Fisher-Price Little People Play 'n Go Farm

I love Fisher Price, or at least I always did when my kids were growing up. I think they owned every Fisher Price Toy there was, including the Farm, so when I wanted to buy a toy for a 3 year old of course I thought of Fisher Price. I saw the Play n' Go Farm and remembered how much my kids enjoyed it. I thought of this, but didn't buy it.

I don't know about everyone else, but when I buy a toy I have different criteria for my choice. I want to make sure that it is something the child will enjoy, but also how it's made (will it last more than a few days or weeks).I read reviews (if buying online) or I watch kids in the toy aisles at the store, talk to parents, and then pick up the toy to see how it's made. I check the thickness of the plastic as some of the plastic is more durable than others. The last thing I look at is the price and think if this is worth it. I know "if it's worth it" is subjective so mostly I use my own criteria for deciding. And last but not least is "does it need batteries?" This is important in some choices as not every parent wants a toy they have to buy batteries for.

That is why I was looking at this Play 'N Go Farm....it was an old-fashioned favorite that didn't need batteries! It also has child sized figures and the child can use their imagination when they play.

Parents and Grandparents often have a hard time picking a toy that children will play with for more than just a few minutes. We also think of safety issues, is it visually appealing, and more often than not we also buy toys that we remember, or liked. Word of mouth is another factor in our decision making.

Even though this toy is nothing like the original, with barn doors that when you opened them you would hear a cow mooing...or the silo, the double decked barn and all the other animals that came with it, it still is a toy that little ones like. It is portable (everything fits in the lunchbox style barn) and quiet!

It is a good toy for taking on trips or for outside play as well as inside, and doesn't require batteries.

Why didn't I buy this toy...

The new 50th Anniversary version of the Little People's Play 'N Go Farm is about the size of a lunchbox, made out of tin. Although I did like the case (the barn) it just wasn't appealing enough for long- term interactive play for the child I was looking for. The "barn" is really nothing more than a case where you put the pieces in for carrying around. Maybe if the child was younger I might have bought it, but once I saw the "other" farm, the one that takes batteries I just couldn't buy this one. Not for this particular aged Toddler.

The new Play 'N Go Farm isn't anything like the Barn I remembered, and there were very few pieces that came with it. The 3 fence pieces weren't even enough to make a whole corral which meant that I would need to buy more animals and accessories to make this toy even remotely resemble what I wanted it to be- like the original Farm my kids had. One where they could open and close the barn...put animals in the corral, and play outside in the yard with the farmer and his tractor-a farm that represented a real farm.

I just wasn't convinced that this would be enough fun for an almost 3 year old. I am quite sure that a younger toddler would have enjoyed it more so didn't buy it. The Manufacturer has a recommended age of 1-3 which is about what I thought, even though many times I don't follow their recommendations this time they seemed to be right on.