A different kind of unboxing: not shopping bags but Advent calendars are unpacked here. I got support from the target group: from a child, from my child, Julius, 9 years old.
Our selection of five calendars is figure-friendly: none contain sweets, all contain, well, let's call them toys. It will probably take us longer than 120 minutes to complete the 120 doors. At the end, we will award points - 24 in total, of course! But now, even if nobody knocks, it's time to open the door!
The "Back to the Future" advent calendar
From Playmobil, around 34 euros, from 5 to 99 years (says the manufacturer)
Advertising slogan on the packaging? There is none. Playmobil probably doesn't even need it. Instead, you learn that Advent calendars are called "Calendario Dell'Advento" in Spanish, for example.
After the door (What's left?): 24 more pieces in the Playmobil box in the nursery - and a big childhood wish. Julius: "Tell me, Dad, where's the cool car from the film? That Telodorian or whatever it's called? It's not even in the film. Look, they show it here on the back. I'd need it to be able to really play with the characters, I think. Or dad? OR?"
Rating: 23/24 points
The Ehrlich Brother Advent calendar
From Clementoni, around 35 euros, from 7 years (says the manufacturer)
Advertising slogan on the packaging? One of many: "24 cool magic tricks for a magical Advent season".
The set-up is very simple: open it up and you're done. Ta ta!
Rating: 20/24 points
The Three ??? advent calendar
From Kosmos, around 20 euros, from 8 years (says the manufacturer)
Advertising slogan on the packaging? "Find out what happens in the toy shop at night in 24 exciting puzzles".
Rating: 21/24 points
The Fortnite advent calendar
From Funko, around 56 euros, from 3 years (says the manufacturer)
Advertising slogan on the packaging? None, but instead a warning in several languages that small children could choke on the contents - and not just them.
When you open the cardboard in the centre, you see 24 red doors on a light blue background. To her left, White Tiger, a motorbike chick with a white leather suit and polished helmet, puts her hands on her hips. To her right, Gingerbread, the broadly grinning gingerbread man, flexes his muscles. If you put the calendar on a table, you have an altar to modern pop culture for 24 days. Hallelujah!
Rating: 12/24 points
The electronic retro games advent calendar
From Franzis, around 11 euros, from 14 years (says the manufacturer)
Advertising slogan on the packaging? "24 games from the 70s and 80s to build yourself. New crafting fun every day".
Still quite pretty: I'm supposed to make a small brown console out of two sheets of cardboard. Together with the contents of the little doors, the makers imagine that it will be incredibly fun to play! I'm going to say: fiddlesticks!
Around the door: Unimaginatively, 24 little doors were simply printed on the otherwise identical cover. If I were to hang the calendar on my wall, it would look as if I had forgotten to unwrap it. A little creative variety between the outside and inside would have been desirable. On the other hand, perhaps that's asking too much for the bargain price of 11 euros.
After the door: How do I put it nicely? In the early days of the Advent calendar in the 19th century, parents drew 24 chalk lines on a blackboard and the children were allowed to wipe one off each day. So why not opt for the electronic retro games advent calendar?
I've been a journalist for 20 years and have been editor of a knowledge magazine, head of copy at a news magazine and editor-in-chief of a youth magazine, among other things. For me, topics and texts can't be varied and colorful enough. Preferably something different, new and exciting every day. But the people around me - the people who share my table, bed and bathroom - would like to stay the same for the rest of my life.
Product test
Our experts test products and their applications. Independently and neutrally.
Julius (9): "Wow! Playmobil! But what is 'Back to the Future'?". Me (46): "WHAT?! You don't know that one?! It's an absolute cult film from the 80s. A boy travels back in time in a car that's actually a time machine. I went to see it at the cinema when I was about the same age as you are now!" Julius: "I see. Nope, never heard of it. But then I don't know how to play with the characters, what they did in the film. I'd have to know the film to be able to do anything with this Advent calendar, I think. Or dad? OR?" In my head: "Yes, yes, I get it. My child just likes to watch films. Since he was recently allowed to watch 'Karate Kid' - first the new one, then the old one - he's developed a fondness for 80s films: 'E.T.', 'The Indians of Cleveland', for Halloween there was 'Beetlejuice'." I say: "All right: 116 minutes of interruption."
In front of the door (unpacking and setting up): Julius is in the (film) picture. He now knows who Marty McFly and Doc Brown are and what the DeLorean and the flux compensator are all about. The film can begin. At last! Well, not quite yet: before the first door can be opened, the film set has to be set up. The Hill Valley town hall with the all-important clock tower has to be put together from large sheets of cardboard. Anyone who has ever taken a course in origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, at the adult education centre has a clear advantage here. Playmobil is obviously good with plastic, but not so good with paper. The cardboard sheets are quite stubborn, nothing really wants to fit together. It takes patience. A quality that very few parents have in excess. But then: Oops, it fits! It works after all. First door open, now, immediately!
Behind the door (the content): Seven characters and all sorts of film props needed to recreate individual scenes. Marty McFly and Doc Brown in different lifts, villain Biff Tannen and Jennifer Parker, plus a skateboard, guitar, amplifier, lightning rod, electricity pylons... Julius is busy not only setting up the characters, but also staging them. The film plot bubbles out of him without interruption. Parents who send their children to the art centre because they value free, creative play are probably less well advised to use this Advent calendar. But Julius is thrilled. His verdict: "Cool!" - which is not only his favourite word at the moment, but also the greatest possible form of recognition.
Around the door (appearance and design): In the best case scenario, Advent calendars not only hang on the wall for 24 days, but also decorate it. In the picture with the little doors, we can see the key scene of the film: the DeLorean sets off on a time jump in the dark of night, leaving the famous burning tyre tracks behind it. This seems only logical. In general, this calendar looks very well thought out, down to the smallest detail - even the number plate that the DeLorean loses during the film has been included. A very original additional gimmick: a card with a wobbly picture on which Marty's siblings disappear - just like in the film. Playmobil's "Back to the Future" Advent calendar is a well-composed work of art that allows parents to travel back in time with their children to their own childhood and youth - and gives children a little bit of fun every morning.
In front of the door: On the front: the Ehrlich Brothers. On the back: the Ehrlich Brothers. Inside: the Ehrlich Brothers. On the instructions: the Ehrlich Brothers. And on the magic playing cards behind door one: the Ehrlich Brothers again. You really have to enjoy watching the dynamic duo from East Westphalia-Lippe - very much so - when you buy your advent calendar, because you simply can't escape it. The only thing is that none of the magicians smile from the shiny green surface with the individual doors. Perhaps the manufacturers feared that open doors could disfigure the perfectly styled hairstyles of the two - and these are one of the Hocus Pocus brothers' greatest show effects.
Behind the door: 24 magic tricks and a clever concept: behind the little doors you'll find the props, in a large enclosed pad the descriptions of the tricks. The sheets with the instructions can be torn off individually and collected later in an enclosed plastic sleeve. If the written tutorial is not enough for you, you can watch explanatory videos by and with the Ehrlichs on the Internet. Abracadabra! You realise that the brothers were once clueless students of magic themselves. Their tips are all absolutely beginner-friendly and, above all, child-friendly. Even the difficulty levels of the tricks are labelled "easy, medium, difficult". However, the Ehrlichs do go overboard with some of the tips. For example: "Only perform once! The magic trick is mainly based on acting, so don't hesitate to put yourself completely in the role of the great magician to convince your audience." Aaahhh yes... All in all, not a magical performance, but a very convincing one.
Instead of white tigers, the legitimate heirs of Siegfried and Roy dissolve all kinds of coins, cards and cloths into thin air. During the tricks, they mainly use cards and ropes, which can also be found behind the little doors. Very practical: in addition to the instruction slips, the plastic bag can also be used to store all the small parts that don't magically disappear (under the table, behind the shelf, in the hoover). Julius likes the tricks with the quick effects and the short path to the family's applause at the breakfast table best: for example, the rope guillotine, with which you can cut a thread in the blink of an eye and then - Simsalabim! - can be put back together again. Or "the miracle with the coin", where coins multiply (what a pity that this is only a trick!). The nine-year-old finds all tricks "uncool" (maximum rejection) if you have to practise them first, especially his own dexterity. He's not in the mood for that in the morning. Understandably so.
Around the door: The cover is clearly reminiscent of a Formula One driver's suit: lots of (self) advertising. A number of sales arguments are draped around the heads of the Ehrlichs: "With competition: 25 x 2 tickets for the show and 25 magic kits to be won. With discount code for tickets to the Ehrlich Brothers Tour. Best of tricks from three different magic boxes. 3D explanatory videos for all magic tricks". This advent calendar doesn't hide what it has to offer. Dazzling word fireworks, a lot of loud noise - a package like a magic show by the Ehrlich Brothers.
After the door: The Ehrlich Brothers: Newly Reconciled. A really successful magic box in the form of an Advent calendar - and not just the illusion of it. As hairspray-steeled as the Ehrlich Brothers' hairstyles are, the connection they have with their youngest audience is just as impressive. They strike a chord with them and are able to convey tricks in their hands-on videos - and also motivate them to practise. After all, some magic tricks require patience and a bit of time, otherwise the next generation will be frustrated and say "I can't do it!" in the morning. To sum up, let's take the stage name of Andreas Ehrlich (the older one) as an example: when he was still performing without his brother, he called himself Andy McJOY - and the "Ehrlich Brothers" Advent calendar is definitely FUN. Incidentally, his brother was still called Chris Joker back then.
In front of the door: Different from the others: On this calendar, we look in vain for a numbering system from 1 to 24. Instead, symbols on the individual compartments point the way, which in turn are embedded in a colourful illustration of a toy shop. We find out which door to open with which symbol when we solve the corresponding puzzles correctly - one every day. For three and a half weeks, we accompany Justus Jonas, Peter Shaw and Bob Andrews through a 24-part serialised story and help them solve a criminal case - as the fourth and fifth detectives.
So you have to start thinking as soon as you get up. I read the story aloud, Julius puzzles, sometimes more, sometimes less successfully. A little parental support is needed at one point or another. But if your parent's brain isn't enough, cheating is allowed: there's a little solution box hidden in the margin of each puzzle. Incidentally, the detective story was written by Uwe Blanck, a practised author of "Drei ??? Kids". The suspense factor remains appropriate for children. The children's hair doesn't stand on end with excitement first thing in the morning like an Ehrlich Brother. Parents who used to listen to the Three Question Marks on cassette themselves (like me!) or perhaps still listen to them to fall asleep (like me!) will smile every now and then when Aunt Mathilda serves cherry cake or the strange alarm clock appears. Nostalgic fun for the grown-ups, puzzles with a sense of achievement and reward for the little ones, reading fun for both together. A round thing in a square!
Behind the door: Stickers, badges, magnets - all kinds of "Three ???" merchandise, but definitely more original. Plus a cipher card, crime scene template, deciphering disc, code fans, tape measure, the basic equipment of a detective laboratory (measuring beaker and pipette) and a suitable experiment. After 24 days, the CSI advent calendar can start its work immediately. Julius was delighted with every single one of the little doors, because you really don't know what you're going to get. Something with a detective theme, but there's plenty to choose from. His absolute favourite: the spy mirror. His absolute pet hate: the calculating gnome. On the one hand, Julius couldn't explain why a kind of slide rule could end up in this Advent calendar. Secondly, for him, anything that has anything to do with maths is the opposite of fun. And an advent calendar is supposed to be fun!
Around the door: Shut up! Or better still, cut it off. The back of the cover features an illustration of a toy shop in the typical "Three ???" style, as seen on numerous cassette and CD covers. It is intended as a cool poster for the children's room. Julius finds it rather less cool. Not his taste. So the picture stays on. As described, numerous symbols are hidden on the front with the little doors, which have to be searched for and found, a hidden object picture for little puzzle fans. The mechanisms of the puzzles are all familiar classics, just adapted with imagination to the detective story: What are the differences between these two pictures? What doesn't fit into this series? Which two objects are the same? How do you put this puzzle together? Can you decipher the mirror writing? Quite feasible.
After the door: Days later, our entire family is still being watched with the spy mirror for peeking around corners. Some of the detective paraphernalia will have a long life in the children's room, while others (the maths gnome!) will certainly never be touched again. But the most lasting memory is of ten minutes of quality time together in the early morning. And I'll also have a badge with the strange alarm clock on it that I snapped off Julius.
In front of the door: "Oh no! 'Fortnite', that's a shooting game for older children. I don't like that, Dad! I'm out of there," says Julius. And he's out. He clearly doesn't belong to the target group of this Advent calendar: around 350 million players worldwide enjoy the co-op survival shooter, a third of whom are female. "Fortnite": loved, hated, definitely an unmissable pop culture phenomenon. No less than the "Pint Size Heroes", small figures with big square blocky heads, a modern version of the collectible figure in grandmother's box. This Advent calendar brings both trends together: Mini figures meet mega game. The most popular "Fortnite" characters pop out from behind the doors as pint-sized heroes. Screech! How cute!
Behind the door: Significantly more than seven dwarves. The thumblings with the giant heads are of course very cute to look at. They include Tinseltoes, Lynx, Onesie, Wild Card, Frozen Red Knight and Funtime Freddy, many of whom are wearing their own Christmas outfits. But after looking at them, there's not much more. You can put them up nicely. And then they stand and stand and stand. And the dust trickles quietly. Quite unpleasant for an Advent calendar. The interaction, the opportunity to do something yourself, is much greater with all other calendars. Not to say: looooong boring!
Around the door: When Nag Ops waves from the front of the box, no real Christmas spirit wants to emerge, even if the brunette is wearing a teasing Santa hat and a reindeer jumper. Peely, the banana, stands opposite her and smiles wryly, as if someone had just asked him what the connection is between a banana and the Advent season. "Hmmmh, I ate a delicious fried banana with a marzipan filling at the Christmas market yesterday" is something you rarely hear.
After the door: Well, 24 figurines for the windowsill that is. Hardcore fans with a passion for collecting will certainly get their money's worth. Although: Over 50 euros for 24 small portions of plastic is not exactly a bargain. This Advent calendar is like a giant surprise egg, only without chocolate, but certainly with a figure. Ultimately, they are likely to suffer a similar fate to the countless Happy Hippos that accumulate in a child's life: they end up in drawers, behind radiators and under beds - and many were last seen when the dog was chewing on them.
In front of the door: "Tennis", "Senso", "The Hot Wire", "Lie Detector", "Safecracker" - that sounds temptingly like back then, like the simplest console technology, like arcades, like arcade games, like good old fun between "Remember...??" and "That's right, that's how it was..." The flat packaging in the most beautiful Seventies brown emphasises the retro feeling even more. Rounded fonts and orange-coloured borders immediately make me feel nostalgic. "24 games from the 70s and 80s to build yourself!" Oh yes, how nice! But as soon as I open the box, my expectations collapse even faster than the A-Team's opponents.
Behind the door: "Ha! That's brilliant! I'm going crazy: a plug-in circuit board, a push-button switch and a battery compartment! And lots of wire too. How cool is that?" The creative minds at the manufacturing company Franzis must have imagined the morning jubilation in the teenager's room that the retro electronics games Advent calendar triggers. Hidden behind the little doors are small components with which you can add to your existing kit. An LED light. A resistor. And another LED light. And another resistor. And a sound transducer. If you insert the components correctly into the plug-in board, you can then play "whack-a-mole", "roulette" or "17 and 4", in the simplest form of course. Ouch! Fun when building: Not much. Fun while playing: None. Who is this rather simple electric construction set intended for? According to the manufacturer's recommendation, it is aimed at buyers aged 14 and over. But the handful of young people who are really interested in electric circuits will have moved on long ago. You won't catch them with "Build your own Senso". And all the other boys and girls would rather paddle around on a console than find out how the thing works anyway.
