If you don’t feel like paying out the nose for LEGO sets — or maybe you’re boycotting them because of their kinda patronizing LEGO Friends lineup — but you still aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into “generic plastic blocks” territory, Playmobil would like to have a word with you.
As discussed in this recent article from Wired’s GeekDad, the venerable playset builder has lately redoubled its efforts to penetrate the some-assembly-required market, and the sets reviewed in the article — the modern art-sounding Pet Clinic and Barn with Silo — both look pretty cool, especially if you can trust your kids to clean up small parts and/or not eat fake silage.
Speaking as the father of a would-be animal doctor, I’m intrigued by the Pet Clinic set, especially at the quite reasonable $39.99 quoted by GeekDad (although Amazon seems to have a different idea of what it should cost you). We don’t own any Playmobil around these parts — I actually don’t think I was aware that they were still making toys — but this looks like a happy medium between overpriced, overfranchised LEGO and cootie-bearing downmarket brands. Check out GeekDad’s in-depth writeup here and plan your impending birthday parties accordingly.
