Just Play Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital
(Just Play $59.99)
If you have a Doc McStuffins fan in your house, Doc McStuffins’ Toy Hospital is a miniature setting that’s sure to be used for hours of pretend play. The colorful plastic three-story building has a hand operated elevator, an x-ray, a helicopter on the top, a rocking bed with a mobile that can be turned, a whale in a tub that spins and an information desk. Of course, Doc is there and she can get around on a child activated hand-operated track that moves her from one room to another. Kids can also play on the other side of the building with working doors and a clock with moving hands. What makes it interesting? It’s not a traditional dollhouse or a palace for a princess. It’s a hospital (of sorts) where kids have a role model, Doc McStuffins, a woman of color, who is a doctor. For many the Doc McStuffins connection is key. Marked 3 & up. We think it will be more appropriate for 4’s and up.
SNAP:Children who visit medical centers frequently may find a setting like this useful for playing out some of their anxieties and to rehearse upcoming visits. Dramatic play is once-removed-from-reality and toys like this give children a way to vent their fears and clarify some questions and expectations. Older children will prefer Playmobil’s Children’s Hospital, that is more realistic but also a helpful setting for role play and assuring kids they will not be alone.
Ages: Preschoolers
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award 2016