Parents play with toys while children watch

ADULTS are buying themselves Christmas toys to play with while their children watch, toy makers have said.

Lego believes its new range of Harry Potter sets, which are sophisticated in design and complex to build, will appeal to parents who grew up with the books about the boy wizard.

It comes as Harry Potterthemed toys have re-entered the Dreams top 12 Christmas gift list after nearly two decades, thanks to the release of JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts film series.

Marius Lang, head of marketing at Lego UK, said: “The Harry Potter great hall is a great example of a product that children love playing with, but that also appeals to adults. Because I’m one of them. I’ve grown up with Harry Potter, and it’s immensely fascinating to see it translated into these figures. There are a lot of adults that will buy this.

“The Hogwarts Express set I was building myself at home last week, and I have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and she was sitting next to me fascinated, watching me doing it. It’s a nice thing from a trans-generational standpoint that you can do something as an adult and it helps you connect with your kids.”

On this year’s Dream Toys hot list are the Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall at £89.99 and the Harry Potter Training Wand, priced at £24.99. The last time Harry Potter toys made the list was in 2001.