Playground Fun for Little People!
Written: Feb 02 '04 (Updated Jun 05 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Very cute set! Cheap and fun.
Cons: Not really much to it.
The Bottom Line: Very cute set. What kid doesn't love playgrounds?
|
|
|
| mizgnomer's Full Review: Fisher Price Little People Fun Sounds Playground |
One of my two-year old son's favorite things in the world is playing at playgrounds. We have an abundance of parks with play-equipment in the area, and he loves them all (especially the slides and swings). Unfortunately it has been far too cold in the past few months, thus we have been unable to spend much time playing outside. I think that's why my son was so enamored with the Little People Fun Sounds Playground when he saw it on the store shelf.
Product Description:
The Little People Fun Sounds Playground is a mid-to-small sized set in the realm of Little People playsets. It resembles the brightly-colored, modular plastic play equipment you find at public parks and school playgrounds these days.
The main set consists of two levels. The bottom level has an enclosed sand-box (with molded plastic sand, not the real stuff) and a spin-able merry-go-round that seats three figures. The top level has a slide, a tic-tac-toe game, and a ship-like balcony with a railing.
Other additional pieces include a red ladder that can be hooked onto a variety of areas around the 2nd level of the playset, as well as a cute yellow tricycle (with flowers in the basket) and a flag that can be inserted into 3 different holes on the set.
The purple merry-go-round plays music when it is turned. The songs is plays are "Mulberry Bush", "If You're Happy and You Know It", and "Loop De Lou". The compositions are very simple and are nothing fantastic, but it is nice that there is some variety. There is also a large button toward the top of the slide that alternates between two different kids' laughter-tracks when pressed. A master on/off switch for the sounds is on the toy's underside.
As always with Little People sets, there are tons of cute details molded into the plastic. In and around the sand box you can see sand castle, footprints, a shovel, pail, and flip-flops. On the wooden-ship level you can see a molded-in checker board, plate of cookies, jump rope, book, and various other items. Even on the purple merry-go-round there are toys (as well as a half-melted popsicle).
The newer Little People playsets are all about connectivity with other Little People sets, and come with fence-pieces that attach to pegs on each play set. This set only comes with one such "fence" piece, but it has a very cool purple tire-swing on it, extending the playground theme even further.
Two characters are also included with the set. Sarah Lynn wears a sailor-suit-esque dress and carries a red balloon. Michael carries a toy airplane in one hand and a paint brush in the other.
Fisher Price recommends their Fun Sounds Playground for children ages 1-5. Three "AA" batteries (included) are required.
Thoughts and Experiences:
My husband and I have been trying to cut-back on larger toys and playsets because we're running out of room for them. My son really loves them though, so I am always on the lookout for sets that are on the smaller side but still lots of fun. The Fun Sounds Playground certainly meets the criteria. I purchased it from a discount store for $14, which is fairly cheap for a Fisher Price playset.
My son really got into this set as soon as it was out of the box. He loves playing on playground equipment, but since it is too cold to do it himself he'll settle for letting his Little People have all the fun. I put it next to his Little People Fun Park at the foot of his bed, so there is always a big bunch of fun going on in his room. Seeing those two fun-centered sets together always puts a smile on my face.
My little guy is especially nuts for the tire swing, probably because he absolutely loves playing on swings himself. It is easy to get a little overzealous with the swinging and knock the Little People character out, which upsets him, but the figures stay put fairly well.
I am a little disappointed in the merry-go-round. I had the Fisher Price Sesame Street Clubhouse as a kid, which also had a merry-go-round, and I remember my sister and I having fun really whirling that thing at top-speed as kids. The merry-go-round on the Fun Sounds Playground has some kind of catching-mechanism (which might be what triggers the music to play), but it keeps one from being able to give it a good whirl. Perhaps the reasoning was to keep the Little People figures from going flying (something that happens frequently on the airplane ride in our Little People Fun Park).
The tic-tac-toe game makes the set look cute and authentic, but isn't really good for playing an actual tic-tac-toe game. The circular pieces are weighted so that an X or O is always showing -- which makes it hard to "clear the board" so two players can actually play a game from the beginning. At any rate, my son likes running his hand down the pieces and making them spin.
Like most Little People sets these days, you do need a blowtorch and crowbar to remove the toy from the packaging (okay, that's only a slight exaggeration -- with all of the twist-ties some wire-pliers are a good idea). One great thing about the toy is that there was absolutely no assembly required whatsoever. There aren't even any stickers to apply!
Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) An extremely cute playground-themed playset
+) Variety of activities (slide, tricycle, swing, merry-to-round, tic-tac-toe)
+) Includes two Little People characters (Sarah Lynn and Michael)
+) Plays 3 different songs
+) A smaller set, it doesn't take up too much room
+) Simple enough to encourage imaginative play, yet has enough fun-stuff to keep little ones occupied
+) No assembly required
+) Master on/off switch included
+) Fairly inexpensive
Cons:
-) You cannot give the merry-go-round a good whirl
Final Thoughts:
This set is really very cute. I won't say that it is my son's favorite (right now that honor goes to the Little People Farm), but it is a set that he really gets excited about and identifies with because of his love of playgrounds.
My Other Little People Reviews:
Ramps Around Garage
Lil' Kingdom Castle
Fun Park
Christmas on Main Street
Rumblin' Grumblin' Dump Truck
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
Trusted by: 202 members
About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.