We were asked to review the girls pretend kitchen built by KidKraft. So we put one together (and timed ourselves), we smelled it, we poked it, we photographed it, we gave it marks on looks and functionality, we played with it and finally we lived with it for few days. What’s more we asked the participants to tell us what they thought of it. This is what we found out.
What we’ve reviewed? KidKraft Retro Pink Kitchen
Looks: 10 out of 10
We liked this kitchen. It is a beautiful soft pink kitchen, very retro and very good looking. The comment we had from a 5year old: “I like it, it looks so real, doesn’t it?” In fact it does look stunningly real with a silver hob sink, nicely made taps and ice maker on the fridge door. Very real apart from the obvious girly pink colour which we loved. It would fit perfectly in a new instalment of ‘The Cat in The Hat’ movie!
Assembly and materials : 9.5 out of 10
What our tech man said:
Every piece was carefully wrapped, to protect from scratches, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it free from the usual smell of mdf furniture/toys. The metal parts were reassuringly sturdy, and everything was present and correct. Self-assembly kits have come a long way from the early days of MFI, and this was using all the latest techniques. Every part was numbered with a sticker, to make it easy to identify, and even the various screws and things came on a cardboard tray with labels, and perforations to open the individual compartments. In keeping with this multinational age, there were no words on the instructions, but the pictures were clear, and unambiguous, as long as you looked carefully. I got something wrong, of course, but I was able to go back and work it out without difficulty. All the visible screws had painted tops to match the sides, which is a very nice touch, and greatly improves the look of the toy. The paint doesn’t hinder assembly at all (unlike a recent purchase from Homebase where the painted screws were completely unusable and had to be thrown away). Even the hinges have a smooth curved side that’s visible, and a flat side to go against the panels. These little signs of quality really lift the feel of the whole toy.
Assembly took about two and a half hours, as there were a lot of different parts. Only one of the five doors was a struggle to fit neatly and shut properly – everything else just worked perfectly first time. Everything fits where it should, there are no gaps, and no wobbles, apart from the bowl of the sink, which is surprisingly lightweight, given the solidity of everything else.
Functionality : 9.5 out of 10
We loved the knobs, you can move them and they look and feel very real. All doors open and close, the fridge and freezer is just fantastic with separate doors and plenty of space for storage. Our little judges decided to store their sweets in the larder and their drinks in the fridge! The sink is removable so if you wished to put a bit of real water inside it can be removed quite quickly if needed. However considering this is not a plastic toy we are not sure how much water it would take before the sink surroundings go bubbly. The phone attached to the side of the kitchen is also a nice touch. We thought it could have had a wire attached to the earpiece. The oven has a sturdy tray which has plenty of space for cookies or whatever the budding chefs decide to cook. The cupboard below the sink has a nice wide shelf where all the cooking utensils and plates can be stored. Below it is the shelf without doors perfect for cooking books.
Our young judges liked the space next to the microwave for ‘display of stuff’. Last we saw there was a tea pot and couple of cups. The microwave has a wooden tray which can revolve like in a real microwave. The microwave door has a nice window so you can check if your food is piping hot! The height is best for children up to approx. 3-5 years old, it might be a bit low for older children.
How easy would it be to live with it? 8.5 out of 10
The kitchen is surprisingly neat and narrow while the perfect size for playing. We were worried about having to put up with it in our kitchen and trip over it all the time. Surprisingly the kitchen is not in the way and does not stand out far from the wall. Also we thought if people don’t have much space indoors and wish to free some space after a while they might be able to put it in a Wendy House in the garden. It should withstand the cold as long as it is not left somewhere wet. So we sort of branded it ‘inside-outside toy’. Considering this is a big toy and depending of the size of the room you want to keep it in we think it would be quite easy to live with for quite a long time.