Not so long ago, my youngest was a huge fan of Blue’s Clues. Sure, this is a fact that he won’t readily admit, but I have the toys, Blue’s Clue’s paraphernalia and assorted kitchenware to prove it. While some items didn’t last a long time, others are still in almost perfect condition. The Blue’s Clue’s Dinnerware Set was used for over two years [and we are talking three meals a day, plus snacks] and shows only the slightest amount of wear and tear.

This set is pretty awesome but is nowhere near as cool as the other pieces that Zak released as individual pieces to complete this series. To complete the set you can look at spending another $30.00 [easily] to purchase the Blue’s Clue’s divided paw print bowl, Blue’s Clue’s flatware [fork and spoon], Blue’s Clue’s plastic tumbler, Blue’s Clue’s snack bowl [about the size of a ramekin] and Blue & Magenta’s desert cup. But as a starter set, this is all you’ll need to get your Blue’s Clue’s fan excited about meals.

The set comes in a nice heavy plastic carrying case, but this won’t stand up to constant use. My son insisted on washing the plate and bowl and putting it away after each meal. After three weeks the spine of the case had enough and broke. I had hoped to save the box for when he outgrew the Blue’s Clue’s era so I could save it for his time capsule, but the case had other ideas.

The Set

This set is made up of three, dishwasher safe pieces. As I mentioned before, you will need to invest a little bit more money to complete the series but the three pieces in this set are basic and can be used for almost every meal. Please keep in mind that these are not microwave safe.

Dinner Plate
While this isn’t as big as a normal dinner plate, but rather a salad plate it’s the perfect size for younger kids. My son used this for every meal and snack and there isn’t a single scratch on the face of it. The checkerboard edges do have a few minor scratches but these are almost non visible from a few feet away. The way I see it, he has used this for over 1,500 meals and snacks and it’s still in almost perfect condition. I can’t even say that about my own dishes!

The design is very cool too. It features a picnic scene with Blue, Magenta and Periwinkle and a blue and white checkerboard around the outside border. The only thing I would have done to improve this would have been to make it a little deeper. If you are serving food like mashed potatoes or macaroni & cheese things could get a little messy with younger eaters.

Bowl
This is the perfect sized bowl for cereal, soup, snack foods, mashed potatoes and corn, Jell-O and ice cream. It can hold 12 ounces but I recommend sticking with about 8 ounces to prevent spilling. I don’t recommend putting extremely hot food in this bowl [soup, stew etc] since it could do some damage to the design if repeated over and over.

This design features Blue and Periwinkle playing on a picnic blanket with a blue and white checkerboard design around the border. Out of the three items in this set, this one got the most use by my son. He used it for almost every meal and snack and it looks like it just came out of the box.

Blue’s Clue’s Cup
This 12-ounce cup is pretty cool. It has a hard rubber top that features Blue and his favorite ball. The straw is hard plastic and flexible but a little hard to clean. You can buy replacements at Wal-Mart or Target, just make sure you buy ones that are the same width, if they are too long you can always cut them down with scissors. I don’t recommend using this as a tumbler for the simple reason that the treads around the outside are a little rough. It’s almost impossible to drink from this since you end up spilling more than you get in your mouth due to the treads. You can purchase a 6 or 10 ounce tumbler if this cup doesn’t suit your needs.

If you serve juice or Kool-Aid in this you will have to clean it up quick or risk having it dye the inside of the straw. This goes the same of you have ‘a biter’ –[a child that insists on biting the straw]- in your family. My youngest son chewed on all of his sippy cup lids for some reason so I knew ahead of time that this straw would last about a month before it would need to be replaced. Face it, after it’s been chewed on it isn’t aesthetically pleasing not is it very hygienic.


Important Things To Know

As I said a few times already, this is not microwave safe, even for a quick reheat of food. While the plate is completely safe to eat off of, when it is heated there is a minimal chance of the colors bleeding off of the plate. Don’t get too freaked out – the colors are non-toxic as well but it will ruin the plate or start a nasty process of ‘flaking’. “Flaking” is when the layers of the plate start to come off, kind of like an eggshell. I made the mistake of microwaving a Scooby Doo plate and had to pitch it. I’m not sure if this was an isolated incidence, but I generally try to follow the manufacturers instructions when it comes to my children’s dinnerware.

I can’t comment on the ‘top rack, dishwasher safe’ advice since I have only used my dishwasher three times. Even when being thrown in the sink and mixed in with silverware, pots and pans, these cleaned up nicely. Any scratches that occurred were on the outer border and that was my fault for using a steak knife to cut down pieces of meat.

If you are serving hot meals on this, be very careful with younger kids. While this doesn’t radiate heat it certainly manages to heat up the serving area – which could mean that the food stays hot a little longer than expected.

The Blue’s Clue’s flatware is also a great buy since it is sized just for little hands and won’t damage the surface of the plate or bowl. I found the fork and spoon set for $4.99 at Wal-Mart and they too are almost in prefect condition after many, many uses.

Don’t confuse this set with other cheap imitations with similar designs. There is a Blue’s Birthday Celebration set that features a plate, bowl, fork and spoon but with a different design. Always check the packaging to make sure that it is an official, licensed product. Knock off brands might not be completely safe for food consumption. Some are sold as ‘collector plates’ so be sure to read the packaging before your purchase.

Bottom Line

If you have a child that is a Blue’s Clue’s fanatic or are looking for a present for a Blue’s addict – this is a great place to start. While you will have to buy the other pieces in the set piece by piece, this is a great introduction. I would check a few stores, as far as prices go, to find the best value. You will save an average of $3.00 - $4.50 if you buy this set rather than buying the pieces individually and I’ve found that Wal-Mart has the best price for this set [$12.99] and the other pieces in the series.

If you are interested in other Zak products, you can visit the website at www.zak.com. There you’ll be able to see the entire line of dinnerware including Disney, Barbie, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo, Cubix, Bob The Builder and tons more.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

^V^ Freak ^V^



Zak Designs Blues Clues Dinnerware Set
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Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $12.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years