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Brits secretly hoard our childhood toys and can't bring ourselves to get rid

Almost half of us refuse to get rid of our childhood favourite toys even when we're adults, with teddy bears, Lego and dolls still taking pride of place

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Many of us can't let go of our toys(Image: Westfield / Cover Images )

Britain is a nation of secret toy hoarders with 46% refusing to part with childhood favourites well into adulthood, new research has revealed.

The nations most treasured toy is the humble teddy bear (28%), ahead of Lego (22%), board games (16%) and dolls (13%).

And though we may pretend were hanging on to these cherished playthings to hand down to our own children, 51% are keeping them for ourselves according to the survey by Westfield.

The findings were released to celebrate Disney & Pixars Toy Story 5 and the opening of the centres free family experience Bonnies Playtime this summer.

And while the films human hero Andy handed Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang on to Bonnie, the research shows that many of us struggle to say goodbye to the things that shaped our childhood.

A quarter of those who kept their toys (26%) have boxed them away, out of sight but impossible to part with, while few are willing to sell them on (8%) or give them to charity (11%).

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We still keep some of our old toys, just like in Toy Story(Image: Westfield / Cover Images )

Andrew Phillis, general manager at Westfield London, said: "The toys we grow up with stay with us for life, so it is no surprise that so many of us find them impossible to give up.

That love is exactly what Toy Story has always captured, and it is what we wanted to bring to life with the Bonnie's Playtime experience - a fun, free and immersive event where families can step into the world of the films together and make new memories of their own."

The research revealed that women are more likely to own a childhood toy than men (51% v 41%) and to be holding on to it purely for sentimental value (56% v 45%).

By contrast, men are the ones ready to cash in with 37% likely to look up how much it is worth compared to 24% of women.

More than a third of adults (36%) admit to having tried to track down a toy they once owned, and 11% go so far as to buy a replacement.

Bonnie's Playtime The Experience recreates the film's cardboard play town at Westfield London from July 29 to August 9 and Westfield Stratford City from August 21 to 31.

Tickets are free and available at westfield.com/london/toy-story-5-the-experience and westfield.com/stratfordcity/bonnies-playtime

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