Playmobil Zoo Veterinary Practice- 70900- Review

Reviewed by Deborah Banasko

After a recent visit to the zoo, my two boys used their pocket money to buy one of the smaller animal sets each from Playmobil, so being asked to review the Zoo Veterinary Practice from the Family Fun range was a joy for them.

The box depicts what is inside the pack so that you can see what play will actually look like in a scenario, plus you have the contents laid out in a separate picture on one side. From first impressions you could see that this has a lot of play opportunities as there is a good selection of characters and accessories.

When you open the box the main frame of the Vet Practice is loose along with a very cute giraffe, plus there are a further six bags with the characters and accessories. As always there is some assembly required and this took the kids and I around 30 to complete the 122-piece set. My children are aged 4, 8 and 11.

The quality and attention to detail is fantastic, from the flowers pouring off the roof, to the flags and the cute signage on the window. The feeding bucket for the giraffe on the roof is a great little touch, and the cheeky monkeys can climb up and steal the food as well. There are surgical tools, a cupboard with shelves, a vet bag, cream and different foods. The stickers need to be added, but there are also some spare stickers to use as plasters and bandages for the poorly animals which are really lovely! Once these were used up it inspired my older child to make her own using blank white label stickers that we have at home. The toys are washable, so you don’t have to worry about sticky marks.

We loved that you had a vet character but also a child who can help out, visit or cause trouble!
You can access the building itself via the front door, or the back portion is completely open so that you can play inside the room with ease. The operating table is a great addition which allows children to perform life-saving surgery with the instruments, or just carry out a consultation.

The animals are really sweet and a good range for play options. The tiny tortoises are especially cute and have a little enclosure, you can feed the baby panda a bottle of milk and the cheeky Mummy and baby monkey can get up to mischief.

There is a bike with a trailer intended I think for taking food to the animals. For us it doubled up as a bike-ambulance to either travel around in to check on the animals, or to collect poorly zoo residents in the trailer and take them back into surgery. The enclosed flat roof can work as a little enclosure as well to contain the poorly panda or monkeys whilst they recovers.

If I am being picky, I would have liked to see a cage or bed for the smaller animals, and perhaps another couple of animals to look after in the surgery. A poorly parrot in a cage would have been a great addition. That said, the manufacturers would not be able to maintain a retail price of £19.99 if more animals were added so there is a balance of cost against contents.

The RRP of £19.99 did surprise me, as I like to review an item and look at the price later to see if I agree. I would have priced this toy much higher, between £25 and £30, but that is the beauty of Playmobil; you get a fantastic toy for a competitive price. I would agree with the recommended age of 4 to 10, but it depends upon the child as always.

This is a self-contained toy from the perspective that you do not have to buy any other sets to accompany it unless you wish too, as there is plenty of play contained in this set. That said, the more add-ons that you have the more play you could potentially get from this toy. Within the range are larger zoo sets and even small packs of one type of animal, so it is a great gift idea for friends and family to add to this set, even if it is just a few extra animals or human characters.

I do find that Playmobil is such value for money, with the high quality at a fair price. But you also have so many options at a variety of price points in all ranges that you can find a toy to match your child’s “likes” at a price that suits your budget. It makes an ideal Christmas gift as it is a substantial gift in a lovely big box, so it looks expensive and would make any animal-loving child happy. More importantly for many people right now, it is a bargain. My children love this toy!

I have to award it 5 stars out of 5, what a super Christmas gift idea.

Rating: 5/5 stars

RRP: £19.99

This product can be purchased from Playmobil here.