Food trucks are all the rage—they're fun, different, and an outing unto themselves. So we decided to make a toy that captures that excitement. In today's Toy Spotlight, we take a closer look at our Food Truck Play Tent, the sure-to-be hippest food truck around.
Why Kids Will Love It
Play Basics: Part fabric play tent, part food truck, fully fun. This pretend playhouse serves up barbecue on one side and ice cream on the other, transforming kids into pit masters, ice cream makers, and food truck vendors.
Playful Details: Illustrated food menus, sunroof with a flap, a drink display in a cooler with a flap that opens, and more all make for a realistic restaurant adventure.
Age: 3+ years
Who Will Love This: The future MasterChef Jr. competitor, the kid who never wants to leave the kitchen, the budding entrepreneur, the “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” ice cream aficionado, the pulled pork lover.
Gift Tip: This makes the perfect birthday gift for a 3- to 6-year-old food lover. If they open it right away, it's an awesome party activity—at almost 3 feet tall and 4 feet long, it fits multiple kids. Bring it out at cake time for a pretend sweet treat!
Countless Ways to Play: Kids can be the vendors or the customers. Maybe they're running the food truck, and they have to come up with a name and future menus. Maybe they're building a food empire, and as an entrepreneur, they have to check on all their businesses: a diner, a grocery store, a restaurant kitchen. Or maybe they're at a truck museum, exploring other vehicles like a fire truck.
Skills at Play: Social-emotional development; vocabulary
With hands-on play, kids develop cognitive skills for abstract thought. More specifically, pretend play with food can promote the use of words and narratives to imitate, describe, and cope with actual circumstances and feelings. And of course, pretending helps them boost creativity, and being a vendor or a customer helps them build relationships and work on communication and vocabulary.
Plays Well With: Add in the Scoop & Stack Ice Cream Cone Play Set to serve more friends, Favorite Condiments for more barbecue fixins', or the Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set for extra dessert options—ice cream cupcakes, anyone?
Toy Story: “This truck is amazing! It’s big and realistic looking and the kids love it! Totally worth it.” — Michael Hackett, in a 5-star Amazon review.
Looking for more great toy content from Melissa & Doug? Don't miss these related blog posts:
Toy Spotlight: Pineapple Soft Stacker Baby Toy
Toy Spotlight: Fresh Mart Grocery Store
Toy Spotlight: Doctor Role Play Costume Set
