Alternative Thursday

The Fisher-Price Little People are so popular, I feel bad bashing them. Okay, I'm over it. As fun as Little People are, they are all electronic. Take the farm, for example, if you put the pig in the duck's spot, it quacks (at least that's what I've heard). For this reason the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio calls this a "dumb quack toy." So, as an alternative to this oh-so-popular electronic toy, I offer you Plan Toy's County Barn. I strongly recommend you make sure to get the "all woods version" because ours has a soft foam roof that is less sturdy and pretty flimsy. It's especially important for the stable because with the foam top the stable collapses and the wooden beams were broken within months due to the removable/flimsy roof. I know this wouldn't have happened with the all woods version, since the roof is screwed on tightly. Despite the stable breaking, this has been a great little barn toy for my son. We gave it to him for Christmas 2006, when he was two. It was right before the all woods version came out, and if I had known I would have waited. The only downside to this set is you have to buy the animals separately. The fun part is you can add to this. Plan Toys also offers a farm house, farmer and wife, tractor and trailer (which we also have), vegetable garden, and pet sets. I love Plan Toys. They are made of renewable rubberwood and colored with vegetable based dyes that are chemical free. I found all of these on Amazon.

Okay, have I made a good come back?