Earlier this year (2008) International Playthings unveiled the return of Kitchen Littles, a Barbie-sized  kitchen set and food accessories. There's a long history to this product, and  it's still fondly remembered by many toy and Playscale aficionados. I've heard  there were red sets, but the ones I've seen were white with purple handles or  trim. Add two AA batteries and the stove sizzled with bacon, the ice dispenser  worked, etc. Now they're back, and they're pinker than before.

Yes, pink. The new stove, the fridge, the counters, the pantry, they're a deep fuscia.  They still open, they still have the lights and the working items, the stove  still comes with a breakfast set, but the kitchenware is all accented in blue  not pink.

The new items were on display at the Pomona Toy Show in March, and I got an up-close inspection  of the line. I'm spoiled by Re-Ment - these are definately toys meant to be  played with by kids, not collector miniatures. The pots and pans are again just  a touch too big for Barbie and friends scale. The plastic used for the food  is different than Re-Ment's resin, these food items feel a little rubbery.

I admit I was also disappointed in the countertops. The counter is a single lower cabinet with  two skinny drawers and doors. Yes, they work, but I'd have to buy three or four  of them to have a normal kitchen. The modular design of this may mean that a  dishwasher unit is on Kitchen Littles' back burner (pun only slightly intended)  but that's just a guess.

One nice addition to the line is the pantry carrying case. The handle on top makes it easy to  carry around the accessories, and fits right into the play area when not going  places. As the photo shows, there are six smaller drawers and one big drawer  for appliances, etc. This wasn't available for viewing so I couldn't see if  the drawers are sturdy plastic, I'd like to hear from anyone who gets them early! 

Like the former set, these toys aren't cheap. When they're available at the end of April (at  least that's the plan) you'll see the Deluxe Refrigerator with Accessories selling for just under $30, the Stove just under $25, the cabinet/countertop just under  $20, and the various food sets ranging from $20 to just under $10. There's a  breakfast, lunch, dessert, snack, pizza, popcorn, and birthday sets. The sample  popcorn set was already well used by the time I got to see it, two days into the toy show. The popcorn popper is a covered bowl with a crank, and inside  are pellets (styrofoam?) that will "pop" around when the crank turns.  Unfortunately, static electricity sticks the pellets to the clear plastic lid.  I don't think the lid comes off to discharge the electricity and get the pellets  back into the bowl and crank where they belong.

So kudos to International Playthings for finding a way to get Kitchen Littles back into kids' hands. But  collectors be warned - these are toys. They do seem sturdy, the cookware is  still made out of metal, but overall they just don't have the realism I'm looking for. Or maybe I'm just not in the pink. If you have and enjoy the new Kitchen  Littles line, or want me to start offering them for sale, please email me at  play at playscaleminis.com.