Plastic Playhouses

We recently talked about Wooden vs Plastic Playhouses. In that article we discussed some of the pros and cons of each type of construction and things to consider before buying a hideout for your kids to play in. This article focusses on plastic playhouses, the primary manufacturers and the wide range of designs being offered.

Plastic Playhouse Manufacturers

The two biggest players in this market are Step2 and Little Tikes. From everything we’ve read, both companies offer similar quality products and provide excellent customer support. Families mention quick response times on missing or defective parts as well as dog-eaten phones being replaced free of charge.

Their plastic playhouses, like most of their toys are designed for pre-school aged children. They both boast of being “Made in the USA” but may also incorporate foreign parts. It appears all current Step2 models are identified as “Made in U.S.A. of U.S. and Imported Parts”. Little Tikes has 4 playhouses in their current offerings being sold as “Made in the U.S.A” and a number of others labeled “Made in U.S.A. of U.S. and Imported Parts”.

Both companies sell replacement parts on their websites but many families report the companies have provided them free of charge. Your experience may vary but from the numerous reviews we looked at on a number of websites, it seems they are both quite responsive to customer inquiries.

ECR4KIDS is another manufacturer of children’s plastic playhouses. Their focus is on classroom furniture and equipment but they offer several options, including a pirate ship. A number of their products are GreenGuard Gold Certified. They do not discuss the country of origin for their toys on their website or product descriptions. They seem well-regarded among educators but there simply was not as much online discussion of their products as there were for Step2 and Little Tikes.

Amazon also offers one plastic playhouse made by American Plastic Toy – it’s offered in a blue model for everyone and a pink and purple one for girls. Their website is a bit limited and they mention “Made in the USA” but do not clarify if some foreign parts might be used.

Step2, Little Tikes and ECR4KIDS all offer their assembly instructions online. Might be a good idea to take a look prior to selecting a plastic playhouse for your children.

Plastic Playhouse Options

There is a nice variety of options for plastic playhouses. They have ones that look like little clubhouses, miniature houses and even a pirate ship. There’s a huge variety to choose from but we thought we would share with those we feel best represent each of the manufacturers.

Benefits of Plastic Playhouses

Plastic playhouses offer families a number of benefits not found in wooden playhouses. They can be easily cleaned with a garden hose. They can be easily moved from one room to another or one house to another. When your children outgrow their toy, it can be passed along to friends and family for their little ones to enjoy. And, they often come with a smaller price tag. However, plastic playhouses are generally designed for toddlers and your children may outgrow their toy fairly quickly.