COVID has had a huge impact on Irish small businesses, many of them are family owned. When planning your child’s Christmas gift buying this year we’d love you to support these businesses if you can. Do tell them you found out about them on MyKidsTime if they ask.

And please share this article on your social media as well to get the word out to other parents!

From books and family board games, to big brands like LEGO, Pokémon, Harry Potter, Squishmallows, Play-Doh, Paperchase and Crayola, Eason.com have you covered for all your gifting needs this Christmas.

Toysdirect.ie is run by McGreevy’s in Westport, Co. Mayo, a family-run toy shop since 1904. Their website offers all the top brands including LEGO, Schleich, Siku, and many more. They are committed to offering a great range of quality toys at the best value.

Owner Hazel opened Toy Corner just before Halloween 2019, in the heart of the wonderful village of Moycullen, Galway. Hazel is 7th generation in a lineage of retailers who learned the toy business from her mother and her parents before her. As well as a wide selection of toys on their online shop they also have a Boredom Busting box, a surprise box filled with lots of fun items, to a value of €50.

Did you know Schoolbooks.ie sells more than just school books? They have a range of fantastic gift ideas for busy parents including children’s books, face paints, painting sets, educational toys, games and much more.

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Patsy, owner of Tara Book Co says her aim is to nurture a love of reading in children. Once hooked on reading the benefits are many – increased comprehension, wider vocabulary, building stamina for longer reads. Tara Book Co select their books carefully, age grading each one, to make it easy to choose the right books for your child.

They can offer advice on what’s next for an avid reader or how to help a child struggling with their reading. They are strong promoters of Irish authors, illustrators and publishers, encourage and participate in Shop Local campaigns. Books are a wonderful gift to give – any time of the year.

Jiminy Eco Toys ​is an eco-specialist toy company, named after Pinocchio’s conscience Jiminy Cricket, it’s the brainchild of Dublin mum Sharon Keilthy. Jiminy.ie specialises in toys with low carbon footprints and minimal pollution-potential. They’re made from plants, not petroleum – wood, cardboard, and innovative from-plants bioplastics. You can browse by ages and activity interest area on their online shop.

The Toy Shop, based in Malahide, sells a variety of children’s toys, games, and gifts. Their range of toys has been sourced from mum Ali’s own experience as a mother of 3 children and an aunty of 20 nieces and nephews. From beautiful wooden toys, scooters, art and craft sets, games, puzzles, books, dress up sets, STEM toys they want to feed childrens’ imagination and encourage learning through play.

Nimble Fingers is a family run business based in Stillorgan. They offer high quality educational toys and art materials, thoughtfully selected from a vast number of suppliers both nationally and internationally, with toys, in particular, being selected for their play value. Current product selections include educational and wooden toys, children’s books, arts & craft materials and outdoor toys.

Since her launch in August 2012, the award-winning Lottie Dolls have become something of a global phenomenon securing the approval of industry experts, child development experts, international press coverage and most importantly, positive feedback from the parents and kids who love Lottie.

Each Lottie doll arrives in a giftable, illustrated and collectable “doll box bag” with handles with minimal plastic packaging.

Mum Fiona started Little Ones, a toy shop in Clare and on their website you will find classic toys which are fun, well designed and excellent quality but, above all, we ensure our products provide excellent play value and will spark your child’s imagination. Their suppliers select environmentally-friendly materials to produce gorgeous products which are then treated with non-toxic, water based dyes to add colour and vibrancy.

Little Dreamers started life in Galway in 2006 as a Baby & Nursery Store and now also carries a wide range of quality wooden toys with top brands include Kidkraft, Bigjigs, Le Toy and many more. They also stock educational toys and early learning resources.

Irish mum Suzie started Toys and Games Ireland, carefully selecting educational toys and wooden toys and games that you will enjoy playing with your children. They stock a wide variety, including Melissa and Doug puzzles, Hape wooden toys, Galt Toys, 4M science kits and much more.

The Bubble Room is a family run Irish Business based in Skerries since 2008, specialising in quality wooden toys, books, gifts and gadgets for kids of all ages. Brands stocked include Bigjigs, Orchard, House of Marble, Tobar, Melissa and Doug and many more.

Mimitoys started by mum Myriam Doyle in 2004 and based in Meath, sells unique, fun, quality toys for children up to the age of 14. Myriam says her favourite part of the job is to select toys that are different and will get children and parents to play together. She selects toys that will last, will be enjoyed and played with for years.

Wooden Heart is a family run business in the heart of Galway that has been supplying ethical, safe and high quality wooden toys and unique gifts for over thirty years. They source toys from over a hundred suppliers worldwide. Many of their suppliers are also family-run businesses who manufacture in Europe and are thus able to deliver goods adhering to the highest quality and standards.

Discovery Playtime is an online shop based in Dublin run by a mum of two, Mireia. She sells an abundance of educational, sensory and wooden toys for children aged from 0-6 years to promote learning through play. One of her bestsellers is her unique hands-on Discovery kits with everything you need to help encourage children’s curiosity, creativity and development of skills such as fine motor skills, problem-solving and communication.

World of Wonder Toys is an independent toy and nursery retailer with 6 shops across Munster. They offer a large selection of products for all ages and budgets, from LEGO and Our Generation dolls to outdoor toys, bikes and playhouses.

Kaliedy is an Irish online baby nursery and toy store and the exclusive stockist of Early Learning Centre toys in Ireland. Parents can shop for baby essentials (including Ireland’s largest range of feeding products and brands), nursery items, toys, and books.

Run by brother and sister Conor Brady and Ruth Roberts, Cogs The Brain Shop stocks a genius collection of fun quality products designed to build better brains and learn through play whatever your age. They have a fantastic, affordable range of educational toys, clever games (for adults and kids), puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, wooden toys, wide range of unique desk toys and brain teasers.

Stocking-Fillers.ie is the sister site of Cogs the Brain Shop and a 100% Irish-owned, family-run website offering a wide range of stocking fillers for children and adults. Find plenty of great value stocking fillers, including toys, jigsaws, board games, chocolates and socks.

Founded in 2016, Baba Box is a small Irish business specialising in baby gifts, gifts for new mums, mums-to-be and baby shower gifts featuring a unique mix of beautifully designed, luxury items from some of the best independent brands.

Síológ stocks a collection of high quality, ethically made childrenswear, toys and lifestyle products from independent Irish brands. Síológ (pronounced ‘) is the Irish word for seedling – and to help spread the eco love, each order will include a sachet of native Irish wildflower seeds to attract butterflies, bees and birds.

Robyn’s Nest is a small family-run business in Malahide, County Dublin which stocks a large range of traditional toys from brands like Melissa & Doug, Corrolle, and BigJigs, as well as an extensive selection of jewellery, homewares and and gifts.

Adams Cloud is the much loved series of beautifully illustrated & magical children’s books full of love & hugs to encourage bedtime reading and promote fun, learning & laughter in every family.

Enjoy the adventures and escapades of Adam and friends within the Irish Children’s Book of the Year classics Before You Sleep & When You Were Born along with the 7 other fun filled & educational titles. Also available is Adams Playground Jigsaw.

Visit www.adamscloud.com for these beautiful Irish books & gift sets with free books AND free shipping too if you include a pack.

Cool Food School stocks lots of cool food stuff for kids including their specially designed Food Kutter and Safety Food peeler. They also have a nice Christmas bundle that includes Kiddies Affirmation Cards and 2 pack of Kiddies Food Kutter and Safety Food Peeler.

Owner, mum Deirdre is passionate about teaching children of all ages about the joys of healthy eating.

Founded by Wicklow Mum of 2, Lou and Belle prides itself on bringing new and unique children’s brands to Ireland that are sustainable, high quality and that can be lovingly passed on to future generations. From heirloom dolls to handmade wooden toys and music boxes that play the Harry Potter theme tune, louandbelle.com has a range of beautiful Christmas gifts for the little ones in your life.

The online boutique offers beautifully presented pre-made gift boxes or customers can get creative and curate their own. All gift boxes have been designed by Irish artist Pickled Pom Pom and can be delivered direct to the recipient if required, an ideal solution if sending gifts from abroad.

Wonderfully Weathery Books is an Irish owned business set up to publish a series of children’s picture books. The books are about a land called Weatherville – Where the weather lives!

The aim of these books is to teach children about the weather by introducing them to different weather characters and showing how they interact together to create different types of weather. There are four books available in the Weatherville series:

• Riley Rainbow and the Colour Catastrophe looks at the magic of how rainbows are formed.
• Chloe Cloud and the Friendly Fog explores different types of clouds with a fun twist.
• David Drizzledrop and the Puddle Party dives into understanding the water cycle and where all that rain comes from
• Fifi Flurry and the Sleepy Snowflake is the new book and will jump into the world of snowflakes.

The collection of books are available online at www.wonderfullyweatherybooks.com

Subscription boxes offer a range of hands-on activities aimed at particular age ranges and interests. They’re all about learning through doing and imagining rather than only reading. Your level of supervision depends largely on your child’s need, but some need more adult involvement than others.

Suitable for: Ages 3-8, sibling boxes available

Frequency: Monthly

Price: 1, 3, 6 and 12-month subscription packages from £5.95/€8.50 per month + postage

This is a good all-rounder activity box that includes craft activities, a magazine featuring puzzles, games, recipes, and an assortment of stickers. Your child’s personalised box contains all supplies needed to make that month’s craft.

toucanBox boasts Montessori-influenced STEAM learning and creativity. They’ll have some hands-on fun and learn a bit about science and artists as well. Parental involvement will depend on your child’s age.

Suitable for: Ages 3-8, sibling boxes available

Frequency: Monthly

Price: £13.95/€16 per month

Getting muddy has been popular with children since forever, but now you can channel their love of mud for education and creativity.

Mud & Bloom boxes include seasonal activities such as nature crafts, seeds to plant, and games. Children will search for some of the materials outdoors, and there are small parts and things to read, so parents should supervise.

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Suitable for: Ages 4-10

Frequency: Monthly

Price: £25/€30 for the initial shipment, then £12/€14 per month

Geo Journey is a fun way for children to learn about the world around them via facts, fun and even souvenirs.

The initial shipment is a sturdy little suitcase, a personalised letter, passport, travel journal and more. After that, each month your child will receive a personalised letter from Geo the owl and Atlas the puppy about their travels around the world with stickers, activities, booklets and a little souvenir from each destination (e.g. a boomerang from Australia). Smaller children will need help reading the letter, but older ones can do it independently.

Space Journey is a similar offering, instead focussing on the solar system, space and astronaut life.

Suitable for: Ages 6+

Frequency: Monthly

Price: From £11.25/€15 per box

If your child enjoys science and engineering, the Letterbox Lab subscription is just the thing. Everything you will need for the experiments is provided, so there is no prep time or extra materials to go hunting for.

There are two subscription offers to choose from:

• Explore is for kids aged 6+ and includes 3-4 activities designed to occupy a few hours.
• Investigate is for ages 8+ and includes experiments and lab equipment (save everything for future boxes!) and can keep children busy for about six hours. The age is higher because it involves some reactive chemicals.

These boxes require supervision, but they include everything you’ll need except water.

Suitable for: Ages 3+

Frequency: Monthly

Price: From £7.25 per month for 12 months

Receive a fun-filled seasonal box every month to combat any day, not just rainy ones. Each Rainy Day Box contains several fun activities, separately packaged within the box, simple instructions, a reward chart, reward sticker and more.

Suitable for: Ages 7-11

Frequency: Monthly

Price: €140 per year

This one is a great gift for animal-loving children. First, you’ll receive a welcome pack which includes an interactive world map, collectible animal cards, and an exclusive Amazing Planet pin badge. Then, each monthly Amazing Planet box focuses on a different part of the world and its animal population, allowing your child to get up-close-and-personal with the local wildlife, with the help of themed booklets, interactive animal cards and gifts.

This one won’t get the kids off the screens entirely as it pairs with the Amazing Planet app (available for both iOS and android) for photos, quizzes and games that bring everything to life using augmented reality. Parental involvement depends on your child’s reading ability.

Suitable for: Babies to teens

Frequency: Monthly or bi-monthly, depending on the subscription

Price: Varies

KiwiCo offers a range of boxes for different ages from newborns to older teens, with plenty to appeal to all ages and interests, from science and crafts to kitchen skills and art.

• The Panda Crate caters for babies up to age 2 with the contents changing as your baby develops. This could be a good gift for anyone who is expecting because you can order it in advance and give the due date.
• The Koala Crate for preschoolers includes 2-3 projects around a theme such as camping, rainbows or a doctor visit.
• The Kiwi Crate for ages 5 to 8 features STEM-focused crafts for fun, interactive learning. They can make a kite, a stomp rocket or an arcade claw game, for example.
• The Atlas Crate teaches 6-11 year olds about different countries through crafts, recipes and games.
• The Yummy Crate gets 6-14 year olds into the kitchen to unlock the science of cooking and gain confidence in the kitchen.
• The Tinker Crate is aimed at ages 9+ and takes the STEM learning up a notch with projects such as building a walking robot, a hydraulic claw and a trebuchet.
• The Doodle Crate is full of crafts for young artists aged 14+, such as felt succulent plants and homemade soap.
• The Maker Crate is a more design-oriented collection of crafts for ages 14+, such as a clay desk organiser and macrame plant hangers.
• Budding engineers aged 14+ will enjoy the Eureka Crate projects, including an articulated desk lamp and a wooden ukulele.

Suitable for: Teens

Frequency: Monthly

Price: £24.95 per month

Each month, you’ll receive a limited edition craft kit to make beautiful things and learn new skills. It could be book-binding, ceramics, macrame, paper-making, cyanotype printing – or something completely different!

All Craftiosity kits come with the essential tools and materials in the box and step-by-step instructions to make something you’ll love. Better still, there are video tutorials you can watch to help you complete the project.

Suitable for: Ages 2+

Frequency: Monthly

Price: 1, 3, 6 and 12-month subscriptions available; from $87 for 3 months

Each month your budding chef can look forward to a new culinary adventures with award winning educational food and culture kits from Eat2Explore. They will get to explore a new country across 4 continent groups every month.

They also offer gluten-free and vegetarian subscription gifts.

Suitable for: Babies to teens

Frequency: Monthly

Price: From £34.99 for 3 months

The Willoughby Book Club offers numerous book subscription gifts to choose from, including several for children:

• Baby Book Club is a great introduction for children aged 0-12 months
• Toddler Book Club will help foster a lifelong love of books and reading for 1-3 year olds
• Children’s Book Club is the perfect gift for budding readers aged 4-12 years old, based on their reading interests
• Young Adult Book Club for ages 13+ will introduce new fiction titles and keep teens engaged with reading.

Suitable for: Ages 5+

Frequency: Monthly

Price: 1, 3, 6 and 12-month subscriptions available; from £2.oo per month

Make reading and writing the highlight of your child’s week with this highly personalised subscription that includes real letters from a magical cat!

With his first letters, Banjo sends a big, beautiful world map poster so that your child can track along with him on his travels and add stickers to it with every country that he visits. Twice a month Banjo visits new countries and sends personalised letters, along with a recipe, stickers, colouring-in sheet, reply stationery and travel guide for that country.

Better still, Banjo will reply to your child!

Suitable for: Varies

Frequency: Monthly

Price: From £9 per month

The Little Bakers Club is a monthly box which is delivered to your Little Baker, so they can learn to bake something, from monster cupcakes to flapjacks to cake pops. Each box includes all the pre-weighed dry ingredients, a step-by-step recipe card, and a little activity to do.

Suitable for: Ages 0-14

Frequency: Monthly

Price: €150

Imagine the excitement of receiving a new book in the post each month! This book subscription gift from Dubray is ideal for the younger booklover in your life, as a new, gift-wrapped book is delivered each month, chosen to suit their tastes and interests and to encourage a love of reading.

Currently this service is only offered to a delivery address on the island of Ireland.

Magazine subscriptions are a tried and true staple for all ages, and most magazines will offer some kind of subscription (frequency may vary). These are a great idea for both avid readers and for kids who need some fun encouragement to read.

Suitable for: Ages 6-11

Frequency: 13 issues per year

Price: €45 per year

Each month’s issue of Nat Geo Kids is packed full of fascinating facts, puzzles and breath-taking imagery about the environment, animals, history and culture.

Suitable for: Ages 7-14

Frequency: Weekly

Price: £84.99/€100 for 6 months

If you’ve ever hidden vegetables in other foods, you’ll appreciate the logic of this comic. Yes, The Phoenix includes fun and silly comic stories, but it also sneaks in some history and encourages children to draw their own comics.

Suitable for: Ages 8-13

Frequency: Monthly

Price: €76 per year

Aimed at curious and confident readers, Aquila makes science, history and general knowledge accessible to children, combining articles with puzzles and beautiful illustrations. Each issue focuses on a theme such as dinosaurs or coding.

Suitable for: Babies to teens

Frequency: Weekly

Price: Intro offer of first 3 months for £10; £49 for 6 months

Join Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie and all their Beano friends in this classic comic favourite that generations have enjoyed. With a Beano subscription, you’re guaranteed your weekly helping of mischief, mayhem and crazy comic fun by having it delivered straight to your door, before it’s in the shops.

The Amazon Holiday Toy List is put together to help parents shop and find gifts to delight their child with just a few clicks. Shoppers can shop by age or brand or browse categories such as Pretend Play, Movies and Entertainment and Tech for Kids.

They also have their Toys We Love list which includes some fab choices this year from Bitzee to Barbie! There are plenty of classic brands on there too including Monopoly, Fisher Price and Disney.

This LEGO Creator 3 in 1 animal toy features 3 animals, a parrot toy perched on a branch, a playful frog and a toy fish.

The jointed parts allow movement of the body and there are easy to follow picture gudies to make construction easy and fun.

Suitable for age 7+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

The Melissa and Doug toy dentist play set contains 26 pieces. It is the perfect way for children to learn about dental hygiene while having fun. It can also assist in allaying the fears of kids visiting the dentist as they can ‘pretend’ to clean, fit braces and fill cavities on an over-sized set of toy teeth.

Suitable for ages 3+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

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Barbie is sure to be popular on toy lists this Christmas 2023 and the Barbie Dream House Pool Party is currently one of the top picks on the Amazon Holiday Toy List for 2023.

With 75 accessories, including a stylish pool with a slide from the top of the 3 story house into the pool, a pet elevator and 10 different play areas, hours of fun are guaranteed.

Suitable for ages 4+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Kids of all ages can blast off to a fun adventure with the Little Tikes adventure rocket. Children can pilot the starship, look through the telescope, fix wires on the exterior maintenance panel or crawl through the escape hatch. And the swivel chair and star viewer screen make it feel like flying through the galaxy, so make a wish and let the dreams soar.

Suitable for age 2+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Bitzee is a digital toy pet that needs your love and care. Each Bitzee starts as a baby — feed them, play with them, rock them to sleep and give them love to help them grow from baby, to adult, to Super Bitzee

The more you play, the more Bitzee pets you’ll unlock. Use treats to attract a new Bitzee pet. Collect all 15 interactive animals, like a cat, bunny, unicorn and more

Recommended age 5+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Transformers robots have always been more than meets the eye, but now, through the Transformers Collaborative, fans can experience these larger than life characters as they team-up, mash-up, and meet up with other characters, teams, and people who share this same special quality.

The Tyrannocon Rex figure converts into T. rex mode in 27 steps and the Autobot JP93 figure converts into licensed Ford Explorer mode in 18 steps. Both figures feature deco and details inspired by the Jurassic Park movie.

Recommended age 8+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. 

This LEGO Star Wars Ahsoka Tano’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle set includes 4 LEGO Star Wars mini figures, a buildable toy starship, lightsabers and blasters.

Kids can retract the landing gear for flight mode, use stud shooters, land the shuttle and team up with Sabine Wren to battle against Marrok.

Suitable for age 9+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

This classic Fisher Price little people interactive farm play set has lights, music, sounds, and Smart Stages learning content and comes with 1 farmer figure, 4 animal figures, and 2 food play pieces for hours of interactive play fun.

Suitable for 12 months+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. 

A Kitty-Powered Russian Roulette Card Game – The hit party game for family and friends who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats! This fun game is beginner-friendly and quick to learn.

If you draw an Exploding Kitten, you lose and you are full of loser sad-sauce. All the other cards in the deck help you avoid or mitigate your risk of drawing an Exploding Kitten. If you don’t explode, YOU WIN!

Suitable for ages 7+

Buy from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

The Hasbro Furby interactive toy is predicted to be a top toy hit with boys and girls this Christmas.

They come in a range of colours and want to be your child’s best friend! They can move, talk, sing, glow and react to your child’s voice.

Your Furby can answer up to 600 questions and your child can unlock 5 game modes. It doesn’t connect to the internet but once 2 Furbys are together, they can interact with each other, making them the perfect gift for best friends.

Buy on Amazon.co.uk. and Amazon.com

From board games and LEGO to dolls, action figures and STEAM toys that will get the creative juices flowing, we’ve rounded up a mix of fantastic gifts for all ages at a variety of price points.

Barbie dolls and accessories are always a popular choice. This year with the release of the new Barbie movie, it’s predicted that Barbie dolls and play sets will be even more popular.

Top of the list from Mattel is the all new Barbie Dream House. Featuring 3 storeys, a slide from the top, pet elevator and puppy play areas!

The Melissa and Doug pretend Barber Play Set is set to be a top choice for many this year.

The set contains everything you need for an afternoon of imaginative play (pretend) trimming and cutting hair and beards!

The Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet Toy is a virtual pet that you can touch and feel!

Each pod comes with 15 virtual Bitzee pets that need your love and care. Each Bitzee starts as a baby and as you feed them, play with and give them love, watch them transform into a super Bitzee!

Standing at over 61cm tall, Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse is packed full of exciting features to find, including a Dollhouse Delivery tower, working Cat-A-Vator, sounds and so much more.

With a Gabby Girl collectible figure, Pandy Paws figure, furniture for each room, three accessories and two Dollhouse Deliveries, you can get right to the fun straight out of the box.

Just like in the show, drop a delivery in the tower and press the button to retrieve it – unbox it to find a surprise accessory inside. With so many rooms and surprises to discover, play out endless adventures with Gabby and her best pal, Pandy Paws.

Also set to be popular is the Gabby Girl Toy, which stands at 8 inches tall and has removable cat ears!

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The Hasbro Furby interactive toy is predicted to be a top toy hit with boys and girls this Christmas.

They come in a range of colours and want to be your child’s best friend! They can move, talk, sing, glow and react to your child’s voice.

Your Furby can answer up to 600 questions and your child can unlock 5 game modes. It doesn’t connect to the internet but once 2 Furbys are together, they can interact with each other, making them the perfect gift for best friends.

Kids can explore Barbie’s daring fashion statements with the Barbie Extra Doll, her adorable pet unicorn-pig and 15 accessories that let children create unique looks.

The Barbie Extra dolls blend bright colours with trendy fashions, making big statements! Each Barbie doll rocks a unique playful style, and each doll toy comes with an adorable pet full of personality!

Also set to be popular this year are the Barbie Movie Dolls including Ken, Margot Robbie as Barbie, Gloria and the President Barbie collectible.

Suitable for babies and toddlers up to 36 months, the Fisher Price Mix and Learn DJ Table encourages interactive play to stimulate the senses and improve fine motor skills.

The activity table has 100+ songs and phrases to learn, a piano keyboard, lights and 3 smart stages of learning. You can record and play back messages and teach your baby about colours, shapes, numbers and more.

With over 1500 pieces, the LEGO Christmas Holiday Main Street set is suitable for children aged 8+.

Recreate your very own Christmas street at home with a toy store, music store, a streetcar, postbox, town clock, Christmas tree and mini figures to populate the street.

It’s Bananas (aka The Monkey Tail) Game will add laughs to any gathering! Suitable for ages 6+ you just need 2 players to get the game started.

With over 250 million views on TikTok, order yours now as this family game is tipped to be on all Christmas wish lists this year.

Another Barbie item for the top 20 list is the Barbie Cutie Reveal Doll.

Each one reveals 10 surprises in one package which include accessories and a pet. With colour changing surprises and twinkle-shine face details. The Barbie Reveal doll is especially great for kids aged 3 to 7 years who love surprises!

Recapture the magic of Super Mario 64 with this buildable LEGO Super Mario Question Mark Block – a 2,064-piece collectible set that LEGO and gaming fans will love.

Open the block to reveal 4 detailed Super Mario 64 levels: Peach’s Castle, Bob-omb Battlefield, Cool, Cool Mountain and Lethal Lava Land. Includes 10 LEGO Super Mario microfigures, including Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, and King Bob-omb.

For interactive play, add the LEGO Mario or LEGO Luigi figure (sold separately) and collect 10 hidden Power Stars to reveal secret reactions and more.

The Polly Pocket Pollyville Resort Rollaway doubles as a playset and storage unit. It comes with 4 Polly Pocket dolls, 25+ accessories and 3 floors for hours of imaginative play fun.

Once your child has finished playing, everything can be packed into the hand rollaway case and stored for next time.

Give kids a big place to explore their imaginations with this 3-foot-tall Play Doh Ultimate Ice Cream Truck. Hear classic ice cream truck jingles and cash register sounds to make kids feel like they’re really running their own business.

Make Play-Doh ice cream treats with the soft serve machine and scooping station, decorate with the sprinkle maker, tools and moulds, and check out customers at the register. They can also use the scoop to make pretend hard ice cream.

Spark creativity with the cones, dishes, stampers, moulds and other Play-Doh tools plus 12 classic modelling compound colours such as brown, blue, green, pink, and white.

The Mr Beast Feastable chocolate bars are set to be a top seller for Christmas 2023. Closely followed by the Youtube Gamers clothing range.

The range includes hoodies, pyjamas, t-shirts and tracksuits and are suitable for boys, girls, men and women.

Take a photo and print it instantly with the VTech KidiZoom PrintCam. The flip-up lens allows for easy selfies too. The camera is jam-packed with fun features like special photo effects, stamps and borders, 3 games, panoramic prints and comic strip maker.

You can also turn your photos into line drawings to colour. Kids can also use the print shop to print games, design and print your own cards, pretend money, accessories and more.

The GraviTrax Marble Run starter pack includes 122 pieces and 9 ready-to-go track instructions. This STEM track system is powered by magnets, gravity and kinetic energy – just build your track and set the Gravity Spheres rolling.

Create your own routes and crazy trick shots. If the Gravity Spheres stop or fly off before reaching the target, put your problem solving skills to the test and try something new.

No batteries required. Suitable for those aged 8 years+ and all GraviTrax Pro products are compatible giving you endless possibilities for design and construction.

Children will be looking to grow their Squishmallow collection this Christmas and the Emerald Galaxy Seahorse is proving to be a top toy for Christmas 2023.

Your favourite retro toy teams up with Stranger Things! Create art with light with this high-definition Stranger Things Special Edition Demogorgon Hunters Lite-Brite set in retro packaging for fans 14+ to collect and display.

Also includes, Stranger Things stickers to customise your unit frame and a branded pouch to carry and store your pegs in.

This unique handmade toy puppy comes with a reversible kennel that turns into a puppy park!

If you are not quite ready for the real thing, this adorable Cockapoo ‘Chester’ is the perfect way to introduce a pet into your home.

Available from Le Mieux and other stockists from early September 2023

Help your little one to unwind during the day and prepare for a night of peaceful sleep with the Fisher-Price Meditation Mouse plush toy. This soft mouse toy comes in an adorable design, featuring a variety of soft and satiny textures, an embroidered face and super cute pyjamas.

This Fisher-Price plush toy features a glowing belly light that can help to calm and comfort your baby, sending infants drifting off to sleep so that they can have happy dreams.

The Meditation Mouse plush toy features three calming modes to choose from, including a daytime relaxation session, a nighttime soothing sounds mode, and a 3-part bedtime wind-down exercise.

The Little Live Pets Mama Surprise now comes in mini formats! With each set you get a hutch playset, little live pet mama and 2 to 4 surprise babies along with accessories!

Nurture your ‘pet’ and wait for her babies to arrive!

The Hot Wheels City Ultimate Hauler transforms into a stomping T-Rex and comes  with race track, lights and sounds.

Best of all, it can store up to 20+ hot wheels cars and cars can be launched from the mouth of the T-Rex for extra fun play.

Magic Mixes newest release The Magic Genie Lamp is set to top toy wishlists this Christmas 2023.

Children can follow the magic steps to reveal their own plush toy surprise.

In Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side, you’ll play as an iconic Star Wars Villain. Choose Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, or Moff Gideon. Each Villain has a unique objective and abilities.

Meddle with your opponents by forcing them to face off against Jedi and heroes like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and The Mandalorian.

Have all the fun of the fair at home with a stylish Retro Candy Floss maker.

Perfect for parties, get togethers and Christmas gatherings. This machine comes with a measuring spoon and 10 red/white sticks so you can start to make your own candy floss right away. But you can order extra flavours and tastes including coloured sugar. There are also sugar free options available.

Experience all-terrain performance with the remote control all terrain Batmobile! This monster truck drives on water and any terrain with amazing performance and speed.

With a water-resistant body and lightweight custom tires, you can chase super-villans on all terrains, snow, mud, ice, water, grass and rock using your remote control. The Batman all terrain Batmobile is compatible with all 4″ Batman figures from the Justice League and DC comics universe.

The squishy nature of DoodleJamz JellyBoards create an amazing sensory touch experience, similar to finger-painting but without the mess. JellyBoards gel is 100% non-toxic and sealed securely inside the frame.

Now you can fidget and create art at the same time! JellyBoards has the squishy, tactile feel of fidget toys but also allows kids to express their creativity.

The perfect gift for Harry Potter fans, this is the first LEGO buildable model of Dobby the House Elf.

Once built, the figure has a posable head, ears, arms and fingers so children can change his look. The set comes with a display stand, Aunt Petunia’s floating pudding cake, a Tom Riddle diary and Harry Potter’s sock.

Kids will love this pretty Crayola unicorn that can be coloured and styled again and again.

Use the washable markers to create a design and style the mane with the hairbrush and beads that are included with the set. Afterwards, simply wipe the unicorn clean and start again.

A sequel to the popular Throw Throw Burrito card game, Throw Throw Avocado is a dodgeball card game for adults and children. Collect and match sets of cards quicker than your opponents while throwing and dodging squishy airborne avocados!

Throw Throw Avocado has simple and easy to learn rules, quick rounds of play, and is perfect for multiple family occasions.

Celebrate the epic journey of the LEGO minifigure. The first minifigure was created in 1978, and today the entire minifigure population could circle the globe more than five times!

Starring more than 2,000 of the most popular and rarest minifigures from the LEGO Minifigure Series and themes including LEGO NINJAGO, THE LEGO MOVIE, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO City, LEGO Harry Potter, and many more.

From astronauts and vampires to Super Heroes and movie characters, feast your eyes on the most awesome minifigures of every decade!

Available from Amazon.co.uk

Make lists, write reminders and send messages to friends on the cool notepaper inside the LEGO Iconic Note Brick.

This glossy cardboard box resembles a stack of LEGO bricks and contains 224 sheets of notepaper in assorted colours. One side of each sheet looks like a LEGO baseplate and the other has plenty of space to write notes. And when all the notepaper is used up, this stylish box is ideal for storing keepsakes.

Available from Amazon.co.uk or LEGO

This 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle comes together to reveal bricks in all the shades of the LEGO® rainbow – from bright red and earth blue to cool yellow and everything in between.

Great fun for solo builders or the whole family!

Available from Amazon.co.uk or LEGO

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Teens and adults will love this HYPE X LEGO Ninjago Black Squad t-shirt – perfect to add to your everyday tee rotation. It features your all-time favourite Ninjago characters entwined with the iconic HYPE script logo, with a crew neckline and short sleeves for a classic fit.

Available from LEGO

Keeping rooms tidy and organised is much more fun with a LEGO 8-Stud Brick Shelf. With its LEGO brick design, it offers a stylish, versatile and practical way to keep belongings organised – use it to store books, toys, souvenirs and more. Mount the shelf on a wall, place it on a desk or combine it with other LEGO shelves and drawers for more striking brick-style storage.

Available in black, blue, red, grey and white, and in a 4-stud version.

Available from LEGO

This kids’ Adidas two-in-one backpack has room for a laptop and more in the main compartment and has a detachable waist bag out front. Iconic LEGO® colours on the zippers and waist bag create a high-contrast look.

Available from Adidas

Discover a fun way to delve into the LEGO history archives with this search-and-find book. Learn about the first LEGO toys ever created, revisit classic themes and see if you can find your own favourite minifigures and sets.

The colourful, illustrated, 32-page softcover book spans almost 90 years of LEGO awesomeness, so there’s plenty for LEGO fans to enjoy. See some of the earliest builds and check out today’s most popular sets, including scenes from LEGO NINJAGO and LEGO Friends.

Available from Amazon.co.uk and LEGO

You know that your budding builder loves to get creative with LEGO bricks, so why not help them show off that passion with their shoes? The classic silhouette that made the adidas Superstar shoes iconic gets a fun update with these kids’ Adidas Superstar x LEGO shoes.

The slip-on design has a soft, stretchy textile upper and an EVA outsole with flex grooves to keep them comfy for any adventure. The heel patch adds a playtime twist: it’s a LEGO brick with knobs that kids can build other bricks onto!

Available from Adidas

Running is your time to play. And if you couldn’t tell by the pops of colour and LEGO bricks-inspired design, these Adidas running shoes created with the LEGO Group are all about play. Play, and comfort. Because nothing needs to get in the way of a good time.

Ultraboost DNA carries the genetic information of one of our most popular performance runners, but it’s built for everyday.

Available in black/yellow, black/green and white/red.

Available from Adidas

This captivating 1,000-piece puzzle features favourite minifigures from across the LEGO universe – from Firework Guy to the Ski Patroller, there are 78 in all!

A challenging jigsaw and a whole new way to collect iconic LEGO minifigures, this is a great gift to engage and entertain adults and kids aged 9 and up, LEGO fans and jigsaw fans.

Available from Amazon.co.uk and LEGO

Add a cheerful, personal touch to any type of luggage and travel happy with this LEGO Iconic Luggage Tag! Easy to attach and made from durable, flexible silicone, the tag’s smiling minifigure face design, plus space on the back to write contact details, means your suitcase, bag or backpack stands out from the crowd.

Also available in other characters, including LEGO Batman, classic LEGO bricks, LEGO Grogu, LEGO Harley Quinn, and more.

Available from LEGO

Transport your belongings in LEGO style with the eco-friendly LEGO Brick Backpack. Manufactured from durable, recycled polyester fabric, the backpack is actually made from recycled drinks bottles – each LEGO Brick Backpack saves approximately 11 plastic bottles from landfill!

The backpack features a classic 1×2 LEGO brick design, with 2 stud-styled pockets and a large main compartment – all with LEGO brick zipper pullers that are fun and easy to use.

Available in red, black, navy or purple.

Available from LEGO

Get ready to hack your life, LEGO style! This book is bursting with more than 50 smart ideas to streamline your life and accessorise your space.

You’ll find stationery hacks to help you organise your desk, cool ideas to make the most of your tech, and gadgets to blitz your boring chores. From a speaker that amplifies your phone, a weekly planner made of LEGO bricks, and a catapult that flings paper into the wastepaper basket, these ideas will make your LEGO bricks work for you.

With amazing images, easy to follow step-by-step instructions and handy tips for further building, this book will take your building to the next level!

Available from Amazon.co.uk

The power of play is in everyone, but it’s on us to remember to unleash it. This Adidas x LEGO juniors’ graphic t-shirt offers all-day comfort for adventures big and small.

Available from Adidas

This fun, 1,000-piece puzzle will captivate LEGO and jigsaw fans old and young. The image is filled with the facial expressions of LEGO minifigures, from happy, hopeful and confused to surprised, silly, puzzled and more!

As well as being a challenging jigsaw, it’s also a whole new way to collect iconic LEGO minifigures.

Available from Amazon.co.uk and LEGO

This cool, colourful and convenient storage solution for young LEGO builders looks like a giant 6-stud LEGO brick. It’s the perfect place for LEGO fans to safely store their books, toys, souvenirs, LEGO models and more.

The shelf fixes to walls, rests firmly on a desk and connects easily with other shelves and drawers in the LEGO range. It’s a great way to encourage kids to keep their rooms tidy!

Available in pink and black. Also available in a sturdy wooden version, perfect for adult LEGO fans.

Available from LEGO

Playful LEGO fans can keep their rooms tidy with this stylish and practical wooden wall hanger set. It features 3 wall hooks in the shape of LEGO 1×1 round plate studs, each made from FSC-certified oak.

The wooden studs in the shape of LEGO 1×1 round plate studs are different sizes and ideal for hanging coats, bags, scarves or anything else that’s cluttering up the place.

Made from sturdy FSC-certified oak in light- and dark-stained oak finish.

Available from LEGO

Stay in touch with loved ones and share your passion for LEGO building sets with LEGO Minifigure Notes. This box set contains 20 notecards and envelopes, and includes cards themed around holidays, birthdays and other special occasions.

Each card features an image of a humorous minifigure scene with captions that will make you chuckle – perfect for sharing the LEGO love with friends and family throughout the year!

Available from Amazon.co.uk and LEGO

We always had a rule of “one in, one out” when it came to toys. I was lucky enough to have space in the attic to store toys when they weren’t being used, so I could rotate them on a regular basis.

But many homes simply don’t have this space, or children get bored playing with the same toys and want new ones to enjoy. The wooden toy rental service from DluluKaloo offers parents an ideal solution.

To place your order, visit DluluKaloo and select the wooden toys you like or use their tailor made bundle service where you fill in details of what you want and they match the bundle to your needs – pay a security deposit + monthly rental fee, starting from €25, and get your bundle for a month to enjoy.

Once you’re finished, you can either send it back, exchange it for something different (just like a wooden toy library), or you can keep it!

• If you decide to keep the whole bundle – no rental fee will be charged
• If you decide to keep parts of it – your rental fee will be reduced
• DluluKaloo cover the cost of delivery to you and you cover the cost to send the items back.
• If you would prefer to buy without renting – that is absolutely fine.

The benefits of wooden toys are endless – they encourage a child’s imagination. They are safe, durable, and of course environmentally friendly.

Below are a small selection of the wooden toys that are offered through the rental service. You can find more on DluluKaloo Facebook, Instagram and website.

The Eureka Acrobat Balance bike 2 in 1 is safe, flexible and fun. It has an adjustable seat which can be removed to convert the bike into a scooter.

It can be rented for 1 month for €25 and is suitable for children aged 3 to 6 years.

The JUUPI pickler triangle supports the development of motor skills in children from the age of 12 months. It can be set up indoors or outside and can be folded away when not in use.

It can be rented for 1 month for €35 and is suitable for children aged 1 to 6 years.

This Montessori bundle comes with a spinning drum, Lilliputiens activity panel and an object permanence box. Each object works in a different way to improve fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, concentration, sight, hearing and imagination.

The bundle can be rented for 1 month for €25 and is suitable for children aged 6 months+

The KateHaa Waldorf Rocker is an innovative toy helping children develop a variety of different skills. It can be used in a variety of different ways including as a see-saw, a rocker, a climbing frame and a shop stand or whatever your little one imagines! Best of all it can be folded away when not in use.

You can rent the wooden rocker for 1 month for €35 and it is suitable for children from 1 month+

The Egmont wooden garage and crane contains 3 trucks, 2 cars, road signs and containers ensuring hours of fun! It comes with a 2nd toy bundle of your choice.

The Egmont wooden garage toy bundle can be rented for 1 month for €25 and is suitable for children aged 3+

The KateHaa wooden balance board is a fun toy that can help improve gross and fine motor skills, coordination, posture and strengthen muscles. It comes in 4 sizes and is recommended by physiotherapists around the worlds.

The wooden balance board can be rented in starter, original and large sizes for 1 month from €25 and is suitable for ages 0 to 99 years+!

The KateHaa activity play cube, climbing ramp and ladder offers children the opportunity to climb, crawl, balance and improve their gross and find motor skills, balance and strength in a safe, fun way.

The activity cube bundle can be rented for 1 month for €45 and is suitable for children aged 6 months+

DluluKaloo are based in Greystones, Co Wicklow and have been in business since 2020. Like many new businesses, it was born from a need they didn’t feel was being met.

Their youngest child Ruadhan was 9 months old and was showing an interest in playing with toys. They wanted to move away from plastic toys but struggled to find high quality, wooden alternatives that were in their price range.

And so they launched DluluKaloo, offering a variety of gorgeous wooden toys including the brands: Alphabet Jigsaws, Bauspiel, Clicques, Egmont toys, Ette Tete, Friendly toys, Goki, Gnezdo toys, Holztiger, Juupi, KateHaa, Lilliputiens, Skandico, Skazki Dereva, Tickit and many many more, as well as one-off handmade pieces and toys based on the educational Montessori principles.

The business is a real family affair, with eldest daughter Daniela helping to select, test and approve all of the toys on offer. Daniela can also take credit for being the inspiration behind the unique name. Her first two words: ‘Dlulu’ meaning ‘Elephant’ and ‘Kaloo’ meaning ‘a Ball’ were combined to create the name.

All of the wooden toys on DluluKaloo.ie, Facebook and Instagram can be purchased or you can rent any of the items for up to a month or more. And if your children love them, you can purchase some or all of the toys at a discounted rate. Or once they have finished playing with them, send them back.

You can choose the wooden toys you wish to rent or get in touch and DluluKaloo will create a custom rental bundle based on your needs.

One of the reasons imagination is so important is that it helps children to understand and interact with the world around them. Imaginative play allows children to express themselves verbally and physically, act, react and interact, and try out different roles and scenarios within safe boundaries of their own making.

From beautiful, sustainable wooden toys to tried and trusted Happyland sets, great for mixing and matching and making your own little scenes, check out the range of imaginative play toys below. All available to order online for next day delivery from Dublin based, Irish owned retailer Kaliedy.com.

Get ready for some hammer time! Your little one will have hours of fun, while developing their fine motor skills as they hammer the colourful pegs through the holes in the woodlets hammer bench. Best of all, they can simply turn it over and repeat the action again and again.

With five fun activities to discover the wooden activity cube offers hours of endless fun and learning. There is also plenty of room for others to join in the fun, encouraging social and communication skills development.

Children will learn about shapes, movement, colours, sounds and how to tell the time as they play. While all the time they are strengthening little fingers and improving hand-to-eye coordination. When it’s time to put the activity cube away, the bead maze can be lifted up and stored inside the cube itself, neatly saving you storage space too.

The woodlets rainbow stacking rings offer endless playtime fun that are perfect for developing hand-eye coordination, colour and shape recognition and motor skills.

Your little one will love staking the rings and knocking them down before starting all over again!

Do you have a budding musician in the house? The cheeky monkey shaped wooden music set has five fun instruments for little ones to hone their talent! The handy carry handle means it is great for musical fun on-the-go!

With a built in storage drawer, the wooden train table comes with over 100 pieces for your little one to enjoy rail adventures with their friends. They can journey over or through mountains and bridges, use the turn-table to change direction, stop at the station and ring the clock tower bell. The brightly painted table can be used for other adventures too, just let their imagination take over.

It’s time for a lovely afternoon treat with this Wooden Afternoon Tea Set from Early Learning Centre. The perfect accessory for all budding hosts and bakers! Teddy bear picnics will never be the same again – cakes, tarts and cute little sandwiches, lots of choice to be had. A great toy for inspiring free play for kids.

With 3 wooden cars and a colourful stacked track, children will have hours of fun setting off the cars to click-clack down the track one after the other. This is the perfect toy for developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as well as offering fast moving fun!

The ELC Wooden Spaceport is the ideal gift for budding astronauts! The set includes a scientist, astronaut, furniture, a moon buggy and a space rocket with motion activated sounds. It will get them counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..before blasting off to explore new planets in our solar system.

Part of the Happyland range, little ones will love rushing to the rescue in their fire engine with sirens blaring! Brave firefighters can be placed in the extending bucket ready to rescue anything from cats to people! Once everyone is safe, they can drive back to the fire station for a cup of tea. Nee Naw Nee Naw.

The Happyland Stables set offers hours of imaginative play with a stable, horse trailer and vehicle to pull it along, horses and riders, pony, jumps and even a winners cup for when you have races with your friends. Characters from other Happyland sets can be used too and you can create you own mini village for hours of fun play and adventures.

A story we all know and love, Little Red Riding Hood wants to go on a walk through the forest to bring her sick granny some treats. This Happyland set includes birdsong sounds and of course Granny’s door bell rings too. But is that Granny in the bed? It really doesn’t look like her! This set inspires your child to use their own voice to sing along with the birds and to talk in the characters voices. It is the perfect set for friends to play together and encourage each other’s imagination too.

All these beautiful toys to inspire imaginative play can be found on Kaliedy.com along with other toys and games covering everything from space to medicine and cooking to driving.

Mattel – owner of Barbie, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Imaginext, Hot Wheels, and dozens of other well-known toy brands – is facing a rise in costs of shipping and raw materials due to the pandemic, coupled with shops closing and disruptions to their supply chains.

Their Chief Executive, Ynon Kriez, says all brands in the toy industry are experiencing pressures, so it looks like they will pass on those higher costs to consumers, despite sales being up by a whopping 40% compared to the year before.

In recent years, Mattel has striven to make their top selling brand Barbie more diverse, with dolls based on different role models and professions. For example, they launched a doll based on tennis player Naomi Osaka, continuing to offer more diverse Barbies for sale.

Netflix showing the 2nd season of “Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures” and the movie “Barbie Princess Adventures” boosted Barbie sales last year, and there is a new movie coming soon starring Margot Robbie, which will no doubt help keep sales up.

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Mattel’s other top brand Hot Wheels has a new video game based on the well known brand out, also bound to boost sales.

In the meantime, rival toy maker Hasbro also announced better than expected sales this year, up by 54%. The company said it has been increasing its shipping capabilities in order to speed up sourcing products.

So with all these increased sales, maybe companies should look for ways to keep prices level this year?

A recent survey that we did with parents showed that while the top brands such as Mattel and Hasbro are still popular, parents are also receptive to choosing more wooden toy options and eco-friendly options.

This impending price rise could mean a shift away from popular brands, towards more unique, locally made and locally sold options.

With all this in mind, it may be a good idea for parents (and Santa’s Little Helpers…) to suggest a more low-key approach this Christmas. After all, the pandemic meant we spent more time doing quality things with our kids (in between homeschooling!) like playing board games and baking together, so experiences together are also a good gift option and a way to make cool memories for the family as well.

Barbie Loves the Ocean, is the first fashion doll collection made of recycled ocean-bound plastic.

The new collection includes three dolls of different body types and ethnicities that are made from 90% recycled plastic parts. There are also playsets and accessories in the range.

Barbie plans to achieve 95% recycled plastic content for its dolls and for its packaging to use 95% paper and cardboard created responsibly from forests by the end of 2021.

Mattel has also committed to using 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in products and packaging by 2030.

If your Barbie fan is interested, they can also view tips from Barbie about how to protect the planet on the Barbie YouTube channel.

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In recent times, Barbie has striven to change its image from one of unrealistic female representation to a brand that encourages female empowerment and imaginative play.

“We’ve made great strides with representation, showcasing diversity in our product line. Barbie has also stood for empowerment and equal opportunity, so sustainability is the next big pillar,” says Lisa McKnight, senior VP and global head of Barbie and dolls at Mattel.

In May Barbie released a video all about how children playing with dolls can help develop empathy.

Mattel describes the video: “Empathy is so important to building a better world! A recent study showed that when kids play with dolls it activates the part of the brain related to empathy. If playing with dolls can help a child develop empathy, then a doll can help change the world.”

The study referred to research at Cardiff University, the world’s first neuroscience study of doll play that showed that dolls can aid with the development of key skills: they help children understand how other people think and interact with each other.

A team of psychologists at the University monitored the brain activity of 42 girls and boys, aged between 4 and 8 years, using neuroimaging technology, as they played with a range of Barbie dolls. They found evidence that even when playing with dolls alone, children’s brains are active in similar ways to when they interact with other people.

Dr Sarah Gerson from Cardiff University’s Centre for Human Developmental Science, explains that “the areas of the brain which are responsible for empathy and social information processing – areas which help us to collaborate, cooperate and resolve conflicts – ‘lit up’ when kids played with dolls, even when playing on their own – and more than when they were playing on an electronic tablet.”

It’s great to see Barbie being used to promote empathy and imaginative play as well as committing to being more eco-friendly.