A moment on the lips...
A few months back we took a trip to Sylvania; a lovely place where THE ANIMALS CAN TALK! As well as talking, some those animals also own successful businesses, as we discovered when we reviewed the Boutique set. We're back once more in that magical land, but this time we've got the munchies. We check out the Sylvanian Families Village Cake Shop.
This set is very much like the previous one reviewed, being of similar dimensions, set up, and components. They are so alike, in fact, that the Boutique can sit directly on top of the Cake Shop to create a two-story shopping emporium. And, just like the other set, this comes with one Sylvanian Families figure, a selection of furniture, and tonnes of accessories... all bakery themed, as you might have guessed.
The included figure is a poodle shopkeeper. She comes complete with a removable dress, and has the same level of articulation as all other Sylvanian Families figs. After that, there is the cash counter (with rotating cake dish), and a large central display shelf. The accessories include an array of cake stands, small gift boxes, a till, and lots and lots of cakes - big and small. There are 90 individual items in the set.
The really fun thing about the cakes is that they can be decorated... kinda. Toppings like small strawberries and chocolate bits can be added to the smallest cakes, allowing kids to make their own and customise the layout of the shop. Also, the biggest cake comes in layers, so you can either stack it up, or serve the pieces separately.
There is a minimal use of stickers on the set - far fewer than on the Boutique - and they are mostly used for signs and a large menu board on the outside of the shop. Other than that, the play area itself is nice and large, and kids can set it up however they want. If you don't have any other Sylvanian Families figures then the shop keeper may be a bit sad that no one is buying her cakes, so we definitely recommend you either buy an additional figure pack to go along with this, or make sure this is not your first Sylvanian purchase.
Still it was very well received by out tiny testers (a little too well, as you can see below), and when combined with another interlocking set in this range of toys, it makes for quite a multifaceted play time.
Around £35
Visit sylvanianfamilies.net
