fruitofthewomb Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 My girls love the Schleich horses & farm animals. I have bought them one or two here & there over the years. I am thinking of getting them the barn ($170) and/or horse stable ($144) for Christmas. It's so much $$ though! Is it crazy? I am sure it's quality & will last forever. Do any of you have it? Anyone want to talk me into it or out of it? If I bought this it would severely limit any other gifts they get. But that isn't really a bad thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 It sounds like a wonderful gift idea to me! You already know they will play with the barn and stable, so I think you should get them. If you're very concerned about the price, does Target make a knock-off version? Or maybe Toys R Us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 My girls love the Schleich horses & farm animals. I have bought them one or two here & there over the years. I am thinking of getting them the barn ($170) and/or horse stable ($144) for Christmas. It's so much $$ though! Is it crazy? I am sure it's quality & will last forever. Do any of you have it? Anyone want to talk me into it or out of it? If I bought this it would severely limit any other gifts they get. But that isn't really a bad thing... If it is affordable for you, I'd do it. I always would rather have quality over quantity. If it was the ONLY thing under the tree, no. But that and a few other gifts? Sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 I'm thinking about it too for my farm obsessed 7 yr. old. I definitely need to get him some kind of barn, but OUCH I can't get past the price. I've been looking for a similar less expensive barn but haven't found one yet that is comparable. Amazon had the horse stable for a lightning deal about a month ago, and I kicked myself for not getting it. My fingers are crossed that they'll put the barn up too but I'm starting to lose hope. If you ever see it on sale, please pm me or update this thread. My son eats, sleeps and breathes farm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 My daughter had the Maxim large barn/stable (gotten at a consignment sale. so used) http://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxim-Enterprise-Inc.-Grand-Stable-with-Corral-Block-Toy/15922394 It was very sturdy, put together with screws. Once she quit playing with horses, we disassembled it, took out the stalls, and put it back together to be a studio apartment for Barbie. Worked great! She wallpapered the walls with wrapping paper. It lasted for a number of years and then we passed it on to another family who is still using it. I don't know if that stable is still available, but I can say that I considered something like this to be a great investment, even for one kid, but I did get it at used prices. Would this be a possibility? http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1825990/maxim-red-gable-barn-with-side-stall-corral.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 If they love that, they might get years of play out of it. We went with a large plain wooded barn that fit larger animals as well. My girls didnt' care at all about the scale of things so it worked for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 My dd got the older stable as a gift from my parents. It was nice to have, but she plays with the animals more outside a building and uses wooden planks and blocks a lot more than the building. It's difficult for two children to play with animals inside the builidings, too. The buildings also take up a lot of room and aren't so easy to store. I'd recommend getting wooden planks (Keva or Jenga blocks) and use these to make paddocks, sheds, field areas, etc. Then the wooden planks can be used for lots of other play, too. Playmobil has a lot of less expensive horse sets with jumps, etc. that can be used with the Schleich horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikjul Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 My dd got the older stable as a gift from my parents. It was nice to have, but she plays with the animals more outside a building and uses wooden planks and blocks a lot more than the building. It's difficult for two children to play with animals inside the builidings, too. The buildings also take up a lot of room and aren't so easy to store. I'd recommend getting wooden planks (Keva or Jenga blocks) and use these to make paddocks, sheds, field areas, etc. Then the wooden planks can be used for lots of other play, too. This is how my children play too. They love horses and figures (Playmobil in our case), but would always prefer to set up their own temporary stable/paddock made by Magnatiles, blocks or Kapla planks over a ready-made building. That said, I would have LOVED a stable like that as a child :-)!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Aww--it was on sale a few weeks ago. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 How much was it discounted on the lightening sale? And how do you find out about lightening deals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 I have the KEVA contraption set in my shopping cart too! Still trying to decide what to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 If money or space is tight, I would invest in the wooden blocks and then several more animals. I agree that the kids love to build fences, stables, etc. out of the blocks for their animals and it is easier to let more kids play together...........and the blocks can be used with dolls, match box cars, any play figures, etc. so much more versatile. We had both though as ds had the blocks and the girls got the barns years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwoodsmama Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 I bought this last Christmas for my horse crazy then 6 year old...it was never played with! It is sitting in the play area taking up space. My girls would rather play with their horses around the house. Yours may love it, but I've found big things like that to not get much playtime. In fact, my other daughter got the playmobile mansion last year and I sold it on ebay:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 I would like to get something that they all will love & treasure. It's so hard to know what that will be! Kids are so finicky! I will say that we have the Loving Family dollhouse & it has been used on & off for 6 years now. Definitely worth the cost! They do seem to play 'outside of it' more than actually setting up furniture inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I vote that the juice ain't worth the squeeze. For that amount it better be made of teak, come assembled, and have metal fixtures. Yikes. That said, if this is the toy you hold onto for the grand kids you probably won't regret the splurge. The fewer gifts thing is actually a plus in my book. Like a previous poster mentioned, do consider WHERE your kids play. My kids tended to be near me on the main floor and no special toy was going to encourage them to spend more time in their rooms. I had to put their kitchen in MY kitchen before they really wanted to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I'd love to get one for my dd as she plays obsessively with her animals... But I can't justify the cost for what it is. She generally uses her Sylvanian dolls house to keep her animals in and it doubles as a Sylvanian house and was basically half the price. I also don't think the quality of some of the newer schleich animals is as high as the older ones and I'd worry that the barn wouldn't end up being the quality I'd expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Just out of curiousity because I wanted to see it, what is the difference (if any?) between this Schleich barn and the $170 one? http://www.amazon.com/Schleich-Portable-Barn-with-Accessories/dp/B00KYSZP2G?SubscriptionId=AKIAIN5HK5BFVBOCQQZQ&tag=xxlsalecom-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00KYSZP2G&ascsubtag=XXL-Sale.com|Cj0KEQiAneujBRDcvL6f5uybhdABEiQA_ojMgqqFR8YSVdaBP9VSRWXKcFtrzV35E4FuZl1_2nDyuVoaAggO8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 The price rules it out for my kids, but if you can afford it I'd say go ahead. It's something pretty hard to break, so you'll probably be able to pass it on to other children when yours outgrow it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smstjohn Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I don't know if you normally use the site Zulilly, but Schleich is supposed to be one of the events that starts tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 My children enjoy using wooden blocks to make castles, farms and barns for their schleich animals. I don't think mine would use it. It's a lot of money and a chance it won't be a hit. Is there a wooden barn that you could buy instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Just for fun-I have to show you all what my son is currently doing...using Keva blocks for his makeshift farm. He was also using Trio blocks and Tinker Toys but I couldn't handle the hundreds of pieces so I just boxed all of those up. Notice the wooden blocks as well...so ironic that you all are talking about how your kids do this too. The barns you see are small and cheap, which is why I'm considering upgrading like the OP. But now I'm wondering if it'd be a waste of money. Actually, he keeps asking for a milking parlor. Anyone know where I can get one of those? LOVE these farm loving kids! ETA:Shoot, it says the file is too big and I don't know how to minimize it. Well that was anti- climatic. If anyone knows how to make the file smaller, I'll try to post it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 I don't know if you normally use the site Zulilly, but Schleich is supposed to be one of the events that starts tomorrow. It's just the figurines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Just out of curiousity because I wanted to see it, what is the difference (if any?) between this Schleich barn and the $170 one? http://www.amazon.com/Schleich-Portable-Barn-with-Accessories/dp/B00KYSZP2G?SubscriptionId=AKIAIN5HK5BFVBOCQQZQ&tag=xxlsalecom-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00KYSZP2G&ascsubtag=XXL-Sale.com|Cj0KEQiAneujBRDcvL6f5uybhdABEiQA_ojMgqqFR8YSVdaBP9VSRWXKcFtrzV35E4FuZl1_2nDyuVoaAggO8 After you posted this I took a close look at both & decided to go for the smaller, cheaper one. So thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Just for fun-I have to show you all what my son is currently doing...using Keva blocks for his makeshift farm. He was also using Trio blocks and Tinker Toys but I couldn't handle the hundreds of pieces so I just boxed all of those up. Notice the wooden blocks as well...so ironic that you all are talking about how your kids do this too. The barns you see are small and cheap, which is why I'm considering upgrading like the OP. But now I'm wondering if it'd be a waste of money. Actually, he keeps asking for a milking parlor. Anyone know where I can get one of those? LOVE these farm loving kids! ETA:Shoot, it says the file is too big and I don't know how to minimize it. Well that was anti- climatic. If anyone knows how to make the file smaller, I'll try to post it. Kids Globe makes 1:32 scale farm stuff, including a milking parlour, but it's all from the UK, so shipping may be prohibitive http://www.toyfarmers.co.uk/farmbuildings/cattle-sheds/wooden-cow-shed-with-milking-parlour.html Brushwood Toys has some similar items, again, UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/BRUSHWOOD-BT2500-Rotary-Milking-Parlour/dp/B003DTFEHE http://www.mcldirect.com/product-p/b10-b62621.htm In US, but not clear if it can be ordered online: 1:18 scale http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/new-ray-toys-country-life-dairy-cow-station-set-assorted/0000000210103 http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/new-ray-toys-country-life-dairy-cow-station-set-assorted/0000000210103 http://www.toyfarmers.us/farmbuildings.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 We have the Schleich barn, large stables and castle. They are so well put together. We also had the Breyer stables -- fell apart almost instantaneously. Papo large castle -- super detailed, more so than the Schleich, but it is made of fiberboard and some tabs that hold it together broke off (fixed with blue). The Schleich toys just keep on going. You might want yo look at Really Great Toys. When I spoke with the owner several years ago, he said they were the only U?S. Distributed with the complete Schleich line.mcheck out the prices -- small stable was $89 and large one was $106. Barn was still expensive though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 http://www.zulily.com/e/schleich-104277.html?pos=7§ion=kids&sPos=4&tab=new-today&ns=ns_025095728|1417453086166 They have the 2 different Horse Stable sets, the rabbit pens and an Animal Nursery on sale right now. Ah! Thanks! I didn't go far enough down. I am mobile only & no wifi :( makes shopping online difficult! Now I have to figure out amazons return policy ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Ah! Thanks! I didn't go far enough down. I am mobile only & no wifi :( makes shopping online difficult! Now I have to figure out amazons return policy ;) What did you end up going with? You can probably cancel your amazon order if you just made it. I can't decide if I want to get the stable or not. I've only seen this price when amazon had it on their lightning deal and I'm tempted to buy it. But what my son really needs is the barn and I can't find that anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 What did you end up going with? You can probably cancel your amazon order if you just made it. I can't decide if I want to get the stable or not. I've only seen this price when amazon had it on their lightning deal and I'm tempted to buy it. But what my son really needs is the barn and I can't find that anywhere. I cancelled the stable from amazon & got it from zulily-shipping was $17 but total was still less than amazon. I also got the smaller barn from amazon that someone linked above. These 2 things will be a joint gift to all 5 of my girls. I wish the big barn had been available from zulily. That is just a lot of $$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 If anyone is in the Sacramento area that is interested in horses and stables, I have a ton of stuff that i could sell including a large wooden barn and the Schleich stable and the Schleich animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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