Inside the RolePlay

Inside Pre-School Role-Play

Insights from Clare Rix, Commercial Licensing Director

Why is role play so important for pre-schoolers?

Role play is about fun, familiarity and bringing favourite characters to life. Preschoolers enjoy copying everyday activities, and role play toys let them do this through formats they instantly recognise, from phones and kitchens to shopping and travel themes.

At HTI, our role-play range focuses on simple, beautifully designed, engaging toys with a strong character link. Clear visual identity, programme specific lights and sounds, and easy play patterns help spark instant interest and encourage repeat play.

That’s why classic categories such as phones, cash registers, kitchens, tool sets and strollers remain consistently popular, particularly when paired with trusted licenses like Bluey, Peppa Pig, Gabby’s Dollhouse and Paw Patrol. Familiar formats, recognisable characters and engaging features make it easy for children to pick up the toy and start playing straight away.

In your opinion, how healthy is the category right now? Is it benefiting from parents’ greater awareness of child development, or the ongoing sustainability trend, for instance?

The preschool role play category is in a strong position, with further growth expected over the next five years. Role play encourages independent play, and parents increasingly see it as supporting cognitive and social development, and this is shaping purchase decisions.

Playsets such as HTI’s Bluey Supermarket and Peppa Pig Cash Checkout are popular because they introduce early numeracy, turn‑taking and interpersonal skills through familiar, everyday scenarios. Licensed characters further strengthen this appeal, as parents are more inclined to select role‑play products set within trusted preschool worlds that their children already recognise.

There is also a clear move towards multisensory integration. Parents are extending role play by combining it with sensory products such as bubbles, kinetic sand or play dough. This holistic approach supports multiple areas of learning and skill-building through child‑led, hands‑on play. Bubbles, for example, help develop visual tracking, oral motor skills through blowing, and hand‑eye coordination through popping, while children remain immersed in imaginative play.

Sustainability is now a baseline expectation. Consumers expect preschool products to be responsibly sourced and manufactured while remaining affordable. This applies to both core role‑play toys and complementary preschool activities. HTI’s UK‑manufactured Bubblz range sits within this wider space and is produced to recognised sustainability standards, including FSC and GRS certification. HTI is currently the only UK toy manufacturer to hold GRS status for bubbles, aligning with the increasing importance placed on sustainability within preschool product development.

Conversely, is there anything adversely affecting the category, such as competition from low-cost, low-quality imports?

The preschool role‑play category covers a wide range of price points, with parents focused on buying well and achieving clear value for money. Alongside traditional retail, toys promoted through social media platforms and online marketplaces have become more prominent. However, these channels do not always offer the same levels of independent testing, certification or regulatory assurance expected in established retail environments.

As a result, value for money is defined by more than price alone. Safety, durability and compliance play an important role in purchase decisions, reinforcing the appeal of well‑designed role‑play toys that combine trusted standards with familiar, engaging play formats. HTI’s position within the sector reflects this, offering accessible role‑play products that balance affordability with build quality and play appeal, giving parents confidence at the point of purchase and retailers a dependable, value‑led proposition.

How does your product development process work – do you have experts in-house? Do you invest in research, or use parental feedback/focus groups?

Product development at HTI is collaborative and insight‑led. We have experienced in‑house teams working across design, licensing, quality and compliance, ensuring every product is age‑appropriate, safe and built around genuine play patterns. This includes a significant investment in bespoke tools, allowing us to create durable, high-quality components with unique features that are tailor-made for little hands.

We place strong emphasis on understanding preschool behaviour and interaction, alongside close collaboration with licensors to ensure authenticity. This is supported by regular review of shopper and retailer feedback from key accounts, as well as ongoing learning from products already in market.

Parental insight also plays an important role, particularly when refining functionality, size, durability and ease of use. The aim is always to create products that children instinctively know how to play with, and that parents feel confident buying.

Do you have any standout bestsellers?

HTI Group has a number of consistent bestsellers within the preschool role‑play category, across both licensed and own‑brand ranges.

Within licensed role play, Bluey has a strong presence in both the UK and international markets, with well‑established lines including the Bluey Telephone, Cash Checkout and Boombox. Peppa Pig is equally well represented through routine‑led role‑play lines such as Cash Registers, My First Tablets and Telephones, all centred on everyday activities familiar to young children. Gabby’s Dollhouse has built a solid position across playsets and electronic role‑play, with ranges such as Gabby’s Play Case and shop‑and‑pay assortments appealing to slightly older preschoolers through imaginative storytelling linked to recognisable real‑world scenarios. The Paw Patrol Adventure Set immerses children in Rescue Ready play by combining recognisable mission tools with strong character authenticity.

HTI’s own brands are clearly positioned within the preschool space. BabyBoo and Baby Chic focus on early caregiver role play through prams and strollers, supporting nurturing and imitation play. Tiny Teamsterz addresses vehicle‑led role play, encouraging children to act out transport scenarios through sturdy, colourful designs.

Overall, HTI’s best‑selling role‑play lines share common strengths: familiar play patterns, safe and intuitive functionality and clear character recognition, all of which help parents feel confident in their choices and support continued retail demand.

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Do you want to flag up any particular preschool products or ranges that are due to launch shortly?

The strong performance of HTI’s My First DJ Decks, which launched for AW26 across licenses including Bluey, Peppa Pig and Gabby’s Dollhouse, demonstrates continued demand for interactive preschool role‑play products driven by lights, sounds and familiar character appeal. Building on this momentum, one of the key upcoming launches for HTI is a new Hello Kitty and Friends preschool role‑play range, developed under a multi‑territory licensing agreement with Sanrio. The range is scheduled to arrive in retail from Q4 2026 and will be rolled out across the UK, Ireland, the EU and several additional European markets.

Designed around authentic early‑years behaviours, the collection spans core preschool role‑play areas, including caregiver themes, domestic scenarios, simple social activities such as doctor and shop, and first tech‑influenced items. Launch lines include Hello Kitty Medic and Beauty cases, cash checkouts, telephones, kitchens, laptops, boomboxes and stroller‑led caregiver ranges, enabling retailers to deliver a cohesive role‑play offer across multiple scenarios and price points under a single, globally recognised license.

What kind of support do you offer retailers, be it POS, in-store activations or digital campaigns?

Retail partnership is key for us. We support retailers through POS and CDU formats, particularly for role‑play and impulse‑led ranges, and through clear shelf‑ready packaging designed with preschool shoppers in mind. Seasonal activations linked to key licenses are delivered through coordinated campaigns, incorporating digital assets and materials aligned with wider licensor marketing activity.

We work closely with retailers to ensure products are tailored to their specific environment, whether grocery, value, toy specialists or online, ensuring the right format and presentation for each channel.

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