KMINER's Full Review: Fisher-Price Fisher- World of Little People Mia He...
My children have always seemed to love Fisher Price's Little People toys. I feel that they are an excellent buy for many reasons. The toys seem to last a long time and the children get years of imaginative play out of them! Last Christmas we received the Fisher-Price Little People Mia and Her Royal Princess Coach as part of a "princess" package for my little girls, then ages 3 and 18 months. The girls were thrilled to receive a large pink carriage, horse, and doll.
Details from the company:
"Little girls can use their imaginations to take the magical world of castles, princesses and ponies on the road. Beautifully detailed pink carriage is the perfect royal vehicle to transport Princess Mia around her kingdom. She is all dressed up in her shimmering princess skirt and packed a picnic lunch in her basket, which fits right in the back of her coach. Mia's beautiful pony will lead the carriage on its kingdom adventure. Set includes: Mia articulated figure, pony figure with soft forelock, tail, brush and open or close picnic basket."
What you receive is an already put together, large pink and blue carriage. (the body base is blue but all detailing is bright pink) The carriage is open with an awning at the back and a few seats, as well as a driver's seat up front. On the back of the carriage is a shelf designed to hold a removable picnic basket, which is also pink. The basket lid opens and closes, but nothing is removable inside. The front end of the carriage has a "U" shaped hook where the horse can be attached. The hook itself is not removable, but the horse is. The horse is white with a touchable "mane", and comes with a small brush. Mia herself is dark haired and dressed in blue, complete with crown. Her dress is blue and though most of her is painted on, she does have a non-removable shimmery blue skirt made out of material. She is considered articulated and the "older age" toddler sets - meaning designed with characters that could do any of the following: bend, twist, pose, or at times hold things in their hands.
Our daughter's love this set, and at just under $20 I feel it was a good value for the money. The age recommendation is ages 3 and up, however I generally feel most Little People products are appropriate for younger children. Seeing as this set has no small or tiny removable parts, I felt safe letting our younger daughter play with it. (she's 2 years old now)
The girls really get a lot of use out of this set, and since they also received a related Little People castle at the same time it gets a lot of use. The carriage is what (of course!) carries the kingdom to places beyond and back! The entire set is really durable, as most of the Little People sets are that we own. I think if you have a princess lover, the Fisher-Price Little People Mia and Her Royal Princess Coach is a great set to own. Having a horse as part of the set is a great idea, and everything you purchase in this set can be used with other sets but also on its own.
Some of the things that I like about this set are also things that I don't like as well. The horse is removable, and I really do like that they can play with the horse separately. But this means that we are constantly having to search for the horse in order to set up and use the carriage. (because of the girls wouldn't dream of the carriage moving without the horse!) Also the horse sort of just rests on the "U" hook, so the horse doesn't really connect well. At times when pushing the carriage around (or "driving" the carriage) the horse won't comply with where the girls wish the carriage to go. The horse has a soft mane (that's sort of like doll hair) that you can brush - along with a mini plastic brush. The brush really is very ineffective, and now that my daughters feel they "have" to brush the horses "hair", they are often finding "other" brushes in the house to do so with!
I don't think the picnic addition is necessary, and that's the one piece the girls have tossed aside. Instead they place all sorts of tiny toys on the back shelf to carry around! Also, this set only comes with one character, so there is no one "driving" Mia. It's my almost 4 year old daughter that notices (and asks!) me this constantly - and often now she has Mia drive herself! I would have thought she would have simply used one of the million other Little People characters, but there aren't any she feels look like a driver should. (too many Disney movies I guess) Aso, the girls have know clue who "Mia" is. They actually call this character "Erica", after the darker haired princess in the Barbie movie "The Princess and the Pauper."
Overall the girls love their Fisher-Price Little People Mia and Her Royal Princess Coach and it's certainly an excellent value. It's a set they play with often, and even my small concerns don't have much weight when I see the absolute joy on their faces pushing and pulling the carriage along!
This review is part of member sleeper54's 9/9/9 Write-Off in tribute to Epinions' Anniversary. Kids and Family, the idea that brought me to the site, seemed a fitting review to write today.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): under 20 Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
Little girls can use their imaginations to take the magical world of castles, princesses and ponies on the road Beautifully detailed pink carriage is ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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