Hohosunlar Play Purse Review: a busy little handbag that keeps kids occupied for cheap

I bought this Hohosunlar play purse for a 4‑year‑old who is completely obsessed with copying adults – especially the whole "bag, phone, keys" routine. I wasn’t expecting much given it’s an unknown brand and the price is on the lower side, but the idea was simple: something to keep her busy that doesn’t involve a screen and doesn’t smear real makeup all over the sofa. After a couple of weeks of use, I’ve got a pretty clear idea of what’s good and what’s just okay.

The first thing that stood out is the sheer amount of stuff in this kit. The box says “48 in 1” and, to be fair, it does feel packed. You’ve got the purse, wallet, fake phone, pretend makeup, cards, money, keys, little accessories, water bottle, eye mask, and more. For a kid, that’s heaven. For an adult picking everything up in the evening, it’s… less fun, but at least they actually play with it.

My main goal was to avoid real makeup and anything sticky or greasy, and on that point it does the job. Everything is pretend – nothing actually goes on the skin, so no stains on clothes or furniture. She still “does her makeup” in front of a mirror, but it’s all plastic and foam. If you’ve ever scrubbed red lipstick out of a carpet, you’ll understand why that matters.

It’s not a perfect product: some pieces feel a bit cheap, and a couple of items are more gimmick than useful toy. But overall, for a basic pretend play set, it’s pretty solid. The kid loves it, it survives daily use, and it hasn’t fallen apart yet. For this type of product and price range, that’s basically what I was hoping for.

For me, value on this kind of toy boils down to three things: how much the kid actually plays with it, how long it survives, and whether it saves me headaches (mess, noise, drama). On those points, this Hohosunlar purse set scores pretty well. It’s not expensive compared to big-brand pretend makeup kits, and you get a lot more bits and pieces than in many better-known sets that cost more.

In daily life, it has already paid for itself in quiet time. She’ll sit on the sofa and reorganize her purse, play “shop” with whoever is around, or walk around the house “going to work”. That’s screen-free time where she’s occupied and not asking for a tablet or TV, which is worth quite a lot to me. Plus, the fact that the makeup is completely fake means I’m not buying real kids’ cosmetics or cleaning stains, which is another hidden saving.

Of course, it’s not perfect value. Some of the 48 items are basically filler (a bunch of similar-looking notes, a couple of cards that don’t add much), and a few accessories feel a bit flimsy. If the sunglasses or bottle break, I won’t be shocked. But the core pieces – purse, wallet, phone, keys, makeup – are the ones she uses the most, and those are decent quality for the price.

Compared to similar pretend purse sets I’ve seen in stores, this one sits in a good spot: not the cheapest junk, not a premium brand, but that sweet middle where you feel you got your money’s worth. If you want a birthday or Christmas gift that looks generous (because there are a lot of items) without spending a fortune, this is a good option. Just don’t expect high-end materials or something that will look brand new after a year; it’s a solid, budget-friendly toy that does its job.

The design is clearly aimed at kids who are into Frozen-style stuff. The purse is blue, with a princess vibe and small snowflake details. If your kid likes Elsa-type characters, they’ll latch onto this straight away. It’s not subtle, it’s not stylish in an adult way, but that’s not the goal. From a parent’s perspective, it looks decent enough to let them take it outside without feeling like you’re carrying a noisy plastic toy bag yourself.

The size of the bag is actually pretty practical. It’s small enough for a 3–6‑year‑old to carry without dragging it on the floor, but big enough to fit most of the accessories comfortably. The handles are short but usable, and there’s a shoulder strap that makes more sense for younger kids who like to sling it across their body. My test kid switched between both without complaining, which is usually a good sign that it’s not awkward to handle.

The fake makeup items are all designed to look “real enough” without being confusing. The lipstick twists but doesn’t extend anything, the compact opens and has a foam pad, the eyeshadow palette opens and shows colored foam. She instantly knew which piece was supposed to be what, so the design is clear. The cards and money are also obvious: simple designs, bright colors, and big enough text and icons that kids quickly understand “this is money, this is a card, this is my license”.

Where it looks a bit cheap is in some of the plastic parts like the sunglasses and bottle. They do their job but feel like they came out of a party favor bag. Nothing shocking for the price, but if you’re hoping for a premium feel, this isn’t that. Overall though, the design is functional and hits the target: it looks like a mini version of a grown-up purse with enough princess style to keep kids interested.

The brand says the purse is made of “soft leather”, but let’s be clear: this is synthetic, not real leather. It’s a soft, flexible material that feels nicer than hard plastic, and for a kids’ toy at this price I actually think it’s pretty good. The stitching and seams on the bag I got were straight, and the golden zipper worked smoothly right out of the box. No weird chemical smell either, which is often my first concern with cheaper toys coming out of the packaging.

The accessories are mostly ABS plastic and foam. The plastic is on the lightweight side, which is fine for little hands but you can tell it’s not heavy-duty. The fake makeup parts use EVA foam for the “product” areas, which is soft and holds up decently. After a couple of weeks of pretty rough use (dropping, stepping on things, stuffing everything in and out of the purse), nothing has broken yet, though some pieces already show minor surface scratches. That’s normal wear for this kind of toy.

The sunglasses and water bottle are where you really feel the cheaper material. The glasses bend a bit when you twist them and I wouldn’t be surprised if they snapped if an older child sat on them. So far they’ve survived, but they clearly won’t last years. The bottle is just a hollow plastic bottle – no insulation, no trick, just a prop. If your kid tries to use it for real drinks, I’d avoid that and stick to it being a pretend item, because it doesn’t look made for actual liquids from a hygiene or durability point of view.

Safety-wise, the edges are rounded and I didn’t spot any sharp bits. The pieces are still small enough that I wouldn’t give this to a child under 3, but that’s in line with the stated age range. Overall, the materials are what I’d call “good enough”: nothing feels premium, but nothing feels unsafe or unusable either. For the price bracket and the amount of items, it’s pretty reasonable.

Durability is always the big question with these busy kits full of small parts. After a bit more than two weeks of daily use, the purse itself is holding up better than I expected. The synthetic material hasn’t cracked, the handles are still firmly attached, and the zipper still runs smoothly. The shoulder strap clips haven’t bent or snapped, even though she drags the bag around quite a bit. So the main piece – the bag – feels solid enough for long-term use.

The accessories are more mixed. The higher-use parts like the fake phone, keys, wallet, and compact have taken plenty of hits (dropped on tiles, stepped on, jammed into the bag) and are still in one piece. You see scratches and small dents, but nothing that affects play. The foam inside the makeup bits has flattened slightly where she “dabs” with the puff, but it’s cosmetic wear and doesn’t change anything.

Where I see potential future failures are the sunglasses and possibly the thinner plastic parts like the keyring. They flex more than I’d like, and I can easily imagine them snapping if an older sibling sits on them or if they get twisted too hard. That said, even if one or two accessories break over time, the set has enough pieces that it won’t kill the toy. It’s not like a single broken part makes the whole thing useless.

Realistically, for the price and the type of toy, I’d rate the durability as pretty solid. It’s not built to be passed down through multiple kids over ten years, but it’s definitely not a “breaks in two days” situation either. If your child is moderately careful or you store the set in the purse between uses, I can see this lasting at least a year or more of regular play without major issues, which is fair for what you pay.

On paper, this set is “48 in 1”, which sounds huge, but in practice that number comes from counting every single fake bill and card. Still, you do get a lot of things to mess around with. In the main batch you have: the blue purse, a small wallet, a plastic water bottle, a toy phone, a key fob, a separate key ring with several keys, sunglasses, an eye mask, pretend powder compact, pretend glitter, a comb, fake lipstick, fake lip gloss, a little eyeshadow palette, hair ties, a pile of cards (license, credit card, VIP card, etc.) and play money.

From a kid’s perspective, this is great because it covers the whole “I’m going out like mom” routine. She packs the purse, chooses which cards to bring, stuffs the wallet with the fake notes, grabs the keys and phone, and walks around the house doing errands that exist only in her head. The phone doesn’t do anything fancy – no lights or sounds – but she doesn’t care, she just pretends to call people. The driving license with a spot for a photo is a nice touch; we printed a tiny photo and taped it on, and she was very proud of her “ID”.

What I liked is that nothing here is complicated. There are no batteries to replace, no tiny screws to open, no weird electronic parts. You just unbox, throw everything in the purse, and they’re good to go. It’s the kind of toy that you can bring to a restaurant or on a visit to grandparents and it will keep them busy at the table, since there are lots of little roles they can play – shop, salon, going to work, etc.

On the downside, with this many small items, you start losing pieces pretty quickly. After a week, one of the fake cards and a couple of fake notes had already disappeared under furniture. That doesn’t really hurt the play value, but if you’re the sort of person who hates scattered little bits everywhere, this set will test your patience. Overall though, the variety is the main strength here: it gives kids plenty of ways to invent scenarios, and that’s really the point of this kind of toy.

In terms of doing what it’s supposed to do – getting kids into pretend play and keeping them occupied – this set works well. The 4‑year‑old I tested it with went straight into full role‑play mode: going to the “shop”, paying with her card, calling people on her phone, “driving” with her license, and packing and unpacking her purse about ten times a day. From a parent’s point of view, that’s exactly what you want: low-tech, imaginative play without much intervention needed.

The pretend makeup is especially effective for kids who see adults using real makeup and want to copy. She “applies” powder and eye shadow every morning, checks herself in a mirror, and then moves on. No mess, no arguments, no “don’t touch my real makeup” drama. She also likes the little routine of putting on the eye mask before bed, even though it’s basically just for show. It becomes a small ritual and helps with the bedtime routine a bit, which is a nice side effect I wasn’t expecting.

Another point: the cards and play money are surprisingly useful for basic learning. We’ve used them to practice counting, talking about what money is, and even simple role‑plays like “you have 5 notes, this toy costs 2, how many are left?”. It’s not a serious educational tool, but it’s a simple way to sneak in some learning while she’s playing. Same with the keys and key fob: it’s a good opportunity to talk about what keys are for and why you shouldn’t play with real ones.

The only limit is that some items don’t do anything beyond being props. The phone doesn’t light up or make sounds, which I actually see as a positive (no annoying noise), but some kids might prefer something a bit more interactive. If your child is used to electronic toys, this might feel “boring” to them after a while. In our case, she still reaches for it regularly after a couple of weeks, so in terms of effectiveness as a pretend-play set, I’d say it does the job well.