Early Learning Centre Pretty Polly Pirate Ship

I first seen this product in my local Mothercare which was selling Early Learning Centre toys and after the first viewing I decided to Dooyoo it and see what others had said. As it had a 5 star rating I went ahead and purchased it for £25 however it came with the additional accessory pack free which should have cost another £15 so a bit of a bargain. My son received it for his second birthday so well within the recommended 18 months to 4 years age range. I do however feel that they have been a little over ambitious with the age range of the ship. After my son turned around 3 he was no longer so interested in this toy, he would bring it out and play with it occasionally but it was no-where near as popular as it had been when he had just received it or in the proceeding year.

The pirate ship itself is a good size and has varies little pieces attached such as a balcony with 2 opening doors, a basement with an opening door, a lookout point with a telescope and a point for steering with a movable wheel. There are 2 sails with yellow and blue stripes. Included with the ship is around 7 pirates, a treasure chest and a table with a map which can all be placed on the various levels.

As with the majority of ELC toys this ship is made with plastic and is exceptionally strong and sturdy and even with my little one throwing it around and dropping it nothing had broken or snapped off. The only little problem I have with the design is that the door from the inside of the boat to the balcony comes off really easily but it's simple enough to click it back in. The wheels on the bottom of the ship mean that it can be moved around with ease without scratching the floor, I did however find that when playing on the rug it was very hard to shift even for me but on the wooden floor it glided easily and left no marks at all. The ship was big enough to fit all the accessories inside and move them around although you really did need some imagination for this ship, although it was a ship and had some pirates you really did have to make up some games or it would have got a pretty monotonous toy to find entertainment with. Luckily enough my son was happy enough to play with this for bursts of time.

There was not a scratch, bump or any other mark on this ship by the time I got rid of it, the only problem I did find was that when not in use this clung onto dust like no other toy I've seen, the worst of it is it got into little bits of the balcony and in the grooves of the beige coloured plastic making it look a bit dirty, it was easy enough to wipe off but if something got spilled on this and left to dry I can't imagine how tough it would be to get into the little nooks and crannies to clean it out.

Overall I was very pleased with this purchase, I do think the RRP of £40 is too expensive for what it is, as I say you need a lot of imagination to get any joy out of it. The toy is however well constructed and comes with good accessories that are also durable and brightly coloured appealing to children, the design is well thought out although the little door that pops off is annoying at the best of times but I have found with a few of the Happyland toys that parts like doors seem to easily come off, whether this is to prevent them being snapped off I'm not sure but it is something to be wary of. At the price I paid I was happy, my son had lots of fun with it but by 3 he was no longer interested, I think it suits 18 months to 3 much better and encourages imaginative play as well as hand and eye co-ordination. I also feel it is good as a toy for playing solo or for paying together as it's something you can talk about and encourage speech which is another good point of the toy. All things considered I would say this toy deserves 4 stars out of 5.