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

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

Mattel has already kicked off what’s being called the ‘Toy Story 5 Roundup Reveal Week’ with a full lineup of toys – including a pair of highly impressive, high-tech figures – but now the attention turns to another brand. I think we’ve all been waiting to see how Lilypad, the new potential foe in the forthcoming 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 glimpsed in the trailer into an educational toy for children ages 3 and up. It’s all housed in a build that looks just like the tablet from the film – well, from the trailers we’ve seen thus far – and features a custom OS that’s filled with Toy Story elements.

There are physical, tactile buttons for the alphabet, as well as other inputs, below a backlit LCD screen. You’ll have a form of messaging, in that you can send emojis back and forth with Jessie, Woody, or Buzz, and there are several other mini games, like one where Buzz needs to control a robot vacuum, 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 audio. It looks pretty well-featured, and I kind of love the educational focus here; it really feels like an excellent match for the LeapFrog brand. I suspect it’ll be the first of many takes on Lilypad that we see.

LeapFrog’s Toy Story 5 Explore & Learn Lilypad will land on April 26, 2026, for $27.99 (around £21 / AU$39, although global pricing hasn’t yet been announced). It’ll be available first at Walmart, and will arrive soon after at other retailers like Amazon and Target.

It’s also joined by three other V-Tech products, including the Buzz Lightyear Learning Watch. It won’t quite rival 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. Maybe the coolest thing is an integrated play laser similar to what the Space Ranger boasts on his arm.

There’s also the Buzz Lightyear Game & Go, which transforms Buzz into his iconic space shuttle-like box into a game 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.