Customer Reviews

Dora the Explorer Dora's Talking Kitchen w/ Bonus Chef Dora Doll

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This review is long, but specific. I bought this kitchen for my daughter's 6th birthday, despite my better judgement, and I do not regret it! I always educate myself and read reviews of any large toy purchase and I was extremely hesitant on this one. I wanted to buy a better, more realistic kitchen more suited to my daughter's age (and my inner-child with whom my daughter insists on playing 'Restaurant')but she insisted she wanted the Dora kitchen. She has been playing with it non-stop!
I agree that there are many, many better kitchens out there. This one has some MAJOR cons:
First, this thing is tiny. Having said that, though, I must say that my just-turned-six year old (44 inches tall) actually can stand and cook without feeling awkward...the sink actually reaches her WAIST!!! It's perfect height, but it's the width that stinks! There really is no counter space to speak of. Second, the area underneath the sink--fridge and oven--is sorely lacking. It's just two plastic shelves behind the doors that, to my disappointment, are connected without a break between the two appliances! So what you put in the 'fridge' and what you put in the 'oven' are not at all seperated, making any realistic aspect go out the window. It also makes it hard to 'bake' with conviction while seeing a piece of butter and some lettuce 2 inches away!
Basically, any features of a 'real' kitchen are almost non-exsistent. The sink is tiny, the blender is just a flat-ish composite on the backboard, the telephone design is absolutely LAUGHABLE (it's so archaic that my 20 month-old balks at it) and the whole setup, basically, is very primitive. The only thing I must disagree with other reviewer(s) about is the durability. While it is just plastic and the hinges to the oven and fridge are basic snap-ins, it is way more durable than some of the other kitchens we've owned. This kitchen has a ton a metal screws (it's not a snap-together toy) holding it all together (I know because I had to build it). I have not had any instability whatsoever in this kitchen. It's quite heavy from my kids' point of view and there has not been any tipping of any of 'food' while sitting on the teeny-tiny counterspace when the doors below are open or shut. Okay, those are the cons. Here is the big PRO that has made me feel good about my decision: DORA, DORA, DORA!!!! This thing has sounds galore. No, not realistic cooking sounds, but Dora and character sounds. When you pick up the ugly phone, it could be Abuela asking what you are cooking or Boots, for that matter. AT that point, nobody cares what the phone looks like. The recipe cards are so awesome--each recipe card is fashioned after a mapped-out adventure like in the show and when you put one in the Map, the kitchen recognizes the recipe and Dora shouts out what we're making, the ingredients, and where to find them, just like in the show. You can also PRESS the pictures on the map and Dora tells you what it is and where to find it! (I guess it's a touchpad underneath that recognizes which card is which). The blender has various responses to the button being pushed...Boots seems to appear on this one often: "What's for Dinner?" "mmmm..." As in my daughter's talking Dora dollhouse, there is also a radio that plays that really cool dance music. My 20 month-old goes nuts with this one...dances her chubby little tushie off!
Overall, this is not a good kitchen for a serious mini-chef who wants realistic features and any sort of cooking space. This is, however, perfect for a Dora fan who just wants to have fun with her Explorer friends. It's super bright, it's pretty, it basically cheers up the whole bedroom! I remember we had a kitchen before that always looked like a big plastic toy kitchen with messy parts all over it. It didn't look neat at all. This one looks like a nice, pretty toy (actually, like a nice piece of decor!) and makes her bedroom look better; this kitchen never looks cluttered....it's way too whimsical!!!
The bottom line: It's great for a Dora fan who is more into using her/his imagination and having some light-duty cooking play than realistic cooking play.
I personally would have loved a super-realistic kitchen with a microwave and all the bells and whistles--but it's my daughter's toy, not mine (I hate being a grown-up sometimes!), and she LOVES IT! The best part is, my youngest can relate to it. She loves Dora too and is having a world of fun. She is too young to grasp the concept of 'realistic' anything so this kitchen actually worked out better for me because it satisfies both of my girls. Maybe in a year or so the six year-old will want to move up in the world of cooking and the baby will take it over. For now, though, for such a big Dora fan as my little girl, this kitchen is PERFECT and I wouldn't trade it for the best, most realistic kitchen in the world.

I bought this for my daughter who is 4 and she has enjoyed it so much. We bought the accesories that go with it and the taco set had a dora apron with it which has been a big hit while playing with the kitchen. She loves the phone and talking to the characters on it. I would sugest this for any Dora loving child!

I bought this for my twin daughers and they have enjoyed it so much. We even bought assecories that go with it. They love how it talks and plays music.

We just gave this Kitchen for my daughter's four birthday. I showed her many kitchen (more expensive and more realistic)but she had her heart set on Dora's Kitchen. I must say it's not the greatest kitchen ever made, but if you have a "DORA FAN" at home they will "LOVE IT"!!!

I have never written a review before, but this toy is just a disappointment, i had to, don't waste your money on this Junker: This kitchen is horrible. It is made out of wobbly plastic and we had to lean it on a wall so it didnt tip over. The shelves in the fridge and oven are see thru and not realistic. The back of the unit is see thru to so my kids really didnt even know it was a kitchen b/c it is so not realistic. I have a 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old. The sink came up to my 3 yr olds mid thigh. The eyes on the stove have no stickers and just look like plates glued to the top. The phone has nine squares for numbers but looks like a plastic box. The only things that make noise are the phone holder when you take the plastic block out of it, a 1-D blender that you have to push a button to work and one other thing. These noises are all mounted above the sink and you can't play with these items. The fridge and oven are about the size of 1/2 a bankers box each. Very small and hard to open and close and the doors are wibbly since the plastic is so thin. The plastic toys are very small, almost to small/ young for my 18 month old. My Parents have the little tykes one with sturdy plastic and realistic oven, phone, etc. I highly recommend it, my kids love it. The Dora one, they don't even know it is a kitchen!

I bought this for my daughter, who was 20 months at the time, for Christmas and she loves Dora the Explorer. She loves the recipe maps and all of the bells and whistles the kitchen has.

My 2 year old daughter just rec'd this as a birthday gift, from her grandparents. She loves Dora and when she saw this, she wouldn't stop touching everything, kept passing the peices to her grandpa, who was trying to put it together. Once fixed, she did enjoy playing with it. A few things i don't like, the oven and fridge have no seperation, so you can pass things from one the other, from the inside. It is a little flimsy, already fallen over 2 times, luckily no one was hurt, since it's so light. Also, there is no counter space, so, for storage she has to put everything in the fridge or the oven. Overall, i'd say she plays with it everyday, especially, when i'm making dinner, i ask her what she's making in Dora's kitchen.

this toy is wonderful my child loves it a lot

We gave this to my 4 year old niece. She is a huge Dora fan and she absolutely loves this kitchen!!

I brought this toy for my daughter's 2nd birthday based on many factors. One of them being that I over analyze everything and read all the reviews listed on other makes and models of toy kitchen's. I felt some of them were too concerned with beeps and sounds. But,I'm keeping in mind that a positive experience can come about in lots of different and unexpected ways. That's why in the end I decided to take my sister's advice and be spontenous and content with the fun my daughter will get from one of her favorite characters. Any how, like another reviewer also stated. If the beep, beep, beep, sound on everything entertains your child then get that. But,if it's the fun music, cooking adventures, and the cute food accessories that tickle your fancy,then look no further. I'm sure my daughter will love it.