We had promised the kids months before that we would go to Playmobil land during fall vacation. We didn’t know at the time that we would be having out of town guests for an entire month before hand. But a promise is a promise, so as soon as I got back from dropping off our guests at the airport, we headed north. Playmobil headquarters are located just outside Nürnberg, Germany, and the amusement park they have built around it enthralls my kids like nothing else. They love Disneyland, don’t get me wrong. But the Playmobil Funpark is their first love. Since we have gone so often, I am going to change up my usual posting style. This will just be a series of pictures with short captions underneath. We were there for two days and these will be shown in chronological order.
At a rest stop somewhere in Germany. Alexandra had to use the bathroom.
She refused to use the weird no-toilet-seat toilet, so I held her while she peed on the grass. I didn’t do a great job, and her skirt got wet. We had back up pants in the luggage. Whew!
This construction play area is completely new. All the little rocks are made out of Playmobil plastic. The kids LOVED it.
Sarah is pretending to be a bear in it’s cave. She’s not actually mad.
They are constantly changing which of these giant figures is guarding the entrance to the park. The kids have to say hello to each one, every time. They are as poseable as the little Playmobil figures, but their feet are screwed to the steps, so they don’t topple over and squish little kids.
In the castle prison. It’s not a trip to Playmobilland until we have ceremoniously locked all the kids up.
I was pleasantly surprised when Noah decided to try and climb up this chain structure. It was pretty hard, the things were constantly wobbling, but he gave it a good shot.
We were happy to have sunshine for the trip, even if it was pretty cold when the wind blew. The kids kept taking off their coats, and then putting them back on again. Hi Sarah!
The kids are going down to the dungeon underneath the castle. They wanted me to follow, but this particular entrance isn’t meant for adults to use. I think that’s part of what they love about this place. Everything is built on a child’s scale, not for the grownups.
Waving to the peasants below! All hail Princess Alexandra!
The castle offers lots of different climbing opportunities. We had to try them all. Even Mama and Papa scaled the walls. It’s a lot easier when I don’t have a tiny baby strapped to my chest!
The Charles’ Royal Family. When you sit on the seats, the lights come on and a little trumpet fanfare plays. It’s good to be king!
They have never enjoyed being punished so much before! Wish I could get one of these for at home.
Sarah flew off of it twice, but still kept wanting back on. We kept Alexandra off for her own good. Papa tended to spin them pretty fast. 🙂
He liked that the whole boat belonged to just him!
There are spinning things all over the park. We had to stop to let them ride each and every one.
Noah has friends who get to drive real tractors with their dads. This is as close as he will ever get.
Milking these kinds of cows is 1) easier, 2) cleaner and 3) better smelling.
Since it wasn’t summer, there wasn’t a line to ride these “go-karts”. The girls rode them more than once, and Noah took a turn as well.
Sarah saving from the barn balcony. There wre several little rooms up there, and she waved at me from every single window!
The kids got going kind of fast, thanks to Papa, and Nick is doing his best to keep Noah from sliding off the thing. Who knew a few old-fashioned merry go rounds could provide such endless entertainment?
Sausage wrangling, Playmobil style!
They named the horses Bobby and Winston after the ones that sleep outside their bedroom window.
There are also lots of slides at this park. Fun, fast ones. I know, I tried a few out myself.
Proof that I was there. I was also the glove sherpa.
Have you caught on to the fact that there are absolutely no rides at this park? Only things to climb on, things to spin in, and things to walk across. My kids LOVE it.
Following the leader, the leader, the leader…
Offering up a sacrifice to the dinosaur gods.
Part of the giant tree house.
The water was a little cold, but they were having too much fun to care. A set up like this on a smaller scale would also be perfect for home.
Papa was the only one brave enough to climb to the very top. We just cheered him on.
This was taken 3 seconds before Nick slipped and fell off. He scraped his leg, hurt his back, and ended up completely covered in sand!
A little ball tossing at the old saloon. The kids took turns being lowered over the railing by Papa to be the ball collector.
The girls taking a turn shooting “cannons” into a big barrel. I think they both got at least one in.
I just had to take a picture of the super fancy bathrooms in the play area. They even had scented lotion for your hands afterward.
I climbed up a level to get this shot of the indoor play area. Inside the large structures are several tables set up with tons and tons of Playmobil pieces, all waiting for children to play with them. Next to the tables are deep bins, holding even more Playmobil stuff. It’s kid heaven. We sat at the table reading and relaxing while the kids played and played and played.
Just when we thought we were ready to leave, we remembered that we hadn’t been over to the big tree house section yet. So off we went to play some more.
Can you see little Noah way up there? Looks like a giant spider trapped him in his lair!
Okay, now we are really, for sure, leaving. But just after we pet this adorable hedgehog goodbye. Can’t wait to see you again soon!