As a history teacher, I am delighted to see the Playmobil line extend into the rich world of ancient Egypt. The pyramid features hidden entrances, a burial chamber, a sarcophagus, and canopic jars ( the containers originally used to hold the organs of the deceased) and a series of traps designed to foil a would-be tomb robber. The set includes a pharaoh, a mummy, and the robber himself, as well as the treasure he seeks and the snakes and scorpions that await him if he fails.

As a parent, I feared that the numerous devices designed to foil the robber would make it incompatible with the other sets, but soon our boys welcomed pirates, knights, and all their gear to the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt. Who wouldn’t want to see the Pharaoh wearing a cowboy hat and wielding a cutlass?