Playtive
Playtive is the overarching toy brand of the German supermarket chain Lidl. There are no licenses, but primarily city sets: fire, police, railways, etc., making it very child-oriented.
I bought the police set and the Lidl truck myself. The cost is around €20. In comparison, for the similar LEGO set “Police Truck with Laboratory” (60418), you pay a recommended retail price of €54.99. Both sets rely on roughly the same amount of stickers and similar accessories, but Playtive performs significantly better.
At Playtive, you can mainly tell the low price in one aspect: there are almost no printed parts; almost only stickers are used here. Similar to LEGO.
Who is it worth it for? Is LEGO too expensive for you, but you want similar, child-friendly building block sets for little money? Then I find Playtive absolutely recommendable.
Funwhole / Lumibricks
Funwhole was my big surprise in late 2024 when buying building blocks. Funwhole was renamed to Lumibricks in April 2025 but is still the same company. The sets have generally become more expensive, but the quality remains the same. You can still find both names on Amazon.
The company offers numerous themed worlds, including a US city, a science fiction panorama, and a Wild West setting.
What particularly distinguishes Lumibricks is the lighting: each set is equipped with a lighting kit, causing the entire set to shine with light. Regarding scope, the sets are similar to LEGO, generally cost less, and provide additional value due to the lighting. Another big plus for Funwhole/Lumibricks: almost only printed parts are used.
The lighting is quite sensitive: with my first set from the manufacturer, a chain was broken, but the manufacturer promptly replaced it for free within a few days.
My current favorite set from Funwhole is the Lighthouse of Alexandria: a great set with many details and lighting. The recommended retail price was then €120. In comparison, for the “half” Cheops pyramid from LEGO, you pay a recommended retail price of €139.99. Funwhole simply offers more for your money. I also really like the mini-figures, some even better than LEGO figures.
Who is it worth it for? Funwhole/Lumibricks is my tip if you want to try something completely different from LEGO or BlueBrixx. The prices are more than fair, and customer support responds quickly to problems. The sets are often available at significantly lower prices on Amazon or from the official shop. Waiting can be worthwhile.
Pantasy
Pantasy takes a similar direction as Funwhole and focuses mainly on architecture sets and a few small, licensed film products. In addition, there are many original creations, including a science fiction series.
From Pantasy, I have mainly built a computer from building blocks. The bricks and the instructions have convinced me so far. There are very few stickers which I find very good.
However, what I don’t like about Pantasy are the mini-figures. These big-headed figures simply do not match my taste: I find the figures from Funwhole, BlueBrixx, or Lumibricks much better.
Who is it worth it for? Pantasy primarily focuses on display sets: if play figures and playability are secondary to you, Pantasy offers many interesting sets that can keep you engaged for hours.
