(Gifted) If you are looking for a Christmas present for a young Marvel fan then it’s worth checking out the new cuddly plush from Simba Toys.  They are soft, huggable and have a surprise feature. Find out what we think about the Spiderman and Ghost Spider we received to review and how I’ve struggled with my children’s interest in the Marvel Universe. 

Hanging out with Spiderman and Ghost Spider

Introducing Children To Disney's Marvel 

Children seem naturally drawn to the idea of superheroes. Despite not intentionally exposing my son to any of the characters my son could recognise many of the Marvel heroes before he could talk clearly. I found this interesting because while I enjoy watching the Marvel Universe films, they definitely aren’t suitable for preschoolers. With his growing interest in the likes of Hulk, Iron Man and Spiderman I started to investigate how I could satisfy his interest in these superheroes in an age appropriate way.

With each new Marvel film release like The Marvels (12a in cinemas now), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (PG) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (12a) in cinemas earlier this year there is a huge marketing budget. The outpouring of merchandise may not all be targeted at young children, but it definitely gets them interested in the films. 

The main Marvel films have some scary moments and dark themes. It can be a little too real in places which makes it hard to draw the line between what is real and what is make believe, for instance the American owned Stark Enterprises supplying weapons to terrorists or corrupt senior officials in governments.

It is a bit strange when you think about it that superheroes are often seen as the ‘boy friendly’ version of the Disney Princesses. Dressing up days at nursery will see a good number of the girls as princesses and the boys as superheroes (although one of my daughters chose Spiderman and Ironman). My eldest loved the Disney princesses and I would happily allow her to watch any of the films from an early age, but my younger children are more interested in the other side of the Disney store. Compare the Princess and Superhero books side by side and the darkest thing in the Princess books is the frequently departed parents and evil step-parents. Even when the original versions of the stories (pre Disney makeover) could be pretty grim (Grimm). The superheroes books are full of fighting and angry faces. 

It took me a while to accept that no matter what I did my children were drawn to this darker world so the best thing I could do was find the more child friendly parts of it. Despite the darkness I think that the ideas in the superhero films are more important for my children to learn than many of the Disney Princess films (especially the early ones). I want my children to believe that there will be people to stand up for them, to defend them, the importance of teamwork and good triumphing over evil. If they want to be a superhero and try to save the world then I’ll proudly be there cheering them on.  With all the awful things going on in the world I think we all need the idea of superheroes in our life. We all need to believe that there are people out there who will help fight evil and save the day. 

These Marvel plush from Simba Toys are a great size for play and cuddling

Soft and cuddly superheroes

Child Friendly Superhero TV

So if I’m going to support my children’s love of superheroes what TV programmes are suitable for that? One of the best child friendly options at the moment is Spidey and His Amazing Friends. It’s available on Disney + and BBC iplayer. It’s also worth checking out the earlier animated series Super Hero Adventures and the cute I am Groot (both available on Disney +).

Superhero Play 

Another key way to help introduce children to superheroes is through play. It allows them to explore the ideas and for you to have conversations with them about good versus evil, why people are bad and what you can do with bad people (for instance I try and change my son’s language from killing bad guys to capturing them and locking them up). 

Child friendly superheroes hanging around

Simba Marvel Plush Toys Review

Which brings me back to the Marvel soft toys we were sent. At 25cm tall these plush are a perfect size to be cuddled at night, but they are also a good size for playing with as characters in imaginative play. You won’t even mind if your child insists on taking them out for the day because all 3 could squish into a bag quite easily.  The Spiderman themed characters in the Simba Toys range are: Spiderman (obviously), Ghost Spider and Miles Morales.

The Simba plush are based on the Spidey and His Amazing Friends versions of the Spiderman characters and they are licensed by Disney's Marvel. As a side note it’s really worth making sure any Disney character themed items you get are licensed. Personally I think if they aren’t then they may have also cut corners on the manufacturing or testing process which is not something I want when it’s a toy my children are going to play with. 

As well as being soft with no loose parts (which makes them suitable for babies) these plush all have a special feature: their eyes glow in the dark. For best results ensure they have had exposure to sunlight, but you can always ‘charge them up’ by shining your phone torch light on them.

The Simba Toys Spidey and Ghost Spider with their glow in the dark eyes

Great friends

Where To Buy The Marvel Spidey And His Amazing Friends Plush

The Simba Toys Marvel Plush are available from Amazon, you can buy Spiderman here, Ghost Spider here and Miles Morales here.