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Favourites like Cabbage Patch Kids and Hungry Hungry Hippos will be featured in the programme
Jenny GarnsworthyMonday 24 November 2025 12:43 GMTComments
CloseHamleys announce 'iconic' top ten toys for Christmas
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A new Channel 4 documentary is set to offer viewers an exclusive, after-hours glimpse into the iconic toy shop Hamleys this Christmas, featuring a host of well-known personalities and their children. The programme promises a nostalgic journey through the world of toys.
Presenter Alison Hammond and her son Aiden, alongside chat show host Jonathan Ross and his daughter Honey, are among the celebrities granted special access to the Regent Street store.
Comedian Lou Sanders will also appear with her best friend, Harriet Kemsley, as they revisit the magic of childhood play and relive the excitement of playing with toys from their younger years.
The programme, currently titled Top Toys Of All Time, will delve into the stories behind some of the most enduring toy crazes of the past two centuries.
From classic favourites like Cabbage Patch Kids, Operation, and Kerplunk, to Lego, Hungry Hippos, and the Pogo stick, the documentary will explore children’s beloved toys, past and present.
It will also incorporate archive footage, including adverts from the 1970s and 80s, and is loosely inspired by Hamleys’ own Top 100 Toys Of All Time list, compiled for the retailer’s 265th anniversary earlier this year.
Disney and Lego Toys are displayed at Hamleys in London (REUTERS)Jeremy Daldry, ITN Productions’ deputy head of UK Factual, expressed his enthusiasm for the project. He stated: "Running amok in Hamleys is every big kids’ dream, and it’s just as exciting to have that access as a producer.
This is an unashamed feel-good documentary, celebrating the classic toys, games and crazes from the last 200 years.
Our celebrities get to relive their favourite toys through the magic of Hamleys after hours and we all get to indulge in some nostalgia for Christmases past through the heart-warming archive."
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Victoria Kay, head of buying and merchandising at Hamleys, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the universal appeal of toys.
She commented: "We had an incredible response when we launched our Top Toys Of All Time list back in the summer – people loved the fun and nostalgia of it all – from media to countless customers and commentators all over the world.
“They debated their favourites, shared their memories – the topic has a wonderful universality about it. For this Channel 4 documentary, the ITN Productions team has tapped into the love of toys, childhood and play and sought to bring out the intense excitement and warmth to life that we witness every day in our Regent Store and across our stores worldwide. We are as excited as a child in a toy shop!"
Founded by Cornishman William Hamley in Holborn, London, in 1760, the iconic toy brand now boasts a flagship store on Regent Street and operates 182 shops across 12 other countries worldwide.
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