A Summer 2026 Guide to The Next Big Thing in New Toys, Books & Collectibles

A Guide to The Next Big Thing in New Toys, Books & Collectibles | AD

Recently, there have been some brilliant new launches in the world of children’s toys, games, books, and collectibles. If you are looking for the next big thing in this field, you can find some amazing new products below. Within this list, you can find a wave of launches that blend collectability, creativity, and character-led fun. Let’s get started!

CONNETIX Glitter Unicorn Pack

Let’s begin this guide with a new set from CONNETIX. Construction play gets a magical and sparkling glow-up with CONNETIX’s Glitter Unicorn Pack. 

This 56-piece set brings magical storytelling to life with open-ended magnetic tile play. In this dazzling set, you get a stunning mix of glitter tiles in clear, pink, yellow, teal and purple. There’s a curated selection of shapes including squares, hexagons, rectangles, triangles and trapezoids that allow children to create things like unicorns, castles, snow globes, and more. 

Each tile is filled with ultra-fine, multi-coloured sparkles to create a magical shimmer for builds. As light shines through these sparkly tiles, the glitter comes alive and creates even more beautiful refractions.

It’s a versatile and fun pack that can be enjoyed on its own or with other CONNETIX sets as they are fully compatible. Young children will enjoy building simple 2D designs that then evolve to more complex and interactive builds for older children. 

CONNETIX is a great STEAM-toy for kids aged 3+ and beyond (and fun for grown-ups too!). The magnets from this brand are premium-quality – made with high-quality materials to be sturdy and long-lasting, with a signature bevel design, and strong, securely encased magnets. CONNETIX tiles are also made from non-toxic ABS plastic that is BPA and phthalate-free, each tile is ultrasonically sealed and riveted for enhanced safety and durability.

tickit Wooden Farm Set 

Wooden figures are great for storytelling play. This adorable Wooden Farm Set from tickit is the perfect set for farmyard narratives. The set includes a tractor, a trailer, a farmer, a scarecrow, a horse, a pig, a sheep, a duck, a chicken, a goat, and 4 fence panels. 

The exquisite hand-finished wooden farm collection is crafted from sustainably sourced FSC-certified beechwood, making it a wonderful eco-friendly set (that is very beautiful too). The sturdy characters are meticulously detailed with artisanal touches and there are several fun accessories to use for farm play scenarios. 

My youngest daughter is mesmerised by this sweet wooden farm set – she loves setting up imaginative play spaces using the included pieces. Sometimes she uses them on their own and sometimes she combines this set with other types of toys. Here in the photos above, you can see the barn that she built for the animals using wooden blocks and CONNETIX tiles. 

If you want to expand your farm play further, tickit also have other farm-themed sets that are compatible with this one: Farm Discovery Dividers, Wooden Domestic Animal sets, and Wooden People Who Help Us Blocks. All wonderful resources for small world play that celebrates rural life while also developing creativity, language skills, and imaginative expression.

tickit SiliShapes® Sensory Activity Maze

Also from tickit, let me introduce you to the SiliShapes® Sensory Activity Maze which is ideal for sensory and open-ended play. This is a brilliant toy for autistic children especially, as it’s a versatile sensory fidget that has been designed to keep fingers busy and minds calm.

It’s an FDA-grade silicone activity board that unfolds to create a play area where children can enjoy looping 20 colourful silicone noodles around soft pegs to create patterns and pictures. It’s wonderful for both creativity and focus. 

The foldable design makes this toy great for taking with you on the go when travelling or to school, for example. It’s lots of fun at home too, of course. My autistic daughter absolutely loves the tickit SiliShapes® Sensory Activity Maze and has come up with lots of creative ways to use the silicone noodles as you can see here in the photos above. It’s a bargain at just £9.99 too!

Orchard Toys Bluey Dance Mode

Next onto a fun game that will get kids moving! Bluey Dance Mode is an officially Bluey licensed game by Orchard Toys that turns family game night into a dance party. It’s ideal for preschool-age kids (3+) and a few years beyond – perfect for Bluey fans.

This game is suitable for 2-4 players. It’s inspired by the hit TV show and is a fun and interactive children’s game that gets players up on their feet, dancing, wiggling and laughing. The game is easy to learn and quick to play.

Simply flip cards, act out silly actions, spin the spinner and race to collect the most cards before the Dance Mode is complete. When you get a Dance Mode card, everyone needs to join in for a dance party. This makes this game a great choice for groups of friends or family members. 

As always with Orchard Toys games, this game too develops essential skills such as turn-taking, listening skills and coordination while also encouraging movement and imaginative play. It’s our new go-to choice for rainy days when the kids need to burn off some energy indoors!

Orchard Toys Out and About Buggy Flash Cards

Also from Orchard Toys are the Out and About Buggy Flash Cards which are the ultimate grab-and-go distraction for little ones (suitable for 9 months+). 

The Out and About Buggy Flash Cards are 10 double-sided chunky cards held together with a detachable ring. On each side, there’s a colourful and vibrant illustration – animals, vehicles, fruits, a house, a boy and a girl, and other everyday objects that your toddler might spot while you’re out and about. These cards help develop early vocabulary and observation skills, encouraging little ones to explore the world.

It’s a great item to keep in your pushchair or changing bag for keeping toddlers entertained on the go during walks, travel, or other outings. The cards are durable and wipe-clean to withstand messy little fingers and outdoor environments too which is perfect!

Interactive Pop-Up Books from Paper Engine 

Next up, two wonderful new pop-up books from Paper Engine. These two new releases are beautiful and fun, and are sure to spark joy for early readers. Both books combine playful storytelling with innovative paper engineering to create unforgettable reading experiences.

First up, from best-selling, award-winning author Kes Gray, comes Swim Along With Me! This is a joyful rhyming adventure that takes place under the sea. The book features colourful and cute illustrations by Mike Moran.

The pop-up in this book is tucked inside a secret envelope within the book cover. Here, you’ll find a pop-up puffer fish that becomes part of the story. Children can use it to follow a trail on each page.

This book is lots of fun and the rhythm is lively. We follow a curious little puffer fish called Pippa as she meets a variety of sea creatures (Todd the cod, Luna the tuna, Mark the shark, and more) along her journey in the water. The last pop up of Mark the shark is huge and very exciting too!

How Big is Big? by Geff Newland, illustrated by Judi Abbot, is another fantastic pop-up book. This thoughtful story follows a small ant who is trying to understand what “big” really means. Through the simple story children soon learn that size, like many other ideas, depends on who you are comparing yourself to.

This charming book has lift-the-flap pages that grow progressively larger. The finale is a joyful surprise pop-up at the end to reinforce the story’s message. We meet creatures including a butterfly, a giraffe, and more… At the end, we meet the biggest creature of all – a whale! 

Both the above books are perfect for children aged 3–6, but older children can of course enjoy them too. They would make lovely gifts as well.

Pembe the Pink Cat Plush Toys, Collectibles, and Blind Boxes

For gifting moments, these fun products from Pembe the Pink Cat are perfect! After racking up more than 2 billion GIF views worldwide, social-media favourite Pembe the Pink Cat is making its UK retail debut with a wonderful collection. The brand new range includes lots of plush toys in different sizes, collectible keychains, exciting blind boxes, and more.

Pembe is an adorable character that blends Japanese kawaii culture with playful Danish design. The lovable character has built a huge global following through its shareable messages of friendship, self-expression and feel-good moments. The new range of products by Rainbow Designs captures this perfectly and is designed to spread positivity, kindness and joy. Existing fans will love the new products and Pembe is sure to gain lots of new fans too!

“Pembe is more than a toy launch – it’s a character brand built around celebrating individuality, connection and everyday happiness.”

Each character features positive affirmations and heartfelt messages. This makes them perfect gifts, keepsakes and collectibles for kids, tweens, teens and young adults too.

Pembe the Cat Plush Toys

The new collection includes plenty of cuddly plush characters in different sizes. There are six adorable 15cm Pembe the Pink Cat Plush characters in playful designs – including Laughing Pembe, Hug, Coffee, Be You, Thank You, and Happy Birthday.

Or, for even bigger cuddles, choose one of the two 23cm Pembe the Pink Cat Plush characters. Choose from Pembe the Pink Cat and Little Pembe and Cookie Pembe the Pink Cat.

Above, you can see Cookie Pembe the Pink Cat which is so cuddly and cute! It’s the perfect size for big hugs and the cookie makes a sweet addition!

Pembe the Pink Cat Collectible Keychains

For smaller plush characters that you can enjoy on the go, check out the range of six expressive Pembe the Pink Cat Keychains. Each features a heartfelt sentiment.

Choose from Be You, I Miss U, I Luv U, Thank You, Happy Birthday and Pembe and Little Pembe.

Pembe the Pink Cat Blind Boxes, Squishies, & Accessories

Beyond plushes and keychains, the Pembe world extends into more collectible fun too. Additional products include:

• Blind Box Plastic Mini Figures
• Squishy Friends Keychains 
• Jumbo Squishy Friends
• Pembe Bento Box

These collectibles, accessories and everyday lifestyle products are great entertainment for fans. The blind boxes and bento boxes have that exciting surprise element that children love and the things inside are really cute too.

For children who love sensory squishies, the Pembe Squishy Friends Keychain is perfect! It’s stretchy and squishy and sure to be a hit! Great for clipping onto your school backpack for squishing on the go.

Whether given as thoughtful gifts or collected for yourself, these items are sure to raise a smile and bring a little extra joy to everyday moments. 

The new Pembe range is available now from Hamleys, HMV, Cards Galore and Amazon.

Canal Toys Music Creator Mini Speaker 

Now onto the must-have summer gadget for tweens and teens – the Canal Toys Music Creator Mini Speaker. This mini speaker puts creativity and music straight into your pocket. 

The Canal Toys Music Creator Mini Speaker is a wireless, ultra-portable speaker with a customisable style. It’s ideal for park hangouts, road trips, beach days, festivals, pool holidays, and any other spontaneous summer moments that get even better with your favourite tunes. 

The lightweight and pocket-sized speaker has impressive wireless audio and is perfect for taking with you on the go. It even has a clip so that you can hang it on your bag. With the speaker, you get stickers and a special pen that you can use to customise the look of the speaker to match your style, mood, and personality. It also features colour-changing LED lights that create a fun light show.

Build Your Own Shaun 

Last but not least, a new brilliant Build Your Own Kit. Build Your Own Shaun lets you build your very own Shaun made from sustainable, fully recyclable cardboard. This new eco-friendly construction kit brings the beloved character to life and is lots of fun too. 

This hands-on construction kit is designed for ages 10+ but younger children can build with the help of a parent too. The set combines creativity, engineering and imaginative play in one engaging activity. 

There are 97-pieces to put together – just follow the step-by-step instructions. You don’t need any glue or scissors to complete this build. Simply press out the pre-cut pieces and slot them together.  The build takes around 60 minutes to complete. It’s a great screen-free activity that encourages creativity, problem-solving and STEM learning.

Once assembled, your very own Shaun can be animated using clever mechanisms that move his jaw. There’s also a realistic walking motion. The kit also includes a selection of accessories including an actual jigsaw puzzle! This makes it perfect for both play and display. It would also make a great gift for any Shaun fans!

Collaboration.