Fisher Price released the Little People Noah's Ark set in the US in Fall 2002 just before the holiday season. My plan was to give this set to my 2 year old son at Christmastime, but didn't manage to get one in time for the holidays. Shortly after the new year I found the Little People Noah's Ark for around $20 dollars, plus 2 different accessory sets called Noah's Animals (each 7.99) at my local Target.

What's Included

The Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark playset includes the following:

Noah's Ark actually comes in 2 pieces, the Ark structure itself and an upper deck. The lower deck (boat) part is brown plastic made to look like wood. Its on wheels so it can be pushed along (pretend floating). One side of the ark has windows, and on the other side is a drop down ramp which can be used for loading and unloading purposes. There is a button on one side of the Ark, that when pressed the ark unfolds to open up for even more play. Inside the ark, its made to look like hay and there are some sleeping quarters, etc.

The upper deck of the ark is a teal green color and it sits on top of the ark only when its in the closed position. To remove the roof there is a button which releases a locking mechanism and allows it to be easily lifted off. Features of this upper deck include a drop-through trap door which accesses the lower cabin as well as an upper cabin structure. The upper cabin structure has a small sleeping quarters and a protective purple roof with 3 perches on it. Two of the perches are for the toucans and one is to fly the rainbow flag.


Figures includes with this set include Noah and his wife (Sarah). Noah is an elderly gentleman, bald with a white beard dressed in a blue robe, wearing sandals. He's carrying a staff and has a bird perched upon his shoulder. His lovely wife, Sarah, has long grey braided hair and is wearing a rose colored garment and sandals. In her hand is a basket (full of what?)

Of course, the best part of all.. the animal figures. This playset comes with 4 pairs of animals - including lions, toucans, giraffes and zebras. Each set of the animals includes one male and one female. This is easier to differentiate among the lions (one has a mane) than the other animals, but not impossible with a few presumptions about gender. I suppose the purple toucan is the girl and the blue toucan is the boy, but does it really matter? One giraffe has rosy cheeks, a skinny neck and slightly more petite build than the other. And, one zebra is tinier and has pink cheeks and ears. At this stage in the game my 2 year old just likes playing with the animals and the slight differences between each pair are not real real noticeable.

Accessories
The animals need to be be fed and the ark needs to be repaired! This playset comes with a small basin of water with a few fish in it (molded in) as well as a food trough and a toolbox. There's also a removable flag with a rainbow on it which can be mounted on top of the upper cabin.


Free Video
Like several other playsets, this one comes packaged with a free video. Unfortunately, the video that it includes is the Big Discoveries Volume 3 - Discovering Animals which is the same tape that is packaged with a few other playsets. You don't want to know how many copies of Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 that I seem to be accruing as we continue to purchase new playsets. They should start including some different tapes. The video runs for 25 minutes and includes 5 short stories featuring the Little People figures, done in a claymation type style. The tapes are fun to watch and play along with Little People figures as well as providing some more background info and character building of each of the Little People.

Our Likes and Dislikes

Once you are able to get the Noah's Ark playset and figures out of the box it is truly a treat. Getting it out of the box is a major chore as each of the figures, the accessories and the Ark are secured via wire ties, tape and more. More and more Little People sets are coming packaged in this manner, so I'm not sure why I was surprised. The packaging has a fold open flap and peek in window so they have the items triple secured as a theft precaution, I'm sure.

I was really pleased that this set comes ready for play. There is no assembly required and no stickers or decals to apply. In addition, there are no batteries required. Many of the new Little People playsets have what they refer to as Fun Sounds, so they require batteries. It seems fitting that there are no batteries required to power the Ark, its 100% Kid-Powered and any sounds emitted will come from you or your child alone, and not from Duracell.

Additionally, the Ark includes storage of its own and when not being played with all the figures and pieces can be stored neatly inside of it. Because of the ramp and window design its not 100% fool-proof but its a fairly good solution at keeping the pieces all in one place.

If four pairs of animals are not enough for you, and chances are they won't be, you can purchase additional animal packs each containing 3 more pairs of animals. Fisher-Price did this because they knew you and your children would desire a few more pairs of animals, and now the total cost of this set has gone from approximate $20 to a total of $36 (based on the cost of $8 per Noah's Animal pack). They should have just included the additional animals in with the Ark in the first place and charged a bit more for it.

Problems arise, however, once you add the 6 additional animal figures to this playset as the Ark maxes out its load capacity. Noah appears to have made the Ark on the small side! When all the animals are on board its not a pretty sight to see. Its more like the animals are packed in the Ark as if they are sardines. Even before adding in the additional animals, the Ark is a bit cramped. The giraffes are too tall to be loaded in via the loading ramp, so you'll need to use the drop-through door for them to get into the lower cabin. I think Fisher Price should have made the actual Ark just a bit bigger so it would be more friendly for kids to play with and better accomodate for storage. For reference, the Ark measures approx. 20"L x 6"W x 11"H (dimensions provided at fisherprice.com).


Overall
The Fisher Price Noah's Ark playset receives a thumbs up. My son and I are true Little People enthusiasts and love to play and collect all the different sets. The animals in this set are by far his favorite part. We've integrated them with our Little People zoo playset and even given them rides in a few of our Little People vehicles. Because the animals come in pairs, you can also play matching games with them. My little guy also enjoys rolling the Ark around and opening it up with its clamshell design. The trap door and the ramp are fun to use to load and unload the animals. My son is a dumper and loader, he likes to put all the pieces inside and then dump 'em out and start again. Parents of toddlers/preschoolers are sure to relate to this.

I was pretty surprised to see Fisher Price releasing 2 "religious" sets this holiday season, but also pleased as well about the religious theme. I also think that this particular playset would make a nice gift to be given to a church preschool or nursery. When we're playing with this set, I've told my son the story of Noah and his Ark and about the animals two by two. His favorite number is "2" (with the finger gesture, also) so he gets a kick out of the saying "two by two".

If you are a fan of Little People, an animal lover, or interested in Noah's Ark then you should definitely seek out this adorable playset. We love it!

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Additional Info

Goes well with these Little People Playsets
Other Noah's Ark sets
Fisher Price Little People Noah's Animals B1507
Fisher Price Little People Noah's Animals B1506

Biblical Set:
Little People Deluxe Christmas Story Nativity Scene
Other Animal Sets:
Little People Animal Sounds Zoo & Little People Baby Zoo Animals

My Standard Little People Warning!
Fisher-Price states that this toy is for ages 1 year and up. Fisher Price Little People could pose as a choke hazard for small children so please supervise your child while playing with this set. On a side note, the Little People of today are significantly less of a choke hazard than the simpler version of the past. Being larger and with appendages it would be a difficult feat to get in your mouth. (I tried and it was not a pleasant experience - but that’s not to say a child wouldn't do it.)

To clean the Little People Noah's Ark use a damp cloth with soap/water or a baby wipe.

For more info:

http://www.fisherprice.com/us/littlepeople





Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 19
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months