Strawberry Shortcake Berry Sweet Day Picnic

Author's Rating:

Pros: A yummy picnic set with transparent "glasses" and pitcher

Cons: Glasses and pitcher break easily

The Bottom Line: 
I recommend this toy for girls who are not likely to leave the pieces on the ground.

Author's Review
One of my daughters received this picnic set from her aunt this past Christmas. As she already had a couple of tea sets (and received yet another a few weeks later), I wasn't sure at first how much she'd play with this picnic set.

Description:

Included in this set are two "glasses" and a pitcher. All three are made of a transparent pink-tinted plastic and have a white strawberry on the front. The pitcher measures 3" tall. Each glass meausures 2 1/4" tall.

There are two plates, two forks and two knives. The 3 1/8" plates are made of a hard, dark pink plastic and have a white strawberry in the middle. The forks and knives are made of a somewhat flexible dark pink plastic and have light pink handles. The forks are 2 7/8" long. The knives are 2 3/4" long. They are rounded and not the least bit sharp.

This set comes with five scented treats: two slices of cake, two petits fours and one cupcake. The slices of cake are 2 1/8" long. The petits fours are 7/8" cubes, and the cupcake is 1 1/2" tall. The slices of cake and the cupcake have each have a strawberry on top.

My Feelings:

I didn't have to worry about whether or not my daughter would play with this set despite the fact she already has so many other dishes. This set manages to stand out from the others in two ways. The first is that the glasses and pitcher look real, as they are made of transparent plastic. The second is that this is such a yummy-looking set.

After four months of play, I can't really detect a scent on the petits fours. The cupcake still has a scent, but it's a nondescript powdery scent. Perhaps it was supposed to be vanilla icing. I can't remember how it smelled four months ago. The slices of cake still hold their delicious strawberry scent.

I like the clear plastic glasses and pitcher, but I must warn that they are easily broken. Perhaps my kids are the only ones who have a tendency to leave their toys scattered around the house, but just in case there might be others who occasionally do this, I'll mention that the clear plastic makes these pieces a little bit harder to notice in a dark hallway. I've already accidently stepped on the pitcher once. I heard a "crack" and was sure I'd broken it.

When I picked it up to inspect it, I could see that it had started to separate on one side where the two pieces are joined together. So far it's not noticeable, but I'm afraid this toy may not last as long as some of the more durable sets. Being made of hard plastic, these pieces aren't as forgiving as the more flexible pieces. All the other pieces in this set appear to be very durable.

One thing that strikes me as strange about this set is that the pitcher is barely bigger than the glasses. This doesn't seem to bother my daughter, however, as she loves playing with this set. Hopefully, it will last a long time...as long as I can keep it off the floor.

*This set includes very yummy-looking pieces that could present a choking hazard. Especially dangerous are the petits fours, which are slightly under a square inch.