Melissa And Doug Ice Cream Counter Review

Reviewed by Jo Hardy

The ice cream counter looks so good.  The contents are visible before removing from the packaging and it all looks so much fun. There are 28 pieces: 1 x cup, 2 x cones, 8 x scoops of ice cream, 6 x toppings ready to make up into a lovely ice cream treat using the scoop and tongs.  There’s also a menu/ order pad, a little wooden spoon and some play money all with their own place in the ice cream counter.  The toy is suitable for ages 3 and above and perfect for a boy or a girl.  All the pieces are very sturdy, most of them made from wood and they can all be stored away in the counter unit.  What fun they can have with this set.  It is such a good toy to encourage role play, either taking the order and serving the ice cream or being the customer choosing your ice cream combination and paying for it with the play money.

It all looked wonderful to me but the true test would come when shown to the three year old in our family.  A trip to the ice cream shop is one of our favourite outings, so I thought it would go down well and I was right.  Normally a very patient child, she was choosing her favourite ice cream flavour before I had chance to remove all of the packaging.  We soon had it set up on a little table and the ice counter was open for business.  Ice cream concoptions were made for everyone including dolls.  There were so many combinations that could be made and scoops of ice cream can be piled high.  We all had great fun interacting with each other ordering and pretending to eat our ice creams.  For once the TV or ipad was not mentioned and a real ice cream wasn’t wanted.  Our own ice cream counter was much better, and it was lovely that we could all play together.

This is my first experience of a Melissa and Doug product and I am very impressed.  It is very robust and I’m sure it will be played with for years to come.  All the pieces are the perfect size for little hands and it has lots of play value.  One of the best things from an adult point of view is that everything can be packed away into the counter and moved easily. This would make a good gift for a summer birthday.  I know the next time I’m looking for a gift for a little one I’ll be looking at the Melissa and Doug range they have some lovely unique toys.

The company was founded and based in America and In case you were wondering Melissa and Doug are real people ,a married couple with six children. One of the statements on their website which I think fits there products perfectly is “ To create playthings that inspire kids to open their minds”.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £39.99 (Editor’s note – currently on sale at the price of £35.72 at the time this review was posted online)

The ice cream counter and other Melissa and Doug toys are available from amongst others Amazon.co.uk , Uberkids.co.uk Hamleys, Smyths and John Lewis.