The Big Toy Vote, taking place today, asks the nation’s children to vote for their favourite type of toy as they enjoy special demos and giveaway competitions.
On the 4th of July, visitors to their local The Entertainer store will be able to head to a very special polling station. During the Big Toy Vote, kids will be able to choose from four candidates vying to become the nation’s official favourite toy: Dinosaurs, Unicorns, Trucks and Mermaids.
In store, manifestos will help children assess each candidate critically, based on their campaign promises, before they make the important decision on who deserves their vote. Once kids have dropped off their vote in in the ballot box, they’ll receive a special sticker for the candidate they’ve voted for.
Voters will be able to take away a Big Toy Vote Competition Card too. Scanning the QR code will enter them online for the chance to win a £100 prize bundle. Each candidate will have their own competition, meaning a total of four lucky winners.
Between 11am and 3pm, they will also be able to enjoy and participate in exciting demos with brands such as Pitter Patter Pets, Kinetic Sand, and remote control toys. Activity sheets will be given out on the day: kids can then show off their colouring masterpieces on social media using #TheEntertainerVIP. Selected stores will also be visited by special costume characters.
Ahead of the Big Toy Vote, The Entertainer also asked kids who they’d most like to see become the next Prime Minister. Taylor Swift topped the list with 18% of the vote, on par with Spider-Man (18%) and closely followed by Iron Man (15%). The Entertainer’s research polled 1,000 of the UK’s children and found that musicians and superheroes came out on top as the best candidates for Prime Minister, with a number of British icons, including David Attenborough (13%) and Jude Bellingham (8%), also making the cut.
Interestingly, the one candidate with any tangible political experience, Barbie (who became President of America for the first time in 1992) came joint bottom of the list, with just 8% of the vote. She’s in storied company though, running level with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham – the two goal scorers from Sunday’s narrow victory over Slovakia in the Euros 2024 – and Sonic the Hedgehog.
According to the UK’s children, over half agreed that the top qualities of a country’s lead politician should be honesty (52%), closely followed by kindness (44%) and fairness (31%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the survey also found that three-quarters of children think they’d make a good Prime Minister themselves. The top changes they said they’d make if they were in charge for the day included shortening school days (25%) extending play time (19%), giving free toys to all (22%) – which would pose something of an issue for the toy industry – and abolishing homework (17%).
Beyond all the fun, they’d also like to reduce the prices of items in the shops and pay doctors and nurses more, with a further 14% of children wanting to stop climate change.
Caroline Smith, Marketing director at The Entertainer, said: “We are thrilled to see the enthusiasm and imagination of children reflected in our latest research, and it’s heartwarming to see that they prioritise qualities such as kindness, honesty, time to play and a desire to help others. With many schools closed for Election Day, The Entertainer wants to be there for families, offering fun activities to keep children entertained, whilst also giving them a chance to participate in their own unique voting experience.”
The top 10 candidates for Prime Minister according to those aged 6-10, are as follows:
- Spider-Man (18%)
- Taylor Swift (18%)
- Iron Man (15%)
- David Attenborough (13%)
- Super Mario (12%)
- Bluey (8%)
- Jude Bellingham (8%)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (8%)
- Harry Kane (8%)
- Barbie (8%)
