One2Believe's Noah's Ark Review

Nothing matches the excitement my kids have for finding toys on our doorstep for us to review! And just like when we received the Nativity last fall from One2Believe, this Noah's Ark was ripped open the minute I brought it inside. Ironically, my kids had no interest in playing the Noah's Ark story, and instead they divvied up the animals and took them off to play other things with them. But they've come around to the ark too, or at least parts of it.
One2Believe is a company committed to making and selling products that glorify God and allow children to play out the stories of real people and get them excited about real superheroes-heroes of the faith. Beyond the Tales of Glory Nativity and this Noah's Ark, they also sell Messengers of Faith, Spirit Warriors, Proverbs 31 dolls, and other Tales of Glory sets.
The pros to this set are that I think the animals are cute, not in a cutesy sort of way, but in a whimsical take on reality. The kids loved the monkeys in particular. And the ark opens up and all the pieces store inside, so clean up is easy. The ark floats too, so it can be taken into the tub or pool to really recreate the story.
Unfortunately, I have several cons too. As fond as I was of the Nativity, I have many other not-so-fond issues with Noah's Ark. I feel like the top is very hard to remove, especially the first time. And there are not good instructions that come with it that tell you how to open it (it was so stubborn, I was afraid I might break it, and wasn't sure if it really was meant to open). I also missed the fact that it floats, and would never have known that except that it was on the web page that I post my review link on (which is done by the leader of the TOS Crew, not One2Believe). And I think the ark is not well made or designed. The plastic that the top and the ramp are made out of is really thin. I have no doubt they will break without much effort, like if they get stepped on. (In fact the ramp is currently missing, so I'm wondering if it broke and no one wants to confess.) And the ramp is SOOO steep. Really. Yes, you can some of the animals on it, but you have to do it carefully or they will fall off. And there is no way to get animals into the ark without taking the top completely off, so the animals either have to ride on deck (but not in the little house, all but one pair are too tall to actually fit through the door), or be inside the ark and totally out of site (yes, that's probably truer to the story, but it's not much fun to play with stuff you can't even see.) I was disappointed the ark has no door into the lower part, especially since God closing the door is such a beautiful part of the story. And the biggest con? There's no Mrs. Noah! Where'd she go? Did she take the Carnival Cruise? I mean, if there are two of every animal, what happened to Noah's better half? (Never mind his sons and their wives-they are missing too, but that seems to be a universal truth in Noah's Ark sets.)
So what's the bottom line? I'd love to tell you to rush out and buy this, especially because I love what One2Believe stands for, and they have so many other really cool and unique play sets. But I can't. This set is $29.95, which is cheaper than some Noah's Ark sets, but more than others...especially ones that are similar. A popular competitor is only $10. That's a big difference, and I feel like the cheaper one actually is made more durably, which is important in a house full of kids. But you should definitely check out One2Believe, since they really do have a lot of wonderful play sets to offer. And if you want to check out the Noah's Ark while you are there, I'm sure you won't be disappointed if you keep the things I said in mind.
To see what other TOS Crew reviewers had to say, go HERE.