My daughter received the Fifi cottage for her third birthday. Despite owning two dolls houses already, this play set has almost overcome both of them to become her firm favourite.
Designed in a unique way to capture children's attention, the cottage is true to Fifi's house in the series and is in the shape of a watering can. There is even a handle that enables the house to be carried around when closed.

Upon getting the house from the box the first time, there are a few parts that need putting together. These are essentially added extras to the cottage that make the play set a little more special than just a standard playhouse.
The spout of the watering can has a little handle on the end that is reached from inside the cottage. Attached to the end is a plastic area for Bumble the bee to be attached to, which means when the handle is turned, Bumble looks as though he is flying.
There are other nice little touches such as a piece of string that acts like a winch for a basket to be lowered from the roof. This can carry supplies for Fifi from her house to the ground.

I was quite surprised at how many added extras were included, although some of them are quite small and fiddly to play with. Because of this, I wouldn't give this cottage to a child under three purely for the safety side of it.

Watching my daughter play with the house, I can see the entertainment factor for small children who love to watch the TV series. Many a time she has asked me to play with her, and we take a share of the characters that were included. We have six which cover the main characters, but I have seen some sets are sold with only two. I think having more makes it better.
As the cottage has so many features, we can make each play session different. The furniture included is well made and contains some clever designs. Fifi's bed for example is designed just for the Fifi character as her silhouette is carved out underneath the blanket, so you can place her under the plastic cover and it looks like she is in bed.
The curtains are authentic, and placed on little curtain poles. They are quite fiddly to replace if children take them off, but all the fittings are plastic and none of them have broken yet. Each door can be taken off its hinges and replaced easily by an adult, but not a child.

My only niggle with the design of the cottage is the way it opens and closes. Once open there is a good surface area to play within. To shut the cottage requires the window sill on the outside to be slid across as a catch. This isn't so easy for a three year old to understand, and also when it's time to open the cottage. I think it would take some brute force to break, but there may have been an easier way.

Overall, considering the price of this cottage which I have since found out to be around the £15 mark, I think this is a good buy for any Fifi fan. The set is well made, and the quirky features make it that little more special. Also the fact that it's not in the shape of a house is a good selling point.
Recommended in our house.