10 Best Animal Planet Toys for Kids & Toddlers in 2024
Ana
Cassie Sheets
Animal Planet was established in 1996 and has continued to serve as one of the most fascinating and easily accessible resources for families worldwide when it comes to the other species that surround us on this earth. Kids love learning about animals and Animal Planet has plenty of shows and programming aimed at young viewers. If seeing animals on a living room screen isn’t enough for your family, maybe it’s time to put some fun, educational animal toys in your child’s collection! The following ten Animal Planet toys and accessories are among our favorites. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do!
In a Hurry? The test winner after 14 hrs of research
Increases knowledge of animals and their habitats
Requires two to four players
Objective can be understood by younger players
Introduces the concept of money
10 Best Animal Planet Toys for Kids & Toddlers Reviewed
1. MasterPieces Animal Planet Explorer Opoly Jr.
Increases knowledge of animals and their habitats
Requires two to four players
Objective can be understood by younger players
Introduces the concept of money
Game pieces could be more durable
Experience the world from your kitchen table with the Masterpieces Animal Planet Explorer Opoly Jr. board game.
Read moreDesign
When beginning the game each player must choose their piece. Players can be either a cat, dog, pig or horse. As players advance through the game they will collect animal cards while making sure not to miss the bus or get lost.
Educational Value
Playing this board game will increase your child’s knowledge of animals and their habitats. Every animal card is designed with fun facts on the back. Much like regular monopoly, your child will be encouraged to “buy” spaces on the board. They will be introduced to the concept of money as well as learn how to manage it.
Value
Children can increase their social skills by enjoying the game with others as it requires 2 to 4 players. The objective of the game can be understood by children as young as six years of age.
2. Big Foot Play Set
Includes over-sized plastic Bigfoot that swings a club
Features action figure with camping gear and four-wheeler
Encourages fine-motor-skill development
Boosts cognitive development
Promotes creativity through pretend play
Small pieces are included
Not intended for children under 3 years old
Bobcat details are not as well-made as other pieces in the set
This toy set is a true inspiration to those mystery tales and will allow children to create their own adventures based on the legend of Bigfoot.
Read moreDesign
This set has everything they will need to create a great camping expedition while they hunt for Bigfoot. Accessories are included with this set which makes this particular toy super-cool.
Educational Value
Kids will love creating their own adventure searching for the next tracks of Bigfoot. Who knows where he'll end up next?! This set includes many detailed pieces that will help add to their adventure. It will also help boost their imaginations and fine-motor skills through pretend play! Not only is this a fun set for a child's imagination but it also gets the kids on the hunt too!
Value
This set has everything that is needed to encourage children to explore their imaginations. The details in each piece are great and the over-sized Bigfoot will be a huge hit.
3. Shark Attack Figure Playset
Features scuba diver action figure with scuba mask, tank, rebreather, and a camera
Includes two sharks; great white with snapping jaw and tiger shark
Amazing details included in all pieces of the playset
Sparks imaginations and creativity
Boosts cognitive abilities
Air tank does not stay on diver well
Cage is hard for little fingers to open and close
Included with this set is a shark cage with opening/closing door and a diver with all the equipment; scuba mask, tank, rebreather, and a camera. He is ready to explore the underwater world for sharks and take some super action shots.
Read moreDesign
The set also includes two sharks; a great white shark that when the dorsal fin is pressed makes the jaw snap and a tiger shark. This is a great playset to let their imaginations go wild for those little shark lovers.
Educational Value
Sharks and ocean life are loved by many children. This playset will inspire them to imagine the how it would feel to be up close and personal with a shark while grabbing some great photos. Boosting a child’s cognitive ability through a pretend play experience is a developmental skill that will last a lifetime and the benefits keep on giving as they grow and explore.
Value
The action-packed great white shark super fun and adds an element of interaction that the kids love. The scuba diver and all his gear make it fun to prepare and get ready.
4. Baby Backpack Monkey
Adorable plush monkey backpack with safety harness built in
Features detachable leash with wrist strap
Adjustable straps for growing toddlers
Promotes gross-motor-skill development
Encourages exploring of the world around them
Harness straps need to be carefully adjusted to fit well; if not they can rub against their neck
The storage compartment in backpack is super-small
When it comes to being out and about with kids, parents always have a huge concern for their safety. This backpack makes it easier for children to explore large crowds or areas while remaining safe and secure.
Read moreDesign
This cute monkey backpack includes a zipped compartment for storage and features super-comfortable adjustable straps. It's perfect for those active toddlers. Each set includes the adorable monkey design and a detachable leash with wrist strap. If you're planning on traveling, this cute backpack will make life so much easier on the move with a busy toddler!
Educational Value
When parents are out with their toddlers of course they want to allow them to explore and enjoy any new surroundings but sometimes it just doesn't always feel safe when in a large crowd. This backpack is a great way to allow toddlers to engage in their surroundings in a safe way while developing their motor skills plus getting some of that crazy energy out.
Value
There's not much not to like about this adorable backpack which keeps your child safe and secure while allowing them to explore with you. Everything about this backpack is cute and it's very well-made. The bonus part of this backpack isn't just the monkey design but the storage compartment which is perfect for a few small toys to help keep your child occupied while you're on the go!
5. T-Rex Foam
Realistic features in the design of the creature
Constructed from soft, durable plastic
Extra-tall figure
Encourages pretend play
Boosts fine-motor-skill development
Constructed from rubber-like plastic that gives the figure an almost sticky texture
White paint in the teeth tends to rub off
Toys are so much fun when their details look realistic; it makes the toy come alive right before your child's eyes! This realistic looking T-rex toy is great for little ones. It's oversized and made from super-soft plastic, making it easy to grab and play with.
Read moreDesign
The dinosaur stands tall, making it a great addition to a play set that has average-sized action figures, adding wonders to the prehistoric experience. This is one of those magnificent creatures that children will love.
Educational Value
This toy will take kids right to the place in time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth!Playing with toys is always fun for kids, but when the toys can take them back to a place in time where only their imaginations can take them, it is a true mind-blowing connection they are making. The possibility of your child using their imagination is endless! Pretend play is such an important developmental skill for growing kids and this oversized dinosaur is perfect for that.
Value
The plastic rubber-like design makes this creature a great toy across the board for kids. It is oversized and soft, making it great for the little ones and the details in the design make it great for pretend play for the bigger kids. It is a super win for parents when a toy can be used over several developmental stages.
6. Animal Planet Animal Atlas
Hardcover provides the book with durability
Encourages readers to improve the lives of animals
Teaches about biomes, continents, animals, the climate, and so much more
Designed with brightly colored illustrations
Does not include the animal passport book as shown on the cover
With the Animal Planet Atlas, your child will receive an up-close look at animals all across the world.
Read moreDesign
The atlas is available as a hardcover book, thus making it durable. The brightly colored illustrations of more than 200 animals will have your child excited to continue reading. The animal index provides readers with quick access to their favorite creatures. The maps have been drawn with a cartoon feel to keep young readers engaged. This atlas is recommended for children between the ages of six and ten.
Educational Value
This highly detailed atlas will teach your child about biomes, continents, and the animals that reside in each. Your child can test their knowledge with the fun animal trivia located inside the book. They will learn about migration, the availability of food and water, and so much more. With every page, your child’s vocabulary and language skills will increase. The realistic images of the animals will allow your child to not only increase their animal recognition skills but also make a real-world connection.
Value
With all of the information included in this book, we find it to be highly valuable and worth every penny. Not only will your child enjoy reading but they will also be learning. The book even encourages readers to improve the lives of animals in their own communities.
7. Big Tub of Dinosaurs 40+ Pieces
Includes 40 plus pieces of dino-fun
Each piece is constructed from durable plastic
Features several different kinds and sizes of dinosaurs
Encourages sensory system play
Promotes fine motor skill development
Set includes play mat that is actually too small to add any value
Details painted on the plastic figures are not very well done
This is a super-sized tub full of fun dinosaurs plus includes all the accessories needed to create a prehistoric adventure right in your living room or back yard. The set includes over 40 pieces that feature the smaller and larger dinosaur creatures along with items that you would have found in their environment at that time in history.
Read moreDesign
The tub is great for easy clean up and storage plus makes taking the toys out of the house a breeze. Whether on the go or in their room this set includes everything they need to re-enact those dinosaur adventures.
Educational Value
Kids that love dinosaurs will love this dino-packed tub of fun. The set features those little creatures and those large beasts that will allow their imaginations to take them back in a place in time where dinosaurs walked the earth. The easy tub is easy to carry and makes for a bonus storage place. This set is great for encouraging sensory system play and promoting pretend play in a fun prehistoric way.
Value
Playsets that include lots of pieces are great for entertaining the kids and this set does not disappoint with that. It includes everything they need to create a super fun adventure all from one playset.
8. RC Alligator
Easy to use remote
Alligator has wheels
Legs move realistically
Takes normal AAA batteries
Helps children improve hand-eye coordination
The alligator only moves forward; you can’t drive him backward, left, or right
Say, “see ya’ later, alligator!” to humdrum afternoons. This exciting Animal Planet Remote Control Alligator provides hours of fun! The RC Alligator includes a moving alligator (roughly a foot long), and a remote control that allows your child to navigate it through its habitat.
Read moreDesign
This alligator only moves forward but the wheels provide some serious speed. All legs move so it looks like the alligator is crawling along. The toy is durable and only requires three AAA batteries. Name your alligator something fun or ferocious! Kids will have a blast running their new “pet” around the house.
Educational Value
This RC alligator helps children to focus on hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and an understanding of cause-and-effect. Additionally, it’s great for imaginative or creative role-playing, especially in jungle or safari settings!
Value
It’s a simple toy as far as RC sets go, but the alligator design makes up for the lack of fancy tricks and flips. Children who are especially interested in amphibians or exotic creatures will truly be thrilled by this little zinger.
9. Animal Planet Animal World Mega Bag
Stimulates the imagination
Highly Portable
Includes 51 pieces
Durable
Expensive
With the Animal World Mega bag, your child can create adventures revolving around land and sea animals.
Read moreDesign
With your purchase, you will receive a clear duffel bag as well as a variety of toy animals, dinosaurs, trees, and rocks. The pieces are composed of durable plastic and the bag is very well made, thus allowing this entire set to withstand several uses.
Educational Value
With 51 different pieces included in this set, your child can increase their social skills by sharing with a friend. This open-ended toy will stimulate your child’s development as it encourages them to use their imagination and engage in pretend play. Grasping the pieces will increase your child’s fine motor skills as well as their hand-eye coordination.
Value
With all of the pieces coming in a reusable storage bag, your child can easily take their animal set from place to place. Not to mention, it helps keep your home free of clutter as the animals can be stored in the bag when not in use.
10. Travel Pillow Plush
Cute tiger desigh
100% soft polyester fibers
Machine washable
Great for travel
Helps support comfortable sleeping positions
This is extra cushy so some parents found it a little too bulky for car seats
Sweet dreams are made of this. The Animal Planet Travel Pillow is a 100% polyester pillow meant to provide support for your child’s neck. It’s plush, it’s adorable, and it’s easy to travel with. This gift is handy in car seats, airplanes, strollers, and more!
Read moreDesign
This pillow is designed like a white tiger, with extra fluff and soft cushiony goodness for sleepy heads. The pillow is machine washable and suitable for children ages one and up. If you aren’t satisfied, contact customer support about their 100% satisfaction guarantee. Any sort of travel becomes an adventure with this Animal Planet support pillow!
Educational Value
Heavy heads often lull off to one side or the other and cause discomfort. Children may wake up cranky if they don’t feel well-rested or find themselves stiff. This pillow helps to support little heads and take the pressure off of their necks as they doze.
Value
Kids are more likely to be enthusiastic about and actually utilize accessories that appeal to their love of cartoons, bright colors, and adorable animals. This tiger plush pillow acts both as a snuggly stuffed animal and a pillow that provides neck support for little ones.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Design
The 10 Best Animal Planet toys were selected based on developmental qualities that the toy sets offers and consumer reviews. Each of the set of toys offers an excellent opportunity for kids and toddlers to explore through a learning experience while also promoting many developmental skills.
The developmental skills most commonly found for each of these playsets are fine-motor-skill development and also the fostering of creative pretend time play. These are very important in a child's development and will offer a lifetime of opportunities for them.
While it is important for us to suggest toys that offer developmental benefits, we also want to make sure those toys are of the best quality and have been reviewed by many consumers, ensuring that they are not only great toys but that kids love them too.
Each of the Animal Planet playsets suggested on this list, offer a superstar rating with outstanding quality. The hard part has been done. Now you get to choose something great for the little animal lover in your life.
Educational Value
The benefit of pretend play comes through the building of many essential developmental skills. When a child engages in pretend play, they are actually experimenting with social roles and emotions that they see in their day-to-day life. Through this type of play, they are engaging and playing out different scenarios that they will be faced with throughout their lifetime.
This benefits children in many ways. It prepares them through cooperative playtime opportunities while teaching them to problem-solve, learn how to take turns, and to be creative. This will prepare them for school-age activities that they will engage in and also how to understand social relationships between themselves and others.
Value
When you provide kids and toddlers with toys that speak their interest, it not only encourages them to play with the toys, but it also makes the experience with learning and engaging in pretend play that much more beneficial for them. You want the toys to provide an open way for them to explore their imaginations while sparking their interest in a subject.
Sparking an interest in a subject, especially animals, allows children to take part in learning about them while also engaging in a pretend play experience. The experience of learning through play is awesome for both parents and children. This not only sparks their interest but provides them with a lifetime of developmental skills that they can build on.
Design Educational Value Value 
Playing with Animal Planet toy animals is a great way to get your child to socially interact with you and others. These toys allow children to explore with roles and use their imagination to play.
Along with social skills animal toys are a wonderful way to get those hands moving. Practicing those fine motor skills is great for preparation for school.
Other Factors to Consider
Brand
There are tons of animal-themed toys out there, so why would you go out of your way just to get Animal Planet-specific ones for your child? The answer is simple: These are toys you can trust. Not only do they represent what might be one of your child’s favorite television channels, but you can be assured that they’re also scientifically accurate representations of some of your child’s favorite animals as well. Not only that, but they’re branded with the Animal Planet name, which means a lot--especially to kids who love to collect stuffed animals or figurines. It’s a matter of having official merchandise that goes toward helping a show that’s done a lot in the way of helping not only the world but helping people to learn about it as well. Various foundations are also dependent on Animal Planet, and your dollar might be going to help them as well. This is a great thing to teach your child, and knowing that their toys have helped to bridge a gap and help an animal kingdom is well worth it.
Social Development
It’s relatively easy to see that each of these Animal Planet toys that have been carefully chosen represent real-world animals. Having the Animal Planet stamp of approval means that they’ve been carefully designed and created in the exact likeness of their real-life inspiration. This means that every dinosaur, lion, and shark has been made with care to be as realistic as possible and give your child a little bit of the wild world right in their very own home. When your child watches Animal Planet, they’ll be able to watch and play with their Animal Planet toys at the same time, knowing that they have a nearly exact replica of their favorite animal. It definitely helps in the way of visualization to be able to have a model of an animal in front of them so that they can easily see how an animal’s body and individual features work to help them survive in the wild. As far as the educational games go, these provide value in the way of knowledge. The more kids watch on Animal Planet, the more inspired they’ll be to play with their Animal Planet-based toys, and the more they’ll end up learning in the end!
Logic
We selected and decided to feature Animal Planet toys and toy playsets to give children a learning opportunity to explore pretend play through the life of animals. We want to teach children to love animals and pets in a way that encourages respect for them. Teaching toddlers and kids about animals is a great way to also teach love and respect for others. These are a few tips that will help kids to respect animals.
Lead by example: Kids learn by watching others, so always make sure to be a good role model to kids by respecting animals and their habitats.
Always show kindness: Make sure to always show kindness toward animals especially pets.
Visit zoos and farms: Exposing children to animals at local farms or zoos is a good way to teach them about animals while they also have the opportunity to watch and sometimes even engage with them.
Help the animals living around you: Feeding the birds and even the squirrels in your backyard is a great way to help teach children about animals without even having to interact with them. It also gives you a great opportunity to teach them facts and makes it a great learning experience.
Do not litter: Teaching children not to litter is a great way to help preserve the wildlife around them. This teaches them to respect the earth and what it provides us with while also helping them make great choices on how to respect the environment around them.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: Are the Animal Planet toy sets safe for my 3-year-old?
The Animal Planet toy sets above all have different age groups that they are appropriate for. Please review each toy set for the manufacturer’s suggested age group to determine if they will be safe for a 3-year-old.
q: Why is it important to provide children with toys to play pretend with?
It is important to provide children with toys that will inspire their imaginations and spark their interests. When a child engages in pretend play, they are developing their skills. This is very important for other upcoming developmental skills. Plus they allow children to explore the environment around them and engage in a positive learning experience.
q: What kind of animal play sets are best for my little girl who is 5 years old?
Animal sets that are best for a 5-year-old girl are different from girl to girl. We would suggest that you review her interests and buy a play set that corresponds with those. If she likes cats, then a set of big cats would be something that would be interesting. If she enjoys fish, then a set of larger fish like sharks and sea life animals may spark her interest.
q: How do I get my child interested in playing with toys that will inspire their imagination rather than always wanting to play with their tablets?
The best way to get children to play with toys that will inspire their imaginations is to limit the time that they are exposed to screens and present them with toys that they can play with. Presenting them with toys and making the time that they are away from all other stimulants makes it easier for their minds to focus on the task and enjoy playing with their toys.
q: Are there Animal Planet TV shows to go with the playsets?
The shows on Animal Planet do not directly correspond with the toy play sets. They were created as inspiration for imaginative play. The animals in the playsets are often featured on shows, giving great details about their lives and where you can find them on the planet.
q: Where can I buy the Animal Planet toys from the list?
You can buy the Animal Planet toys from Amazon. Below each picture of the product is a link to Amazon that will take you directly to the product. You can purchase it and have it shipped to a location of your choice.
q: Would these toys still be good for my child if they don’t watch Animal Planet at all?
Of course! Every child can benefit from having an educational or imaginative play-based toy. Even though the designs are based on a show or an animal that’s been seen on the channel, your child can still have fun with these toys even if they aren’t fans, or don’t watch Animal Planet.
Sources
- , Gift Guide, Online Article
- , The Top 10 Toys That Kindle Kids' Creativity, Informational Article
- , Tips for Choosing Toys for Toddlers, Online Article
- , The Importance of Pretend Play, Parent Resource Article
- , 5 benefits of imaginative play, Informative Article
