Costco does have a toy kitchen this year- Pink Retro style

[the mommy]

Hi I didn't have a chance to really check this out, had the husband with me, but I know a few people were wondering if they would have a kitchen this year. Forgive me if someone else has already posted this- it is a pink retro style stove, sink and refrigerator. Looked cute, but they didn't have it set up yet. I think it was about 139.00 but I bought the one last year so I wasn't paying that close attention.

Just wanted to give a heads up if you are looking for one this year!

Happy shopping,

Heather
dd 1/04

[DebbieJ]

Damn. I was hoping it would be gender neutral.

Oh well, I guess I get to save money. :)

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[brittone2]

We don't need a kitchen (DS has one already), but it makes me very sad that we still live in a time where it is tough to find a non pink, gender-neutral kitchen in a mainstream store. How frustrating.

[the mommy]

I totally agree. I did buy the pastel one last year, and of course I have a daughter, but I would have much prefered either a primary color or more "natural" color kitchen. It does look a little out of place with all the rest of our primary color storage furniture! On the other hand, it was cheap.

Good luck with that whole saving money thing! :)

Heather
dd 1/04

[holliam]

Is it all-in-one? From your description it reminds me of the one someone found that looks like the pink PBK one.

I too am so tired of pink kitchens, appliances, etc. I wanted to get a blender or something but they're all pastel.

Why is it that there are so many men chefs yet we still have stereotyping toys?

Holli, mama to a girlie with a RED kitchen! :)

[icunurse]

I'm not sure if the style is what you're looking for, but the kitchens at Learning Express (their exclusive KidCraft one) and the new Melissa & Doug kitchen that just came out are pretty gender neutral.
Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting (and waiting) for another baby!

[the mommy]

Good question. . . I think the fridge was seperate. It did remind me of PBK styles. I am sure someone else with a much better eye for detail will post a more helpful response!

Oh and I would have loved a red kitchen! On the other hand, my husband has a policy that if it is at Costco I am allowed to buy it without any argument/justification so the "girly" kitchen was just easier. I did however use his logic to get my Dyson vac and lots of other stuff. (train table, tumbling mat, endless books, Ryan's Room mambo combo, etc.,)

Heather
dd 1/04

[babyready]

Oh wow. I think we just decided to get the Target one for dd's birthday. I hope I don't have any regrets...

[holliam]

I'm laughing so hard at your husband's Costco policy. I cannot tell you how many phone calls I have gotten while working from my SAHD hubby at Costco wondering if we NEED xyz that he found... ! LOL

Holli

[anamika]

As someone who grew up in India, I was happily oblivious to the fact that girls = pink and boys = not pink/blue. I have bought my nephew in India many 'girly' colors by US standards and he's none the worse for it.
So the whole concept seems slightly ridiculous to me (I'm sorry if this offends anyone) - mainly b'cos I don't know the reasoning, if any, behind it. How/when did it start? It seems to be so firmly entrenched in the American culture. Maybe if there was a logical explanation, this would make sense to me.
My cousin's DS (in the US) wanted a pink backpack with butterflies on it (he's a delightfully original kid) but my cousin had to tone it down to a blue one since she didn't want him to get teased the very first day of school! How sad!

[christymc33]

Thanks for the post!
Can anyone find a picture of it? Would this be a good time to buy it for DD who will be 2 in Feb, or should I wait until next year when she will be nearly 3 at Christmas time?

[DebbieJ]

>So the whole concept seems slightly ridiculous to me (I'm
>sorry if this offends anyone) - mainly b'cos I don't know the
>reasoning, if any, behind it. How/when did it start? It seems
>to be so firmly entrenched in the American culture.

Exactly. I personally would not have a problem buying my son a pink or pastel kitchen or other toy, BUT because it is so entrenched in our culture, I would have to put up with so much ridicule and funny looks if I did, not to mention what my son would have to endure.

It's just silly.

That and I really despise pastel colors except for the pink shirts that I wear. They look good on me. :)

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[babyready]

DD is going to be 2 in Oct and loves playing with play kitchens! She has a small one at Grandma's and she plays with a big one at a local store when we go. Actually, I usually have to pull her away kicking and screaming when it is time to go. lol. DD also has started helping somewhat in the real kitchen and loves that too!

I think 2 is a great age for a kitchen. That is what dd is getting!

HTH!

[christymc33]

Thank you! I do think she would really enjoy one now! Just more playtime if I buy it early! I hope. Have you decided which one you are going to get??
:-)

[Jenn98]

I had to laugh at your pink shirt comment. I was so set on having DD wear all kinds of colors and then she was born and has just looked fabulous in pink, so that's 90% of what she wears. I have also begun wearing pink - I look good in it, too. I heard it's one of the most flattering colors.

But I have to agree that the gender stereotyping is very annoying - that's why I have a permanent ban in anything pink with cats. What can't it be dinosaurs, or dogs or anything but cats and princesses? Yuck! Makes shopping a challenge. (Until I give up and just buy the blue bath towel with the dinosaur face sewn in!)

[american_mama]

Holli, I'm not sure that the preponderance of male chefs isn't a form of stereotyping in and of itself. You know, mom can cook in the family, but actually pay her to do it? Expect her to supervise a kitchen staff, manage a large budget, and work in a fast-paced environment? Nah...

Not lecturing you, as I'm sure the above doesn't surprise you, the dominance of men as chefs has always been a pet peeve of mine. Just wanted to vent it out, really.

And I agree, pastel kitchens are both ugly and stereotyping.

[holliam]

OH, don't get me wrong, that's annoying to me too. The fact that men are not supposed to cook for the family, but can get paid for it, and reverse for women?! Really, wtf?

I was just using the example to show that men who cook are actually valued even though kid's toys don't seem to express that!

Where is the Jamie Oliver or Alton Brown kitchen set?! ;)

Holli

[anamika]

>Until I give up and just buy the blue bath towel with the dinosaur face sewn in!

Hahaha - I buy blue for DD all the time especially when it's things she won't wear out of the house too much. All her towels are blue with dogs and sharks. I don't care especially since they were on sale while the pink ones weren't.
Maybe pink is for girls b'cos it's so flattering??

[chinadaughter]

Ok ladies, I also was waiting for the Costco kitchen to come out for my DD Bday, but went ahead yesterday and bought the Target kitchen because I didn't think that Costco was going to have it out in time. Figures.... I might just wait and see what the Costco one looks like.

This is a really interesting conversation. Prior to having a child I was always dead set against doing the pink is girls vs blue is boys thing. Now that I have a DD I do find myself feeding into it. But it does seem like the pink/pastel colors just look cuter on her.


Julie
Lauren 10/7/04

[muskiesusan]

>
>But I have to agree that the gender stereotyping is very
>annoying - that's why I have a permanent ban in anything pink
>with cats. What can't it be dinosaurs, or dogs or anything but
>cats and princesses?

From the other side, I am sick of all the boy stuff having dogs, dinosaurs, or sports stuff on them. Oh, unless, you are a boy over the age of say 3 or 4, then everything is either a superhero character, solid, or stripe!

DS1 would love a princess or cat shirt, but I, too, find myself steering him away from these items to avoid teasing. He is already the odd one out in his circles not knowing how to play Power Rangers or Star Wars.

The whole thing is stupid and drives me nuts!

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[Ceepa]

>annoying - that's why I have a permanent ban in anything pink
>with cats. What can't it be dinosaurs, or dogs or anything but
>cats and princesses? Yuck! Makes shopping a challenge. (Until
>I give up and just buy the blue bath towel with the dinosaur
>face sewn in!)
>
>
That's why I was so excited to see this outfit from Bebini:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/35465.jpg

DD loves her brother's cars. The reason I didn't buy it was simply because we're moving into cooler weather.

-Ceepa

[mom to little e]

I SO agree!!!

Maryann
Mommy to Ean & Mia!

[mom to little e]

This is one topic I have to jump all over -- I can not stand the color segregation thing!! Now, having "one of each," I find myself dealing with it on both ends. Yesterday we went out to breakfast and Mia was wearing a HA playdress (I think it is called something Happy). Among other colors, it has red and yellow stripes. She was also wearing some red pants under it because it was cool. And how many people called her a boy because she wasn't in pink!?! Okay, so she doesn't have much hair and maybe you can't tell - but please don't assume her gender by the color she is wearing. She has also had this happen if she wears blue. I know people aren't trying to offend - it just makes me roll my eyes (in my mind - not so the person sees) and bugs me.

For Ean, the whole clothing thing has been completely sports, or bugs, or dinos, etc. Yes, he loves that stuff but also loves other stuff too, like cats. Why do girls get cats and boys get dogs??

Also happens in decorating rooms. Did you know purple is a "girl" color?? ggggrrr... DS loves the color purple, his room is purple and it is awesome. But try and find accesories to go with it and you better be creative because they are all going to be so over the top frilly (which I wouldn't necessarily want for Mia, either).

Sorry for the rant - It just drives me nuts (and makes me sad).

Maryann
Mommy to Ean & Mia!

[mtrattner]

I would love to see a pic of this. I looked on their website earlier in the week and saw nothing. Please somebody share. We don't have Costco here and but Grandma does so I am trying to decide if I should send her with her friend to go get it. Thanks everyone!

[MartiesMom2B]

My dad is a chef and he is the one who cooked for us while I was in highschool/college. My grandmother lived with us and cooked for us when I was little and my dad was an accountant too. In fact, my mom just told me recently that she thinks she's forgotten how to cook.

-Sonia
Mommy to Martie
& Li'l Bunny to come Feb. 2007
http://bd.lilypie.com/Kchhm4/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[katerinasmom]

My local Costco had the kitchen set up and it was really, really nice. Pink, yes. But very well constructed and designed - with a lot of attention paid to the details. It even had a working timer. I was very impressed. If you are in the market for a kitchen it is definitely worth the trip to Costco.

[Cristiana]

Thanks for the post. I'm getting very excited about this kitchen set. Were the pieces separate like the PBK set? Our mantra is that if it's from CostCo, it's going to be good!

On a side note, I had pink everything growing up, including my kitchen set, and I do not cook, DH does, and we share the housework. Funny, huh?

[katerinasmom]

It was definitely sold as a set and I believe that there were two major pieces - the stove/sink and a refrigerator. I had to force myself to walk away because if I stayed to look any longer I might have bought it. DD definintely does not need this right now (already has a kitchen set) but it was so nice that I was really tempted. Good thing it wouldn't fit in the car I had that day, otherwise, who knows!?!

[KrystalS]

Ok is there someone close to Costco that can PLEASE take a pic??? DD has Costco's kitchen from last year, but she loves the PBK one. Everytime we go to the store she wants it. If it is similar to PBK one we have to have it!! The nearest Costco is 90 min away, so I don't want to make the trip if its just like the kitchen from last year.

[holliam]

DH is going to Costco tomorrow, and I have a local friend who is interested in this kitchen so he is taking pictures of it for her (assuming ours has it). So, if no one posts any before tomorrow, I will tomorrow evening.

Holli

[american_mama]

Susan and others:

If you have a boy who is not loving the stereotypical boy's clothing choices, check out the current issue of Brain Child magazine. I read it in Barnes and Noble in the parenting section. There's an article titled something like "My Son in the Dress" and talks about when her son started attending preschool, he fell in love with all the colors and sparkles and rainbows in girl's clothing. She talks about how she indulged it, how he and others reacted.

Most interesting, she says that her son clearly loves beauty and the way beautiful clothes are presented to 4 year old in our culture is... pink and sparkles and rainbows, not red stripes and khaki pants and boxy silhouettes. I thought it was a nice take on the many reasons a boy (or his mom!) might like something more than the typical boy clothing choices.

Anyway, not relevant to kitchens, but several moms had posted about feeling so confined by the boy choices for clothing, toys, etc. that I thought I'd mention it.

[holliam]

and he said that the set was really nice, and he thinks it's a little shorter than our PBK retro set.

He will be home in a few hours so I'll post the pic then.

Holli, who seems to still be obsessed with play kitchens even though we already have one! ;)

[KrystalS]

I can't wait to see it!! Don't worry you aren't the only one obsessed with play kitchens!!

[ellies mom]

Does anyone have the item number for the kitchen? It isn't in my Costco yet, and without the item number or the manufacturer, the customer service person couldn't tell me if they were likely to get it.

[holliam]

Sorry DH forgot to verify the price or get the part number, but, hey, we have a pic! :)

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/35530.jpg

Holli

[britchick]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11135553&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4016191&Mo=13&pos=0&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=55534&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=

[britchick]

just wondering..With 4 boys i will never get this one past DH..I had him convinced to get the one from last year with a small amount of pink but of course they sold out before i could get it..

[brittone2]

Cute!!! I still hate that it is PINK though :(

[KrystalS]

We are definitely making the trip to Costco for that!! Guess I'll put DD's kitchen up on craigslist! DD saw it and immediately said, thats the "kids" one. Thats what she calls PBK, she loves going there to play with the kitchen!

[britchick]

please let me know..that is the one i want-lol...Unless i can paint this one red.

[ellies mom]

Ohhhh!!! Thank Liam for me! I really want that!!!

[Mamma2004]

We bought last year's and painted the pink a sage green to blend with the blue and yellow.

That said, I would sell it and buy this one in a heartbeat if we could paint it red!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stephanie

[britchick]

Me too.I am going to try to get to the store this week and see how the hardware etc attaches.If it is all removable then i think it might be easy to paint.Just not sure what paint to use and if i mess up,well that is a very expensive mistake.What paint did you use when you did the other one..I think this is a glossy finish but not 100% sure..Anyone?

[Cristiana]

Oh, that is adorable! DD will def. getting that for her birthday! Thanks for the pic!

[jess_g]

I would love to get it and paint it too. My 2 boys would love a play kitchen but I don't think pink is the ideal color for them! If anyone knows how to paint something like this please share as it looks adorable. Its too bad they don't have one in a more neutral color.


Jessica.

[christymc33]

We purchased it today for DD. She is 18 months old, and played with it for over 30 minutes! It was a huge it with all of the kids that walked by, boys and girls of all ages!
Thank you so much to the original poster! Our Costco had only 13 left, and were unsure if they would receive any more.

It does have a glossy finish. I am not sure what type of paint would be best to use. It does seem like it would be a difficult job to do, since you would almost have to paint the entire kitchen!
(I am not crafty though.)

Oh, and it was $139.90 plus tax.

Now the hardest part is to wait until Christmas to give it to her!!
We'll see if I cave!

[britchick]

My kitchen has the pink retro canisters and my mixer is the pink kitchenaid ,blender is the pink kitchenaid.I am seriously thinking of getting this and just leaving it pink.I emailed the pics to hubby and he said thats fine(gasp-lol) oh decisions decisions

[britchick]

in the future.I also asked them if there was a product they would recommend for me to paint it...will post if i hear back from them

[Ceepa]

It's hard to tell from these photos what size it is, but the dimensions on the Costco Web Site seem a little small. I guess it's more like the Target brand kitchen height? I'm having trouble visulaizing the size.

For the price and the detail, though, it's still a really good deal.

ETA: As the mom of a boy, this part of the online description caught my eye: "She will enjoy hours of imaginative playtime fun with this stylish kitchen." What about DS? Can he play, too????? :)

-Ceepa

[Cristiana]

Update: DD saw the pic on the computer screen, and literally freaked out, saying "cook, cook, please, please!" over and over again. So I went and bought it and she'll get it for her 2nd b-day in Nov.

She has my old kitchen playset, but it's getting shabby and I'm not sure how safe it is. So thanks OP!

[holliam]

Yes, DH said it was definitely shorter than our PBK set.

Holli

[chinadaughter]

We went ahead and made the plunge and bought this. I can hardly wait a month to give it to my daughter!

Julie

[buddyleebaby]

I have to wait until Christmas.
I'm storing it at my mom's house because I know if it's here I'll be too tempted to give it to her early.

[Jenn98]

Can anyone comment onthe quality of this kitchen? I thought for sure I wanted the kitchen set from Little Colorado, but this is sooooo cute! Is it a durable and sturdy kitchen. I am preggo with DD#2 so it needs to last through a lot of years of play. TIA

[chinadaughter]

We haven't put it together yet, but I do know that it is wood and it weighs about 75 pounds, so it is solid. My hubby had a hard time getting the box in the house and downstairs.


Julie

[kaileysmom]

I just wanted to mention my experience because I know a few were wondering about the size. My DD has the Costco kitchen from last year and the counter meets at her chest. I saw this kitchen and was planning on giving her old kitchen to a little girl at our church and giving DD the new one. They only had one left so they put it on hold and went to pick it up last night. Unfortunately, it was A LOT shorter than her old one. The counter comes to her stomach and it seemed like she would outgrow it a lot sooner. It looks really nice, but it was just too short IMO. So I passed. Just a little more information for those trying to decide on that all important kitchen purchase :-)

[nfowife]

kaileysmom,
Would you mind giving me a measurement for your kidcraft kitchen from last year? I'm thinking of getting that one for DD this year (I really want the pink one, but with a boy on the way, DH wants to go a bit more neutral, which I understand), but I want to make sure it isn't too tall for her to at least play with the counter and bottom stuff right away.
Thanks!

[kaileysmom]

Sure. Floor to counter is 22 inches and floor to the top of the kitchen is 44 3/4 inches. It's about 41 1/2 inches wide. DD can't really reach things that end up in the back of the microwave or too far back on the shelf, but everything else she can reach fine. HTH.