Family & Kids

Before moving on, it's probably a good idea to introduce buyers to some of the most important Paw Patrol characters. Adventure Bay is home to a rich community of doggie heroes and humans (who tend to play a subsidiary role in the action). And most of them are available in play figure format. Here are some to look out for:

• Ryder – The major human character in Paw Patrol, Ryder lives in a tower perched far above Adventure Bay, and acts as the director of the team (even if he doesn't actually have any personal problem-solving skills). His rescue ATV is a popular starting point for Paw Patrol toy collections.

• Zuma – An energetic chocolate labrador, Zuma is hard to separate from his hovercraft vehicle, which he uses to help out when sea creatures experience difficulties. The model version includes lights and sounds to make the hovercraft more exciting to use.

• Skye – A cocker spaniel-poodle mix, Skye is the team's “eye in the sky”, checking our emergencies from her helicopter. The model comes with pink lights and retractable wings.

• Marshall – This Dalmatian is one of the most important team members, thanks to his fire truck, which he uses to put out flames and stage daring rescues. The truck is one of the most popular toys in the range, while Marshall can also come with a smaller rapid response vehicle.

• Rocky – Rocky is a mixed breed dog with an ecological perspective, managing the team's recycling, and fixing up broken tools for everyone else to use. He comes with a rugged truck with movable arms, which can pick up objects and move them around.

• Rubble – An English bulldog, Rubble is all about construction, so if Adventure Bay's inhabitants need running repairs to homes or hospitals, he kicks into gear. He has a variety of vehicles, including a utility truck and bulldozer.

• Chase – The team's German shepherd dog, Chase is a police dog at heart, with a speciality in traffic management. His speedy vehicle and Police truck are always popular, as Chase is one of the core characters in the series.

• Everest – The team's snow-moving expert, Everest is a husky who is ready for any Alpine emergencies.

• Tracker – Jungle-dwelling Tracker is a cub-scout style personality and comes with his rugged all-terrain jeep.

All of these characters can come with larger or smaller vehicles. If you want to make a cheaper purchase, it's worth checking out “Ready Rescue” vehicles, which are much smaller, but come with a normal-sized figure. They also have “pull-back” motors, allowing them to speed off when needed, which makes them more appealing for kids to play with.

The main characters can also be purchased as Paw Patrol Pup Pals. These are soft, larger-scale representations of the team members, and the set of 6 is a popular collectable for fans. They aren't too expensive, and bundle deals for all 6 may well be available via the Paw Patrol toy sale at hotukdeals, so don't assume you need to buy them separately (the same applies to Ready Rescue cars, by the way).