The Happyland range of toys from the Early Learning Centre is a vast range of figures and play sets usually incorporating a building of some kind with characters and accessories to suit. My son is 21 months old and has a number of different sets from the Happyland range which are gradually building up into a lovely collection.

The Happyland Family is a simple and small add on set to the Happyland series. It is priced at the lower end of the range at just £8.00. Play sets vary in price with the more expensive sets at £40.00. The age guidance for the entire range is 18 months to 4 years.

I purchased this particular set quite recently in order to give my son some extra characters to use alongside his play sets.

It consists of six characters in total. The first is an Old English Sheepdog, this character also appears in the veterinary play set and so collectors of the range may find themselves with two. The next I presume is the father of the family, though he could be mistaken for a little boy. He sports a striped t-shirt and jeans and is a rather simple character. We then have a little girl with blonde hair and pigtails, holding onto a teddy bear. The smallest of the characters is a small baby in a pushchair. Next is the mother of the family with curly hair and a handbag at her side and finally we have a little boy with a football beneath one foot.

These Happyland characters are rather simple in terms of facial features, though their small eyes and button noses do make them rather child-like and endearing. Each is perfectly painted in bright and attractive colours.

The characters are just the right size for small hands to grasp and to play with. They are not so small as to cause a choking hazard, yet they are just the right size to move around the Happyland play sets and the Happyland play mat and storage box which is also available from the Early Learning Centre and priced at £20.00.

My son's particular favourites are the Old English Sheepdog, which he refers to as "Bow-wow" and the baby in the pushchair, or "Babba" as he likes to call it.

This little family are beneficial in terms of encouraging role play and as they are rather basic they also encourage imaginative play.

They are chunky and strong and their smooth surface makes them easily wiped clean whenever the need arises.

This particular set works well alongside the school bus play set in the Happyland series, though of course they can be incorporated into any of the sets within the range.

The Happyland family are a rather versatile bunch and at just £8.00 they are a cost effective way of adding to a wonderful collection.