My Preschool Failure

[Raven]

I wondered if I could make a copy of the 5567 Preschool, despite having none of the building parts except the staricase.  The answer: most definitely and absolutely NO!

Here is what I was aiming at:

http://www.playmobil.co.uk/sunshine-preschool/5567.html

- plus the 5570 Playgroup extension added in the front.

Here is my attempt:



I did have the Playgroup in its entirety, including the pretty walls:

http://www.playmobil.co.uk/playgroup/5570.html

but I didn't have the matching walls for upstairs, so I had to use some Princess Castle fencing there.  And then the non-matching walls downstairs gave even more of an impression of 'here are some random Playmobil pieces tossed together', so I decided to give the playgroup Princess Castle fencing too.



Going back to here:

http://www.playmobil.co.uk/sunshine-preschool/5567.html

the final photo, scrolling right, shows a nice little 'dollshouse kitchen'.

But this was the best that I could do:



And as for that sitting area/climbing wall/platform.... oh dear, I had to use a whole bunch of bits and pieces to make a vague resemblance to that:



The toilets were impossible and my 'doors' to them don't even open.



Upstairs is a bit dull compared to the real set and I didn't have any sort of large clock I could use there, and certainly not a groovy green one.



I did have a set of stickers from this set, but I didn't want to have them permanently stuck on the walls I was using, so I photocopied them and attached the photocopies instead.





I think that the photocopied-stickers are the best part of my failed Preschool reproduction.  I was quite glad to take it all apart again!

[sunflower]

You are way too hard on yourself to call this a failure! 
I really like the way it looks and I'm very impressed by your creative solutions. 

I hope you had a great time building anyway. For me this detailed look at this set made me like it more than I thought at first sight.
 

[leefert]

You are way too hard on yourself to call this a failure! 
I really like the way it looks and I'm very impressed by your creative solutions.

I agree that it's not a failure!  It's a rather cute adaptation.  You have a very creative mind, and I love that!  I never know what you are going to come up with next!

[bonniebeth]

Well, now that you point it out, the bathrooms and climbing wall are a bit awkward. But I would NEVER have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out, because I was too distracted by how beautiful this is! I like it much better than the original, really. Maybe not quite as colorful and daycare-y in some ways, but I think it's absolutely lovely! I wish I had some of those balcony pieces now...

By the way, making public bathrooms is something I have continually struggled with. I wish they would make one that is big enough to be realistic but compact enough to be practical.

[Birdie]

I really like it too, the fence from the princess castle looks wonderful in this setting.
If you'd just add a few more colourful toys and toy chests...

Although the original is a set I'd get normally, I didn't because it's a wall rather than a building and it was very expensive as such.

What you could do is just order a few crucial parts, like the clock and the pieces for the climbing wall.

You're way too hard on yourself 

[tahra]

I agree with everyone else - very creative

[Raven]

Oh.  And I hated it.  Normally I leave new creations on the dining table for a day or two after building, so I can smile at them.  But this one I really couldn't bear, and so I dismantled it immediately after I finished it.  I thought it was depressing!

I cheered myself up, though, making a jollier crèche:

[Birdie]

Oh.  And I hated it.

Okay that is never a good thing 

But that new crèche is simply adorable   

[bonniebeth]

Hey! That's an old little people playpen, isn't it? I had about three of those in that color, yellow, and blue. I used to love those toys before I was old enough for playmobil. I got to thinking about it the other day and realized almost every type of favorite toy I had as a little kid before I knew about pm was rather similar to playmobil ... fisher price, duplos, calico critters, etc.

[Raven]

So that's what it is!  Thank you; I had no idea - I got it in with some secondhand Playmobil furniture.  I've just googled the Little People Nursery set, and it seems to be from 1985.  And now I want one of those playpens in yellow too!