From what I’ve heard from other parents, we’re probably fortunate that our girls haven’t become engrossed in the craze that is Moose Toys’ Shopkins line. These little collectibles are a huge deal, and while The Rock Daughters are well-aware of them (and played with them at last year’s Chicago Toy and Game Fair), the only Shopkins we have here at home are the ones from The Bridge Direct’s Kinstructions Building Collection (part of their C3 line). Now, I should note that this feature was actually meant to run back in December when Kinstructions launched (if you follow me on socials, you may even notice that the room in the background has since been remodeled!), but that’s okay since the sets are easier to come by at this point, and there’s actually been some changes in the Kinstructions world (more on that further down). So let’s look at the Shopkins Kinstructions Cupcake Cafe…
A basic, 175-piece “Scene Pack” that includes 4 buildable Shopkins characters, this set is fairly straight-forward as building sets are concerned, though there’s a little weirdness in a few spots that other parents have picked up on, most notably with the instructions and paper signage. While these sets are advertised for ages 6 and up, our six-year-old did have some problems following the instructions, and while I didn’t have issue – I can see why kids might. The Bridge Direct reacted to this, updating instructions for all of their sets, and posting them for download on their official site.
My main area of concern is with the clumsily-designed paper signage. It’s thin, flimsy, un-coated cardboard that is tricky to attach, and easily damaged. In fact, our set (hard to tell in the pictures) had the entire Cupcake Cafe sign soaked in water thanks to a mid-build drink spill. Other building set makers like LEGO or MEGA Bloks would usually address signage through decals or screen-printing directly onto the plastic parts.
Still, the set is colorful and fun, and it puts a new spin on the ever-growing collectible world of Shopkins. See the full collection at Kinstructions.com. Available as a Toys “R” Us Exclusive.
