To tie in with our look at the sector this month, we’ve put together our very own focus group and asked mums and dads of seven pre-schoolers – ages ranging between two and four – what their kids are currently into and who their favourite characters are. We then asked the grown-ups for their thoughts on licensed product in general, from pricing through to quality…

Name: Archie Blumson
Age: 2 ½

(Answered by mum, Lesley)

“Archie’s current favourite programmes are Big Cook Little Cook and In The Night Garden. His favourite characters are Noddy and Thomas the Tank Engine; he has liked these from a young age and, generally speaking, he might like another character but will always go back to these two.
He hasn’t so much got a favourite toy at the moment; he has about five pairs of sunglasses and won’t leave the house without at least one of them on, normally his Thomas ones. He does have a licensed lunchbox, food, books and toys though.
I sometimes think that licensed products are overpriced, but buying licensed you have a sense of buying better so I don’t mind the slight mark up.
Generally speaking, Archie doesn’t actually watch that much TV, but that’s probably because I don’t either. We may flick it on and if either of his preferred programmes are on he’ll sit and watch a bit of it, but nine times out of ten he’ll get distracted and end up playing or doing something creative, like painting or playing music. He will happily watch his Baby Einstein DVDs, particularly the music one; maybe that’s because from a young age I have encouraged one on one with him and not having the TV on. Unless I saw educational elements in it I wasn’t interested. I’ve always felt that TV doesn’t stimulate you or encourage you in ways that I believe are necessary at a young age.”

Name: Hope Ovenden
Age: 3

(Answered by dad, Alan)

“Hope currently likes Mr Maker, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Dora the Explorer, Something Special, Get Squiggling and Nina and the Neurons. Peppa Pig and The Tweenies, of course, and new show Waybuloo. Her favourite characters are Mickey Mouse, Little Einsteins, Dora, Peppa Pig and Fifi Forget-Me-Not. These tend to change about every six months, although she can flit between a couple at once.
We do buy Hope licensed comics, toys and food – an occasional Happy Meal – but price is a big consideration. Sometimes you do feel that unbranded product can be much less than licensed. I trust licensed brands more than generic ones, though.
Out of her favourite shows, I quite like Mr Maker, which gives plenty of ideas for crafts, Something Special which is educational and Peppa Pig, which I think is amusing and entertaining. Generally she just likes relaxing and watching a story unfold. But Bear in the Big Blue House scares her!”

Name: Finlay Webster
Age: Nearly 2

(Answered by mum, Louise)

“Finlay likes Big & Small and Winnie the Pooh at the moment, while he also likes the characters from In The Night Garden. These don’t change that often; he seems to be quite loyal.
I tend to buy lots of books, plush and plastic animals from John Lewis and the Early Learning Centre. Price is factor when I’m purchasing, but that said, I don’t think that licensed product is overpriced. I don’t necessarily trust them more than generic product, I buy a lot of soft toys (generally animals) that aren’t licensed, however Fin is drawn to the licensed products.
I think it is important that shows don’t necessarily have an educational element, but more that they assist in the child’s development. For example, Fin laughs out loud at the Big & Small jokes and I love the fact that it is developing his sense of humour. Fin also enjoys watching Cbeebies in general and will be glued to the screen if Numberjacks and Chuggington come on. I would certainly encourage him to watch shows like Numberjacks because it’s assisting with his understanding of maths, but in a fun way.”

Name: Eliza Brennan and her friend Lara
Age: Both 4

(Answered by Eliza’s mum, Suzanne)

“Both Eliza and Lara like Peppa Pig, while other favourites are Fifi and the Flowertots, Pokémon (due to Eliza’s older brothers!) and Strawberry Shortcake. Lara likes Mr Men, High School Musical and Angelina Ballerina, too.
Their favourite characters probably change about six to eight months – Disney Princess is the current obsession.
We buy Eliza licensed toys, stationery, comics and birthday cakes and price is important for impulse buys. I don’t really think that licensed products are overpriced. A lot of the smaller items are quite reasonable, for example the stationery, which is okay for treats. Comics always seem overpriced though, they shouldn’t be more than £1, and buying from the Disney Store is expensive.
In an ideal world I would prefer the shows Eliza watches to have an educational element, but part of the appeal is that it’s make believe and, therefore, broadening the imagination, if not education.”

Name: Sienna Crossley
Age: 4 (going on 14)

(Answered by dad, Spencer)

“Sienna aspires to her older sister Arabella (who is six and loves Hannah Montana, CBBC and Zack & Cody), but really deep down loves Charlie & Lola and Peppa Pig. Her favourite characters tend to change a lot; she currently has ambitions to be Gabriella from High School Musical, as well as in the cast of Mamma Mia!
I think some licensed toys are overpriced, but in general I think they are competitive. I think I’m somewhat biased having been in the toy industry, so I suppose deep down I trust more wholesome brands such as BBC and Disney, but that is more emotional rather than fact-based.
I like Sienna watching Cbeebies, Charlie & Lola, Peppa Pig and LazyTown, but it’s all to do with the right mix of their viewing. I like CBBC because of the content of the programming, but likewise there is no harm in watching Spongebob Squarepants. There are some shows I would prefer Sienna not to watch, which is quite difficult as she aspires to be her elder sister and some of her viewing is not acceptable for a four year-old.”

Name: Lara Parfitt
Age: 3

(Answered by dad, Ben)

“Lara currently likes Peppa Pig, Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom, Thomas & Friends and Bob the Builder. She seems to like any kind of recognisable character that is marketed to her. When she was younger, her mother and I were both very conscious of preventing excessive exposure to any kind of marketed branding. But over time she has been exposed to an increasing amount at nursery, so now we do allow her a little TV time. And family members are forever buying her branded toys and gifts.
Her tastes change quickly; she was mad for In The Night Garden, but that seems to have passed in favour of increasingly mature products.
We try to avoid licensed goods if possible, but at times it simply isn’t. I was trying to buy her a backpack for nursery recently and simply wasn’t able to find any suitable options that weren’t branded up with something. Branded food is a big no no, but I will buy her activity comics on train journeys and the like.
It’s not surprising that some licensed stuff is very much on the pricey side, but by the same token unbranded goods are so hard to track down that they often prove to be the more expensive option.
There are loads of shows we don’t let her watch. Parenting does require strict controls; I’m often appalled at the level of violence in kid’s shows. Get past that, however, and there are still many hurdles to overcome. Even stuff that sells itself on an educational level is often terrible.
The ones I approve most of, and indeed as a result the ones I most enjoy, are basically the ones that are genuinely good. In The Night Garden is a beautiful programme; the visual quality and obvious love the show was made with ties it all together. Thomas & Friends, too, still manage to be very decent (although I’ll never get used to that new theme tune). Our current fave is Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom, which I find genuinely funny. The characters are great, too (particularly Nanny Plumb), not just in the sense that they are individual and defined, but also in that they are morally very sound and ‘safe’ company for kids. A big thumbs up, too for Peppa Pig. Wonderfully drawn, great animation style, worthy narrative and morally sound – it’s got it all.”