MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best playsets and role play toys

Jump to:

• Best playset (under £60)
• Best playset (over £60)
• Best role play toy

Best playset (under £60)

You'll be surprised at how much value these playsets pack in. These under-£60 sets provide mini worlds packed with charm, creativity and even some impressive 'wow' features — perfect for keeping little hands busy.

Our testers explored every detail of the sets, while parents considered durability, assembly, as well as how long the toys held their child’s attention. Here are the 2025 winners.

Gold: Thomas & Friends Load & Launch Barrel Delivery Set

Our 3 year old has hardly stopped playing with it since it arrived, he’s completely captivated by the excitement and imagination it inspires. This set offers amazing value for money and endless entertainment. It’s imaginative, interactive, and full of charm.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Offering excellent value for money, hours of play potential and a thrilling load and launch barrel feature — this Thomas & Friends playset is a clear Gold award winner in this category. Our child testers and their parents were blown away by the exciting features of this toy and as one parent said, it has brought 'endless smiles and excitement' to their child — a real standout toy this year."

Gold: Fisher-Price Little People Caring Fun Animal Farm

There are so many different interactive features with the animal farm and lots of different ways to play. Penny has loved playing and interacting with the farm. It’s encouraged her to learn some animal sounds and engage in imaginative play.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "A classic for a reason, new generations continue to fall in love with Little People from Fisher-Price and our child judges were instantly charmed by this farm set. From caring for the animals to interacting with the set, it has provided hours and hours of fun for our child judges who were captivated by the music, sounds and hands-on activities."

Silver: Stuntman Stu Nitro Boost Stunt Bike Set

Samson had tons of fun with this toy. One of Samson's favourite parts was setting up Stu into some really funny positions on the bike before launching. This really made him laugh and made the toy more exciting. He also loved putting the stickers on at the start, he felt it was his own personal design because he put the stickers where he wanted them.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Hours of fun were had as our child testers built different stunt ideas for Stu to try! They loved experimenting with different ramps and objects for him to fly over and the easily posable figure led to some funny positions too. A great (albeit noisy!) toy that can also bring the whole family together through play."

Bronze: Monster Jam Smash & Bash SmashBot Playset

My child found it really fun and exciting. The toy has several features which can be adjusted, to prolong the play and create different scenarios. Also it's large, which gives it the 'wow' factor and the high quality of the pieces makes it feel good value too.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Vehicle-mad kids will be captivated by this epic playset. Extremely thrilling with spectacular crashes — it certainly has a 'wow' factor! Our child testers loved exploring all the features available and we love that this is a toy they will come back to again and again."

Shortlisted: Play+ Pretend Play Set - Cool Drinks

Best playset (over £60)

For families seeking large, premium playsets, these winners offer immersive worlds full of accessories and detailed builds.

Our child testers explored every inch, from bustling pirate ships to high-tech police stations, while parents considered quality, long-term value, and how durable and engaging each set was. These playsets over £60 provide endless imaginative fun, here are the 2025 champions.

Gold: Playmobil 71530 Large Pirate Ship

My four-year-old daughter has loved playing with this toy and exploring all the different features, and smaller items that come with it. She has spent hours coming up with imaginative games and pirate battles using the ship and has really enjoyed using it both in the playroom and in the bath.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Definitely a 'wow' toy this year and definitely with good reason, this large pirate ship has 137 pieces, movable sails, fold-out rigging, detailed accessories and endless opportunities for play. The quality and play potential with this playset really shines through and we think it's definitely worth the money, one of the real standout toys of the year."

Gold: Playmobil 71873 Police Command Centre

My son has been thrilled with this toy. He loves the idea that there are cells and even tiny handcuffs for his prisoners. He has played with this toy non-stop and will continue to do so!

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Inspiring hours and hours of fun, Playmobil continues to impress children and this Police Command Centre was a clear winner. Parents of our child judges told us that their children had endless fun playing with this set, from helping to build it to creating imaginative scenarios with all the different figures and accessories — the play potential alone makes this set truly standout."

Silver: PAW Patrol Fire Rescue: Rapid Reload Fire Truck

As a 3 year old boy it's rare for something to both capture his attention and really hold his attention for a while, but wow has this toy done just that — he has absolutely loved it. He's gone back to it time and time again. He's also made up little games as he's playing with it. He's loved the sounds and lights too.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "We were really impressed by this great quality, action-packed playset that inspired hours of imaginative play with our child testers. The rapid reload launcher was a particular highlight and we think this is definitely a must-have toy for Paw Patrol fans this year."

Bronze: Disney Jr. Minnie Mouse Pet Hotel Playset

It is a great toy, a lovely idea for our Disney and animal lover. My daughter loved the little animals that came with the set and did have fun with imaginative play. The sounds and lights are a fun feature.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Full of unique accessories and fun features, this toy really inspired our child testers to tell stories through the characters. Disney and animal lovers will adore this pet hotel playset."

Best role play toy

Role-play toys encourage children to step into new worlds and spark creativity, whether it’s playing beautician, shopkeeper or builder.

Our testers spent hours imagining, serving, building and creating with a variety of pretend play toys. Parents focused on quality, number of accessories, durability and value for money, while children judged the fun factor and how much the toy inspired imaginative play. Here are the 2025 winners.

Gold: Smoby My Beauty Centre

My daughter has played with it almost everyday since we built it and she is constantly inviting us to her 'salon'. It was lovely to see her confidence blossom through play. She loves pretending to be a professional stylist, eagerly waiting for customers and explaining each treatment like she is running her very own salon. She is very imaginative with it too, making up her own price list, appointment book and even comes up with the typical 'hair dressing chat about the weather and holidays.' It's great to see how involved she is.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "3 realistic play areas, accessories galore and an adjustable mirror — it's no wonder our child judges were completely enthralled by this beauty centre and said 'it's just like a real salon!' The accessories were a huge hit and the variety of play this toy provides make this a worthy winner."

Gold: Kidoz Signature Pink Play Kitchen

Daisy has LOVED playing with her new kitchen! It looks like a 'real' kitchen and there is lots of different features to explore even small things like the cooker dials that click as they turn. Her favourite part is of course 'the water dispenser and the cooker for my saucepans' (the hob).

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "The ultimate role play toy — this beautiful wooden kitchen comes with a working oven, microwave, sink and fridge. Our child judges spent hours playing and 'cooking' up a storm with their siblings. It's sturdy, packed with fun features and is perfect for any kids who love role play."

Silver: Smoby Black and Decker Builder Workbench

David loved role playing as a builder with this work bench. He said it was 'the best toy ever!' He pretends he is a real builder and uses all the tools to build and construct. He loves the crane going up and down and he also enjoys playing with the truck.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "We, and our child judges, were super impressed by how realistic this workbench is. From the mechanical drill to the fully stocked tool section, it's hard not to believe there are mini builders at work when playing with this toy. Great quality, good value and plenty of play potential."

Bronze: Play+ Pretend Play Set - Cool Drinks

My son really enjoyed playing with this toy. It was so multi-functional that he was able to use it for so many things. The bright lights of the jug and the noises are really attractive to him and he loved pretend play with it. He is very keen to make us all drinks and ask for our orders, and even enjoys tidying it away onto the tray.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Our child judges absolutely loved using this play set to pour drinks and quickly became mesmerised by the lights and sounds of the jug. It has fantastic play potential, even beyond the role playing aspect, and is particularly great for developing imaginative play."

Read more:

• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best arts and crafts toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best ride-ons, scooters and toys for active play
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best tech and interactive toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best family and action games
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best dolls, action figures and soft toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best surprise, collectible and trending toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best baby, toddler and sensory toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best sustainable and wooden toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best learning, logic and construction toys
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best stocking fillers
• MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Editor's choice awards