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LeapFrog’s new Magic Adventures Microscope offers children aged 5+ the chance to make new discoveries, enjoy tiny worlds, and explore the microscopic environment around them. Officially launched by TV presenter and nature lover Naomi Wilkinson at The Science Museum, London, the real, working microscope, with its 2.4'' LCD viewing screen, is brought to life with stunning BBC content on nine double-sided Smart Slides. These are written by science educators, featuring 18 categories, games and audio that are educational and fun. These tiny worlds offer huge discoveries in an immersive and educational way that’s fun for the whole family. Children can also explore and prepare their own samples with the 50x-200x magnification, using the included blank slides and tray. Young biologists can zoom in on flowers, animals, food, minerals and more using the nine double-sided smart slides that activate over 240 amazing BBC videos and images. They are able to save 100 pictures of their own discoveries, play four action packed adventure games to feed and heal microorganisms and defend them from micro-invaders across 24 exciting levels, and take on a knowledge test with the What’s This? quiz game.

Zapf Creation is launching its new doll brand, Chou Chou, just in time for Christmas. The new dolls offer a fun twist on classic doll style and are designed to encourage nurturing doll play among children aged two and over. With adorable big eyes that ‘bobble’ when the dolls are moved around and colourful hair, the three Chou Chou dolls have an array of features that little ones will find engaging. There are three dolls to choose from – Robin, Luka or Mika – all of which come dressed in a bright, colourful outfit. Each doll also features over 25 hilarious sounds that children will be giggling along to this festive season. Thanks to their moveable heads, arms and legs, the Chou Chou dolls can sit and stand on their own. The included bottle and dummy activate sucking sounds when put to each doll’s mouth. The dolls come in Zapf Creation’s plasticfree packaging, which forms part of the company’s commitment to reducing waste in the face of growing demand from parents and children for more sustainable options in the toy market. The new brand is being supported by heavyweight TV and YouTube campaigns aimed at children and over-the shoulder viewers which have run throughout November and continue into December. Influencer and social campaigns will bolster the media investment and showcase the fun features to parents and gift givers alike.

SmartGames’ latest game, Peek-A-Zoo is an I Spy game for toddlers to explore where their favourite animals are hiding. The new game is designed for for pre-schoolers aged two plus to practise language skills, learn about colours, discover animals and develop their understanding of concepts such as above, below, inside and outside. The game is made of high quality, durable cardboard and is easily packed away to store and take along you wherever the child goes. With multiple play options, little ones can follow the picture challenges and try to stack the right cubes as shown on the challenge card to spy the animals, or let their imagination run wild while they stack and play. Either way, little ones will love playing peekaboo with the cheeky giraffe, fabulous flamingo and cute lion as they stack the different sized blocks. The game includes five cardboard blocks, one cardboard lid and 48 picture cards. As always with SmartGames, challenges range from easy to difficult and will entertain for hours. Peek-A-Zoo stimulates many different cognitive skills, including concentration, language, logic, problem solving and spatial insight.

Lego has introduced new diverse characters to its Lego Friends range to enable more children to feel represented during play. A decade on from the launch of Lego Friends, the next generation is designed to celebrate diverse friendships in the modern world. The Lego Group values children as its role models and has implemented input from kid testing, research and feedback from letters sent to the company, which all found children had a desire to see themselves, their friends and their families better represented. The re-imagined Lego Friends characters are inclusive of gender, culture, ethnicity, physical traits and abilities, non-visible disabilities and neurodivergence. The storylines explore the ups and downs of friendship, while the characters overcome challenges, obstacles and differences in today’s modern world. The brand-new universe includes additions of multiple skin tones, cultures, physical and non-visible disabilities, and neurodiversity. The new sets and series will feature characters with limb difference, Downs Syndrome, anxiety, vitiligo and a dog with a wheelchair. The storylines of the Lego Friends TV show have been refreshed in collaboration with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media helping to develop the character’s narratives to ensure they’re relatable, inclusive and reflective of the difficulties and experiences that children face today, including the ups and downs of friendships. The new Lego Friends sets will be available from 1st January, 2023, while a Lego Friends TV special is due to air in February, to kick off the new TV series.