Melissa and Doug Tree House Play Set – Very Cool
July 13, 2008 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Children's Toys, Preschool Toys, Toy Talk
I love Melissa and Doug toys, and I planned on writing about the Melissa and Doug Mailbox today (don’t worry, keep your eyes on PlayLibrary for that review in the coming days). However, as I prepared to write about the mailbox, I stumbled on the Melissa and Doug Tree House Play Set, and was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it.
This toy looks so cool. I’ve seen other tree house play sets, but they’re usually made with plastic and lots of small pieces that have to stick together. The Melissa and Doug Tree House Play Set is made primarily of wood, so it should be more durable than a plastic toy. It also includes awesome features like a pulley system, retractable stairs, a working trap door, a porch swimg, a hammock, a tire swing and two wooden people play figures. The Melissa and Doug Tree House Play Set is big, too. It measures 42″ high!
With all these features, the price tag is steep – $129.99 from the Melissa and Doug website. In some ways I can justify spending more on Melissa and Doug toys, because they typically hold up to my 3-year old triplets’ use and abuse longer than most other toys, but I’m not sure if $129.99 is justifiable for this particular toy. It’s recommended for ages 3 and up, so I’d imagine a child who really likes it will use it for many years, but still, that’s a hefty investment.
What do you think? Does your child have the Melissa and Doug Tree House Play Set? Does he or she like it? Have you tried a tree house play set from another manufacturer? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: MelissaandDoug.com
We saw this last week at Pottery Barn Kids. My four year old found it instantly interesting. The great thing about it is that it is pretty flexible. I could see GI joe playing on this thing just as easily as I could picture Barbie playing on it. The hard thing to get past is the price. For what is essentially a large dowel, a few pieces of plywood, a few fake branches, and a little hardware they want how much? I do a little amateur woodworking and am reasonably handy, so we decided to make our own. If it turns out I’ll post pictures and plans on my website.
John, I’m so glad you left your comment with your perspective after seeing it in real life! Please do share pictures of your own tree house when you’re done with it!
OK, time for a followup. The treehouse I saw at Potterybarn Kids was not the Melissa and Doug treehouse, it was the PB kids treehouse (duh). You can see it here, but the Melissa and Doug version is much much cooler (at least from a “I can make that at home in my garage” point of view)
The Melissa and Doug treehouse has three main branches, two at angles that is both esthetically superior and more difficult to make than PB kids which is basically a single “trunk” tree with a couple of platforms on it. Beyond this, overall size, accessories, etc appear to be more or less equivalent.
I’m not sure if anyone else cares about this, but if you put the two treehouses side by side, my vote would be for the M&D over the PBK.
Also, after drawing up some plans and considering the material cost (including a little extra for mistakes) the $130 price tag is not really all that bad. M&D are not losing money on this, don’t get me wrong, but you are not getting ripped off either.
Thanks for the update, John!
The treehouse looks incredible indeed. I personally recently purchased the Melissa and Doug standing easel. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by its quality. It is genuinely good and keeps children occupied while developing their creative abilities.
We just purchase the M&D treehouse for my son’s 3 yr birthday. We have had it a week and so far it is a big hit. I have 2 boys (3yr and 4yr) and it is big enough for both of them to play on at the same time. I am now looking for furniture to add that is not girlish and pink. I decided to make a table and chair from wood pieces we had around the house. I will also make some sleeping bags out of scrap fabric for the dolls. The tree house only comes with 2 dolls but I found wooden dolls made by Ryans Room that are the same size. I am also planning on buying the Ryans Room Grill furniture and pet set to go with this. It is the only furniture that I have found that my boys won’t be embarrased to play with when friends come over.