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Mighty World Alligator Hunt - Review

by Susan Gunelius on May 14th, 2008

I was lucky enough to receive a toy from the Mighty World set from International Playthings for my 3-year old sons to test, and I’d like to share my review with PlayLibrary readers.

First, I should mention that earlier this month, I reviewed some Calico Critters toys that International Playthings asked my daughter to test.  While I gave the Calico Critters toys two thumbs up, I’m going to give the Mighty World Alligator Hunt set that my sons tested only one thumb up.  The reason is because I think the age range provided for the toy we tested is too young.

My son tested the Might World Alligator Hunt set.  When I saw the Mighty World toys on the International Playthings website, I was very excited for my son to test one of them.  Both of my boys are starting to enjoy imaginary play, and I thought it would be great for them to have a more “boyish” toy set to play with rather than their sister’s My Little Pony toys.

The Mighty World Alligator Hunt set includes a boat, two figures (a man and a woman in safari clothing), oars, a fishing pole, an alligator, a map, a gun, and more small pieces.  It’s a cool looking toy that could boost imaginary play, particularly for boys.  There is a wide range of Mighty World toys that kids could use to create complete themed worlds from safari themes to construction themes and more.

While I think the concept of the Mighty World toys is great, I was disappointed in the size of the pieces.  The pieces are very small - too small for a 3-year old to manipulate.  I even had trouble trying to get the oars into the person’s hands without the hands falling off.  That leads me to my other complaint about the Mighty World toys.  The pieces are hard to put together yet they come apart too easily.  Inserting the oars into the figure’s hands is one example.  Another is the male figure’s hat that will not stay on his head.  I had to keep putting it on his head over and over because my son insisted it had to be on his head, but he couldn’t put it on himself because it was too small.  Let’s just say I eventually hid the hat to eliminate that problem, and luckily, it was forgotten without too much of a fight.

That leads me back to the age issue.  This Mighty World toy is rated for children ages 3 and up.  I think if the age range was lifted to 5 or 6 and up, this toy would have gotten a better review from me.  There are many toys in the Mighty World line that are rated for older children, and I think if this one were added to that group, it would be more appropriate. 

Again, I love the idea of the Mighty World toys, and I love the idea of promoting imaginary play for boys as early as 3-years old.  This set is just a bit too difficult for them to use due to the small pieces.  That’s why I’m giving the Mighty World Alligator Hunt one thumb up.  It’s a great idea and a great toy just a bit too “old” for a 3-year old.  However, if you have older children, I would definitely give one of the Mighty World toys a try.

If you have older children who have tried the Mighty World toys, leave a comment and let PlayLibrary readers know what you thought.

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POSTED IN: Children's Toys, Product Reviews