Adorable horses on track for a record

Fun toys in velvet: the little Filly Princess horses from Simba Toys.

What does this little girl have in common with lots of other children? She just loves the tiny velvety horse Filly Princess. These are a phenomenon: the collectable figures from Simba Toys came onto the market in 2007 and slowly trotted their way into playrooms. Then in 2009 they suddenly galloped into the hearts of children: from January to July 2009, Filly Princess was the most successful collect-able in Germany. More than three million of the 21 different horses were sold! The figures for the second half of the year were not available at the time of going to press, but they are likely to be similar as the trend is continuing unabated.

Perhaps it was the adorable accessories that triggered off the new passion for collecting and swapping the toys. The Filly fairytale world became complete with the Filly carriage, horse transporter castle and stall. For the Christmas season, there was an advent calendar with a very special Filly, with a genuine red Swarovski crystal in the crown. These were snapped up like hot cakes. The Filly herd is to continue to expand in 2010.