Tiny Friends - Jackson the Lion

Tiny Friends Jackson the Lion — the only furry one of the four

A small soft lion with a bell inside, 11cm tall, with a loop on the back leg. From birth, UKCA and CE marked.

Little Big Friends make four of these — a lion, a tiger, a giraffe and an elephant — and the packaging says outright that they are meant to be collected. They are largely the same toy in four animals. Jackson is the one with a genuine difference: he has a furry mane, where the other three are smooth wipe-clean fabric throughout.

🦁 Two textures instead of one

That mane is worth more than it looks. A baby exploring a toy is looking for edges — the place where one surface stops and another starts — and that is where a hand lingers. Three of these four are the same material all over, which gives a baby one thing to feel. Jackson gives them two, and the join between them.

It is the same reason the full-size Zoo Crew lion is the most interesting of its set. A mane is free texture: nobody had to add a sensory panel, it is just how a lion happens to be shaped.

🧼 And the mane is the bit to keep an eye on

The honest other side of that. Everything here is wipe clean only, and a smooth surface wipes cleanly while longer pile does not — it will flatten where it is gripped and chewed, and it takes longer to dry after a wipe. Fingers through it while it is damp lifts it back. If you want the easiest of the four to keep tidy, that is the elephant or the tiger.

🔔 A bell rather than a shaker

There is a bell built in, not a rattle full of beads, so the sound is a soft chime rather than a dry clatter. For a newborn that is the right way round: sudden noise startles, and a quiet sound they can cause themselves is far more interesting than one that makes them jump.

🪝 The loop on the back leg

There is a fabric loop on one back leg. Little Big Friends don't say what it is for, so we won't invent a purpose — but it takes a clip or a ribbon, and we would use it on a play gym, a pram bar or a car seat handle. That turns a small toy that gets dropped into one that stays where you put it, which is most of the problem with anything this size.

🏠 Also sold as something to look at

The packaging describes these as a toy and a decorative item, which is unusual and, we think, honest. They are small, neat and in muted colours, so they hang off a pram or sit on a shelf without looking like clutter.

What we like about it

• The only furry one of the four — two textures and an edge between them
• A built-in bell, so a soft chime rather than a startling rattle
• A loop on the back leg, for a play gym, pram bar or car seat handle
• 11cm, so it goes in a coat pocket
• Suitable from birth, UKCA and CE marked

Specification

• Suitable from: birth
• Size: 11cm
• Sound: built-in bell
• Attachment: fabric loop on the back leg
• Materials: soft wipe-clean fabric with a furry mane
• Safety: UKCA and CE
• Care: wipe clean only

❓ Frequently asked questions

It's quite small for the money — what am I actually getting?
A fair challenge, and worth answering before you order rather than after. At 11cm this is a rattle, not a cuddly toy: something to grip, chime and hang on a pram, sized for a newborn's hand rather than a toddler's arms. If you want something to actually cuddle, the Tim the Tiger Comforter is flat and huggable, and the musical Jackson is 21cm with a music box in him. Buy a Tiny Friend for the first few months and for the pram, not as the main present.

Can the mane be washed?
No — wipe clean only, like everything in this range, and the mane is the part that makes that slightly more work. A damp cloth on the spot, fingers through the pile while it is still damp, and let it dry fully. It will not look box-fresh once it has been loved, which is generally a good sign, but if easy cleaning is your priority one of the smooth three is the better buy.

What's the difference between the four?
The animal, the height, and the mane. Jackson and Tim are both 11cm, Gina the giraffe is 14cm and Vincent the elephant is 10cm. Jackson is the only one with fur. Otherwise it is the same bell, the same loop and the same construction, which is why the box says they are good to collect.

From birth — what does a newborn do with it?
Listen, mostly. You shake it gently and they turn towards the sound, which is one of the first deliberate things they do. Grabbing arrives around three to four months, and the mane gives them something to catch hold of when it does. After that it goes in the mouth, like everything else.

Does it make a good gift?
A good small one, and the one we would pick of the four if you are only giving one, because the texture makes it the most interesting in the hand. It posts cheaply and suits a card.

🔍 The four Tiny Friends

Same bell, same loop. Choose on shape and texture, or collect them, which is what the box suggests:

• Jackson the Lion — this one, 11cm. The only furry one, so the most to explore and the most to keep clean.
• Gina the Giraffe — 14cm, the tallest. The long neck makes her the easiest of the four to grip.
• Tim the Tiger — 11cm. Tim is the character the rest of the jungle range is built around, so he matches the most things.
• Vincent the Elephant — 10cm, the smallest. The one that disappears into a changing bag.

🐒 The rest of the Jungle range

Jackson also comes bigger:

• Jackson the Musical Lion — 21cm, with a mechanical music box that plays Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata"
• Tim the Tiger Comforter and his squeaker rattle — the flat, grabbable end of the range
• Jungle Activity Spiral — wraps round a pram bar with a mirror and a teether
• Wooden Activity Arch and the Reversible Playmat — the floor-play pair, and the arch is where the loop earns its keep
• Jungle Baby Gift Box — comforter, rattle and soft book, ready wrapped

The whole lot sits together in our Little Big Friends Jungle Collection.

Our guides to the Little Big Friends jungle collection and the best toys for babies under 6 months go into more detail.

❤️ From our family to yours

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