I don’t know if I have to say anything else, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
The image shows two young kids (at least I think they are kids) playing with Fisher Price’s newest toy, a charcuterie set.
To be honest, I had to look up what charcuterie meant (the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and other meat products. But, many people use the term charcuterie to refer to an assortment of meats that are paired with different accompaniments, such as toast, fruit, cheese, and sauces) as well as how to pronounce it (“shahr-ku-tuh-ree”). Just based on these facts alone, it would have eliminated such a gift from my consideration.
My guess is that such a toy is aimed at a certain demographic, and I do not think I am part of that demographic.
The toy is formally known as “Snacks for Two” and includes two faux marble plates, a wood-accented cutting board and a fake knife to “slice” the soft salami, play cheese, red grapes, and two fabric napkins printed with “You’re Grape” and “Let It Brie.”
Nicole Lyn Pesce, a reporter at Marketwatch, notes that many people have left comments about the toy on Twitter:
- what kind of fancy a— child has such refined taste
- I’m not sure whether to laugh at this or thank Fisher Price for grooming hipsters at a very early age
- Playskool peleton bike and Pilates reformer is next….
Others defended it:
- The Fisher-Price Charcuterie Board set is absolutely adorable. I don’t get why people are getting upset over meat, fruit, and cheese. Too snooty?
- Where was THIS when I was growing up?? I might buy it for myself now
Pesce then goes on to share some other Christmas presents for kids with “taste”:
- “Mr. Boddington’s Studio: NYC ABCs” picture book teaches little ones the alphabet with hip examples. “B” is for “Bergdorf Goodman Christmas window,” reads one entry. Or, “N” is for “New York Times with coffee stains,” says another. “P,” of course, stands for “Pilates.”
- Uncommon Goods offers multilingual wooden building blocks with characters printed in Spanish and Mandarin, or there are also American Sign Language blocks, to cultivate a more worldly child.
- the Skip Hop Explore & More Selfie Baby Cellphone Toy
- Barbie’s current Malibu House features a pop-up smoothie bar in the kitchen, as well as a living-room wall that flips to transform the space into an entertainment center.
- Barbie’s Dreamhouse boasts a flat-screen TV set-up into which you can plug a smartphone to play videos, as well as a working elevator.
- Monopoly has scrapped the cash bank for a voice-controlled, smart assistant that transfers money into each player’s account.
The multilingual building blocks and the electronic Monopoly game actually do sound appealing; the others, not so much.
But in my world, what seemed to make our kids happiest were a few books, some Legos, and a gadget or two.
Actually, those are the kind of things that make me happy too…
*image from ABC7 News
Borden's Blather 
This is a ridiculous toy. I prefer books and educational toys for children.
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I’m with you, Tandy!
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I have never seen that toy!! But then I don’t go toy shopping often, no grandkids yet! Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!
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Although some of these are over the top, I do think the Monopoly thing is a good addition of technology. If my sister or brother were the banker, I never trusted they weren’t cheating. Very entertaining post and perfect for the holiday. Best wishes!
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I also liked the electronic addition to Monopoly; would seem to make the job of being the banker a little more enjoyable…
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I had to click on the link on what “Charcuterie” meant. Spelling it is not easy in the first try, too… hahahaha…
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yes, it’s a new word for me as well. not sure how often I’ll be using it…
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Gone are the days of kids just going out to play, get dirty, get bruised, have fun, but be home before it gets dark. Exploring with friends was fun in the 1960’s. How I survived childhood without a cured meat play set is a mystery.
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the good old days. I’m sure it won’t be long until they come out with a play set for vegans… 🙂
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My kids used to spend longest playing with the big boxes their toys came in.
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the big boxes let their imaginations run wild…
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These modern toys are too much. I’m lucky to have grown up in the country. Isolated from the “modern” stuff. I learned to build my own toys, boats and car out of woods and soil clay… and that’s why we make sure that our son appreciate “primitive” toys… like lego building blocks from my husband’s childhood (those that doesn’t come with an instruction manual). Plus books. Lots of books 😀
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sounds like you had a fun childhood. and legos and books – it doesn’t get any better than that!
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My daughter bought a second hand dolls’ house on eBay and painted it for their two little boys. The rest of us bought some Playmobil sets to add to their collection; people and furniture and garden things. I was looking forward to setting up the guinea pig run etc but between making sure the younger one didn’t get hold of ny choking hazards and the older one dive bombing the ‘garden’ with the plane he got in his stocking, the adult play value was limited. I imagine a charcuterie set would have been thrown around like most of their toys!
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good point – kids will simply use the toys as props in whatever way they like; for boys, most likely weapons of some sort!
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Culture is one thing, but I think there’s nothing like books to learn from when they’re young before they get to food preparation, lol 🙂
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I agree; books are the best present for any occasion!
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