Playmobil Large Zoo Set

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

Playmobil is a great company with a great product! Their products hold up for a long-long time. I know because my husband still has his from +30 years ago! But there are tiny, tiny pieces that are not meant for little, little ones. And this particular set up is no exception. My kids are old enough for it and they love it. They love all the different enclosures for their animals. The only con for this one is that it doesn't sit on a platform so is not easily moved around.

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

This is a great set...little large and must be spread out...but lots of fun. Like all playmobil there are some very small pieces although this one was fairly easy to put together as opposed to other large set that we have.

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

all pieces for each section should be in the same bag.
Patience is the key. I suggest putting it together before giving it to the child to avoid "is it ready yet".
Once it's finished the kids love it

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

couldn't wait to give this gift to my 5 yr old she was asking for a toy zoo was so happy to find this toy on sale put it together and everytime she tries to play with it it falls apart the animal enclosures do not stay together would be better if they were all one piece she dosn't even bother playing with it anymore

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

I bought this for my 3 yr old based on the positive customer reviews from parents with children of similar ages. However, I would not advise this toy for children under 6yrs. There are literally hundreds of small parts that come apart extremely easily. A child should have the dexterity to re-assemble the pieces. My 6 & 7 yr old nieces loved this and were able to reassemble during play as needed. For the appropriate age group, this is a decent toy, but I would have expected it to hold together much better during play.

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

Hours of fun and amazing how much you get for the $

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

My 6yr old daughter loves anything animal and this zoo was the top item on her Christmas list. The suggested age range for this toy ends at 6, but I think it's better for 5-8 yr olds. Really young kids might have difficulty with the small parts and rearranging the enclosures, but older kids don't stop being interested just because they turn 7. My daughter's 8yr old best friend loves to come over and play zoo with her.

The tons of parts that you have to put together are both a disadvantage and an advantage. They do take a lot of time and effort, but they provide very realistic, high quality detail. For instance, the signs that go on the enclosures: you have to put the stickers on the blue pieces and then hang them on the enclosure. But you get to make sure the stickers are aligned properly and you get to move them around if you combine pens or prefer placing the signs in a different area. That goes for all of the parts with stickers. I've gotten toys before that have stickers mechanically applied and they're a bit crooked. To me, it takes away from the realistic look and quality of the product. So, I'm happy to have the opportunity to apply the stickers and make sure they're done right. And the little flowers are tiny and tedious to assemble but they are interchangeable -- you can put them on the trees or ground covers or mix colors.

Others have said that the pieces fall apart too easily. I have not seen this with my daughter. She moves the enclosure pieces around to change the shape and position and they stay together. I can see that younger children may have trouble with rearranging them, but once they're together, I have not seen them fall apart with my daughter. Everything does come apart, but that's a good thing because, as another reviewer said, she can use her imagination to redesign the zoo.

And also as another reviewer said, you can put away the tiny parts for the littlest ones and save them for when they're older. So kids can grow with this toy.

One problem I have with this toy is that it is BIG -- really BIG when it's fully assembled. Between me and the grandmas, she got all of the zoo sets: the big zoo; Asian enclosure; children's zoo; meerkats; koala & kangaroo; and zebra, gazelle & cheetah. We put up the big zoo and all of the sets that don't come with enclosures. We combined some of the animals, like the zebras and the gazelle from the little set went into the zebra & girraffe enclosure of the big zoo and the cheetah went in with the lions (not realistic, but will have to do for now). But it's very crowded in the pens now. So I would suggest getting some extra enclosure pieces with the little sets. Unfortunately ToysRUs doesn't sell those, but you can order them from the PlayMobil site. And then, of course, you have to have the space for them. We still haven't put up the Asian enclosure or the Children's Zoo. The big zoo took up the whole coffee table in the family room. I'm planning to rearrange the room and put up a train table. It will be phenomenal for my daughter as zoo animals are her lifelong love and proclaimed future career. But if you're getting this toy, you should be prepared for its size, especially if you plan to add on to it.

Also, I bought this on sale, for about 1/3 off the top price. I do think the regular price is too much for this product. Even though it is very realistic and detailed and perfect for my child, I would not have paid full price for it. That's the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

Because of the suggested age range, I went ahead and got all the sets together. I wanted to make sure she could enjoy it for her "last year" in that range. But seeing that even her 8 yr old friend enjoys it, I would suggest just buying the big zoo first and then add on if you and your child like it and have enough room for it. You might also want to keep the boxes because the pictures help you to set it up the first time. The instructions are very minimal. If you want to garage sale the item later, you'd get more back on it if you have the boxes to show the parts and the setup.

One last note, my daughter also loves the Schleich "hard animals", as she calls them. They are about the same size proportions as the animals in this set, so you can mix them with this zoo. Some of the Animal Planet animals fit, too. Of course, that presents even more need for extra enclosure pieces and space, but it also allows for more flexibility with the zoo. My daughter's favorite animal is the jaguar and she loves all big cats. This zoo only comes with lions and the little playset comes with a cheetah. With the extra enclosure pieces, she can build on an exhibit for all 3 cats -- the PlayMobil lion and cheetah and the Schleich jaguar.

Overall, this is a great toy. But my opinion is based on choosing the advantages of flexibility, quality and realism over the disadvantages of difficulty and time of assembly and large size and number of parts to keep up with. My daughter is a huge animal phenatic, so even with the disadvantages, her enjoyment of it makes this product well worth it for us.

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

PROS: Lots of fun.. nice construction... good quality... everything you need in a ZOO... good for imagination ...

CONS: Lots of pieces.. Not recomended for children under 4 .. My nephew is 3 and he loves it but it keeps coming apart on him... Parents are not happy that they have to keep puting it back together... We are going to put it on a board and glue it down....

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

My kids love playing with this zoo. They've added all of their other playmobil toys to it and can entertain themselves for hours with it.

It does take a while to put it together, and my only wish is that the pieces were better organized in their bags (the way Legos are)

Comments about Playmobil Large Zoo Set:

We purchased this for my 2 and a half year old for Christmas. My husband was wary of the small parts and wanted the Duplo Zoo instead, but the PlayMobil Zoo is so much more realistic instead of cartoony, and we have always loved the PlayMobil 123 sets.
Our daughter absolutely loves the set! We set it up this morning and she played with it ALL DAY.
Yes, she takes the plants apart, but (and this is to explain to some of the parents who can't seem to understand WHY there are so many parts) that is because she can change them and be creative. They do not have to stay the way the manual says. For goodness sake people, imagination is not a bad thing! If your child cannot handle the small pieces, put them away until they are older, or buy a different brand.
I was happy with the price because I know the quality is good and that PlayMobil is a safe plastic, unlike many other toys sold in the USA (excluding the also safe Lego/Duplo).
Overall, we are thrilled with this zoo! It is perfect!