Schleich Toys

My oldest daughter will be 20 years old in September. I’m not sure how all the years have darted past us, but when I survey my house I am reminded of the many, many toys that have come, gone and remain. My four year old, the youngest of the bunch, enjoys his life in toy heaven; a true benefit of twenty years of toy collecting. He is a connoisseur of things mechanical, colorful, anything which could possibly be perceived as a toy. His favorite hand held toys, by far are manufactured by Schleich.

Schleich, a German based company distributing toys world wide to over fifty countries has been designing toys for little ones since 1935. Founded by Freidich Schleich the company remains a leading manufacturer of animal figurines designed to encourage imaginative play. Their company philosophy focuses on providing what is best for their littlest customers.

“As a manufacturer of toys we carry a special responsibility towards parents and children. It is our aim to constantly live up to the image of a developer and supplier of top quality products with an educational aspect.” (Schleich website)

Schleich’s commitment to quality is reassuring, but their kid appeal most likely lies in the attention to detail of each of their figures. Knights on horseback, animals, elves, even Smurfs and other comic characters appear to come to life before your eyes begging for stories to be invented and adventures to begin.

I received a black and brown rabbit, standing piglet, Hanoverian Mare in dressage (horse), a chimpanzee, an okapi, and a young lion to review. All of these animals are a part of Schleich’s newly expanded animal collection available on-line at the Schleich website, Target, Toys R Us and other fine independent toy stores. I found all the animals to be superior quality, made of extremely durable and heavy plastic and perfectly sized for little hands. Schleich figures are sturdy enough to hold up to years of play and still allow favorite figures to reinvent themselves as collectibles for later years. They are wonderful toys, which according to the website are “hand painted and modeled from nature”.

We have some friends in France; a direct result of a wonderful foreign exchange experience. Their children have played with Schleich toys over the years and remain a favorite for their family. Last year I sent their 12 year old son two pieces from Schleich's Native American and Cowboy sets. I knew the gifts would not only hold great kid appeal adding to his collection of Schliech figures, but help him visualize pieces of our country's history. I am happy to report he loved them! I believe Schleich’s appeal is world wide due to their long standing commitment to quality, detail and educational appeal.

If you believe education is child’s play you will definitely want to visit Scheich’s on-line catalog of products for more information. Their on-line playground allows customers to play with dinosaurs, a world of knights, a world of elves, and the company's line of wild life figures. In addition, the easy to navigate site has full color photographs of each of their products allowing parents and kids to window shop for hours before purchasing. With over 500 items ranging in price from about $2.00 and up you won't be able to leave empty handed. Aidan, the toy connosieur, highly recomends them.