD received the Take Along Dollhouse and that was a pretty big flop. It came with a lot of stuff that we still use, but it's not big enough to actually *play* in. For everything to fit, beds, chairs, tables, etc. have to be positioned just right and that doesn't happen with DD - or even me. She'd put a person to bed and the bed would fall out of the house b/c she jostled it slightly while putting the person in. Not good.

We might be getting the Modern House for her for Christmas or her birthday this year. I might try to get the Forest Lodge or Vacation House instead.

Other things that I think would be up DD's alley:

The classroom

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aabe_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-US-Site/Sites-Catalog/en_US/v1220417288445/imagesOnline/products/7721.jpg

The tree house
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aabe_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-US-Site/Sites-Catalog/en_US/v1220417288445/imagesOnline/products/7937.jpg

The cafe
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aabe_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-US-Site/Sites-Catalog/en_US/v1220417288445/imagesOnline/products/7846.jpg

Go to the playmobil site and just look around. You can get a pretty good idea that way. Better yet, go to a toy store that sells playmobil and see if they have a playmobil catalog that you can take home. Or, if you don't want to do that, you can request one from the playmobil site. You have to go to the Contact section and the 2nd screen in, there's a link for requesting a catalog.

Sorry for the ramble, but I've been thinking about playmobil a lot lately and trying to figure out what we're going to get for DD and where we'll buy it.

Oh, one last thing about purchasing playmobil online. The prices that I've seen at some online retailers are actually higher than playmobil.com. The store will have a "sale" but the prices end up the same as the playmobil.com prices. Definitely check around and factor in shipping. Free shipping is always good!

[brittone2]

Good thread. :popc1: I hope you don't mind my jumping in here to watch and learn even though I've been posting on the political threads :hug:

DS is 4.5 and we haven't gotten into Playmobil yet, but I've considered it. I have a set put away (castle) that was a local freebie listed on Craigslist. I am planning to give it to DS along w/ some Greathall CDs. One is about Robin Hood and the other is King Arthur and his Knights. Both are supposedly minimal-violence versions of the story. (we love Greathall). He doesn't know much about knights, etc. so I'm not sure how interested he'll be, but we can always pass it along to someone else if it isn't a hit. I thought it might be a good way to at least try it out without much investment.

I was just looking at the website and I know he'd adore the camper (we do a lot of camping in our pop up and my parents have a travel trailer as well). He said the kid on the bike in the camper picture looks like he's riding a glider rider ;)

[hellokitty]

Oh, one last thing about purchasing playmobil online. The prices that I've seen at some online retailers are actually higher than playmobil.com. The store will have a "sale" but the prices end up the same as the playmobil.com prices. Definitely check around and factor in shipping. Free shipping is always good!

That is good to know. Thanks for letting us know. I am planning to request a catalog. I love their stuff, but find it overwhelming to look through online and when I am at the store, I always have the kids with me and can't think.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I always have the kids with me and can't think.

:ROTFLMAO:

We're totally not ready for Playmobil yet here, but I REALLY like what you said right here. This is the state of my life :)

When we were visiting FAO Schwartz, DD found PM and had to be carried away from that section kicking and screaming. And back home, the store across the street from our house has the "whole wall" like a PP mentioned, so it's going to be fun when she discovers that. There was a PM Seaplane at the consignment sale this summer, so I picked that up to put away for the future. It is cooool.

Does anyone know if the older sets are good/bad? We've got 2 neighbors that have kids that will be done with theirs by the time mine are ready. New or used?

[kristenk]

I was just looking at the website and I know he'd adore the camper (we do a lot of camping in our pop up and my parents have a travel trailer as well). He said the kid on the bike in the camper picture looks like he's riding a glider rider ;)

If you want a camper, let me know. I ordered one for DD's last birthday, but received notice that it was backordered. I ordered it from a different place and forgot to cancel the backorder. We still have one set in its packing box in our garage. And, um, it's been there for about 6 months now.

[brittone2]

If you want a camper, let me know. I ordered one for DD's last birthday, but received notice that it was backordered. I ordered it from a different place and forgot to cancel the backorder. We still have one set in its packing box in our garage. And, um, it's been there for about 6 months now.

Hey there!

PM me w/ what you want for a price when you get a chance :) I think I can get my parents to give this to DS for Christmas (they've been asking what he wants anyway...).

I'm pretty sure he'd love the thing.

[KBecks]

Thanks everyone, I'm excited to check out Playmobil more. I have Alek's b-day presents already picked out but I'm definitely thinking of trying some Playmobil for Christmas.

I've poked around online and I like the playground set -- I had a Weebles playground when I was a kid that I played with. It's not that interesting, but I think it may work as a trial start.

I want to check out more though. A catalog sounds like a great idea because there is so much. I have never seen Playmobil at a toy store, but I don't go to TRU and I don't know of any local toy stores -- but I have the same problems in terms of not being able to shop with the boys, I just don't do it.

[hellokitty]

This may seem like a weird question, but does playmobil do co-ops? If so, I bet here would be enough mamas here who would participate for this upcoming christmas season. {wink}

[brittone2]

This may seem like a weird question, but does playmobil do co-ops? If so, I bet here would be enough mamas here who would participate for this upcoming christmas season. {wink}

I believe I've read in the past that the minimums/requirements were insane. I think there were a high number of items required per style, etc.

I don't know if that has changed, but that's what I've read in the past.