This category is always full of a wide diversity of products, there are so many varieties of creative and imaginative play and our testers thoroughly enjoy testing them all.

WINNER

Magical Fairy Forest

By: Playmobil

Age: 4y+

RRP: £49.99

The Playmobil Magical Fairy Forest is the perfect toy to tap into the imaginations of children through the world of fantasy.  The fairy forest comes with three fairies, beautiful unicorns, a throne for the fairy queen, a treasure chest with semi-precious stones and a large cauldron for making magical healing potions.

More information at: www.playmobil.co.uk/magical-fairy-forest/9132.html

Available from: The Entertainer

Buy now from –  www.argos.co.uk

What the testers said  “After we put it together, she enjoyed imaginative play.  It was something she went back to most days.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Shop n’ Learn Smart Checkout

By: Little Tikes

Age: 2y+

RRP: £169.99

Little Tikes Shop n’ Learn Checkout lets kids feel like mum and dad with a real interactive conveyer belt and scanner that reads groceries as they shop.  It includes a working electronic conveyer belt, cash register and scanner, aisle light and over 35 scannable food and accessories that are recognised by the checkout.

 More information at: www.littletikes.co.uk/shop-n-learn-smart-checkout

Available from: Asda

Buy now from – www.littletikes.co.uk/shop-n-learn-smart-checkout

What the testers said “A big box with lots in it, plenty to play with.  It takes playing shop to a whole new level.”

From adults to the very young and everyone in between, we all love playing games and solving puzzles.

WINNER

People Who Help US

By: Bigjigs Toys

Age: 12m+

RRP: £14.99

Each figure is made up of three wooden pieces allowing little one to mix and match the clothes for each worker.  It helps children to understand the role of people that help them in life.  A great a to develop vocabulary, matching skills and concentration.  Promotes language development as children talk about each emergency profession and the role they play in helping people.

More information at: www.bigjigstoys.co.uk/people-who-help-us-puzzle

Available from: Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation

Buy now from –  www.bettyblakes.co.uk

What the testers said “These were great, bright colours and the fact you could mix them up meant they only stayed in their proper order for about ten seconds, but we kept coming back as they loved to mix up all the uniforms.  Colourful fun!”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

FReNeTiC

By: Accentuate Games

Age: 8y+

RRP: £22.99

FreNeTiC is a fast and fabulous word game that uses the element symbols of the periodic table.  Players race against the clock to form as many words as possible using the element symbol tiles, score points equal to the atomic numbers of each tile used to create the word. The first player to 1000 wins!

 More information at: www.freneticgame.com

Available from: John Lewis

Buy now from – www.amazon.co.uk

What the testers said “Slightly chaotic and noisy!  Fun on a Saturday night and ideal for all the family.”

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We always think an ideal toy promotes learning and the acquisition of skills while children are ‘just playing’.  We enjoy seeing the entries in a category that encourages this.

WINNER

Wonder Lab

By: Little Tikes

Age: 3-5y

RRP: £99.99

Spark curiosity in budding scientists with the Wonder Lab.  Little Tikes STEM Jr range is specially designed to give your little ones a taster of science, technology, engineering and maths through fun experiments and activities.  This activity packed, brightly coloured laboratory is sure to get your little tikes feeling like scientist, encouraging hands on play to fuel cognitive development.

More information at: www.littletikes.co.uk/wonder-lab

Available from: Argos

Buy now from –  www.littletikes.co.uk/wonder-lab

What the testers said “Lots to do and they learned loads. Different experiments kept them coming back for more. Plus it’s so easy to clean.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

123 Pirate Ship

By: Playmobil

Age: 18m+

RRP: £19.99

The Playmobil 123 Pirate Ship is a great toy for developing toddlers as the bright colours and rounded shapes will help stimulate the imagination and promote creativity.  The 123 Pirate Ship can float on water and will not sink even when it’s filled.

 More information at: www.playmobil.co.uk/pirate-ship/9118

Available from: The Entertainer

Buy now from – www.amazon.co.uk

What the testers said “Pirates are always firm favourites as other themes come and go.  Well-made as Playmobil always is”

Read More

Outdoor toys have flown off the shelves this year with the amazing summer we’ve just had, so designers have been working hard on new items for 2019 in the hope of the same good weather…

WINNER

X Shot Flying Bugs

By: ZURU

Age: 6-14y

RRP: £19.99-29.99

Take down real fling targets with the phenomenal Swarm Seeker blaster.  Load up the foam darts into the auto sliding side clip, place the flying bugs onto the motorised launcher, press down to release them into the air, take aim and fire!

More information at: www.x-shot.zuru.com

Available from: Smyths Toys

Buy now from –  www.smythstoys.co.uk

What the testers said “Brightly coloured and presented in an exciting box. From a parent’s point of view, with a robust 10-year-old, the foam bullets didn’t damage anything.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Magical Unicorn Carriage

By: Little Tikes

Age: 18m – 5y

RRP: £119.99

Your little one will feel like royalty in this Magical Unicorn Carriage. Perfect for trotting along in style, younger kids can enjoy being pushed by parents whilst older ones can take the reins and steer.  Fuel their imagination, encourage active play and promote motor skill development with this magical mode of transport.

 More information at: www.littletikes.co.uk/magical-unicorn-carriage

Available from: Argos

Buy now from – www.smythstoys.co.uk

What the testers said “Our house is full of unicorns this year!  We found it hard to get her out of it.  With such a great summer, it has been played with constantly.”

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Our first category this year is Wheeled Toys, this can be an indoor toy or outdoor toy, there are lots of types of wheeled toys, here’s what the testers loved…

WINNER

Wooden Vehicles

By: ALDI

Age: 18m+

RRP: £4.99 each

These lovely wooden vehicles encourage role play and enhance the imagination of your little ones.  This toy promotes both independent play and provides opportunities for interactive play with friends. There are 12 in the range to collect.

More information at: www.aldi.co.uk

Available from: ALDI Stores

Buy now from –  www.aldi.co.uk

What the testers said “Strong, colourful and took some beating when the twins got to them, no breakages but lots of fun.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Unicorn Scooter with Light Up Wheels

By: H Grossman Ltd

Age: 4-7y

RRP: £29.99

Everybody loves unicorns now! Here they are on this magical scooter with light up wheels which flash when the scooter scoots. Height adjustable steering column and a fold away function make this practical as well as a magical mode of transport.

 More information at: www.ozbozz.co.uk

Available from: Amazon

Buy now from – www.amazon.co.uk

What the testers said “The unicorn theme was fun, she enjoyed riding in the garden around tea time to see the light show at dusk!”

Read More

All of the votes are in, all of the toys have been tested and the Rainbow Awards 2018 are ready to be announced…You can follow each announcement this morning on Twitter @rainbowawards

Or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rainbowawards as well as right here on the live website…

Our testers are, as you know by now, the children themselves and forms are returned by adults on their behalf.  For each toy we ensure the adult writes down what the child’s reaction is and what they say.  We’ll be giving you some of the comments and feedback for each product as we go along.

The awards are then chosen by adding up the scores our mini-testers have given to place the toys in order. We always stick to our categories thus have a limited amount of WINNERS and HIGHLY COMMENDED products – to win a Rainbow Toy Award is a huge accolade and well deserved.

So without further ado, let’s see who has come top and won in the Rainbow Toy Awards for 2018!

Who will be our winners this year?