MadeForMums, the UK’s number one parenting site for product reviews, has today announced the winners of the MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021, as judged by children and parents, as well as toy industry and parenting experts.
The MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021 celebrate the best children’s toys at every age and stage, from newborn to teens and cover 44 categories from Best Toddler Toy and Best Doll to Best Science Toy, Best Playset, Best Educational Toy and Best Scooter.
From a record number of entries, around 300 toys were rigorously tested at home by children and their parents, who marked toys for play potential and value for money. These scores were combined with the verdicts of expert judges from the MadeForMums editorial team and invited judges, including Toyologist Peter Jenkinson, to find the eventual winners.
Ranging from a £3.99 fidget toy to a £300 mega playset, MadeForMums’ child testers selected toys from well-known brands, such as a BMW ride-on car with its own MP3 player to a pint-sized, fully working Kenwood Mixer, as well as family board games for all ages,
Interactive, electronic toys were popular as always, but MadeForMums’ child testers also rated highly many “slower” toys, often with no electronics or batteries. Our testers’ parents also commented positively on the increasing availability of sustainable, recyclable and long-lasting new toys and eco-friendly packaging.
Susie Boone, MadeForMums Editor, said: “From all our hours of testing, we’ve had some amazing, honest feedback from our child testers.
“They’ve loved the bright, loud ‘wow’ factor toys with interactive features but they’ve also really rated lower-tech toys, such as the Dino Snore-Us board game (where you mustn’t wake the sleeping dinosaur), simple plush toys and the standout Peppa Pig Wooden Playhouse. We’re also seeing a welcome shift towards more eco-friendliness – from toys that put sustainability front and centre, like the Planet Junko Zoomer Kit and the Build a Bee Hotel, to toys that have more recyclable elements, less packaging, or boxes that become part of the toy, and string ties instead of plastic ones.”
