Vilac Pop Up Play Set

I love watching a child open this in the shop for the first time. The box goes down on the table, the sides unfold one by one, the lid flips into a house, and suddenly there is a whole world sitting there that was not there a moment ago. It is a proper reveal. Every time it happens, the grown-up with them goes a bit quiet too.

We love it because:

• The box IS the playset. Unfold the sides and you have a wide illustrated play mat of meadows, paths, forests, lakes and rivers. Flip the lid and it becomes a house with doors and windows. A smaller building completes the scene. The whole thing appears from a cube that fits under your arm.
• Twenty-three accessories, animals, trees, vehicles and more, so there is always something to add to the story. Children can set up a whole world and play in it for a long stretch, then pack every single piece away into the box when they are done. Tidy-up becomes part of the game.
• It folds flat and goes anywhere. On holiday, to a grandparent's house, into a bag on the way out the door. The whole landscape packs down to a 21cm cube.
• It is compatible with the other playsets in Ingela P. Arrhenius's collection. Put two or three side by side and the worlds connect, the meadow runs into the next one, the paths carry on, the universe gets bigger.
• A brilliant option if you want to add to it over time, or if someone in your life is already collecting the series.
  The illustration is Ingela P. Arrhenius at her most joyful. Poetic, colourful, full of character. The kind of thing children want to live inside.

What's in the box:

• 1 box that transforms into a play mat
• 1 large building lid
• 1 small cardboard building
• 23 accessories including animals, trees and vehicles

Great for:

• Ages 3 and up
• Imaginative and open-ended play, storytelling and world-building
• Holidays, visits and anywhere you need a self-contained world that travels well
• A gift for a child who loves to set things up and play in their own imagined landscape
• Growing over time, especially if you want to add other playsets from the same collection

Important to know:

• Age 3+
• Dimensions: 21 x 21 x 21 cm (when folded)
• Made from cardboard with illustrated accessories
• Handle with the usual care you would give a cardboard toy, keep away from water and small children who are still in the tearing-things-up phase
• Wipe clean gently with a dry cloth