NEW YORK CITY – Amazon Alexa makes its debut in the children’s toy room later this year, and I’m not too sure how I feel. KidKraft is betting that parents will be less hesitant when they take a look at the 2-in-1 Alexa Kitchen and Market, a 360-degree gaming set powered by a voice assistant.
The $ 299 2-in-1 Alexa restaurant and kitchen debuted at the Toy Fair 2020 and is powered by RFID sensors and, of course, by Alexa. When kids joke around with the accessory collection, Alexa guides them through recipes, helps make shopping lists, plays guessing games, and provides a fair amount of word games.
By bringing the game model of the kitchen sets into a voice-activated toy, KidKraft offers a connection between children and artificial intelligence.
On the one hand, it is an interactive experience without a screen. Kids will love the details of the set and the two-sided configuration promotes playing time with friends or siblings. Also, your child won’t be able to control smart home devices, ask Alexa for time, or do anything else by voice while the kitchen set skill is in use.
But there are some concerns that a toy of this budding breed creates. I can’t help questioning the social implications of making Alexa a playmate at the request of the child. Talking to Alexa often requires a domineering dialect and could cause children to expect to get what they want when they ask for it.
When I was a kid I had a second hand kitchen set with broken parts and chipped paint and I loved it. I used my imagination for recipes and that’s all I needed.
Alexa Kitchen and Market 2 in 1 is a huge deviation from the idyllic and simple game of the past, but it also seems inevitable. As Alexa becomes a household name, every member of a house is expected to know how to use it.
Kidkraft’s Alexa Kitchen and Market 2 in 1 will arrive in late 2020 and will cost $ 299. That price doesn’t include an Echo speaker, but I recommend pairing it with a Echo Dot Kids Edition.