One 2 Believe Noah's Ark set

Well, the good folks at One 2 Believe have sent us another playset to review and, well.... to play with!

You may recall the Nativity set that I mentioned back in November??? This time we were sent a Noah's Ark playset.

Let me give you my observations, and then I'll do another comparison for you:

The Ark is made of a rather thin but sturdy plastic that stands up to play fairly well. It took a little while to figure out that the deck is removable, and adult assistance is still occasionally requested, but that is a bonus in my mind... the animals are easily stowed below, and that way, when toddler-boy starts moving things around, they don't all get dumped, which is what happens with some other toys that we have...

I have heard that it floats well, but we haven't actually tested this aspect of play out... we'll probably wait for summer and toddler splashing pool to dunk the critters.

I have to say that the timing of this playset coming was good, with a toddler underfoot, and schooling going on, especially as he is beginning to "pretend play" with things more now. He is still fond of sheep, by the way... :) Oh, did I mention that the figures are "designed to fit perfectly in a young child's hand"? The carting of the sheep makes me concur with that statement!

So what all is included with this set?
The ark and Noah and 7 pairs of animals:
Camels
Donkeys
Sheep
Elephants
Lions
Monkeys
Ostriches (I have to note, middlest son used these ostriches for his models when making his Noah's Ark "Car" for AWANA's car night... so~ another use~ artistic "model"... ;) )

Included with the set is a booklet that tells the story of Noah and the flood, along with "Spiritual Stepping Stones" which can also be accessed in the free resources section of the One2Believe website. This talks about the general ages and stages of spiritual concepts; what most children can and/or are ready to understand, and when.

Now for those comparisons:
One2believe
Friendly characteristics
Mostly not chokeable (3+)(Noah's staff is removable, and definitely a chokable item)
Immoveable parts
Expandable play with other sets
$30($29.99 to be precise) for ark, Noah and 7 pairs of animals
Self contained storage that stays shut!

FisherPrice
Cute
Not chokeable (1+)
Immoveable parts
Expandable play with other sets
$38.75 for ark, Noah and 3 sets of animals. If you want to add on other "ark" animals, it will cost between $20 and $45 more to bring the total number of animals up to 7 pairs, and the total cost up to $83.73

Playmobil
Typical playmobil
Choking hazard!!! (3+ and intended for 4-10 year olds)
Movable parts including a crane
Expandable play with other sets
$90 for ark, noah and his wife, 13 pairs of animals, and typical playmobil accessories

I know that I mentioned this in the nativity review as well, but I think it is worth repeating:
Here’s one more thing to consider when making your purchase… I haven’t checked out what “charities” Playmobil and Fisher Price support, but one2believe supports many ministries in both the United States and abroad including Hero Antigua, Samaritans Purse, Focus on the Family, FamilyLife and local Southern California ministries. If you want your money to go further than the corporation, one2believe might be a good choice for you!

If you want to read some more reviews, be sure to stop by the TOS CREW Blog
Blessings~
Lis