Editorial Review

Wild West adventurer Buck N. Bronco and his pal Dusty Trail areroundin' up some wild horses and building the finest ranch this side ofthe Mississippi. Children can spend hours--on their own or withfriends--helping them construct their western compound. There areenough real-wood Lincoln Logs (114 to be exact) and brightly coloredplastic awnings, doors, and windows to make at least three structureson the ranch. There are barrels, four horses, and even a water trough.Instructions for a corral, a blacksmith's shop, and a small fort(complete with lookout roof and flag) are included, and, of course,there are many other building possibilities, some of which are picturedon the giant tub the set is packed in. --M. Sullivan ... Read more

Reviews (10)

It's a Ranch! It's a Fort!It's Lincoln Logs!
As a child, Lincoln Logs were one of my favorite toys.You could build houses, forts, roads, fences, and just about anything else you could imagine for a piece of wood.Lincoln Logs have changed over the years, but they remain a wonderful toy to stimulate imagination.

This particular set is one of the larger sets available with 150 pieces, and 114 of those are wood logs.I think that if you are going to get Lincoln Logs, the more you have the better.I always wanted ever more Lincoln Logs to build even bigger forts, which was one of my favorite themes.The western and frontier themes seem to be somewhat old-fashioned for many children who would rather be punching video game buttons for hours than imagining what it would be like to create houses by hand, and then living in them.

This particular set includes pieces that are improvements over the original.Plastic windows, people, animals, a ladder and other miscellaneous pieces increase the imagination factor rather than detract from it.I initially was disappointed that the wood-slat roof pieces were missing from this set, but quickly realized that the plastic roofs remained in place as opposed to the wood slats that seemed to fall off the roof with little encouragement.On the other hand, you could use the roof slats in other arrangements, such as bridges and roads.The plastic roofs are better for younger children, though older children would benefit from the hand-eye coordination and the problem solving skills the wood roof pieces provided.

While I think it is interesting to build the models included in the original instructions, which includes a corral, blacksmith's shop and small fort, Lincoln Logs are sufficiently versatile and easy to use that even very young children begin stacking them with ease in their own configurations.This capability is a real imagination builder.I prefer Lincoln Logs for their greater reliance on imagination than most other building blocks and toys, which tend to emphasize a specific configuration.

John Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, first created Lincoln Logs in 1916.Strangely, he claimed that the construction of the foundation of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel was his inspiration for the toy rather than log cabins.The toys were an instant success because they developed good hand-eye coordination and for the other reasons noted above.The toys became an even bigger success after World War II and the baby boom era.

Lincoln Logs are one of the few toys that seemed to have survived for decades.There have been many challengers to Lincoln Logs, and they are probably much less popular with children today because of the many more sophisticated choices.However, Lincoln Logs remain a great toy, especially for younger children.Even older children, like those in there 40s and 50s, can find a lot of enjoyment in a toy that was much more popular in a previous era, and retains most of the characteristics that were the reason for that popularity.

I scored
When the toy arrived I was overwhelmed with the contents..I feel like I scored big ... the kids will love this christmas morning.

Great Toy!
I bought this for my 4 year old son Marshall at Christmas. He loves it. He plays with it almost every day! His twin sister Jamey likes it too but not as much as my son. I found this toy to be worth the money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction    2. Building Sets    3. Wild West   

Editorial Review

Standing 7 feet tall, this authentic-looking teepee makes adramatic play landscape for children. The ceiling is 5 feet high, soyoung children can stand and maneuver with ease inside. Made of durablefire-resistant cotton canvas and sturdy hardwood poles, the teepee is madeto withstand rough-and-tumble play. Because it has such generousfloor space (72 inches in width), children can bring in small playhousefurniture or have outdoor sleepovers (when the weather is good, becausethe fabric isn't waterproof). And the cone-like structure is perfect for a summerfort. Families with a large playroom or a basement can set up this teepee as apermanent fixture. Assembly is easy, but adult supervision is requiredbecause of the size and weight of the materials. --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Plains Hideaway is great.
When I first looked at this tent, I thought about how much fun it might be for my grand daughter, then I considered the price. Well, it turns out it was well worth the money. All of my grandchildren and the neighborhood children love it. My grand daughter decided to bring it inside for awhile, set it up in her room and now she sleeps in it every night! It was a good choice.

Better than any plastic fort !
We bought the tepee because we were sick of looking at all the bright plastic toys in the house.We have three boys who love it, ranging in age from 3-9.Everytime someone under 12 enters our house they head for the tepee.It is always a conversation piece for the adults.My three year old "sneaks" in to take a break from his brothers and catch a nap.This has been one thing we haven't regretted. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Outdoor Play    3. Play Tents    4. Wild West    5. Playtents    6. Camping