Schleich figurines

 
75 years ago, in 1935, Friedrich Schleich founded a company.   This company has created wonderful figurines starting in the 1950’s and since then they are very popular.   What started as the development, production and marketing of figurines like The Smurfs, Snoopy, The Muppet Show has been expanded back in the 1980’s with the addition of a variety of animals.   In 2003, the selection of Schleich figurines grew once more with the Knights, the Wild West collection and the Elves.

Knowing that the figurines are made of plastic,  you might wonder about safety of the product.   No need to worry here as it seems that the company has taken the initiative to thoroughly test within the headquarters as well as independent testing companies to ensure the safety for kids of all ages.
We were blessed to receive a number of animals to review.    So imagine the surprise it was for my two younger kids to get a box with beautiful animals in it.    They were ecstatic!   It didn’t took too much time for them to go grab the ones they already had and bring the menagerie together in the living room.  

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The kids particularly loved the horses and the elephant.   Me?   I love the okapi and it made me want to learn more about this out-of-the-ordinary animal.  

These little figurines are perfect for any kids from 2 years old to 99 years old (what can I say, I am totally loving them! – and by the way I am still far away from 99 years old *grin*).    They can also be a perfect gift for a special need child.   How do I know?   My nephew is a special need child who loves his Schleich figurines.   Being a child who loves animals, it is always a joy for him to receive some for his birthday and Christmas. 

Recently we visited the Toronto Zoo, imagine our surprise when we saw Przewalski horses there.   We knew that one of the figurines was a Przewalski horse.    The kids were excited about this fact only.    A rare breed, Przewalski's horse also lives under the aliases of Asian Wild Horse and Mongolian Wild Horse. Never successfully domesticated, many of these horses were displayed in zoos instead. Similar in stature to other horses, Przewalski's is stocky and fairly short, standing only about thirteen hands tall. Living in groups with a male at the head, these horses traverse their own range but are more protective of their mares in the wild.

Fun Facts: Przewalski's horse is the only "wild" horse left on the planet.

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Here’s an image of the other animals we received.    Aren’t they simply amazing?

     

Schleich figurines are so realistic that they make a wonderful addition to a homeschool environment.   Whenever you want to learn more about an animal, you can read a book and have the figurine next to you!  
You can discover the variety of figurines available at http://www.schleich-s.com/ .

Schleich figurines can be found everywhere – ToysRUs included.   Prices will vary depending of the size and the complexity of the animal.

They have many creatures already made.   I hope that they will continue to expand the number of them.   Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing a platypus being part of their collection.  

Disclosure: This review was possible because I received some figurines from Schleich while participating to the TOS Homeschool Crew 2010-2011.