Eskimos and pirates really have nothing in common but as soon as I saw this set two things came to mind. Either he really got under the skin of the captain or he was set off into the clear blue water to spend his last few days in peace. Well, that's what the Eskimos do [or at least that's a part of lore of it]. Whatever the case, the odds are really stacked against him. Outside the wonderful world or Playmobil Pirates, the set is in the process of being discontinued and is no longer being added to the printed catalogs but it is still listed at the website under the Pirate section. If you can't find it there then look in the 'discontinued' section as things do tend to get moved around often. Why they are killing off the pirate themed sets still baffles me because pretty much anything pirate related is a hot seller.

Playmobil Pirate Raft 5780

I never started out collecting Playmobil sets, in fact, I hated Playmobil because I always considered it an inferior to Lego. A few figures caught my eye in the Pals and Special series and I slowly warmed up to them. Now there are two series that I avidly collect and the Pirate theme is one of them. This figure doesn’t have a name and if he were in a movie, he still wouldn't have a name. Why? Well, let's look at it. He is on a raft, he is wearing an eye patch, there is an octopus attacking his raft, the only food he has are some fish bones and good lord, look at those clothes! The only thing that comes to mind when seeing this set are the immortal words of Ash from Army of Darkness. "You ain't leading but two things right now; jack and sh*t. And jack left town."

If all that weren't bad enough he has to share the raft with a parrot and monkey. Now, think logically. If you were on a raft and all you had to eat were fish bones do you really think that the parrot or monkey would make it back to shore or ship? Hey, I wouldn't like to have to eat monkey or parrot uncooked but if it came down to it, I'm sure I could tough it out. The raft is small and there are only two side rails to it, that really limits what you can do with it but if you have other pirate themed sets this makes for a great add on. You can use it as a makeshift prison and have it floating behind a ship because if you are planning on letting someone rot to death they might as well have a great view and who wants that pesky rotting body smell stinking up the place.

I do have to admit, the monkey is cute and the parrot adds some color to the scene but the pirate, oh my, he is just a hot sick mess. I can handle the white pants [the are pretty nice when the sun is beating down on you], the red and white striped shirt is very pirate-like but come on, the melon green vest and matching bandana are just a bit much to swallow. His features are extremely haggard; his hair is askew, he is missing an eye [or wearing the eye patch for sympathy that obviously didn’t work] and the sail on the raft is hell beaten. The coolest thing to the set has to be the octopus. He doesn't have any movable parts to him but you can position him sneaking on to the side of the raft or just rushing up out of the water to catch the pirate and animal crew by surprise.

There isn't much to building the set but the smaller pieces can be a choking hazard so you will want to keep them away from younger kids. If you are looking to get this, it is currently selling for 25% off the regular retail price of $9.99 but if you order it from the Playmobil Online Store you are going to get hit with shipping charges. Check local shops first because if it is discounted at the site chances are store will be slashing prices to make room for new stock.

Please note; the image here does not show the tattered red pirate flag / sail that gets attached to the center pole of the raft. It is made of cloth, is easy to apply and gives it an awesome look.

The Bottom Line

This makes for a great add on set to larger ones or if you want to add a raft to a boat. You can get this and a few other small Playmobil pirate themed sets and make your own high sea adventure. Even though I am not crazy about the pirate, it is still an interesting set and if you can get it at a discount, even better. After all, that is one of the best parts of Playmobil, you can use your imagination to write your own story. I was lucky enough to get this as a gift, I did sacrifice the monkey and turfed it off to a friend who is just bananas about monkeys. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist!

Name: Pirate Raft
Set Theme: Pirates
Set Number: 5780
Piece Count: 12
Age Recommendation: 6 and older
Price: $9.99


As always, thanks for the visit…

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2008 Freak369


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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): =gift=
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Whole Family