Refrigerator & Food Set (retired)

[agundone]

This item was released in 2016 and retired in 2019.

Food in the 1950s was starting to become faster in the form of cans, casseroles, and frozen dinners, which meant more time for families like Maryellen’s to spend together, or even watch TV while they ate! Fully stocked with pretend food that Maryellen would have loved to eat, this retro fridge gives a peek at what was on the menu in the 1950s. This 26-piece set includes:
A perfectly pink retro fridge with a door that opens to reveal a freezer on top with an extra door, drawers, shelves, and a butter holder
Two TV tables that work like the real thing and fold for storage, with a fun ’50s pattern and a stand to hold them
An ice cube tray with ice cubes that lift slightly at the touch of a handle
Three frozen TV dinners with beef, chicken, and pasta that come out of their boxes
Two bottles of milk
Four bottles of soda
A casserole dish with a meal inside
A fancy plate of gelatin
A cooked ham with all the trimmings
Jars of relish, jam, mustard, and jelly
Four sticks of butter
A frozen treat that dolls can really hold
W: 14.1"x H: 17.3" x D: 8.2"


This is a wonderful addition to the American Girl line. I love all the food pieces that were included : the sticks of butter, the jars of jam and relish, the milk bottles and especially the TV dinners every piece cute and well thought out. I think it could have been just a tad taller ( though it is taller than my wolverine.) The snack trays are cute but I find that they come apart easily. Not a problem for me but could be for a child. Now for the one issue. I am waiting for yet a third replacement because ther is a very small nic in the door handle of both that have arrived. After talking to CS I am believing that this is a factory defect. She checked the one they have on display and she said that it too had this and is of the opinion that it is suppose to be this way. I disagree. I have asked them to check before shipping the next one. Has anyone else noticed this issue? I will try to add a picture later today. Done!
I give this piece an A ( would have been an A+ but for the height, trays and defect.)

[mom2four]

I just had the opportunity to purchase this from a local mom, in near-perfect condition. agundone, I have a pic of the notch on the door handle on this one and wondering if it's in the same spot as yours? It does not seem like a scratch or paint defect to me --but perhaps a defect in the mold for the handle.

I agree that it's too short to be realistic; the tray table legs come apart too easily and I wish they were made of metal like the real ones would have been. The butter is kept in the freezer?? Wish it had a covered butter dish for the fridge or a butter compartment. That would have been cute and realistic. Our family's 50's fridge had slots for the ice cube trays. Instead of the solid compartment on the right of the freezer with faux door, it could have been a working compartment to store the ice pops and ice cube tray.

Other than that, I really love this set and it is, for the most part, very true to the era. The TV-dinners are just like the Swanson TV dinners we had in our freezer. The ice cube tray handle really works and slightly lifts the cubes out of the tray. The milk bottles have the silver tops, which in real life would have been a foil lid that peeled off. The eggs don't come out, but that is probably best when considering children's play. All in all, I agree with agundone's rating of A for this set. Logan is even able to sneak a soda and hold onto it.

[keeperofthepast]

A friend of mine has this. The pink color is quite adorable and the variety of of food items is a lot of fun. It does seem a bit short of the dolls though.