Puppet parade

Manhattan Toy’s Little Critters are large finger puppets with goggly eyes and bendable arms – a few of these on your fingers will really bring storytime to life. Fluffy bodies and embroidered features are designed to appeal to your own little critters, and although they’re called “little”, they are actually pretty big, at 12cm high.

Priced around £49 for a set of 12, the Little Critters are suitable for children aged three and up.

Also new are the Bitty Bugs, whacky-looking creatures with furry bodies and friendly faces (it’s a good job they’re friendly, what with all those eyes, teeth, legs and antennae sticking out all over the place!)

The Bitty Bugs are also around £49 for a set of 12.

The Extreme Sportsters and Jolly Jobs finger puppets are a little smaller (at 7.5cm each) and open up all sorts of imaginative play possibilities. They come in sets of 12 for around £41.99, while A Day in the Forest is a four-puppet set featuring a tree and three woodland creatures, priced around £14.99.