Since my children have received a free sample Paw Patroller play set they have played with it non-stop, 14 days and counting. In fact the day we received it, having both a boy and a girl, we were short one character to play with. My girl instantly said she wanted “SKY,” a female dog whose rescue vehicle is a helicopter. The Paw Patroller is a rather large toy and allows the kids to store up to 6 character vehicles inside (This is a plus if you already have a full set of characters, you now would have a convenient place to put them away).
Assembly: When taking the Paw Patroller out of the box you will find that it is essentially put together. The assembly is limited to stickers and a couple of seats that can come out as part of the playset. The instructions for the stickers are somewhat vague, but between the instruction sheet that has no written directions and the box you should be able to get things in the right place. There is some confusion about two of the stickers that might be extra and allow the kids to choose wherever they want to place them, however it just is confusing that there are two extra stickers; There is no mention in the instructions what to do with them.
Electronics: This toy makes sounds. Luckily the volume of the sound effects are not annoying or loud. I am happy to report the sounds don't seem to be overly repetitive and are easy to tune out. I hope the batteries last a while since they appear to be of a “button battery” style and not the typical AAA or AA. I understand why these batteries were used (they are smaller), however this could cause a bit of an upset when they finally give out. I am VERY happy that batteries are included!
A moment of confusion: During play my children managed to confuse me into thinking the toy was somehow broken. It turns out the shield part on the front that rotates, activates a latch on the inside of the trailer to keep the trailer portion shut. The shield can rotate ever so slightly, fooling you into thinking the trailer should be unlatched and open, however it is still fully latched. Turning the shield fully counter clockwise will unlatch the trailer allowing it to open into the playset; The instructions are lacking in explaining this.
Final thoughts: If I had to purchase this toy, I would not hesitate to buy it. I would however buy the characters first and this playset second since the Paw Patroller playset really needs the other characters to engage the child fully. The toy seems very durable, acts as a storage unit and has continued to be the go-to toy for my two children after 2 weeks of continued play.
