It's become quite apparent after speaking to all of our very friendly suppliers over the last few months that the star product for almost every wooden toy brand in the buying frenzy leading up to Christmas 2010 was overwhelmingly the wooden toy kitchen. Whether it was the John Crane Kitchen, the Pintoy Kitchen or the BigJigs kitchen, parents seemed set on buying their little ones a wooden toy kitchen to add to their playroom.
There are a few theories as to why this happened, one being that toy kitchens are ever popular and this was simply their year. Other theories speculate as to whether parents, during a time of economic austerity, chose to buy a toy for their children that had a long shelf life in terms of its appeal as well as its durability. Who knows?
What we do know is that kitchen toys such as the John Crane Petite Cuisine or the Pintoy Cooker are fantastic toys for kids who love role play and that possibly the most popular role play activity is copying Mum, Dad or Granny and Granddad in the kitchen.
If we take the Petite Cuisine by John Crane as an example, it's easy to see why parents and kids alike find toy kitchens so appealing. It's truly a striking toy and offers endless role play fun - it has a sink with tap for the washing up, two (pretend!) hobs for heating saucepans, a realistic looking toy cooker with opening door and temperature control buttons, a handy kitchen cupboard and even a kitchen clock so those tasty cakes can be timed to perfection. As if that wasn't enough, the Petite Cuisine includes a salt and pepper set, some shelves for storing recipe books and some handy cooking utensils to help the talented chef prepare some memorable dishes. It really is a toy that entertains and educates in many different ways.
The kitchen sets such as those offered by BigJigs, Pintoy and the likes of John Crane aren't particularly cheap, the John Crane Petite Cuisine is currently £67.95* inc delivery the Pintoy Cooker is a shade under £70* delivered and the BigJigs Cooker is a similar price at about £66* delivered but they are great value in terms of their appeal and the fact that there are so many games that children can play with them. These toys are great for developing social skills too so make an ideal addition to a nursery or school play area.
Bon appetit!
*(at time of writing)
