16bit.com Figure Set of the Day Review: Playmobil 5572 City Life Ball Pit Set

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Playmobil 5572 City Life Ball Pit Set Playmobil, 2014

Day #1,585: November 30, 2016

5572 City Life Ball Pit Set It's The Pits Playmobil City Life Item No.: 5572 Manufacturer: Playmobil Includes: Adult, 2 babies, 3 bags of "balls," and a kiddie pool Action Feature: n/a Retail: $9.99 Availability: 2014 Other: This is $10?
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Playmobil toys I generally don't go for "kid" figures because I have no idea what function they'd serve - little baby figures are things you can put in beds and try to prevent from sticking their hands in electric sockets. But the Ball Pit was an interesting draw - even if the "balls" are little chips similar to the hot pepper flakes you'll get at a decent pizza joint. Basically you're paying $10 for 1 full figure, 2 baby figures, and a pool - this isn't worth the $10, but I got it for $4 and that's pretty worthwhile. This set is about as good as one might hope, but there's just so little to it.

The 3-inch tall teacher isn't half bad - she's got hair, a colorful shirt, and a belt printed on her pants. The white sneakers look great, and everything is painted as well as you might expect for this line. The babies are similarly well-decorated, one child in an exposed diaper and the other in some sort of footie pants. The babies don't do much, and the adult figure is exactly as good as the rest of the line - which is to say, durable. The engineering of the babies results in few cavities in which to get the various "balls" lodged, which is good.

The pit itself - a small pool - could be a problem. Sure, it's an undecorated blue dish - but those 3 sacks of hundreds of green, yellow, and red balls could be a real disaster if someone sneezes or tips it over. I can see these getting lost or sucked up in a vacuum cleaner, because once you drop these things in the carpet you'll never see them again. It's a blood sacrifice to the Gods of Housekeeping. It's a clever idea, as the "flakes" won't roll everywhere once scattered - but it's still a mess.

At least it wasn't a slime pit. That stuff really mucks up the carpet. The "balls" on the box look more like bean bags, so be aware of that. It's an interesting way to simulate a fixture in many a 1980s pizza parlor, while also ensuring it makes - I assume - less of a nightmarish trip hazard.

In terms of raw bang for the buck, $10 isn't a lot of money - but a blind-bagged figure for $3-$4 brings you a lot of plastic. I would argue this isn't as good as 3-4 regular figures, as the accessories are probably best served for those of you hoping to someday assemble a Playmobil arcade of some sort. The figures, well, they're not bad - a penguin on a baby's shirt is pretty adorable - but it's not like it does much. It's novel and I doubt any other toy line would ever try it, so if you like weird accessories be sure to pick this set up - especially on sale.

--Adam Pawlus

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