You don’t have to be a foodie to appreciate fake food- but it helps. You know that feeling you get when you walk past a bakery window or see beautifully decorated food on cooking shows? You just sort of stop, stare, and probably wish you had more money and a faster metabolism. Or maybe that’s just me!

There is wide spectrum of quality in fake food items, ranging from very durable (and usually less realistic) pretend play food, all the way up to restaurant-quality, life-size, fake display food that looks and smells good enough to eat. Play food items are made of all non-toxic materials and are safe for children to play with. These are often scaled down, plastic foods, but can still look very realistic. Artificial food that is meant for display (fake cakes for bakeries, and other fake desserts for restaurants, etc.) tend to be made with one or more toxic ingredients, so they are NOT safe for kids. However, they have a potentially endless shelf life, and look the most mouth-watering. Prop foods for stage productions are often somewhere between those two extremes.

As expected, the price of fake food items is as wide ranging as the quality available. Some online stores charge double-triple the average retail price, some require $100 order minimums, others offer no online ordering. Buying fake novelty food shouldn’t be such a hassle (no online shopping should!), and thankfully there are a lot of good stores out there. eBay is loaded with such sellers who carrying a wide variety of unique fake foods (see below for some examples). Whether you want a scented cupcake decoration, wax food, a slice of fake pie, a spilled soda, a phony fruity cocktail, a pretend grilled sandwich, or a colorful faux garden salad, you can find it on eBay. There are even how-to instructions and kits if you want to learn how to make your own bakery crafts. Scented candles and soaps in the shape of fake foods are also abundant, so you can see and smell yummy food in every room of the house!

On a personal note, I find fake food items to be so eye-pleasing that we use them as part of our office decor. It definitely doesn’t fit with everyone’s design ideals, but fake food fits perfectly with our kitschy, fun atmosphere. Since we’re total vintage lovers, the 50s diner themed fake food at Retro Planet was perfect!