Customer Reviews

Scooby-doo Mystery Mansion Playset

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

It was with GREAT expectation and anticipation that this 44 year old Scooby fan searched for and found this product at Toys R Us, after seeing it listed on Ebay. At first on Ebay, it appeared this was only available in the UK, and sold for over a hundred dollars. But, the UK must have gotten this item in stock first, because now we have it in the U.S.
While shopping with my wife and baby at Toys R Us, I was elated to see something that both the big kid (me) and the little one could enjoy. Seeing this product on the shelf was a THRILL. I BEGGED my wife to let me buy it (for my son, of course). I could hardly wait to get home to get it out of the box. Once home, the packaging was only mildly adult proof, as many products are today. But, you basically had to unscrew part of the bottom to get the cardboard out.
Now, the real disappointments began. I used to own the Weeble's Haunted House, from the '70's, and that was solid plastic. Very quickly you realize how thin the platic is that makes up the Scooby Doo Haunted House and it's floors. And, in opening and closing it, it felt fairly wobbly, like it would not endure the test of time. Then came the worse discovery; The roof is made of either the cheapest, thinnest plastic possible, or it's just very glossy thick paper. Very cheap, for [...] bucks. And it went down, from there. There's a little trap door that pops open, revealing a pair of green hands. Neat feature, but the trap door would not close again, despite my gentle hand and making sure the trigger button was not stuck. That was bad enough, but with that trap door open, the house would not close.
I don't know why they don't make these playset houses in one piece, where you don't have to attach a bunch of pieces. And they should have the whole house on one side, and just a flat, faux back to open...rather than dividing the house in 2. When the house is closed, and the front doors pop open, it's impossible to get them both closed without re-opening the whole rickety house, again.
I blew [...] bucks, and am so disappointed with the house and disgusted with the trouble that I'm giving it away to a neighbor. Do yourself a favor; Buy the Mystery Machine instead, or wait for another company to create a better Haunted House Playset like I am.

So excited to see this item! My son was turning 4 and he loves ScoobyDoo. We already had the mystery machine and when I had seen this to go with it I was so excited. He loves anything "spooky". The Mansion has lots of extras like a trap door, a ghost that moves etc. I knew it would be the perfect gift. It is an awsome idea,and I think kids and parents alike will love it, but do expect to have to super glue all the pcs of the house that keep falling apart. You can't pick it up to move it from the floor to another part of the room because the entire second floor of the house falls off. The outside stairs and roof fall off of the house and when you try to close it up after playing, or it comes off the hinges. It's a great toy, but it's sad that I spent the amount of money I did on it and I have to glue it together so he can play with it or it will all fall apart. Why cant anyone make a quality toy any more. I don't mind paying what I did for this but I shouldn't have to 'fix' it so he can play with it. Again, very cute toy, just expect to do some "home repairs" to keep it all together. It is worth the fix up though.

The Mystery Mansion is a good choice for people who want to collect Scooby-Doo memorabilia.
It has some cool features and detailing. All of the props have worked so far but the overall stability of the toy is marginal. It is not sturdy enough for little children to play with without adult interaction; they would tear it apart within the hour.
The overall quality of the toy is good and has several fun features that bring to mind
old Scooby Doo episodes from the past.

Even though I gave this product a good rating, I do have a few gripes and complaints:
The instruction sheet didn't mention how the trap door and mirror work, the flap that fits under the left side of the house that acts as a support, and I still don't know what's up with the spider.

Before I bought this toy I tried to find out if it came with all of the figures shown in the pictures of the product: Fred, Daphny, Velma, Scooby and Shaggy and a few monsters. The written description was very ambiguous, only mentioning "13 different features" but not specifying if that included the entire crew. When I got the playset, at first I was excited to see that all of the Scooby-Doo characters were shown on the outside packaging. But unfortunately, it only comes with Scooby and Shaggy.

Ultimately, if you are a die hard Scooby-Doo fan, then the Mystery Mansion playset is a winner.

Some reviewers have mentioned that this toy is not robust, it dismantles easily and some parts are made of cardboard. This is true, but it is still so much fun that it doesn't matter. Its pieces pop apart but have not snapped, so you just have to pop them back together again.
My 4-year-old and I have spent literally hours with this toy and after a whole year he still wants to play with it nearly every day. The way it stimulates his imagination is fantastically entertaining for me as well as for him. Being Scooby Doo, he can integrate just about any other toy with it: The Scooby gang are terrorised by giant dinosaurs, various ghoulish figurines from McDonalds or Christmas crackers, giant toy insects.. whatever he lays eyes on becomes part of the story that we invent together and act out. He takes the figurines to bed and uses them to insert extra events into the Scooby Doo bedtime stories I read him. The way this toy has shown me the way his mind works, what he is interested by, and the way he can be so inventive and expressive, is the kind of thing I think every mother dreams of.

I completely agree with the reviews above! I bought this toy for my children as a special gift. It constantly falls apart and my children end up frustrated with it and just play with the figurines instead. It is such a neat looking toy, but the durability just isn't there. It has been the biggest waste of money and I'm honestly considering putting it in the trash.

Love the toy...very entertaining for my 4 year old.

Quality isnt bad its just they didnt make the pieces that attach the house together very well...they should have clipped more securely....

HOW to FIX: SIMPLE - just crazy glue a few pieces...you'll know which ones :)

Worth the money if under $40....which you can find at Toys'R'Us.

Despite the other reviews that mentioned the poor quality of this toy, I bought it anyway thinking, "How bad could it be?" The mansion will not stay together and is now a heap of useless plastic. My daughter was able to play with it once or twice and then it just kept falling apart. For the high price, I expected something much more substantial. Do not buy this toy.

Thank goodness I didn't buy this toy, it was given to my son as a birthday present. We were so excited for him to get it though, as he has developed quite the Scooby Doo addiction (that his father and I have encouraged, being such Scooby Doo fans as we are). Anytime that he has played with it I spend twice as much time putting it back together. When it opens there is nothing to support one side of the house so it sags, putting too much pressure on the hinges and the side eventually falls off...then the roof pieces fall off. It seems most of the traps are snap hinges that don't hold at all. I can never get the stairs in the right position for the house to close, and like the other poster said, the doors constantly pop open and are hard to shut when the thing is closed.

Now my son just turned 4, so maybe he plays with it too rough, but only a few of the traps work correctly and he just gets frustrated and calls me or his dad to "come fix Scooby's House" all the time.

We have owned the Scooby Doo haunted house for almost 5 months now. The only reason I have not trashed it, is that my kids may go looking for it. It currently resides in a plastic bag in pieces. From day one I have had to put it back together over and over and over again. This is quite possibly the WORST made toy ever! It's a shame. It's such a great idea. It looks fun. It would be fun if it didn't fall apart every 5 seconds.

Do NOT spend the money on this! It is THE WORST QUALITY! It constantly falls apart! Which is such a bummer because my daughter loves Scooby-Doo and would love a fun haunted house to play with...but this one constantly breaks and frustrates the heck out of her. Too bad they can't make a durable one, worth the money spent.