With all of the toys in the Playmobil fantasy line my son has acquired, it seemed to be getting to be a boring place. There was a Playmobil Red Dragon hanging around, and a Playmobil Knights Tournament to participate in, but overall it seemed like the battles were getting pretty routine.

Enter the Playmobil Captive Prince. Now here was something to do! He can be captive in the Playmobil Rock Castle. He can be held out on the plains or forest, a captive of the Playmobil Evil Knight who wants to force the king to do his bidding. It creates a different dynamic for the set, and sets up a whole host of conflicts.

Two figures come with the set; the prince himself and his captor or guard. The prince is dressed in the blue and yellow which matches the coloring of other knights in the series. His boots are blue and his hair hangs down in seemingly dark curls. A small gray crown sits upon his head. One complaint is his face which looks a little too happy for captivity, but hey, maybe he’s in on it?

His captor is a bearded man in the regalia of the red dragon. Hmm. There’s a hint - he’s probably part of the Playmobil Dragon Troops. He has a black vest with that insignia on it, a yellow shirt with red cuffs, red pants, and small black boots. A cape is on his back and a protective gray helmet on his head. He looks dastardly and has one eye which looks distorted. He’s also definitely not smiling.

With the set comes some hay and boards for the prince to sit on. There’s a chain attached to this which goes around his neck. The prince’s neck is slim and it fits on easily. If a child stretches their imagination, many of the other Playmobil figures can also be held captive here, they just have to remove anything else that’s around the neck area first. Also with this set are a couple of small gray mice, a battle-axe, a set of keys, a wooden bucket and cup, and several wooden utensils.

No, they aren’t made of real wood. In typical Playmobil fashion, these are all made of plastic dyed to look the color of whatever it’s supposed to illustrate. The effect is really good. The keys, helmet, and battle-axe all look as if they were made of metal while the bucket, cup and utensils look as if they have been fashioned from wood. There’s even a bit of texture added to look authentic. The colors are bright and don’t fade. The plastic all has a bit of give to it so it won’t snap easily during play or if they are stepped on. The edges and seams are nice and smooth as well, so little hands won’t get scratched during play.

The nice thing about all of the toys from Playmobil is the ability to use items from different sets together. The hands of both the prince and his captor are curved to allow weaponry to fit in them, or the handle of the bucket, or any of the utensils. They can use some of the weaponry which has come with other sets as well. If the Playmobil Dragon Troops come over to check on their captive, they can pick the items up as well, or the prince can grab one of their weapons to make an escape. There’s no end to the imagination with the way the Playmobil sets have been designed.

Some of the pieces are really small and are prone to being lost, either in the vacuum or through normal play. Our cats have a tendency to pick them up and bat them around as well. They also can be dangerous if swallowed, so a child who is prone to putting things in their mouth shouldn’t have this toy, nor should younger siblings be allowed around them if that is a concern. Playmobil recommends these for ages 4 and up, and I generally think that’s an appropriate guideline.

At $5.99 from the Playmobil Online Store, it’s a pretty good value for the set. The figures are durable and the pieces which aren’t lost will last quite some time. I figure it’s an investment in future toys as I see these staying around to be in the toy box for when kids come over.


Other Playmobil toy reviews:

Playmobil Black Lion Leader ~ Playmobil Cannon Guard ~ Playmobil Dragon Attack Cannon ~ Playmobil Dragon Troops ~ Playmobil Evil Knight ~ Playmobil Fierce Knight Leader ~ Playmobil Gold Dragon Leader ~ Playmobil Knights Duel Advent Calendar~ Playmobil Knights Tournament ~ Playmobil Red Dragon ~ Playmobil Rock Castle ~ Playmobil Three Black Lion Knights ~ Playmobil Three Fierce Knights ~ Playmobil Three Gold Dragon Knights ~ Playmobil Treasure Transport ~ Playmobil Viking Boat

Playmobil Compactor ~ Playmobil Crane ~ Playmobil Dump Truck ~ Playmobil Excavator ~ Playmobil Forklift

Playmobil Small Zoo ~ Playmobil Safari Set


© 2006 Patti Aliventi




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $5.99