Post by mamared on Jun 25, 2018 16:17:09 GMT -5
This set was part of a 2018 release that also included the Gardening Accessories, Gardening Outfit, and other items. It retired in 2019.
Kit grows fruits and vegetables to help her family make ends meet. She built a farm stand with Dad and sets up shop on weekends. This 44-piece set includes:
- A homemade farm stand with a pretend tin roof, a counter, and shelves
- Five signs that can hang on the stand to show what’s selling today
- Four reversible price signs to put on the bins
- A farmer’s scale with a needle that moves
- Strawberries and blueberries in containers
- Four apples, four bunches of carrots, and four bunches of green beans
- Three bins that fit in the stand to display Kit’s vegetables
- A money box and pretend money: five dollars, four metal buffalo nickels, and four metal pennies
- All food items are pretend.
The set was introduced at the last release (June 2018) and currently comes with a $100 price tag. It has lots of good points as well as what I consider a few flaws, but overall I would still give it an enthusiastic A grade.
Here it is all set up:
The farm stand is made out of plastic. It assembles very easily; just put the sides on top of the base, slide the counter piece in, and the roof goes on top.
The base measures 10 inches deep and about 13.75 inches wide. The overhang of the roof adds another 2 inches to the depth. It is 22 inches tall at its highest point.
I really like that the stand is big enough for a doll to easily stand behind it (and to walk in from the sides or from the back), but the biggest negative in my opinion is that the stand doesn’t come apart for easy storage. There may be a way to push in the plastic clips that hold it sturdy, but it seems to me that would not be without difficulty or some risk of it breaking.
Otherwise, though, I do really like the sturdy construction, the little details like wood grain texture on the counter and frame and faux screws where it was put together, and the nice, thick “tin” roof.
Lots of headroom in the stand:
Wood grain on the counter:
Tin roof:
Here you can see all the little faux screw heads. You can also see some of the plastic tabs you’d have to push in to take the stand apart, if that’s even possible (they are the small, dark brown rectangles near the base):
A close-up:
On to more of the good stuff! I really like the three fruit and vegetable bins that come with the stand. They’re made of heavy plastic and each measure about 2.25 inches tall, 3.75 inches wide, and 3.75 inches deep at their biggest points. (The inside dimensions are smaller, and the fronts also open at an angle so the actual base is only 3 inches deep.) They are each a different shade of tan or brown, which I think adds some nice depth and variety to the stand, and they also have a wood grain finish on the outside. There is a slot on the front of them where you can insert the price signs that came with the set, or you can make your own.
Here are some close ups:
Here are the price signs that come with the set. As advertised, they are reversible, but both sides of each sign say the same thing. They are made of card stock and I thought they seemed a little loose when I put them on the bins, like they might slip out if the bins are overturned. Doubling up the thickness (2 signs in one bin) make them more secure, but it would also be easy to make new signs if they got lost (or if you want to sell something different). The price signs are 1.25 inches x 1.75 inches with rounded corners.
The shelf of the fruit stand holds the bins at an angle but has a small lip to keep them from sliding out. The downward angle is a nice feature that allows the food to be more on display than a straight shelf would allow.
And here are the other signs that come with the set. These are plastic and single-sided. They easily snap on and off the hooks on one side of the stand, and are pretty secure when they’re attached. These measure 4.25 x 1.825 inches and are a thick, heavy plastic.
The hooks they attach to (the sign on the bottom is just leaning on the support):
Personally, I’m not a big fan of either of the sign sets that come with this - I’m not sure if it’s the font that is used or what exactly - but I do really like the hooks and I think both sign sets can be customized fairly easily.
Next is the cash box. This little piece is about the size of a pretend cigar box. It feels lightweight and seems like it might be made of laminated cardboard. It doesn’t seem particularly sturdy or well made, but it is cute. There is a baseball theme on the cover and some simple designs around the outside, and it measures about 2 inches deep x 2.75 inches wide x 0.625 inches tall.
Here are some photos of the cash box:
I haven’t unpackaged the money yet, so sorry in advance for the poor photos. The bills look no different than today’s dollar bills (not sure if this is accurate to the purported time period ... ETA: I looked up the signatures on the front, which confirmed these are more recent than Kit. Rosario Marin, whose signature is on the left, was US Treasurer 2001-2003, and Paul O’Neill, whose signature is on the right, was Treasury Secretary 2001-2002). The metal pennies have Lincoln and the year 1914 on one side and the wheat stalks on the reverse (these are probably reused from Rebecca), while the metal nickels have the American Indian head and the year 1930 on the front and bison on the back; both coins are also clearly marked “COPY” on one of the sides. The coins seem pretty large compared to the bills (almost 0.75 inches in diameter, compared to bills which are just under 2 inches long),as I imagine smaller coins would get lost too easily.
Next is the food. This includes apples, bunches of carrots, bunches of green beans, and one container each of strawberries and blueberries.
The apples are wonderful. They stand about 1.5 tall and roughly 1 inch in diameter, and are wonderfully (and differently) painted in red with some yellow streaks. Even though they seem to be from the same mold, the variation on the painting makes each unique. (For those of you who have Caroline’s apples from her travel basket, these are the same apples! They are significantly larger than the apples that were in Kirsten’s lunch.)
The carrots are also quite nice, even though they are bunched in groups of three. Each bunch is about 2.75 inches long with the orange part of each carrot about 1.75 inches long. They are made of a rubbery plastic and have dents to show the texture of the carrots and the texture of the greens. (For those of you with the carrots from Addy’s garden set, even though the greens on these aren’t as long, the carrots themselves are very size-compatible.)
The green beans, in my opinion, are the biggest disappointment. They’re about 1.5 inches on each side and just look like dark green mystery squares. These will be replaced by Addy’s eggplants or cabbage in our farm stand.
The berries are actually lovely. The baskets are a little under 1.5 inches on each side and a little under 1 inch tall. They’re made of durable plastic. The blueberries just look scrumptious and have really nice variations of blue, indigo, and violet colors. The strawberries aren’t quite as successful; they have some texture but are all bright berry red except some pink pieces where I think the strawberries are supposed to be cut in half, exposing the inside. I think more color variation just on the outside would have worked better. (If you have Kirsten’s strawberries, these do seem size-compatible even though these don’t have leaves or stems.)
And finally, the scale. This is made of plastic and has two parts, the scale and tray. The needle moves and on my set it rests at zero before I add the tray to the scale, which I’m afraid would make the farmer a bit of a cheat, but there’s no way to adjust it. That’s okay, I still like that the needle moves. The tray rests very securely on its support so it is no trouble to weigh any of the food.
Overall, I’m thrilled with this set. I think the pieces are creative and versatile and it has great play value!
Kit grows fruits and vegetables to help her family make ends meet. She built a farm stand with Dad and sets up shop on weekends. This 44-piece set includes:
- A homemade farm stand with a pretend tin roof, a counter, and shelves
- Five signs that can hang on the stand to show what’s selling today
- Four reversible price signs to put on the bins
- A farmer’s scale with a needle that moves
- Strawberries and blueberries in containers
- Four apples, four bunches of carrots, and four bunches of green beans
- Three bins that fit in the stand to display Kit’s vegetables
- A money box and pretend money: five dollars, four metal buffalo nickels, and four metal pennies
- All food items are pretend.
The set was introduced at the last release (June 2018) and currently comes with a $100 price tag. It has lots of good points as well as what I consider a few flaws, but overall I would still give it an enthusiastic A grade.
Here it is all set up:
The farm stand is made out of plastic. It assembles very easily; just put the sides on top of the base, slide the counter piece in, and the roof goes on top.
The base measures 10 inches deep and about 13.75 inches wide. The overhang of the roof adds another 2 inches to the depth. It is 22 inches tall at its highest point.
I really like that the stand is big enough for a doll to easily stand behind it (and to walk in from the sides or from the back), but the biggest negative in my opinion is that the stand doesn’t come apart for easy storage. There may be a way to push in the plastic clips that hold it sturdy, but it seems to me that would not be without difficulty or some risk of it breaking.
Otherwise, though, I do really like the sturdy construction, the little details like wood grain texture on the counter and frame and faux screws where it was put together, and the nice, thick “tin” roof.
Lots of headroom in the stand:
Wood grain on the counter:
Tin roof:
Here you can see all the little faux screw heads. You can also see some of the plastic tabs you’d have to push in to take the stand apart, if that’s even possible (they are the small, dark brown rectangles near the base):
A close-up:
On to more of the good stuff! I really like the three fruit and vegetable bins that come with the stand. They’re made of heavy plastic and each measure about 2.25 inches tall, 3.75 inches wide, and 3.75 inches deep at their biggest points. (The inside dimensions are smaller, and the fronts also open at an angle so the actual base is only 3 inches deep.) They are each a different shade of tan or brown, which I think adds some nice depth and variety to the stand, and they also have a wood grain finish on the outside. There is a slot on the front of them where you can insert the price signs that came with the set, or you can make your own.
Here are some close ups:
Here are the price signs that come with the set. As advertised, they are reversible, but both sides of each sign say the same thing. They are made of card stock and I thought they seemed a little loose when I put them on the bins, like they might slip out if the bins are overturned. Doubling up the thickness (2 signs in one bin) make them more secure, but it would also be easy to make new signs if they got lost (or if you want to sell something different). The price signs are 1.25 inches x 1.75 inches with rounded corners.
The shelf of the fruit stand holds the bins at an angle but has a small lip to keep them from sliding out. The downward angle is a nice feature that allows the food to be more on display than a straight shelf would allow.
And here are the other signs that come with the set. These are plastic and single-sided. They easily snap on and off the hooks on one side of the stand, and are pretty secure when they’re attached. These measure 4.25 x 1.825 inches and are a thick, heavy plastic.
The hooks they attach to (the sign on the bottom is just leaning on the support):
Personally, I’m not a big fan of either of the sign sets that come with this - I’m not sure if it’s the font that is used or what exactly - but I do really like the hooks and I think both sign sets can be customized fairly easily.
Next is the cash box. This little piece is about the size of a pretend cigar box. It feels lightweight and seems like it might be made of laminated cardboard. It doesn’t seem particularly sturdy or well made, but it is cute. There is a baseball theme on the cover and some simple designs around the outside, and it measures about 2 inches deep x 2.75 inches wide x 0.625 inches tall.
Here are some photos of the cash box:
I haven’t unpackaged the money yet, so sorry in advance for the poor photos. The bills look no different than today’s dollar bills (not sure if this is accurate to the purported time period ... ETA: I looked up the signatures on the front, which confirmed these are more recent than Kit. Rosario Marin, whose signature is on the left, was US Treasurer 2001-2003, and Paul O’Neill, whose signature is on the right, was Treasury Secretary 2001-2002). The metal pennies have Lincoln and the year 1914 on one side and the wheat stalks on the reverse (these are probably reused from Rebecca), while the metal nickels have the American Indian head and the year 1930 on the front and bison on the back; both coins are also clearly marked “COPY” on one of the sides. The coins seem pretty large compared to the bills (almost 0.75 inches in diameter, compared to bills which are just under 2 inches long),as I imagine smaller coins would get lost too easily.
Next is the food. This includes apples, bunches of carrots, bunches of green beans, and one container each of strawberries and blueberries.
The apples are wonderful. They stand about 1.5 tall and roughly 1 inch in diameter, and are wonderfully (and differently) painted in red with some yellow streaks. Even though they seem to be from the same mold, the variation on the painting makes each unique. (For those of you who have Caroline’s apples from her travel basket, these are the same apples! They are significantly larger than the apples that were in Kirsten’s lunch.)
The carrots are also quite nice, even though they are bunched in groups of three. Each bunch is about 2.75 inches long with the orange part of each carrot about 1.75 inches long. They are made of a rubbery plastic and have dents to show the texture of the carrots and the texture of the greens. (For those of you with the carrots from Addy’s garden set, even though the greens on these aren’t as long, the carrots themselves are very size-compatible.)
The green beans, in my opinion, are the biggest disappointment. They’re about 1.5 inches on each side and just look like dark green mystery squares. These will be replaced by Addy’s eggplants or cabbage in our farm stand.
The berries are actually lovely. The baskets are a little under 1.5 inches on each side and a little under 1 inch tall. They’re made of durable plastic. The blueberries just look scrumptious and have really nice variations of blue, indigo, and violet colors. The strawberries aren’t quite as successful; they have some texture but are all bright berry red except some pink pieces where I think the strawberries are supposed to be cut in half, exposing the inside. I think more color variation just on the outside would have worked better. (If you have Kirsten’s strawberries, these do seem size-compatible even though these don’t have leaves or stems.)
And finally, the scale. This is made of plastic and has two parts, the scale and tray. The needle moves and on my set it rests at zero before I add the tray to the scale, which I’m afraid would make the farmer a bit of a cheat, but there’s no way to adjust it. That’s okay, I still like that the needle moves. The tray rests very securely on its support so it is no trouble to weigh any of the food.
Overall, I’m thrilled with this set. I think the pieces are creative and versatile and it has great play value!