
Egmont
Step into a playroom where imagination takes centre stage and heirloom quality is the supporting cast. Egmont Toys, the beloved Belgian toymaker, has found a perfect UK home at The Lovely Little Toy Shop. Every Egmont piece begins life as a hand-drawn sketch in rural Wallonia before being transformed into a beautifully finished toy that feels at once nostalgic and fresh. The range spans sturdy wooden role-play sets, cuddly companions, night-lights that glow with story-book charm and wicker classics that invite outdoor adventures.
Parents trust the brand for robust construction and strict European safety testing; children adore the friendly faces, tactile fabrics and vibrant colours that spark limitless storytelling. Whether you are searching for a first newborn keepsake or a gift that will be handed down through generations, our curated Egmont selection blends sustainable craftsmanship with playful magic. Explore the collection today and discover how these award-winning toys nurture curiosity, build motor skills and create memories that last a lifetime.
Our Range of Egmont Toys
Browse our dedicated Egmont Toys collection page and you will find a treasure trove to match the right toy to the right child. Wooden enthusiasts will love the solid beech building blocks, classic pull-along ducks and beautifully painted market stalls that transform any corner into a bustling make-believe shop. Plush-toy fans can choose from ultra-soft rabbits, teddies and musical comforters, each machine-washable at 30 °C for real-world practicality. Egmont’s signature wickerwork appears in charming doll prams, picnic baskets and animal masks; hand-woven reeds lend durability while keeping the overall weight child-friendly.
For budding hosts there are enamel tea sets and tin kitchen accessories, scaled perfectly for small hands yet tough enough for generations of pretend feasts. Night-time magic arrives courtesy of Egmont’s famous resin lamps: the softly glowing toadstool, wise owl and gentle fawn soothe little dreamers while looking stylish in any nursery. Younger babies benefit from sensory rattles, crinkle cloths and activity cubes designed to stimulate touch, sight and sound during those crucial early months.
Shipping is fast across the UK, and our knowledgeable team is ready to recommend age-appropriate options or help you build a themed bundle. Because every item is chosen with longevity in mind, you can buy confidently knowing your purchase will delight today and endure tomorrow.
Care & Cleaning
Egmont Toys are designed to be loved hard and cleaned easily. Most plush friends, rattles and fabric playsets pop straight into a domestic machine at 30 °C, then tumble dry on low, making post-picnic sprucing simple. Musical soft toys prefer a gentle surface sponge so the internal box stays snug. Slip delicate cuddlies into a laundry bag to stop little ears escaping the drum. Wooden pieces and wicker baskets wipe clean with a damp cloth, avoid soaking to preserve the natural finish. Enamel plates and metal cutlery are dishwasher-safe, while resin night-lights just need a quick dust to keep them glowing brightly.
About Egmont Toys
Founded in 1994 by toy agent-turned-visionary Egmont Le Compte, Egmont Toys set out to prove that charming design and rigorous safety could coexist with fair pricing. The creative heartbeat remains in Saintes, Belgium, where in-house designer Gaëtane Lannoy still starts each project with paper, pencils and watercolour rather than software. Once a concept is perfected, specialised workshops in Europe and carefully audited partners in Asia bring the prototype to life, using FSC-certified wood, child-safe paints and fabrics chosen for softness and durability.
The result is a portfolio that bridges generations: sturdy enough for nursery schools, beautiful enough for design museums (the iconic Egmont doudou is stocked by MoMA). Every toy goes through independent laboratories to meet or surpass EN-71 and global safety standards. The company’s modest size allows quick innovation, whether launching the nostalgic Swash hand-puppets (still a bestseller after a million pieces) or developing bespoke private-label lines for heritage attractions like Pairi Daiza.
Trusted by boutiques in more than forty countries, Egmont Toys keeps close to its roots: a family-owned firm that prizes personal relationships, small-batch production and the simple joy of watching a child discover new possibilities through play.
The History of Egmont Toys
Egmont Toys began life in a Belgian garage where Egmont Le Compte, then an independent sales agent, dreamed of creating his own collection. The breakthrough arrived in 1997 when a range of animal-shaped wash-mitt puppets captivated buyers at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, funding a move to a purpose-built warehouse. Rapid international demand followed, with distributors springing up across Europe, Scandinavia and Australia before the turn of the millennium.
The early 2000s saw the introduction of an e-commerce portal and the inventive “doudou express” service, a first-of-its-kind programme that reunited children with lost comforters by keeping archival stock. Awards soon followed, including the Brussels Export Prize, as the company doubled warehouse capacity to accommodate expanding wooden and textile lines. Acquisitions such as Dutch wooden-toy wholesaler Nadia Toys and German night-light maker Heico broadened the material palette while preserving artisanal techniques.
By its 25th anniversary Egmont Toys was designing mascot characters for Europe’s leading animal park and debuting at the New York Toy Fair. When the pandemic paused physical shows, the brand pivoted seamlessly online, launching the story-driven “Les Petits” collection that champions European production and eco-friendly materials. Today, Egmont continues to balance heritage craftsmanship with forward-thinking design, proving that a small Belgian label can enchant children on every continent without losing its personal touch.
Egmont Toys Philosophy
Egmont Toys believes that a great toy is a silent teacher. From the first pencil sketch the focus is on play value—how many stories can a child invent, how many skills can they practise, how many feelings can they express? Open-ended designs encourage children to build, paint, role-play and problem-solve rather than passively consume electronic entertainment. A wooden food set, for instance, is intentionally simple so it can be a greengrocer’s stall today and a space-station canteen tomorrow.
Handcrafting remains central because little hands notice texture. Natural fibres, smooth FSC beech and hand-woven wicker invite children to explore with all their senses, developing fine motor control and an appreciation for quality materials. Safety is non-negotiable: every clasp, seam and paint colour is laboratory-tested long before it reaches a shop shelf. Yet Egmont is equally committed to accessibility. By controlling design in-house and partnering with efficient specialist makers, the company offers boutique-level craftsmanship at prices everyday families can reach.
Another pillar of the philosophy is community. Egmont prefers to sell through independent retailers that share a passion for childhood development, ensuring parents receive expert advice rather than algorithmic suggestions. The company also stores spare parts and replacement comforters for years, acknowledging the emotional bond a child forms with a beloved toy. Altogether, Egmont Toys champions creativity, durability, education and empathy—values that resonate in every product we stock.
Sustainability
Sustainability is woven into Egmont’s design brief as firmly as a teddy’s stitching. Wherever possible, the company chooses renewable or recycled materials: wicker harvested under controlled cycles, rubberwood salvaged from latex plantations, kraft card made from post-consumer fibres. Packaging is deliberately minimal—silk tissue replaces plastic bags, and outer boxes are sized to eliminate wasted space in transit.
Logistics matter too. Egmont avoids air freight, consolidating orders into full containers and shipping on recycled Euro-pallets. The Belgian headquarters recycles all excess cardboard in-house and is investing in a vast rooftop solar array to achieve energy self-sufficiency. Staff are encouraged to cycle to work, and the firm participates in FOST+ and VALIPAC recycling schemes to offset unavoidable emissions. By treating sustainability as an evolving practice rather than a marketing badge, Egmont Toys proves that enchanting design and ecological responsibility can go hand in hand—literally, when a child carries their new wicker basket to the garden.

The Lovely Little Toy Shop is a true family affair, founded by mum-in-chief Sarah after a serendipitous holiday in Yorkshire with baby Henry and their two dogs. A cheeky pull-along called “Percy Pup” caught Henry’s eye in a tiny village toy shop, and the pair soon discovered how much magic a thoughtfully made toy can add to childhood. The experience inspired Sarah to start curating her own collection of beautifully crafted playthings that parents rarely see on the high street.
Today the business still runs on that same mother-and-son energy. Henry, now a lively product-tester and part-time packer, helps to approve every new arrival. Together they pick toys for their longevity, safety and play value, selecting brands such as Egmont that share their belief in imagination-led, eco-responsible design. Orders are shipped quickly from the shop in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, where collection is free for local customers at 6-8 Queen Street, NG25 0AA.
Personal service is at the heart of everything: Sarah still answers most emails herself, offers complimentary handwritten gift notes and loves hunting down replacement parts for well-loved favourites. By keeping the business intentionally small, she can focus on building relationships with customers and suppliers rather than chasing fleeting trends.
Shopping with The Lovely Little Toy Shop means supporting an independent UK retailer that values craftsmanship, sustainability and old-fashioned customer care. Whether you pop in for a nursery keepsake or browse online for a birthday surprise, you will find a carefully edited range of toys, like Egmont’s hand-sketched wooden sets and comforting plush friends, that spark stories, survive playroom adventures and become treasured family heirlooms. In Sarah’s words, every parcel is packed “as if it were a gift for Henry,” ensuring a sprinkle of wonder arrives at every doorstep.