Some toys hit different when they’re tied to a memory.
The best food toys and playsets of the summer just got an ice cream glow-up, because Melissa & Doug teamed up with Van Leeuwen on a wooden scoop shop you can run right from your living room. It drops just before National Ice Cream Month in July, it comes with coins for real free scoops, and full disclosure, it got me in my feelings a little.
I’ll explain why in a minute.
Quick Answer
The Melissa & Doug x Van Leeuwen collab is a limited-edition line of wooden ice cream play sets built around the real Van Leeuwen brand. There are two: a 29-piece Scoop Shop Ice Cream Counter Play Set ($64.99) and a smaller Scoop Pack Ice Cream Play Set ($12.99). Both come with coins kids can redeem for a free scoop at any Van Leeuwen shop. You can grab them at MelissaAndDoug.com, the flagship store in Westchester Mall, and on Melissa & Doug’s TikTok Shop while supplies last.
That’s the news. Now the story.
Why This One Hit Home For Me
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about ice cream. It’s almost never about the ice cream.
One of the first real dates my wife and I ever went on ended at a Van Leeuwen scoop. Two spoons, one cup, that nervous early-dating energy where you’re trying to play it cool but you keep laughing too hard at everything. I don’t remember the exact flavor. But, I do remember her face. I remember thinking, okay, this one’s different.
So when a wooden version of that exact scoop shop shows up as a kids’ toy, a whole family later? Yeah. That one lands deeper than your average product drop.
Funny how a $12.99 add-on can drag your whole love story out of you.
What Is It?
The collab reimagines Melissa & Doug’s best-selling Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter, which the brand says is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and has ranked as the #1 item in Preschool Kitchen & Food for three years running.
This time it’s wearing Van Leeuwen branding. According to Melissa & Doug, kids can take orders, stack scoops, add toppings, serve cones and cups, and ring people up with play money. Basically a full scoop shop shift, minus the brain freeze.
The kicker: each set includes special coins that redeem for a real free kids’ scoop at any Van Leeuwen location. Pretend ice cream that pays out in actual ice cream. The toy game has been cooking.
What Comes In Each Set
Here’s the breakdown, straight from the brand:
Melissa & Doug x Van Leeuwen Scoop Shop Ice Cream Counter Play Set ($64.99)
- 29 wooden play pieces
- Realistic scoop-and-stack action
- Pretend Van Leeuwen flavors
- Play money
- Two coins for real free kids’ scoops
Melissa & Doug x Van Leeuwen Scoop Pack Ice Cream Play Set ($12.99)
- A realistic ice cream tub
- Two pretend scoops
- A wooden spoon
- One coin for a real free kids’ scoop
- Works as a standalone or as an add-on to the bigger counter
If you already own a Van Leeuwen counter, the Scoop Pack is the easy yes. Starting fresh? The full counter is the move.
A Real Flavor, Too: “Berry Good Imagination”
This isn’t only a toy drop. Van Leeuwen is also releasing a limited flavor inspired by Melissa & Doug called Berry Good Imagination.
The brand says you can find it at select Van Leeuwen scoop shops in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. As a Jersey guy, I appreciate not getting left out of the fun for once.
The Giveaway: An “Ultimate Ice Cream Party”
Families nationwide can enter to win what the brands are calling the Ultimate Ice Cream Party for Kids. Per the announcement, one grand prize winner gets:
- A private Van Leeuwen ice cream party for up to 10 guests
- The Scoop Shop Ice Cream Counter Play Set
- $100 gift cards to both Van Leeuwen and Melissa & Doug
Second and third place winners score a private ice cream party and extra goodies.
How to enter, per the brands:
- Follow both Melissa & Doug and Van Leeuwen on social media.
- Tag someone who’d love to win.
- Share the giveaway to your Instagram Stories for a bonus entry.
Why It Works (A Quick Word On Van Leeuwen)
Van Leeuwen isn’t a random pick here. The brand started as a yellow scoop truck on NYC streets back in 2008 and built a cult following on French-style ice cream and flavors nobody saw coming. We’re talking Kraft Mac & Cheese, Hidden Valley Ranch, and an Espresso flavor with Sabrina Carpenter. Their Vanilla Bean even got named best vanilla by The New York Times’ Wirecutter.
So pairing that scoop-shop credibility with Melissa & Doug, a brand that’s basically run pretend play for a generation, just makes sense. Two brands that take their lanes seriously.
Key Takeaways
- Melissa & Doug x Van Leeuwen is a limited-edition line of wooden ice cream play sets, one of the best food toys and playsets to land this summer.
- Two options: the $64.99 Scoop Shop Counter and the $12.99 Scoop Pack add-on.
- Both include coins for real free scoops at Van Leeuwen shops.
- A limited flavor, Berry Good Imagination, hits select shops in NY, NJ, CT, and PA.
- There’s an Ultimate Ice Cream Party giveaway running on social.
- Available while supplies last at MelissaAndDoug.com, Westchester Mall, and TikTok Shop.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do the Melissa & Doug x Van Leeuwen play sets cost?
The Scoop Shop Ice Cream Counter Play Set is $64.99 and the Scoop Pack add-on is $12.99.
Where can I buy them?
At MelissaAndDoug.com, the Melissa & Doug flagship store in Westchester Mall, and on Melissa & Doug’s TikTok Shop, while supplies last.
Do the coins actually get you free ice cream?
Yes. Each set includes coins kids can redeem for a real free kids’ scoop at any Van Leeuwen location.
What is Berry Good Imagination and where can I get it?
It’s a limited-edition Van Leeuwen flavor inspired by Melissa & Doug, available at select scoop shops in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
How do I enter the ice cream party giveaway?
Follow both brands on social, tag someone who’d love to win, and share the giveaway to your Instagram Stories for an extra entry.
Final Scoop
Look, I cover a lot of products. Most don’t make me call my wife into the room. This one did.
That’s the quiet genius of the best food toys and playsets. The good ones aren’t really about the plastic or the wood. They’re about the memory you’re handing your kid, the same way somebody once handed it to you over a shared cup of ice cream on a first date.
The Melissa & Doug x Van Leeuwen sets are limited, so if it’s calling you, don’t sleep on it. National Ice Cream Month only comes around once a year.
