Review: Hello Kitty Ice Cream Shop

[Izzy]

The Italian toy company Androni Giocattoli has a range of plastic toys called UNICO Plus (very much the same as TLG's Duplo Sets), and in conjunction with SANRIO has brought out a new range of Hello Kitty sets. I picked up the ice cream shop set and I decided to review it for anyone who is interested in sets for the younger kids, or just loves Hello Kitty. Apart from the slight disappointment with a sticker sheet, I was really impressed with the quality of this brand. Read on to find out about all that.

Brand: UNICO Plus

Set number: 8654

Price: AUD $29.00

Age Range: 1 1/2 - 5 years

Pieces: 43

Maxifigs: 3

Box:

The front cover of the box

The back of the box.

No little baggies, the contents just spewed out of the box. I guess that is a good thing as it helps save the planet and on an age range this low, bags are a big choking hazard. The box was full of little bits of cardboard too, made the pieces a little dusty, nothing too bad, but it might show up in some of the photos.

Contents:

The contents unceremoniously dumped out. The colours are fantastic. And there are some really cute pieces, like the chairs and the 2x2 tiles. I haven't come across those in Duplo sets.

A Dreaded Sticker Sheet is in a sorry state, none of them were peeling off which is a plus.

The paper insert, I thought it might be instructions but it was just an advertisement. So I just had built the shop from the pictures on the box. That was easy to do, but I think a 3 - 5 year old might need something more.

The Characters:

A front view of the characters, Cathy Bunny, Hello Kitty and Tippy Bear

Side view of the characters.

Back view, including a little back printing detail.

Here is a close up shot of the Sanrio trademark.

The Set:

The set without stickers is cute, but a little boring. You get the Ice Cream Shop, 1 umbrella, 2 tables, 4 chairs and the Ice Cream truck.

The set with stickers, is just adorable. My 3 year old absolutely loves this set and I am happy to add some pretty colours to her ever-expanding Duplo collection. There are stickers for practically everywhere, on the umbrella, all over the truck and all over the shop.

The plastic is a good thick kind, with bright, even colours. None of this semi-transparent thin-edged Mega Block type action.

Stickers:

I thought some of you might apprecieate a Macro shot of how the stickers look. They are adorable pictures, but are not of the best quality, and the colour match is not too great, but a kid of 1 1/2 - 5 years will not notice that at all.

The pink stickers.

The white stickers.

Final thoughts:

I love this set, the plastic is good quality, the characters are adorable and it fits well with Duplo. I'd recommend this set or any others in the range to anyone considering it.

Grazie per il vostro tempo!

[dr_spock]

Thanks for the nice review. How much was the set?

Grazie.

[XimenaPaulina]

Ottima review Izzy! This sure looks like a very attractive set to the little girls, who wouldn't love all those pink and those cute Sanrio characters? It's also interesting to see the high quality of the pieces, I assume they're compatible with Duplo right?

How much was the set?

I believe it's $30 based on the price tag on the box.

[Izzy]

I assume they're compatible with Duplo right?

I believe it's $30 based on the price tag on the box.

Yes, they fit snug as a bug in a rug with Duplo!

I added the price in now, it was 29. Thanks Kiel.

[Hewman]

Thanks for the review. The figs are very cute. I previously purchased an Oxford Hello Kitty set that was very good quality (but normal lego size).

Where in Aus did you find this?

[Izzy]

I got it from Mr Toys Toyworld. This was the mid-range set. There were a few impulse types and a bigger one also.

[Pandora]

Lovely review, Izzy! It's clear that this would be a big hit with little girls and this is a great opportunity to see it up close. The stickers really add a new dimension to the set; it was interesting to see the set with them and without. It's interesting, given that stickers are a big no-no in our house, that there are so many and that they add so much to the overall look.

I wasn't familiar with the other characters, but I'm finding a new love in Tippy Bear!

[crossmr]

Thanks for the review. The figs are very cute. I previously purchased an Oxford Hello Kitty set that was very good quality (but normal lego size).

Where in Aus did you find this?

Oxford makes duplo sized hello kitty sets:

http://oxfordtoy.co.kr/product/disney_info.asp?category=%BF%C1%BD%BA%C6%F7%B5%E5+%C7%EF%B7%CE%C5%B0%C6%BC+%C4%ED%C5%B7%C6%C4%C6%BC&Num=368

http://oxfordtoy.co.kr/product/disney_info.asp?category=%BF%C1%BD%BA%C6%F7%B5%E5+%C7%EF%B7%CE%C5%B0%C6%BC+%BA%B4%BF%F8%B3%EE%C0%CC&Num=387

but the characters look different.

[Izzy]

Yes, thanks crossmr. I had read your review on one of the sets. Very cute stuff.

[Big Cam]

Fantastic review Izzy, your pictures are top notch. Too bad you couldn't have reviewed this back in April, it would have fit in perfectly.

[Plastic Nurak]

My cousin's children had some of these Unico blocks (no Hello Kitty themed ones). They're NOT definitely incompatible because they don't fit well, just the appearance of a DUPLO-sized brick.

Edited June 11, 2011 by Plastic Nurak

[Izzy]

My cousin's children had some of these Unico blocks (no Hello Kitty themed ones). They're NOT definitely incompatible because they don't fit well, just the appearance of a DUPLO-sized brick.

I don't quite get what you are saying there?

This set most definitely fits perfectly with our current Duplo pieces. In fact, having mixed them together I am hard pressed to tell them apart short of deliberately reading the brand printed on the top.