When it comes to plastic food bowls, I like to think of myself as a seasoned veteran. Having four, yes four, boys with their own individual quirks, walking in to a store and just tossing a stack of them in the card was never an option for me. One refused, for over a year, to eat anything red or off of any plate that was red. One detested the “kiddie concept” and literally demanded that he eat off of “dem big plates” as he pointed to the cabinet where I had the regular food plates. I could go on and list all their little idiosyncrasies but hey, I’ve already projected them as a group of little geek eggheads, I don’t think I need to further enhance the image for you. We came across these at Wal-Mart in the plastic houseware section for about a dollar and I couldn’t pass them up. Had I known it would have turned a somewhat quiet meal, breakfast, into a slurping contest, I would have passed on these or at least strolled over to the health section to pick up some industrial strength earplugs. Even though they all had their own little individual likes and dislikes, if I came through the door with a bowl for one of them and a sipper cup for another, all hell would break loose and someone would walk away with a sour puss. I learned the hard way to just buy four of everything that let them pick whether or not they wanted it – nine times out of ten it would turn into some demented mini-auction in the kitchen. They’d start swapping toys or Pokemon cards for the items that weren’t wanted … hey, as long as they aren’t killing each other and there’s no blood to clean up …

Arrow Plastic Sippin’ Safari Bowl

These colorful, cute and creative little bowls come in three different shapes and colors. There’s a lion [yellow], hippopotamus [red] and elephant [blue] to choose from and in most cases you can find these for about a dollar at places like Wal-mart, Target and certain grocery stores. In Southern California I’ve seen these at Von’s and Albertson’s but they were selling for $1.99 to $2.49. I like these bowls a lot but can’t justify paying almost twice as much for something when I can get it for a lot less at a store that’s a quarter mile down the road. The biggest perk to this bowl is the straw that protrudes from the back of the animal – essentially allowing you, or a child, to slurp up the left over milk after the cereal is gone. After all, sometimes the best part of having cereal is the milk – after it’s hard a chance to soak up the flavor and turn it chocolaty brown or bright pink. My boys have always had a panache for the fruity cereals and adding these bowls to the breakfast table eliminated some, but not all, of the mess associated with getting every last drop of milk.

The bowls are best used for cereal but you can use them for any type of food – it’s just that trying to suck the liquid through the straw becomes a true labor of love. Imagine if you will, a timid four year old that is on a soup kick, every meal has to have some kind of soup with it or he just won’t eat it. He also has a somewhat unnatural attraction to a certain red hippopotamus bowl so anything that is even remotely liquid has to be served in this bowl or else you get the “evil eye”. During the midst of his fevered soup frenzy he decided to suck up the broth after downing half a can of Campbell’s Alphabet Soup. Little did he know there were a few alphabet bits left over, lurking under the tinted broth … laying in wait for the big plastic spoon to scoop them up. But no, that wasn’t the plan, he wanted to suck the now cooled soup through the start to try and drive his dear old mom a little more insane. Then it happened, in the middle of a huge sip, a doughy letter became lodge in the straw but that didn’t stop him from trying to pull it through without assistance – something that to this day still cracks me up. He must have sat there for a good three minutes trying to suck it through the straw before I finally had to tell him to stop or he’s pass out. He learned a lesson that day and still gets red faced when I bring up the subject or pull out the old red bowl and ask him if he wants some soup. A touch subject … you better believe it.

These do clean up nicely but you have to make sure that you run water through the straw for a good thirty seconds to make sure all the milk, liquid and soap are completely removed. Being the paranoid person that I am, I used to run the back end of a long cotton swab through it just to be sure. I don’t suggest that you put these in the dishwasher since some small food parts could get stuck inside the front or back of the straw or the straw could get too warm from the water or heating element and warp when cooling off. Most of the common kid foods – mac and cheese, hot dogs, chicken and fish planks etc, won’t stick to the bowl even if it sit for a few hours. Soaking them in warm water for a few minutes usually loosens anything that may stick [so far, only ketchup that was dried on] and if worse comes to worse and it can’t be removed, it can be pitched in the trash and a replacement picked up for about a dollar. Even though two of the boys initially balked at the design and look of the bowl, they did use it from time to time for cereal – especially when the beloved Count Chocula and Frankenberry hit the shelves.

Things To Know

• If you want to add to the fun, you can pick up the small but very cool sipper cups. These have the same design as the bowls, come in the same primary colors and do stand up to a good bit of use and abuse before they start to break or crack. These are under a dollar and are a great way to make picky eater a little less finicky when mealtime rolls around.

• The sipper straws that stick out of the end of the bowls [and sipper cups too] are strong and are solid pieces but they will bend, snap or warp over time so treat them with a little care when cleaning and storing. Be sure to check the straw before you allow your child to use it to make sure there aren’t any breaks or cracks or the start of either of them.

The Bottom Line

If you are looking for a solid, sturdy and well made bowl for your child or children but want something with a slight whimsical flare to it, these are a great pick. They cost a lot less than the fancy big name ones [Spongebob, Power Puff Girls, Scooby etc] and last just as long. So far I’ve only had to pitch two of them due to the straw getting bend then eventually cracking but for all the use they saw – I can hardly complain about their performance. Now comes time for the confession I’ve been dreading, I use these bowls all the time when I’m alone in the house. There’s something about scooping out all the cereal and seeing a good six to eight ounces of flavored milk … and one fateful morning when Chris came home early – he busted my in mud slurp and almost died laughing as I stood there trying to explain the situation. It was no use … so now, when the house is empty, rare but it does happen, we whip out the bowls, cereal and milk and share a couple of minutes of pure unadulterated silliness.


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2004 Freak369


Other Arrow Plastic product reviews …

Primary Plastic 16 Ounce Bowl
Anyware Sectional Tray
Anyware Cutlery Set
Plastic Trick or Treat Tub
Plastic Primary Fork & Spoon Set
Plastic Divided Plate With Cover
Plastic Halloween Sip-A-Mug


Recommended: Yes