The best Schleich and Papo animal figures for kids: Our son's favorites and his wish list

Our six-year-old has a lot of toys, but the ones that come along everywhere are his Schleich animals. They come along on almost every outing: to the sandbox, to the beach, into the water and on walks. His favorites are the jungle animals, the tiger, the chameleon, the tree frog, the giant tortoise and a lava scorpion from Schleich’s fantasy line. On top of that come the sea animals and the dinosaurs, which have their own guides.

Then, on a walk through the toy stores before Christmas, he made a second list: the animals he does not have yet. A fire salamander, an armadillo, an aardvark, a meerkat, a koala, a polar bear, a peacock, an insect set, and two figures from Papo, a snowy owl and a hedgehog.

This guide is built from both lists. The favorites come first, because they are the animals we know from our own floor. The wish list comes second, and for those we stick to the manufacturers’ descriptions and age ratings. Schleich is one of the brands we buy without much research, because the quality has never let us down. For Papo, we stick to the maker’s own descriptions.

Why Schleich, and where Papo comes in

Schleich animals are detailed, solid and hand-painted, and they have no batteries, no buttons and no sounds. That sounds like a limitation and is the opposite. A tiger without a roar button roars however the child wants, hunts, sleeps or rescues, depending on the day. And a figure without electronics can go outside, into the sand and near the water without anyone worrying about it.

Schleich sorts its animals into lines. Wild Life is the wild animals, from tigers to frogs, rated 3+. Farm World is the farm, and that is where the peacock lives. Dinosaurs are rated 4+. Eldrador is the fantasy line with monsters and battle creatures, rated 7+. Most figures stay in the range for years, so a collection can grow one animal per birthday.

Papo is a French figure maker in the same realistic, hand-painted style. Papo says its figures are imagined, designed and developed in France, and they are rated 3+. For our son, Papo is the brand for the animals Schleich does not make, and two of them are on his list.

His favorites: The animals we know best

1. Schleich Jungle Safari Bundle (77588): The best first gift

If you buy one Schleich gift, make it a bundle. The Schleich Wild Life Jungle Safari Bundle (77588) has five animals in one box: an Asian elephant, a tiger, a giant panda, a hyacinth macaw and an orangutan. It is rated 3+, and it is one of our son’s favorite sets.

Five animals is where play turns into a world. There is a big one, a fierce one, a gentle one, a bird and a climber, and every one of them needs a different story. The bundle also solves a small problem from his wish list: the single Schleich hyacinth macaw was out of stock on Amazon in the US when we checked, and this set has one.

2. Schleich Tiger (14729): The big cat

The Schleich Tiger (14729) is one of the single figures on our son’s list of favorites. It is a classic of the Wild Life range, rated 3+, with the detailed stripes and painting Schleich is known for.

A tiger is also the obvious partner for almost every other animal in this guide. It is the hunter, and every collection needs one.

3. Chameleon (14858) and European Tree Frog (14882): The small ones he loves

Not every favorite is big. The Schleich Chameleon (14858) and the Schleich European Tree Frog (14882) are both small figures, both rated 3+, and both on our son’s list of favorites.

Small animals like these fit in a pocket, and they are the ones that come along when there is no room for a whole jungle.

4. Schleich Giant Tortoise (14824): The one on both lists

The Schleich Giant Tortoise (14824) is a Galápagos giant tortoise with a textured shell and wrinkled skin. It is rated 3+, and it is on both of our son’s lists, the favorites and the wishes from the toy store.

A tortoise is the calm animal in a collection full of hunters, and a good counterweight to the tiger.

5. Schleich Eldrador Lava Scorpion (70142): The monster

The odd favorite on the list comes from Schleich’s fantasy line. The Schleich Eldrador Lava Scorpion (70142) is a lava monster with rotating pincers and a twistable tail, and its armor is painted with glowing magma cracks. Schleich rates Eldrador figures 7+.

Our son is six and loves it, so the age is a guide rather than a rule. It is still worth knowing that Eldrador is made for battle play rather than nature play.

The other favorites: Sea animals and dinosaurs

His favorites list did not stop at land animals. The Schleich 4-piece Ocean Animals Set (77591), the great white shark, the orca and the Sea Animals Discovery Set are on it, and so is the Schleich Brachiosaurus (14581). Those have their own guides: our guide to ocean animal and ship toys and our dinosaur toy guide.

The wish list: Small animals from the toy store

The second list is the one he made in front of the Schleich shelf. Almost all of it is small single animals, which makes this the stocking stuffer section of the guide.

6. Schleich Fire Salamander (14870): The black-and-yellow one

The Schleich Fire Salamander (14870) is a small black-and-yellow salamander, rated 3+. It fits next to the tree frog and the chameleon in a small reptile and amphibian corner.

7. Armadillo (14874) and Aardvark (14863): The odd ones

Two of the most unusual animals on his list are also two of the smallest and most affordable figures Schleich makes. The Schleich Armadillo (14874) and the Schleich Aardvark (14863), the long-snouted burrower of the African savanna, are both rated 3+.

They are the stocking stuffers of this guide: small enough for a stocking, unusual enough that a child who knows every lion and elephant still gets something new.

8. Schleich Meerkat (14935): The lookout

The Schleich Meerkat (14935) is a small standing meerkat, rated 3+. Next to the aardvark it makes a little savanna, and next to the tiger it is the one keeping watch.

9. Koala (14815) and Polar Bear (14800): The bears that are not both bears

The Schleich Koala (14815) and the Schleich Polar Bear (14800) are two classics of the Wild Life range, both rated 3+.

The polar bear also connects to the ocean world. Next to the penguins and seals from our ocean guide, it is the start of an Arctic.

10. Schleich Peacock (14926): From the farm

The Schleich Peacock (14926) comes from the Farm World line, with its tail fanned out. It is rated 3+, and it is the most colorful animal on his list.

11. Schleich Insects Discovery Set (42741): For the bug fan

The Schleich Insects Discovery Set (42741) has four garden insects: a butterfly, a bee, a ladybug and a grasshopper. It is rated 3+ and is the small-animal set of the guide.

For a child who looks under every stone in the garden, a set like this turns the next walk into a search: which of these can we find for real?

Papo: The animals Schleich does not make

12. Papo Snowy Owl: The bird of the far north

The Papo Snowy Owl is a hand-painted white owl, rated 3+. It is one of two Papo figures on our son’s list, and a natural partner for the polar bear.

13. Papo Hedgehog: The garden guardian

The Papo Hedgehog is a small hand-painted hedgehog, rated 3+. Papo describes it as the little guardian of the garden, and it is the most familiar animal on the list for a child who plays outside.

Two more Papo animals were on his list, a mole and a bull shark. Neither was listed on Amazon in the US when we checked. The same goes for a Schleich jungle vehicle he spotted in the store.

Which animal for which child?

Your child…	Buy	Why
is starting a collection	Jungle Safari Bundle (77588)	Five animals, one box, one of our son’s favorites
loves big cats	Tiger (14729)	One of our son’s favorites
loves reptiles and frogs	Chameleon (14858), Tree Frog (14882), Fire Salamander (14870)	Small, affordable, a whole corner
wants something unusual	Armadillo (14874) or Aardvark (14863)	Animals other kids do not have
loves the Arctic	Polar Bear (14800) and Papo Snowy Owl	The start of an icy world
looks under every stone	Insects Discovery Set (42741)	Four garden insects
is seven and loves monsters	Eldrador Lava Scorpion (70142)	Fantasy battle play, rated 7+

Growing a collection, one animal at a time

The best thing about Schleich is also the most practical for parents: you never have to buy the big set again. A bundle starts the collection, and from then on every birthday, every good report and every stocking adds one animal. Because Schleich keeps most figures in the range for years, the collection grows without anything going out of date.

Mixing lines works, too. Wild Life, Farm World and the dinosaurs are made in the same realistic style, so a peacock, a tiger and a Brachiosaurus can share a story without looking out of place. Papo figures sit in the same world. Eldrador is the exception: its monsters are fantasy creatures.

Before you buy

Count the animals your child already has. A collection with five hunters needs something to hunt, and a collection with ten small animals needs a big one. The best next figure is the one that adds a new role to the story.

Think about where the animals live. If they come along outside like ours do, single figures are better than playsets with small parts. If they stay in the playroom, a bundle or a playset gives them a home.

And check the age on fantasy figures. Wild Life animals are rated 3+, Eldrador 7+. A six-year-old who loves monsters can handle a lava scorpion, as ours shows, but it is not a toy for a three-year-old sibling.

What is the best Schleich set to start a collection?

A bundle gives the most animals for one gift. Our pick is the Schleich Jungle Safari Bundle (77588) with an Asian elephant, a tiger, a giant panda, a hyacinth macaw and an orangutan. It is rated 3+ and one of our son’s favorite sets.

What age are Schleich animals for?

Schleich rates its Wild Life and Farm World animals 3+ and its dinosaurs 4+. The Eldrador fantasy creatures, made for battle play, are rated 7+.

What is the difference between Schleich and Papo?

Both make realistic, hand-painted animal figures rated 3+. Schleich is the bigger range and has playsets and bundles. Papo, a French maker, has animals Schleich does not make, like its snowy owl and hedgehog, and is a good way to fill gaps in a collection.

Are Schleich animals good stocking stuffers?

Yes. Small single figures like the armadillo, the meerkat, the aardvark or the tree frog are among the cheapest Schleich animals and fit in a stocking. They add to a collection the child already has, which is what makes them work.

Can Schleich animals be played with outside?

Ours are, all the time. They come along to the sandbox, the beach and on walks. Schleich figures have no batteries or electronics, so there is nothing to break, but wash off sand and let them dry after water play.