Tell me you have preschoolers without telling me you have preschoolers.

I remember, with intense clarity, the moment I realised my entire life as a parent was about to change because of a single toy.            

I was standing in the middle of our local toy store. It was a 'Yes Day' in our house, which meant I had hit pause on my constant stream of well-intentioned “NOs” in exchange for a full day that’s planned by my boy-girl twin toddlers, Stella and Cooper. 

When they said, “can we have pancakes?” I replied “yes”.

When they said, “can we watch Little Mermaid?” I said “yes”.

And when they said “can we get new toys at the shop?”, I responded with a reluctant “ummmmm... sure” (after checking my bank account, of course).

So there we were, standing in our local store's kids section, knee deep in plush toys and children’s books.

And in the true spirit of 'Yes Day', we weren’t leaving until my children were holding onto something that was destined to change their life and keep them entertained… for at least ten minutes.

My son, predictably, found a dinosaur within 14.36 seconds of shopping and was ready to rip it out of the box and attack complete strangers with it. My daughter, however, was taking her time to find the “perfect” toy, preferably a collectable which is her usual mode of operation in toy selection.

An extremely kind person who worked there asked if she could help us with the hunt.

“Have you started playing with Li’l Woodzeez yet?”

“No”, my daughter responded. “What’s a Woodzeez?”

My ears perked up. I hadn’t heard of these toys before and I had considered myself, up until that point, an international expert on all things toddler toys. What do they look like? How little are we talkin' here? Are they made of wood? And most importantly, what's the financial investment I'm in for?

“They are the cutest little animal families that all live together in a big neighbourhood called Honeysuckle Hollow," the employee cheerfully said to us. “Let me show you!”

My daughter's eyes lit up. She walked over to the Li’l Woodzeez aisle. Yes, aisle. And the rest is, as they often say when one’s life is literally changed forever, history.

I learned that cheerful Sunday morning that Li’l Woodzeez are the hottest new collectable kids' toys in Australia, launching back in late 2020 and quickly winning over toddlers nationwide.

Image: Supplied.

It’s been six months since that memorable introduction and we are now officially a Li’l Woodzeez family.

Like the collectors my kids are, we’re the proud owners of four different animal "famileez": Cottonball Rabbits, Healthnuggle Bears, Canberra Koalas and Wagadoodle Dogs. (The names make me smile even writing them out).

And that's only a few from their huge collection of different animal families and playsets, including travel suitcases to take with you on family trips.

Each family is unique in size and makeup, with gender neutral characters to aid in open-minded and open-ended play – but they all have two important things in common: they are exquisitely detailed and come with tiny, movable limbs.

Cottonball Rabbits was our first purchase for the twins. It’s a fuzzy family of seven: Grandpa Boris, Grandma Doris, Mum Cassi, Dad Andy, and three kids named Chuck, Tab and Tali. 

Image: Supplied.

Did I have to double check to make sure I got all the names right? No. No I did not.

Because there’s something undeniably memorable about Li’l Woodzeez. They demand your attention, each playing their own unique role in the larger community – the sets comes with books to give important background information – it’s easy for kids (and adults) to fall in love and commit to memory the unique role they play in keeping Honeysuckle Hollow thriving.

Image: Supplied.

Do you think we stopped with the animal families? No way.

Over time, we've expanded the community of Li’l Woodzeez under our roof. Now we have the Honeysuckle Hillside Cottage, which would cost roughly $8M in the current Sydney market. 

(I'm totally kidding. They're incredibly affordable if I'm perfectly honest, which makes Stella and Cooper's collectable habit for Li’l Woodzeez acceptable and even celebrated in this household).

Next we have the Happy Camper, to take the various families on road trips around Australia. 

Image: Supplied.

And the Bunk Bed Bedroom Set, because according to my daughter: “Three families can’t live in the same house together without a bunk bed."

I think that’s what I love most about Li’l Woodzeez. 

At its core, this range is a celebration of family and community. Listening to my children make up stories about the families going on holiday together or working to fix the mansion is exactly the kind of response you want from a kids' toy.

Because if your children aren’t stretching their imagination and telling entertaining stories along the way, what’s the point of collecting toys in the first place?

Image: Supplied.

Has your family got bitten by the Li’l Woodzeez bug?

Let me know what animal set your kids are obsessed with. Mamamia are even offering readers 15% off their official online store with the code MAMAMIA15, so let the games begin.

And if you haven’t jumped on the Honeysuckle Hollow bandwagon, don’t worry. You can get your own set online from the official Li’l Woodzeez store, and also in Target nationwide.

Let your kid’s imagination run free in the incredible world of Li’l Woodzeez. Watch your kids grow their community of characters, as well as the charming playsets and accessories, and see them inspired to bring to life a world of good. 

Grab 15% off your next Li’l Woodzeez purchase when you shop online on their official site with code: MAMAMIA15

Feature image: Supplied.