Schleich Horse Club Advent Calendar Review

Reviewed by Amanda Hayes

The build up to Christmas is not the same without an advent calendar. Whether you are a traditionalist who prefers a calendar with just pictures behind the doors, or whether you prefer gifts or chocolates, there is something for everyone on the shelves this year. Advent calendars seem to be getting more and more popular with most named brands bring out their own version. Calendars filled with toys are a big hit, filling both toy shops & supermarkets and one established brand to bring a few options to the market this year is Schleich. Well known for their good quality miniature, figures and playsets, Schleich was founded in 1935 by German toy maker Friedrich Schleich, initially making wooden toys but moving to plastic in the 1950’s. Today its hand painted animals and accessories adorn lots of children’s toyboxes and with ranges such as Horse World, Farm World & Dinosaurs, they are suitable for all genders.

Schleich have brought out 3 advent calendars for 2022, and with my son loving horses we were very pleased to be sent the Horse World version to review. The calendar is essentially a large oblong cardboard box which opens up to reveal sturdy perforated doors numbered 1 to 24. The front of the box has a lovely snowy scene showing ponies and other animals and is branded both Schleich & Horse Club. It also states the number of pieces, 24, and the age range suitability of 5-12. The gifts behind the doors are in see through plastic bags, but the doors aren’t lined with plastic, like many calendars, especially the chocolate ones, so there is a lot less plastic waste than some on the market. The inside is lined with cardboard, so the majority of this calendar can be recycled. On the side of the box is the contents list & pictures, it would be nice if this was a bit more hidden so your child doesn’t immediately know what it is inside, but at least it means you can check that you are not doubling up on the figures before you purchase.
The numbered doors vary in sizes from small single doors to large double doors, so you can have a bit of a guess what’s inside. Door number one is the largest and contains the large horse figurine, some of the other doors contain really tiny gifts such as a mini slice of pie, which was quite disappointing, especially as other pie slices are found behind different doors. When all the doors are open you have the complete scene as pictured on the front of the box, which is a perfect addition, or starting point to other Schleich Horse Club sets.

Personally, I would say the top age range of 12 is probably a little high, but some of the parts are so tiny you definitely wouldn’t want to give this to a child under the lower age range of 5. For a younger child the parts could be easily swallowed, I was glad to see there is a decent sized choking hazard warning on the box, or for a slightly older child the parts could be easily lost so some care needs to be taken whilst opening.

The Schleich Horse Club Advent Calendar 2022 is a great toy filled calendar, which will be loved by all Schleich collectors and/or pony mad children. The figures are excellent quality and fun to play with especially if they are also collected by your children’s friends. If you are not keen on ponies take a look at this year’s other options, Farm Word & Dinosaur World for an alternative calendar experience.

Rating: Recommended 4 out of 5

RRP: £29.99

This product can be purchased from Schleich here.