TickiT 73402 Wooden Community People Block Set

These are good, solid, shaped plywood blocks that on the face of it feature a variety of people representing a range of ages, genders, religions, physicalities, and professions. I suspect these were originally aimed at the educational market.The 'blocks' are shaped in the general outline of the image they bear, feature the same photographic printed image on both sides, and are varnished, so that you get large blocks that are suitable for children of 1+, that incorporate large natural wooden elements. They are very nicely made. The detailed and to-a-degree-varied images mean that there is a lot to talk about with little learners.Size-wise, these are large and clear, but I would perhaps have preferred them to be a bit smaller (or to be able to buy a similar, smaller set), that's on the same scale as the wooden Brio/Thomas the Tank Engine/Plan Toys city and train sets widely available - so that a range of 'people' can be played with in conjunction with bestselling wooden rail/road/town set toys.I appreciate that there are only 32 blocks, so there do have to be limits on the range of people represented. However, I'm not hugely enthused by the representation of people types in these bricks. There are very, very few older people - only 3 who appeared 'grey', despite the ageing population and the fact that most nursery/primary school children still have one or more grandparents. All three 'oldies' are white.No-one is bald. No-one is tattooed or pierced. No-one has a beard (there are a couple of 'designer stubbles'). Very few of the characters are wearing casual clothes. There are no babies, no toddlers, nobody wearing school uniform. The sole animal appearance (a dog) seems to be in order to ascribe the profession of 'vet' to a woman wearing scrubs. There are few evident teens.It's a community-ish set. More variety could be added by increasing the cast to 64, by having different people on either side of the blocks.The set seems a bit expensive at an RRP in the region of £60.

The blocks come tightly packed in a stiff cardboard box. At first I thought "great", but then I realised that packing all the loose blocks back into the box might be a problem. If you do wish to use the box for storage I suggest that you take pictures of the initial layout, (which I have posted). It will also help in checking that none are missing.I am impressed with how well these blocks are made. Good quality wood. The extra thickness makes holding more comfortable and they will be impossible to snap and very unlikely to splinter. Each block is smooth an rounded to prevent any injury. The varnish is bright, but not too glossy. Self-standingI would have preferred if some of the characters were a little less glam. However, there is a good mix of positive character types to inspire imagination.These blocks are helpful children (and adults) with there descriptive and observational skill. They can also be used as an inspiration for play, creative writing, drama and art. I am sure that there are other possibilities as well.I would not hesitate to recommend this set to schools. For home use it is more of a judgement call, as to how well your own children might benefit.

A nice selection of different races, religions, jobs and disabilities reflected in little chunky wooden block figures that stand up and can be played with while you can help children learn about different cultures and professions etc.Particularly good for things like Nurseries and Schools that have OFSTED requirements for including multicultural learning etc.Nice and chunky for little hands and great to talk about each person with your child so they can ask any questions about each character and what they do, what they’re wearing etc.I feel £58 is far too much for this set though, hence losing a star and it’s not something I’d be able to buy for anyone else at the current price. Although Schools and Nurseries probably have more of a budget for this sort of thing!

Obtained for my 3 year old granddaughter I had hoped that she would LOVE it......sadly, having sort-of-played-with-it she chose to leave it here - which is NOT a ringing endorsement. The acid test for her is if/when she wants to take something home AND bring it back to our house to play with in the future.Whilst our little one may not be a 'typical' 3-year-old girl (who can say?) it is perhaps more suited to a slightly younger child with fewer developed social skills and vocabulary. It is a nice well-made set and I would happily recommend it for the 2-3 year olds rather than 3+.

A very comprehensive set of 'community people', with most races, religions and forms of disability represented. The 'figures' themselves are larger than I had imagined, with the adult figures at 125mm tall and the child figures 80 cm tall. The thirty-two figures are double sided, with the same illustration on both sides.These figures are very robust and will withstand years of use.I know my young grandson's will enjoy playing with these and I can forsee much discussion about gender, disability etc However as useful as they may be in a domestic setting, the set would probably suit a nursery school environment - or, indeed, a home schooling situation better.