Playmobil Wildlife Care Station

Playmobil has been a big part of my kids' playtime for many years (see my various posts referencing Playmobil here and here and here ). We already have a substantial collection of Playmobil -- a knight's castle, a dragon's lair, an ancient Roman ship, a Victorian mansion, a skate park, a pirate's cave, not to mention tons of smaller sets -- but my kids never seem to get sick of Playmobil. As far as Playmobil is concerned, the more the merrier!



So when Playmobil (via Litzky PR) invited us to review one of their new playsets, the Wildlife Care Station, it was like celebrating Christmas in June. Read more of my thoughts on the Wildlife Care Station (and Playmobil in general) below:


The Basics
The Wildlife Care Station is new for 2010. It is part of Playmobil's African Animal World Theme. Here is a description of the product from Playmobil:

Take care of the African animals in the Wild Life Care Station! Includes care station with baby animals, two ranger figures, enclosure and a tons of accessories. Rub the baby giraffe's wound and watch as it disappears!

The two rangers at the Wildlife Care Station have their hands full. The baby zebra needs a bandage and the chimpanzee is up to mischief again, despite its head injury. The wound on the baby giraffe’s leg disappears when rubbed, or healed, so-to-speak. The many realistic details encourage a variety of role play options in this safari setting.


The Bongga

The Wildlife Care Station is the first Playmobil set we've owned with an animal theme, so it was a welcome addition to our collection! It's absolutely adorable, with all kinds of animals and two rangers. My kids lost no time in setting it up and proceeding to give medical attention to each and every one of the animals (I think it appeals to their nurturing instincts). As with all Playmobil sets, the attention to detail is phenomenal -- it comes with tiny laptops, buckets, bandages, lanterns and more accessories for everyday life on the African Savannah.



The set does require assembly, which some people might list as a negative, but it's actually one of the things I like best about it. My kids assembled it all by themselves, following the instructions, and it totally occupied them for two solid hours.

Now, on to Playmobil in general. I could go on and on about how much I love Playmobil toys, but I've managed to condense what I love most about them into three major points:

They are sturdy. My kids tend to be pretty rough with their toys when they engage in imaginative play (lots of racing, battles, car crashes, and ninja training). With Playmobil, they don't have to worry about their vehicles disintegrating like they do when they play with the Lego or Megablok sets they build.

They are versatile. Playmobil has so many different playset themes, yet everything works together. I love seeing my kids combine playsets in one gigantic imagination session. It's not unusual to see them send a mermaid up in a helicopter, put a Roman legionnaire on rollerskates or pit a firefighter against a dragon (that last one actually makes sense!).

Only in the Playmobil world can you find wildlife rangers treating fire-breathing dragons, dragon's lairs next to animal hospitals, and scuba divers riding dragons!

They are long-lasting. Playmobil toys appeal to a wide age range and to both sexes. My kids never get sick of them! My kids have been putting Playmobil on their Christmas and birthday present lists (and receiving them) since they were three years old! They are now 6, 6 and 9, so we've owned Playmobil for 6 years now and they still play with them like they just got their first set yesterday.


The Blah
My only caution would be for parents with children who tend to put things in their mouths -- these toys have very, very small pieces so I would definitely respect the age recommendations. Other than that...... hmmm... Nope. Nada. None. I love Playmobil without reservations and I dare anyone to say anything negative about it!


The Bottom Line
Like all Playmobil playsets, I highly recommend the Wildlife Care Station for its high quality, huge fun factor and excellent value. Your child will enjoy hours and hours of imaginative play for many, many years.

Disclosure: I received a product sample, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Product information is provided by the featured product/company and is clearly indicated. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.