Melissa and Doug Online

Melissa and Doug Food

January 3, 2012 by admin

Melissa and Doug Food Toys

Melissa and Doug food sets are great fun. Both boys and girls love to pretend they’re shopping and preparing foods, especially the things they’re not yet allowed to do. Melissa and Doug make some of the best toy foods around. Most are just for fun, but many help teach good eating habits. Lets get started by looking at some of the most popular sets.

All those listed below are durable wooden construction, with good craftsmanship and great details, and will usually last for years. They list for about $20 but if you shop around you can usually find them for around $16 to $17. Click here to find great low prices.

Wooden Sandwich Making Set

Kids have great fun pretending to make their own lunch. This set lets them create customized sandwiches and a hamburger. It’s great for playing “Subway” and making sandwiches for mommy and daddy. Several parents have reported that their children prefer this play set over some fancy electronic toys.

The cutting (with the included child-safe “knife”) is a bit weird. You don’t, for example, cut a sandwich in half. Instead you can slice between layers (say between lettuce and tomato). Young children don’t seem to mind, and enjoy slicing away. Maybe that’s because of the clever no-batteries-required crunching sound. And not being allowed to use knives yet

This sandwich set also teaches hand-eye coordination such as stacking as well as other skills like choosing and organizing. You’ll find lots of veggies and cheese for healthy habits.

This 17-piece set comes in a wooden storage box and is recommended for children 3 to 5 years old. The pieces are a bit bulky, and so not great for children under 3. Overall dimensions are about 13 by 9 by 1 ¾ inches.

“worth their weight in gold” – Jan

Food Groups

This set makes learning the four major food groups fun. Although it doesn’t follow the latest food guidance, children will learn about the traditional groups of meats, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and grains. The 21 pieces include various foods as well as 4 wooden crates for sorting and storage.

Overall size of the 4 crates combined is roughly 8 ¾ by 12 ½ by 2 ¼ inches. It’s recommended for children 36 months and older. There have been reports of paint chipping and scuffing off. Melissa and Doug do thorough paint testing, but I’d still keep this toy away from children under 3 years old.

Don’t be surprised if you find your child telling their dolls that they need some vegetables.

Cutting Food Box

This set lets children chop up pretend food and cook a make-believe meal. Or become an Iron Chef at some fancy restaurant. You’ll find 8 healthy food items like veggies, fruit, and bread that can be “cut” with the included “knife.” There’s also a cutting board included, as well as a crate for storage. Like the sandwich set, the pieces make a satisfying crunch during cutting (actually velcro separating, but with a simple yet clever arrangement of the knife and piece shapes).

Overall size is about 10 ¾ by 11 ½ by 2 ¾ inches. Recommend for children 3 to 6 years old, there are small choking hazards so the minimum age should be strictly enforced. Those near the low end of the age range may need help reassembling the food items. For those slightly older that can be a fun puzzle in itself.

“I can say without a doubt that this is the best play food set I have ever bought” – Jeanne

Category Kitchen | Tags: | 1 Comment
Doug and Melissa Castle

December 28, 2011 by admin
Melissa and Doug Castles

Castles provide hours of imaginative fun for boys as well as girls. The various Melissa and Doug castles are additionally quite durable, making them a great “investment.” Here we’ll discuss a couple of large castles, plus a very affordable smaller model which includes figures and furniture as well.

Deluxe Wooden Folding Princess Castle

This pink castle is clearly intended for young girls, but of course a king, prince, and a knight are most welcome in the court. Parents report that this well-made wooden castle is much sturdier and longer lasting than a somewhat similar plastic Disney product. Not to say that Disney figures and movie plots can’t be woven into the scene.

Being smaller in scale than Barbie dollhouses means this dollhouse offers more room for fun and adventure. You’ll find balconies, flying buttresses, removable balconies, and a working drawbridge. The somewhat simple construction is embellished with pink painted details and gold accents.

The one drawback is this is a castle only – no furniture or figures. Melissa and Doug offer a companion set of these (you can find it at around $25 to $30), although they’re actually a wee bit too large. But not to worry, you can find tons of figures and furniture from numerous other companies as well.

The list price is $99, but you can often find it for as low as $75. It unfolds to almost 3 feet, and folds up to about 17 by 15 inches for storage. It’s 27 inches tall, if you include the flag at the top of the tower. No assembly is needed. Recommended ages are 36 months to 8 years old.

“… of all the toys she received for Christmas this year (believe me, she is spoiled), this was the favorite.” – Joel

Deluxe Folding Medieval Castle

With blue painted accents, this one looks like the boys equivalent of the Princess Castle, for knights, kings, and wizzards. Not to say that princesses, queens, fair maidens, and even witches aren’t welcome. Once again, the sturdy wood constructions means you’ll have a castle that should last for years.

This medieval castle also features a balcony and drawbridge. Hey, no castle is complete without a drawbridge. But here you’ll also find a working trap door that leads to a dungeon for the bad guys… as well as to palace intrigue. This castle also has a removable turret and staircases. (I don’t know that it is – young children seem to love staircases.) It folds up for storage, but opens up to create a courtyard for jousting and wizardly practice.

With all these features, children play with this one for hours at a time, for months and months. There’s lots of nooks, rooms, and levels (as well as nifty details) it really inspires the imagination. It can be a castle, evil vilian’s lair, even a fire station.

The list price is also $99 and likewise you can often find it at discount for around $75. Again, the castle doesn’t include figures or furniture, but customers still consider it well worth the price. Folded dimensions are about 14 by 18 inches, and nearly 20 inches tall. Recommend age is also 36 months to 7 years old.

Fold and Go Wooden Castle

If you’re looking for something a bit more economical, this might be it. This smaller castle (a bit over 10 by 13 by 7 inches) lists for about $50, and you can often find it at about 1/3 off. Better still, it includes figures and furniture. In fact, you’ll get
- king and queen with thrones and bed
- two knights with horses and a treasure chest
That’s everything you’ll need. Well, not really – what castle doesn’t have a dragon nearby. No problem – kids love adding their own figures and toys. Although a relative simple design, a drawbridge and dungeon are also featured, and there’s various nice details but nothing that needs assembly. Like all M&D products, this wooden castle is sturdy and well constructed. There’s also a pink princess version. Both get uniformly great customer reviews.

This Melissa and Doug Castle is recommended for ages 36 months to 12 years.

“… opened one Xmas morning played all day despite many toys to select from….” – Janice
Category Castle | Tags: | No Comments
Melissa and Doug Dollhouse Bargains

November 22, 2011 by admin

Find Great Deals

With over a thousand products, it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s lots of Melissa and Doug dollhouse sets to choose from. Here’s my first look at some of the most popular and best values.

Click here for the best deals

Featured Melissa and Doug Dollhouse Sets

With literally dozens to choose from, I’m starting off with a few that caught my eye. None are exactly the solid wood you-finish houses you’ll find in crafts stores, nor are they the truly heirloom creations that cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars. What you will find are attractive and sturdy toys children will love to play with. Plus there’s usually much less assembly required.

Fold and Go Mini Dollhouse

This particular products looks great as a first dollhouse. It’s relatively inexpensive, with a list price of around $50 and recommended for children ages 36 months and beyond. It’s relatively small, at roughly 10 by 7 by 13 inches. That’s great if you have limited space and it along with the accessories are a good size for young children. On the other hand, older children will probably prefer something bigger and more elaborate.

You don’t need to purchase anything extra. This package includes 11 pieces of wooden furniture as well as 2 wooden figures.

As a plus for parents, it is designed to be portable with all the pieces store-able inside. Unfortunately it lacks any sort of latch so you’ll need to rig something yourself if you want your youngster to really be able to carry it around.

Like other Melissa & Doug products it’s well made and durable so it should last through sharing and passing down from older to younger siblings. Many customers have called it adorable, and it seems to be just the thing to spur the imaginations of younger children.

Melissa and Doug Dollhouse – Deluxe Wooden Doorbell House

This one caught my eye as being more of a toy and learning puzzle than a dollhouse. With a list price of about $30 it’s also quite inexpensive. It’s intended for children 36 months to 6 years of age. With small pieces posing a choking hazard you should really apply that age limit.

In one sense it is a dollhouse where children can copy adults and make up stories. On the other hand it’s also a fun puzzle box. This “doorbell house” teaches matching and more. The small house (7 by 7 by 9 inches) has 4 doors (one on each side). Each door has an electric doorbell with its own distinctive sound, as well as a lock. There’ 4 brass keys and each works on just one of the doors. There’s also 4 different play people. Very clever.

It does require 2 AAA batteries which aren’t included, although one parent commented that her child enjoyed this house even without the batteries. Kids also like to safely lock away their treasures behind the doors.

“My favorite Melissa and Doug Item” – T.R.

Melissa & Doug Classic Heirloom Victorian Dollhouse

This one is the closest to the traditional dollhouse that I’ve run across. Although I’d quibble that it’s not truly “heirloom” quality, it is a really great house with lots of detail and features. It’s also a proper 1:12 scale so you can find lots of items to fill it with. It lists for about $170. That’s high enough to make discounts particularly important, yet not so high you’d worry about any little bit of damage. With a shipping weight of nearly 40 pounds don’t forget to consider shipping in your budgeting and price comparisons.

This dollhouse is nice and big, at 26 by 28 by 18 inches assembled. So you’ll want a good place to keep it set up. It’s intended for children 6 to 10 years old. It includes choking hazards so it mustn’t be accessible to children under 36 months old.

With “painting” and wallpapering and so on already done, assembly is still fairly involved as suggested by the 35 page manual. Most people report it takes between two and three hours. Like most houses in this category it does not include any furniture or figures. These are extra-cost items you’ll need to budget in. On the plus side, that’s an opportunity for follow-on gifts on birthdays and other special occasions. You can purchase these accessories from Melissa and Doug, but the 1:12 scale means sets from scads of other companies will also be the right size.

If you expect solid wood with detailed painting you’ll be disappointed But that’s how Doug and Melissa keep the cost down. Construction is paper laminate over press-board with additional wooden parts and pieces. It’s really good looking, and even adults appreciate the appearance and details. Much better anything plastic, and much easier on parents than unfinished wooden kits. It includes stairs, which children seem to particularly enjoy in their play.

Overall, comparison shoppers have usually preferred this dollhouse over alternatives from Fisher-Price, craft stores, and others.

“Best dollhouse I have seen” – S.J.

“The easiest one to put together and the best looking too.” – R.J.

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Furnished Dollhouse

This is a fantastic first dollhouse for younger children. It’s simple, but detailed enough to fire the imagination. It includes pretty much all the furniture and figures your child will need for hours of fun. At $120 it’s not inexpensive, but durable enough last through a couple of hand-me-downs to younger siblings. Plus we’ve found it at 1/3 off.

This set features 18 pieces of furniture (including a potty) and 4 dolls and has a removable balcony and atrium. The house is two stories high and includes sliding and hinged doors for some realistic play. The front isn’t open so it’s a little hard to see and move things around inside, but kids don’t appear to mind. It seems to have all the right touches – children actually play with this one almost every day (though it is lacking stairs, something kids seem to really like). This wooden dollhouse is not just for girls. Besides a house, a little fantasy transforms it into a fortress, a barn, and more.

The Deluxe Wooden Dollhouse is about 24 by 22 by 15 inches assembled, and assembly is easy and straightforward. It’s suitable for children 36 months to 6 years old. With choking hazards, the 3 year old minimum should be strictly enforced.

More to Come

I’ll be creating another post or adding to this one soon – there’s so many good Melissa and Doug dollhouse sets worth talking about.

Category Doll House | Tags: | No Comments
Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart

November 4, 2011 by admin

Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart

The Best Deal on the Best Cart

A Steel Shopping Cart at 1/3 Off

If you’re looking for the best shopping cart toy for children, you’ve found it – the Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart. It’s actually made of sturdy steel just like real carts, and features innovative safety features for young children.

Click Here for the Lowest Price plus free shipping

Kids in a wide range of ages just love this toy. Intended for children 3 to 10 years old, siblings have even been known to fight over it and parents report children as young as 1 enjoying it.

Although its a shopping chart, it’s not just for pretend shopping and carrying toy food to the kitchen. Younger kids love to just push it around the house, empty or with cargo. Regardless of the age of your children, you’ll be amazed at the strange assortments of things they get filled with. If you’re tight on space, it might also double as a toy box or rolling collection container for clean-up. The miniature “child’s” seat is just perfect for giving dolls, stuffed animals, or who knows what else a ride.

It also has solid and durable steel construction. This cart will last a whole lot longer than plastic ones that often don’t cost significantly less. That’s especially important since kids will play with this one a lot, and often for many years. The steel construction also means it looks almost exactly like the grown-up carts in the supermarket.

Typical of Doug and Melissa’s attention to detail, the plastic wheels don’t scratch up the floor.

Doug and Melissa Shopping Cart Safety

The Doug and Melissa Company takes pride in their child safety efforts. Of course they meet all regulations, and they frequently perform their own testing. For this shopping cart they’ve gone a step further.

If you’re wondering about those three little feet with black tips in the photo, they’re a very clever and unique safety feature. The carts wheels are spring-loaded so that when your child leans on it, the black bumpers keep it from rolling to avoid falls. It also keeps them from rolling their siblings and friends around. A think-it-through detail typical of Melissa and Doug products.

Some Words of Caution

This toy is recommended for children 3 plus, but many parents have reported children as young as 12 to 18 months using them with a spill. Maybe that’s ok, but keep a close eye out!

If you look carefully, you’ll see a possibility of pinched fingers between the wheels and their steel covers. This certainly won’t happen during normal use, but kids can be awfully determined You may also want to add some padding or bumpers if it’s going to be used by children at the low end of the age range.

In Closing

I did some online searching for toy shopping carts and was dismayed by what I found. Were sized more as doll accessories, but weren’t clearly identified as such. Some looked a good deal, but after checking them out face to face I found they were plastic and not likely to last. A real value is something that your child will enjoy for years and maybe even pass down to younger siblings. The Melissa and Doug chart was the only one I found that was durable and properly sized.

With a list price of $70, we’ve found it at just under $45 and with free shipping. Customer reviews have been excellent, with virtually no negative reviews.

From customer experiences, it’s clear children love this cart and will thoroughly enjoy it for several years. Quality is excellent, and assembly is easy. Although it has a unique safety feature, caution and a watchful eye are called for with younger children. Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart for any boy or girl in the recommended age range (3 to 10 years).

“Finally, a steel shopping cart!” – William Near Jr.

“This shopping cart is the best! It’s super sturdy, and really easy to assemble.” – R Fitz, WA

Category Kitchen | Tags: , melissa and doug shopping cart | No Comments
Melissa and Doug Easel Accessory Set

November 1, 2011 by admin

Easel Accessory Set… Maybe Not

Easel Accessory Set

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to stock up on art supplies, this just might be it. The retail price is $35, but we’ve found it at about 20% off. But with one exception, you might want to get your supplies locally. Read on to find out why!

You’ll find the great Melissa and Doug easel itself here.

There’s a lot to be said for the convenience of buying this set. You know everything will fit on Doug and Melissa’s easel plus you get everything your child will need to get started in one package. Many customers are really pleased, but quality isn’t really up to the company’s usually high standards.

What You Get

You’ll receive a total of 25 items:

5 jars of poster paint
4 paint cups
4 paint brushes
10 pieces of jumbo triangular colored chalk
1 felt chalkboard eraser
1 dry-erase marker
1 dry-erase eraser
1 roll of easel paper

Why they included just one marker is beyond me. I guess they wanted kids to be able to use the whiteboard. But more colors please! On the other hand, dry markers stain so they’re only for older kids or teachers. Needing different erasers for chalk and dry-erase is also confusing to kids (heck, I’d probably grab the wrong one myself), so only bring out one or the other.

What is really neat about this set is that the paints, cups, and brushes are all color coded – red, blue, yellow, and green – to help teach colors and keep everything organized. That includes the three primary colors, so children can also learn about color mixing.

Where The Doug and Melissa Easel Accessory Set Doesn’t Live Up

Although convenient, you can most likely find slightly better supplies locally for about the same price once you consider shipping. Despite some positive customer reviews, many people found fault with most of the items.

Perhaps the most significant is that the “wash-off” paint really doesn’t completely wash off! With young children this means that even with an artist’s smock they need to be wearing older clothes. That’s a real pitty. The Crayola Washable Kids Paint Set actually comes clean, and is a better choice.

Another weakness is the paper. It’s great for crayons, pens, and pencils but it’s just a bit too thin for painting. On the standing easel that’s normally OK, but when children glob on the paint the paper can get so wet that it tears. Although some people have commented that it’s better than what they’ve found in town, keep this in mind.

Finally, the brushes and chalk aren’t up to snuff in some people’s minds. The chalk is a bit dusty, and some reports have it scratching the chalkboard. That just sounds like chalk to me. Likewise the brushes are prone to leave hairs behind, but that’s typical of just about any inexpensive brush.

Go For the Good

The spill-proof cups are really great. Each cup has a screw-off lid for filling. Once properly filled the lid provides a funnel that lets the brush go in but keeps the paint in if they’re knocked over. And a flip-on lid quickly covers the jars when they’re not in use. That also saves pouring the paint back into their bottles and loosing a little in clean up.

I suggest you just buy the cups separately and get everything else locally. You’ll eventually want to start buying specially-chosen refills around town anyway.

Category Easel | Tags: , easel accessory set | No Comments
Melissa and Doug Easel — The Best Around

October 1, 2011 by admin

Deluxe Standing Easel

This deluxe standing easel stays true to Melissa and Doug’s attention to detail and quality. We’ll discuss the surprising number of features below. Shipping weight is almost 20 pounds, so consider that in your price comparisons. This toy is not for children under 3 years old.

Click Here for Lowest Price

For starters, this is more than an easel for painting and drawing on paper. There’s also a chalkboard and dry erase board. You’ll also find the usual trays for holding paints, brushes, chalk, and markers.

This easel is pre-schooler tested. Kids are more active and more engaged with an easel than at a desk or table. Children prefer standing, plus it’s easier for them to reach across large paper when it’s on an easel. Drawing and painting are great for motor development, and older children can experiment with color and shapes and maybe even move on to some really nice artwork. Plus the chalkboard and whiteboard make them great for other homeschooling activities.

Melissa and Doug Easel

The attention to detail really stands out on this easel.

If you don’t already know about it, butcher paper is wide white paper that comes in a long roll. My dad worked in a grocery store, so I’ve known about it since childhood. It’s great for children’s drawing, and you can run it the length of all the walls when your kids are at color-on-the-wall age. Anyway, this easel includes a dowel for mounting a roll of butcher paper, and even includes a child-save paper cutter. There’s also colorful clips for holding large sheets of paper.

There are 3 height adjustments so this easel can grow with your child. Plus two children can use it at the same time. One side is for painting and drawing on paper and the other side can be a whiteboard or chalkboard.

Everything folds easily and neatly for storage under the bed or up against a wall. It’s also easy to disassemble and clean. Assembly out of the box is easy, and takes 10 to 30 minutes.

One Drawback

The chalkboard may have some shortcomings, however. Some parents report that even good-quality chalk tends to scratch the surface. A few have reported that a quick coat of chalkboard paint fixes this, but if you encounter a problem check with Melissa and Doug’s customer support first. They’re great folks.

Customer Comments on Melissa and Doug Easel

Customers consider this easel to be a great buy, commenting on how it is sturdy, high quality, and kid friendly.

“My 3 and 6 year old girls received this from their Aunt for Christmas…. They’ve using it everyday since then. My 9 year old niece even plays on it whenever she comes over.” –Chimes4kd

“I can’t imagine why you would spend more on another brand of easel, this one has everything I could think of wanting and is simple, solid wood, looks good and is super functional” – Kristi Fazioli

In Closing

We should note that this easel does not in include any art supplies. You’ll have to supply your own paint, brushes, crayons, chalk, markers, and erasers. You may already have these, or you may want to consider their accessory set. You’ll also want paper. Lots and lots of paper.

In brief, the Melissa and Doug easel is fun, durable, and educational. It boasts numerous little features that make it great for kids as well as for their parents.

Category Easel | Tags: , melissa and doug easel | No Comments