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Guide 5 min read

Playmobil or Schleich: which suits your child?

Both brands fill children’s rooms with farms, horses and knights, yet they make very different toys. This is what sets them apart.

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Playmobil

Each Playmobil set combines figures with the buildings, vehicles, animals and accessories of its theme.

The sets are built around themes such as City Life, Country, Novelmore, Pirates and Action Heroes. Many include a building or vehicle to put together, so the play is about stories and role play: a vet’s practice, a fire station, a castle.

Schleich

Schleich was founded in 1935 by Friedrich Schleich in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. The brand is best known for its animal figures: horses, farm animals, wild animals and dinosaurs, sold on their own or in sets.

Besides single figures, Schleich makes play sets with stables, trailers and buildings in themes such as Farm World, Horse Club, Wild Life, Dinosaurs, Eldrador and bayala. The play comes from the animals and the scene children build around them.

Sylvanian Families

Sylvanian Families, from the Japanese company Epoch, is a third option for the same shelf: small animal families with houses, furniture and shops. In North America the brand is called Calico Critters.

The sets are small and detailed, with many tiny accessories. That suits careful play and collecting; check the age marking on each box.

The difference in play

Playmobil is about people and places: a set is a scene with a story. Schleich is about animals: realistic figures that children line up, look after and play with on the floor. Sylvanian Families is about homes and families in miniature.

The brands are separate systems, so a Schleich horse and a Playmobil rider can differ in size and proportion. Many children mix them anyway; if a scene should look right, stay within one brand.

How to choose

Choose Playmobil when your child likes to tell stories with people, vehicles and buildings, and enjoys putting a set together. Choose Schleich when animals are the main interest, or for a first figure that needs no assembly.

Both brands work in themes, so a first set can grow: a stable gets more horses, a farm more animals. On ToySetFox you browse every theme per brand and compare prices by set number.

Frequently asked questions

Playmobil or Schleich for a four-year-old?

Both make toys for young children. Check the age marking on the box of the set you have in mind, and choose by what your child enjoys most: people and stories, or animals.

Do Playmobil and Schleich fit together?

They are separate systems, so sizes and proportions can differ. Many children mix them in play; for a scene that looks right, stay within one brand.

What is Playmobil Junior?

Playmobil Junior is Playmobil’s line made for the youngest Playmobil fans. Playmobil’s web shop lists Junior sets for ages 1 to 3 and 4+; the age is on every box.

Browse on

ToySetFox sells and tests nothing itself. This guide sums up what the manufacturers publish. Always follow the age marking and the warnings on the box.

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