I write about toys for a living, and as part of my job, I rope in the kids in my life to help me test them out - I'm not going to lie, it makes me very popular.
When I find a toy that I highly rate and that the kids love, it's even more exciting to find it in the sale so that you, dear readers, can snap it up for a fraction of the usual price. I've spent weeks scouring for the best Prime Day toy deals that you need to know about, and was thrilled to spot that one of my favourite toys I've tested in 2024, is currently at its lowest ever price in the Prime Day sale.
The Cookeez Makery play oven is, frankly, fantastic. It comes in two versions - Baked Treatz or Cinnamon Treatz (both are in the Prime Day sale for the same lowest-ever price). The idea is that you have to mix a special dough, which you then pop in the play oven, and 90 seconds later, a sweet-smelling plush toy is magically revealed.
Each playset contains one of three interactive pets and it's a complete surprise which one you get. But to be honest, they are all adorable so it doesn't feel like a huge gamble.
When I tested this out with my six-year-old goddaughter, Mara, it was a massive hit (Mara's older sister, and my other goddaughter, Ella, was also super keen to get in on the action when she got wind of what we were testing). Mixing the dough and forming it using the mold was a bit of messy fun, but the real fun started when we popped it into the toy oven. Having to wait 90 seconds for the interactive pet to 'bake' is a great lesson in delayed gratification, and my goddaughters were beside themselves with excitement (and I could happily watch that scene again and again).
But my favourite part was when the timer went off, and the girls could hear little mews coming from inside the oven. They opened the oven door to see that their little doughball had miraculously turned into a cute little plush - they couldn't figure out how it happened and the wonder on their faces was absolutely priceless. It got better too - when they got the plushie out of the oven, it smelled like cake and was warm to the touch. Talk about a brilliant sensory experience!
If you're worried that this toy is a bit of a one-and-done experience, I hear you. But in my experience, repeat play is not only possible, it's also sought after by the kiddos. They wanted to repeat the play scenario again to see if they could create the plush toy again and then, after a few goes, they wanted to understand the mechanism behind the surprise reveal. Once they discovered how they could reset the play oven, they were really excited to show their friends. You even get a little resealable bag to put the dough in to keep it fresh, which I thought was a really nice touch.
Want more toys with surprise reveals? Check out our full Cookeez Makery review, our Magic Mixies Pixlings review or our Beast Lab review for in-depth information.
