As a content creator at foods.edu.vn and a dedicated food expert, I’ve always been fascinated by the charm of miniature food. This interest has only grown since Lena, from Rainbow High House, started her delightful “Tea With Lena” review series. It got me thinking – if Lena is hosting guests for tea and treats, she needs a kitchen stocked with amazing tiny eats, right?
It all started with a comment on the very first Tea With Lena post. Ryleigh, a keen-eyed reader, mentioned MGA’s Miniverse food toys. These aren’t just any toys; they are surprise ball kits packed with everything you need to create miniature fake food dishes yourself. Ryleigh’s suggestion sparked instant excitement, though, admittedly, it took me a few months to finally dive in and explore this miniature world.
But the delay turned out to be a blessing! Over these past months, MGA has expanded their Miniverse offerings, launching exciting new products, most notably the Make It Mini Kitchen. Kitchen-themed toys are irresistible to me, and I predict this particular set will be a holiday hit. So, today, I’m taking a comprehensive look at the currently available Miniverse options, including the coveted kitchen set, to assess their appeal and, crucially, their usefulness for Lena and her 1:6 scale doll friends.
| Lena showcasing a delightful Miniverse Make It Mini pizza creation. |
For those unfamiliar with the Miniverse universe, let’s quickly explore the product range I’ve encountered. My local Target displayed the Make It Mini Kitchen prominently alongside various surprise ball boxes on a central shelf:
These Mini Food Toys share shelf space with other popular surprise ball toys like L.O.L. and ZURU Mini Brands. Interestingly, in my local store, ZURU’s Mini Brands food items were mixed up with the Miniverse balls, blurring the lines between brands.
Within the Miniverse surprise ball category, there are two distinct Diner Series waves. These cost around $10 and each contains the components to assemble a DIY mini food item and a small white plastic table for display:
Then there are also two waves of the Café Series. These balls are smaller and priced at approximately $7. They contain simpler food creations and don’t include a display table:
The Lifestyle Series ($10) expands beyond food, featuring items like miniature plants, candles, and even goldfish bowls – the latter being particularly tempting to me:
And for seasonal fun, there’s a Halloween Series ($10) with spooky orange and black themed food items and a spider web table:
Beyond surprise balls, the Miniverse range includes larger sets like the kitchen I’m reviewing today, priced at $40:
Target seems to agree with my holiday toy prediction, as an entire top shelf in one aisle was dedicated to the Make It Mini Kitchen:
| An expansive display of Miniverse Make It Mini Kitchen sets. |
There’s also a multi-pack food set ($30) which I’ll be exploring in detail today:
And some other larger items I opted not to purchase, such as this $20 pizza kit:
And the impressively large All You Can Eat box, priced at a hefty $70:
I did see the All You Can Eat set in person at Target:
| The grand scale of the Miniverse All You Can Eat toy set. |
It looks impressive at first glance, but up close, there’s a noticeable amount of empty space. For $70, I’m concerned the contents might feel underwhelming once unpacked.
Here’s a closer view:
| Spotting miniature macarons within the All You Can Eat set. |
Ultimately, I didn’t see enough uniquely compelling items in this massive set to justify the price.
| Considering the potential utility of the carrying case for Miniverse toy storage. |
However, I was still trying to fully grasp the underlying concept of these mini food toys. The core idea is to combine tiny plastic food components with resin, then cure the resin to create a durable, food-themed miniature.
Resin, however, isn’t without its drawbacks. Resin fumes have a strong, unpleasant odor and can irritate the respiratory system. Direct contact with uncured resin can also lead to skin irritation. In short, resin isn’t the most ideal substance to incorporate into a children’s toy.
The recommended age for Miniverse toys is 8 years and up, which is understandable. I’d be hesitant to give these kits to younger children, and even older kids should probably have some level of adult supervision.
Uncertain of what to expect from a resin-based toy, I initially tested a Miniverse surprise ball in a brief Patreon review, seeking feedback on interest levels. The response was quite enthusiastic, leading to this more in-depth review!
Let me summarize the Patreon content to bring everyone up to speed. For that initial review, I selected a Diner Series 1 surprise ball:
Each component inside the ball was individually wrapped in plastic bags, taking some time to unpack. Here’s what the surprise ball contained:
| Assortment of ingredients: whipped cream, cookies, milkshake bottle, glass, strawberries, straw, and tweezers. |
The packaging of the food ingredients is undeniably adorable. I particularly loved the miniature cartons for the strawberries and cookies, and the realistic whipped cream can containing the whipped cream puffs.
Even before assembly, I was impressed by the detail of these miniature ingredients. My immediate thought was to fill Lena’s kitchen cabinets! But the main purpose was to understand the basics of creating a Miniverse kit.
Each set includes a resin bottle cleverly disguised as a kitchen item. In this case, the resin was contained within the milkshake bottle. The resin is a thick liquid inside the bottle that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, like sunshine.
For all kits, the resin is mixed with the plastic components following a recipe printed on the collector’s sheet. Here’s the recipe for my strawberry milkshake:
Following the recipe, I partially filled the glass with resin liquid:
Then, I added some strawberries and set aside the straw:
Next, I placed the glass outdoors for the resin to cure. Foolishly, I chose a cloudy, rainy day for this project, but there was sufficient UV light to partially cure the resin. Some parts remained slightly sticky, requiring further curing when the sun reappeared a few days later.
After the initial resin layer hardened, I brought the glass back inside, added more resin, and arranged the garnishes on top. Then, the shake went back outside for a final cure.
Here’s the finished result:
| Noting the slight sinking of the whipped cream in the finished milkshake. |
I enjoyed this initial test kit. The resulting milkshake is quite detailed and well-made. While I wish the resin were more opaque to resemble a creamy milkshake, the overall effect is good, especially from a distance. Plus, I still had leftover ingredients for Lena’s kitchen!
Briefly searching online for comparable 1:6 scale ice cream miniatures, I found some interesting price comparisons. For around $12, you could get 30 of these simpler miniatures:
| Questioning the desire for a large quantity of simpler miniature ice cream cones. |
Alternatively, for $13, you could get a set of five more elaborate shakes:
| Expressing a preference for a smaller set of more detailed miniature milkshakes. |
The Miniverse milkshake falls somewhere in between – certainly a better miniature than the first example, but I’d probably prefer the five fancy shakes in the second photo.
While pleased with the milkshake miniature, two aspects of the experience were problematic. Firstly, the resin is challenging to work with. It’s sticky and doesn’t wash off with soap and water. I had to use rubbing alcohol to remove it. The resin also has a strong, unpleasant odor. Even after washing my hands with alcohol multiple times, the resin smell lingered on my fingers. I considered using Mod Podge instead of resin, but its long drying time deterred me.
Another issue is the milkshake’s scale relative to Lena:
| Lena expressing concern about the size of the Miniverse milkshake. |
While I’ve had oversized ice cream sundaes myself, the strawberries and straw are not realistically 1:6 scale.
Here’s a scale comparison of the Miniverse milkshake with Lena’s other drinks:
| Drink scale comparison: Rainbow High drink, Miniverse milkshake, and Gatcha Takeout Café cup. |
The Patreon review left me intrigued by the fun and rewarding project, but also hesitant due to the resin issues and scale concerns. I was particularly curious if other Miniverse food items would be more realistic or better scaled for Lena. I also wanted to test the assembly process on a sunny day with ample UV light.
Fueled by enthusiasm from my Patrons, I purchased more Miniverse products, including the Make It Mini Kitchen set:
| Miniverse Make It Mini Kitchen set, priced at $39.99. |
This set appealed to me not only because of the kitchen itself but also because most of the food items are visible, eliminating the surprise element and the potential for getting another strawberry milkshake:
| Clear view of the different mini food toys included in the kitchen set. |
However, there’s still a touch of mystery, as something is hidden within one of the kitchen cupboards:
| Anticipation for the hidden surprise within the kitchen set. |
A standout feature is the kitchen oven with a built-in UV light, enabling resin curing indoors!
| Highlighting the convenience of indoor UV curing in the kitchen set. |
This is a brilliant innovation. If Miniverse sets become popular holiday gifts, an indoor curing option will be essential for regions where outdoor curing may be impractical due to cold weather.
The box back shows the kitchen and provides details in three languages:
Customization is apparently possible with the kitchen, which is a nice feature:
Overall, the packaging is very appealing. The vibrant colors are fun, and the graphics have a retro comic book vibe. It certainly makes an impression:
| Emphasizing the impactful and playful packaging design. |
The kitchen comes attached to a cardboard backdrop. Upon removing the backdrop, several papers fell out:
Among the papers was a recipe sheet for the two included food items: coco-berry milk and berry cereal donuts:
There were also three large instruction sheets (with identical information in English, Spanish, and French):
Unsurprisingly, a significant portion of the instruction sheet is dedicated to warnings about the resin. Statements include “avoid skin contact, use in a well-ventilated area, do not place and store in kitchen or other food storage area, and do not eat or smoke in the activity area.”
| Emphasizing the importance of safety warnings regarding resin use. |
Many parents might read these warnings and decide against letting their children play with this toy, and I can’t entirely blame them.
While there are safe ways to work with resin (gloves, ventilation, surface protection, mask), not everyone will take the necessary precautions, have the right materials, or even read the warnings thoroughly.
The kitchen was secured to the backdrop with plastic strips and four paper ties:
The paper ties were easy to cut, a welcome change from typical MGA packaging.
Here’s everything included in the box:
Let’s first examine the food ingredients.
The coco-berry milk comprises five elements:
A plastic mug, straw, bag of ice, resin bottle, and strawberry carton.
The strawberry carton is exceptionally cute!
Opening to reveal numerous sliced plastic berries:
| Sliced strawberry miniatures with static cling. |
The sliced strawberries aren’t as realistic as the whole berries from the milkshake kit but are clearly identifiable.
The ice bag is also a highlight, complete with a miniature plastic bag clip:
The berry cereal donut kit is simpler, with a tray and spoon, two plastic donuts, a resin glaze jar, and a donut box:
| Questioning the absence of berry cereal in the visible ingredients. |
The berry cereal must be the “secret” item hidden in the cupboard. So much for surprise.
Now, let’s examine the kitchen itself.
The customizable aspect is the backsplash design. It’s printed on cardboard that slides out:
The reverse side of the cardboard is pink with different printed decorations:
Another cardboard piece slides into the top of the kitchen. I initially thought it was missing but found it on the floor. Both cardboard pieces slide out easily:
Here’s the pink side of the upper cardboard piece:
I preferred the yellow cardboard designs (especially the Kit-Cat clock!), so I kept everything yellow:
I’d recommend taping the slots for these cardboard pieces, especially the backsplash, to prevent them from sliding out during movement.
The kitchen has moving parts, such as the faucet handle:
My photos don’t align perfectly for a GIF, but the faucet handle is in a different position in the next image:
The kitchen also features functional drawers and doors on the lower half:
A silverware drawer is located at the top left:
With a plain drawer beneath it:
A plastic piece is inserted below the drawers to enhance the in-box appearance. It could be flipped and used as a third drawer:
The UV oven is centrally located, lined with mirrors, creating a cool infinite oven rack effect:
| Infinite oven racks effect within the UV oven. |
The right side features a mini-refrigerator with a clear shelf:
| Noting the compact size of the refrigerator for a food-themed toy. |
And, I almost forgot, the set includes yellow vinyl oven mitts, accidentally missed in my box contents photo:
The upper kitchen section also has moving parts. Cupboards on both sides each have an adjustable shelf. The right cupboard has a plastic insert depicting a resin bottle:
The left cupboard houses the “secret” food items… berry cereal:
Confirming the contents:
Indeed! Berry cereal in tissue paper, but also other items:
A pink bowl, tweezers, and resin bottle nozzle:
The berry ring cereal is bagged within the cereal box:
| Detail of the adorable berry ring cereal packaging. |
The pink bowl suggests making a permanent bowl of cereal with resin milk, but no resin milk was found in the cupboard.
Checking the box contents list, milk is not mentioned. Perhaps I’m meant to use another resin bottle for the cereal?
Here’s a closer look at the cereal box:
| Cheerful berry characters on the cereal box. |
It’s a sturdy box with intricate details:
Even a tiny tic-tac-toe game on the back!
And a minuscule nutrition label on the side:
Too small to read in person (for me anyway), but visible zoomed in:
The tiny text at the bottom is “Daily Value is based on how much its tiny quotient?” – somewhat nonsensical.
The cereal box fits perfectly in the cupboard:
The kitchen has good play value even without the resin activity, thanks to moving parts and miniature accessories:
Unfortunately, the kitchen is too small for Lena:
| Lena dwarfed by the size of the Miniverse kitchen. |
The accessories are a mixed bag. The oven mitts, for example, are oversized, like foam fingers:
| Humorous comparison of oversized oven mitts to foam fingers. |
But the strawberry carton looks appropriately scaled:
As does the cereal box:
The jar glass is huge, but the blue straw is better sized than the yellow straw from the milkshake kit:
The kitchen’s scale is better suited to 9-10 inch dolls like my FailFix Jenny:
The kitchen back isn’t as visually interesting but has molded details:
And a fold-out counter for storing food creations before or after curing:
The battery compartment for the UV oven is also located at the back:
Batteries are not included:
| Disappointment at batteries not being included. |
After scrounging for three AA batteries, I gathered everything to make resin food!
I set up in my kitchen, ignoring warnings, as it’s the only place with a large table and sink.
The donut and coco-berry milk recipes are straightforward:
| Bilingual recipe card detail. |
Coco-berry milk – what exactly is the “coco” part? It looks like strawberry milk with strawberries, no chocolate in sight.
Anyway, I decided to make one recipe using sunlight curing and the other using the oven – a controlled experiment.
First up, coco-berry milk:
Storing the resin bottle upside down helps dispense the liquid, otherwise, it’s hard to squeeze out enough resin:
After squeezing out resin (a slight struggle), I selected ice cubes and strawberries:
I mixed plastic ingredients into the resin using the blue straw, smudging resin on the jar’s inner edges. I used a Q-tip to clean up the mess as best I could:
Plastic ingredients tend to sink in resin over time, so quick curing is best.
I cured the coco-berry milk outside in the sun; it hardened quickly and even got warm as it cured!
| Observing the exothermic reaction during resin curing. |
Despite the recipe not mentioning it, I added more resin for a second cure to have a strawberry garnish at the top:
| Adding a top layer of resin for strawberry garnish placement. |
Here’s the completed drink:
It’s decent, I think. I like the visible ice cubes. Less elaborate than the strawberry milkshake, and still unsure about the “coco” part, but acceptable. Sunny day curing was very easy; resin hardened in about a minute, and I left it for ten minutes, rotating it for even sunlight exposure.
Next, I prepped donut ingredients (and the kitchen oven!):
The set includes a waxy paper-lined plastic tray, ideal for oven insertion and removal:
I replaced the glaze resin cap with the nozzle for precision:
I drizzled resin glaze on each donut:
Then got out the berry cereal:
Sprinkling cereal by hand was imprecise; rings clumped together:
| Unsatisfactory clumping of berry cereal rings during manual sprinkling. |
Tweezers were needed for strategic cereal ring placement. Resin leaked onto the tray paper, worrying me about donuts sticking, so I removed them:
| Messy resin glaze spillage on the tray paper during donut assembly. |
I placed fresh paper on the tray and put the donuts in the oven!
| Donuts ready for curing in the UV oven. |
The oven knob is a button; pressing it activates a light and five-minute timer:
Minutes don’t tick down, but the light turns off after five minutes, signaling completion:
| Indication of UV oven timer completion. |
I removed the donuts…
And they were still sticky, unchanged. I re-inserted them for another five, then a third five-minute cycle, but nothing happened.
Double-checking instructions, swapping batteries, checking oven door connection – still no luck. The oven is broken, a major disappointment for a $40 toy, especially as a holiday gift in a snowy climate where outdoor curing isn’t feasible.
I resorted to sunlight curing for the donuts, and used remaining cereal and glaze for a cereal bowl, also sun-cured:
Here are the finished donuts:
And the cereal:
| Noting air bubbles in the finished cereal bowl. |
The food is okay, but not as good as the strawberry milkshake. The broken oven is unacceptable for a $40 toy, especially the key feature for indoor, winter crafting. Without it, the kitchen is just overpriced plastic.
For under $40, I prefer the four-piece battery-powered Power TRC kitchen Lena tested in March:
The Miniverse kitchen isn’t bad. It’s sturdy (unlike the Power TRC kitchen’s cardboard backing), bright, and a good display and storage unit for miniature food:
I wish the food items were consistently scaled. The coco-berry milk jar is out of place:
Donuts are a good size for Lena:
| Lena holding a well-scaled Miniverse donut. |
Cereal is a bit large but believable:
| Lena with a slightly oversized but acceptable cereal bowl. |
But coco-berry milk is gigantic:
| Lena struggling with the disproportionately large coco-berry milk. |
Eager for more food variety, I bought the Miniverse multi-pack, promising 30 pieces and at least five food types, mostly visible through the box:
| Miniverse multi-pack, priced at $29.99. |
The box back shows all the food items:
It includes pink lemonade, spumoni sundae, Hawaiian pizza, banana berry waffles, and Marshmall-os cereal:
Photos of the five finished dishes are at the box bottom:
Pink lemonade and cereal seemed repetitive with the kitchen set, but I was excited about the ice cream, pizza, and waffles.
I liked the box showing random ingredient combinations like ice cream pizza or waffle sundae, encouraging creativity:
