Happy National Ice Cream Day on July 21!
There’s no better way for kids to beat the heat in summertime than cooling off with a delicious ice cream treat. But even in summer, it’s not wise to eat ice cream every day—let alone multiple servings per day!
But what if there were a way for kids to enjoy ice cream ALL THE TIME without any of the guilt? Melissa & Doug has parents and caregivers covered when it comes to cooling off: pretend play fun with an ice cream and frozen treat theme!
And the best part? We’ve got a new ice cream-themed play set now available at MelissaAndDoug.com, so we’re kicking off our handy listicle blog with the Cool Scoops Ice Creamery, a perfect pretend play toy to keep the kiddos cool all summer long.
Before we get to the rundown, here are some fun facts about our Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter pretend toy, as compiled by the Melissa & Doug staff:
• The M&D Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter came out in 2016, and quickly became one of our top sellers.
• The design team researched kids’ favorite ice creams in order to come up with the final eight included scoops: chocolate, vanilla, coffee, strawberry, cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, rocky road, and chocolate chip.
• Product Designer David Dear said he used actual sprinkles and dried strawberries to mold the ice cream toppings.
• The money in the play set was a last-minute addition to add both play value (so kids can be the customer or the shopkeeper) and educational value (numbers, early math skills, problem solving).
Our Top Frozen Treat-Themed Pretend Play Toys for Kids
Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter
Discover the Frozen Fun: Scoop up some cool treats with this all-inclusive, 28-piece pretend play ice cream counter! The sturdy wooden tabletop counter holds eight wooden scoops of different-flavored ice cream, six assorted toppings, two cones, a plastic cup, an ice cream scooper, tongs, and a wooden spoon. The scooper fits into a hole on top of the scoops to lift, stack, and release. Take orders on the reusable menu card, pay with play money, and serve up delicious fun!
Sticker WOW! Frosty the Ice Cream Bundle
Discover the Frozen Fun: Bundle includes Sticker WOW!™ Frosty the Ice Cream collectible sticker stamper preloaded with 300 easy-to-remove stickers (100 unique favorite things-themed designs), 24-page activity pad, 200 extra refill stickers (500 stickers total), and an additional 24-page mini activity pad. Convenient on-the-go format with built-in sticker stamper storage makes Sticker WOW!™ a great mess-free travel activity. Sticker WOW! promotes fine motor skills, encourages creative play, and it’s satisfying, fidget fun!
Cool Scoops Ice Creamery
Discover the Frozen Fun: Scoop up cool pretend play creations with this full-service ice cream shop! Offer pretend play ice cream and soft serve cones, cups, milkshakes, and ice cream sandwiches. The sturdy wooden counter features an ice cream and soft serve dispenser—drop wooden scoops or durable plastic swirls (mix & match!) in the top, place a cup or wooden cone underneath, press the lever, and watch the scoops drop down. Use the scooper to lift wooden scoops and fill a soft, fabric, roll-up waffle cone. Add toppings like sprinkles and hot fudge for an extra special treat! Display ice cream choices in the front of the counter. Customers can choose from items listed on the magnetic menu board and use the credit card machine with magnetic signature pad to pay for purchases! This 42-piece play food set offers kids 3 & up countless opportunities to develop early learning skills and to create, imagine, and role play both the customer and the server. And, grown-ups can rest assured that when it’s time to close up shop, all the pieces store in the counter for easy cleanup!
Play to Go Ice Cream Play Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Take imagination on the go and create deliciously fun ice cream treats anywhere, any time! The durable cup with a handle and attached lid is chock full of wooden and fabric play food for making ice cream cones, ice cream sandwiches, and fun milkshakes. There are two soft plush ice cream scoop balls, a felt waffle cone with self-stick tab, and swirls of play chocolate sauce for creating chocolate chip or strawberry ice cream cones. Put the scoops between two wooden chocolate candy cookies to make ice cream sandwiches, or drop the scoops into the cup, pretend to shake the double-sided wooden sprinkles jar, and add a straw for yummy play shakes! Kids three and older will love placing their orders on the pop-button fidget lid, following the instructions on the activity card, and serving up “cool” treats! All the pieces store in the take-along cup, made to fit in car seat, stroller, and vehicle cup holders, making Play to Go an innovative and easily portable travel toy for preschool kids.
Scoop & Stack Ice Cream Cone Play Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Serve up cool treats with this this pretend play magnetic ice cream play set! A magnetic scooper picks up 4 scoops of pretend ice-cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and mint chip); press the lever and the scoops drop onto wooden cones. Pieces store in a fun plastic ice cream tub. This play set is a great way for kids three and older to practice sharing, and encourages counting, sorting, color recognition, and fine motor skill development.
Ice Cream Take-Along Toy
Discover the Frozen Fun: This super-sweet clip-on vibrating pull-toy is a delicious way to entertain babies while stimulating their senses—without the sugar rush! It looks like a soft, smiling ice cream cone, but pull it down and it expands to four stacked scoops in different patterns, colors, and textures (cotton, corduroy, and quilted materials). When baby lets go, the cone vibrates and plays chiming sounds as it jiggles its way back to a single cone! Attached are a textured strawberry and ribbons to rub. Bring the fun wherever baby goes—the self-stick strap lets you easily clip the all-in-one, multi-textured toy onto a stroller, car seat, diaper bag, or high chair to keep it close at hand. Melissa & Doug infant and toddler toys inspire “a-ha!” moments of discovery. Adorable, diverse characters and a variety of fun shapes and textures encourage exploratory, skill-building play.
Ice Cream & Cake Chalk Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Create countless scenes with colorful chalk in sweet dessert and cool ice cream shapes! Draw designs with chalk shaped like cupcakes, cookies, ice cream cones, birthday candle, and an ice cream cookie sandwich! The vibrant colors in this deliciously adorable 12-piece chalk set are perfect for sidewalks, driveways, or chalkboards. Draw a hopscotch game, a racetrack for toy cars, pictures and murals, or practice the alphabet and words--the possibilities are endless! Kids three and older will love creating sweet chalk designs again and again!
Frozen Treats Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Chill out with this 24-piece mix-and-match set! Make wooden ice cream sandwiches, ice pops, and Italian ice cups. Self-stick tabs hold together three different cookie flavors and vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream fillings. There are six multi-colored ice pops on sticks to stick together and pull apart. Or, fill the lidded cups with four flavors of ice and serve with a classic wooden spoon! Display the array of chilled goodies in the storage tray and use the menu card to identify all the pieces and to place orders. This play set is a great way for kids three and older to develop fine motor, matching and sorting, and counting skills. Food play has never been so cool!
Smoothie Maker Blender Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Whip up delicious playtime smoothies with this pretend play blender! Use the wooden knife to slice and wooden fruits and vegetables, choose other healthful ingredients, like kale or protein powder, and pop them in the blender. Add a dash of pretend milk, spin the dial to blend, pour into a cup with lid and straw, and serve! There's a double-sided reusable menu card for taking orders, and cup inserts to add realistic color to smoothies. Any time is a good time for a smoothie!
Fun at the Fair! Snow-Cone & Slushie Play Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Turn any day into Fair Day! Create pretend play cool classic carnival treats with this sturdy wooden tabletop snow-cone and slushie stand. Press the button to drop ice balls into cones, then squeeze water from a bottle onto the Water Wow!® surface to create color-changing play snow-cones! For play slushies, choose a “flavor” and pull the lever to squirt colored cords! Includes play money and an activity card to let kids three and older be the vendor or the customer at an at-home fair. Designed to amuse, surprise, and challenge kids three and older to keep them laughing and learning through play, this icy treats pretend play set is an engaging, hands-on way to introduce colors, storytelling, and early math skills, and to encourage fine motor skills. From games of skill and chance to innovative carnival-inspired play sets, the Melissa & Doug Fun at the Fair!™ collection brings home all the fun of a day at the fair!
Ice Cream Shop Chalk Play Set
Discover the Frozen Fun: Create countless scenes with colorful chalk in "sweet" ice cream shapes! Draw, trace, and stamp chalk designs with chalk cupcakes, cookies, birthday candles, frosting, donut, jumbo sticks, and more! The vibrant colors in this deliciously adorable 33-piece play set are perfect for drawing on the included sign with holder, sidewalks, driveways, or chalkboards. Trace shapes on three extra-thick stencil sheets or make quick and easy rainbow lines with the multi-colored slice of cake! Add water to the sprinkle stamper to make chalk paint polka-dots. There's a "menu" of drawing and game ideas to help jumpstart imaginations--the possibilities are endless! Kids three and older will love creating sweet chalk designs again and again!
Wooden Magnetic Ice Cream Puzzle & Play Set - 16 Pieces
Discover the Frozen Fun: Piece together a deliciously cool puzzle and pretend play fun with this innovative combination wooden puzzle and magnetic pretend play set! There are 16 wooden magnetic pieces, including ice cream scoops, toppings, cones, containers, spoons, and a scooper. For puzzle play, match the pieces to pictures on the sturdy wooden puzzle board. For pretend play, lift and arrange pieces with the magnetic scooper to create ice cream treats!
Looking to read more great toy-themed content from Melissa & Doug? Be sure to read these blog posts:
Themed Gift Sets for Every Age
Toy Spotlight: Wooden Work & Play Desktop Activity Board
Toy Spotlight: PAW Patrol™ See & Spell Pup Pad
Toy Spotlight: Get Well Doctor Activity Center
Shop Melissa & Doug Pretend Play Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug Arts & Crafts
Shop Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Themed Toys
