Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen™

Comments about Step2 Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen™:

This kitchen is super cute and bigger than the lifestyles Custom Kitchen I bought about 6 months ago. My daughter loved that one so we upgraded to the Mixing up Magic Kitchen. The kitchen set is a bigger than our previous kitchen and cute and colorful. This kitchen also has a few extra fun options such as the popping corn, blender and the moving shutters. I am disappointed though as I feel for $100 more than the lifestyle custom kitchen it should have a bit more as both have 4 interactive features. (so why pay more?) The microwave and phone could have buttons and sounds that work like the custom kitchen ($100 less)and possibly sound buttons on the coffee maker or water/ice dispenser that makes a water sound. Also a small drawer for silver ware would also be nice under the coffee maker. I would also suggest that you give labels for both sides of the condiments as this is a very cheap item you could add along with making the hooks a bit better as they are half falling out of the plastic. Over all I am happy with the purchase as it has a lot of storage space which we need for all her play food but I think step 2 got a little cheap in some major areas for the $100 price increase over the Custom lifestyle kitchen.

Comments about Step2 Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen™:

Only bad thing is the assembly. Guide is printed in black and white with only pictures. Some images are hard to determine what you are looking at. You must screw pieces together but there are no guide holes so you must use the screw to make your own holes. We did not have a drill available to make the holes so it took my husband a long time to get the screws to go through. The guide book comes apart and it is hard to find what page you are on, it folds in an awkward way. I write technical guides and it was hard to follow. Suggest images should be in color and guide put together with staples or something. Other than the assembly, it is a great toy! Future product suggestions would be a phone that has some sound, coffee pot with sound, microwave and oven buttons with sound and/or lights, button on fridge for ice maker that would make sound. The only pieces that are interactive are the stove.

Comments about Step2 Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen™:

Blender did not blend. Being an Electrical Enginner, I located the problem . One of the leads to the motor had not been soldered to the motor. Quiv
Ck use of my soldering iron and now it works. 2-1/2 year old Grandaughter is very pleased with the Kitchen

Comments about Step2 Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen™:

This product was given to my daughter as a Christmas gift this year and since we put it up she has not stopped playing with it. This is actually the second kitchen set that she has had and this one hos definitely gotten more playtime and we haven't even had it a week yet. She love the popcorn and blender that our automatic and she loves the fact that she can put her dog in the pet area and it has a fridge for her to store food. I would recommend this kitchen to anyone and it makes a great gift for both girls and boys. The only down fall was it was missing a minor part but working with the company to get a replacement part.

Comments about Step2 Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen™:

Thank you to Step2 for letting me test this item as part of the Step2 toy tester program.

With a 6 year old and a 3 year old in the home, sometimes it's a bit tough to find a toy that fits both their needs (and their heights)! My 6 year old is tall, but he still wants to have fun with pretend furniture and toys. My three year old is in the middle of growing to love pretend play, so it's important that they toys be interactive and sort-of realistic. That's why the Mixin' Up Magic Kitchen is so perfect for both of them.

Both boys love switching off between being chef and being a customer. They practice order-taking skills, and giving food orders as well (this will translate well into real life when we go out to restaurants). They put together their own "recipes" and see the cooking process through thanks to the bubbling water sounds, the blender sounds and the pretend microwave and food.

The accessories that it comes with makes it so that parents don't have to purchase any more dishes, utensils or cups. The real washcloth and oven mitt are perfect for kids and the blue buckets hold food that parents may already own. I also liked the recycling bin because it is so important for kids to learn how to recycle.

And although we don't own a dog (or a pretend dog for that matter), I liked how it had a pretend bowl for a pet because it made it more realistic. We use a frog in place of a dog, and the kids like it just fine.

All the compartments in the kitchen also helps to teach the kids to put things back where they belong. And of course, it's a great idea to tell the kids to take off the blenders, pots, etc. from the "stovetop" as the batteries will wear out quickly if one does not pay attention.

It was very easy to put together, I did it myself within an hour. The instructions are very detailed and the product is not heavy. Even when put together, it is very easy to move around. I recommend it for kids who love to pretend play and who like to be involved in the food-making process.