Exclusive: Toy Story 5’s new character is now a real toy – and LeapFrog’s Lilypad feels perfect

• LeapFrog has turned the Lilypad into a real educational toy
• Kids can send messages to Woody, Buzz and Jessie
• Three more Toy Story 5 toys are coming

Mattel has already started what is being called ‘Toy Story 5 Roundup Reveal Week’ with a full range of toys – including some very impressive, high-tech figures – but now attention turns to another brand. I think we’ve all been waiting to see how Lilypad, the new potential enemy in the upcoming film, will come to life, and we’re getting our first look at it.

TechRadar can exclusively reveal LeapFrog’s take on the character with the Explore & Learn Lilypad, which turns the toy we’ve seen in the trailer into an educational toy for kids ages 3 and up. It’s all housed in a build that looks like the tablet from the movie – yes, from the trailers we’ve seen so far – and has a custom operating system that’s loaded with Toy Story elements.

There are physical, tactile buttons for the alphabet, as well as other inputs, below a backlit LCD screen. You have some form of messaging in that you can send emojis back and forth with Jessie, Woody or Buzz, and there are several other mini-games, such as one where Buzz controls a robot vacuum cleaner, as well as letter or number matching games.

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You’ll also be able to move Lilypad’s hands to see the character’s eyes move and receive matching sound. It looks pretty polished and I kind of love the educational focus here; it really feels like an excellent match for the LeapFrog brand. I suspect it will be the first of many shots at Lilypad that we see.

LeapFrog’s Toy Story 5 Explore & Learn Lilypad lands on April 26, 2026 for $27.99 (around £21 / AU$39, although global pricing has yet to be announced). It will first be available at Walmart and will arrive soon after at other retailers like Amazon and Target.

It is also joined by three other V-Tech products, including the Buzz Lightyear Learning Watch. It won’t quite compete with an Apple Watch Series 11 or a Pixel Watch, but it will function as a classic watch with timer and stopwatch functions, and it also boasts mini-games. Perhaps the coolest is an integrated toy laser similar to the one the Space Ranger flaunts on his arm.

There’s also the Buzz Lightyear Game & Go, which transforms Buzz into his iconic space shuttle-like box into a games console with a focus on educational play, and a Learning Phone themed to Toy Story 5, which lets you play by having phone calls with iconic characters from the franchise.