My 3-year-old daughter owns a lot of toys. She has a Stanley Jr. workbench, a toy kitchen, and enough Little People to populate a small city.
Yet somehow, Melissa & Doug's new Cheery Lane collection managed to outshine them all.
The toy line, which officially launches nationwide today, includes a modular dollhouse, bendable wooden characters and a set of vehicles that have become permanent fixtures in our living room. After testing the full suite with my favorite product tester (my daughter), I can confidently say Melissa & Doug has created one of the most toddler-friendly imaginative play systems I've seen in years.
Cheery Lane Modular Doll House
This four-piece dollhouse is a huge hit in my house (and doesn't contain any small parts that will give me a heart attack).
Shop at
Target
And if you're wondering which piece she loves most? Not the house. Not the figures.
It's the recycling truck.
Why my toddler can't get enough of Cheery Lane
My daughter's Cheery Lane neighborhood is brimming with a cast of characters: Herbie from "Ms. Rachel" practices using the potty, while Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" relaxes on the couch with one of the Cheeries. The set is made for Cheeries, but fits all her toys perfectly (even the vehicles).
The Vehicles Play Set includes a school bus, a convertible, and a recycling truck with a tilting cargo bed and opening tailgate. But to be honest, in our house, the other vehicles might as well not exist. The truck is the star of the show.
Part of the appeal is that everything is designed for little hands. The wooden figures are lightweight enough for toddlers to manipulate independently, but they don't feel flimsy. They bend easily to sit in vehicles, perch on furniture, and move between different play scenarios without constant parental assistance.
As a parent, I also appreciate that none of the pieces feel stressfully small. I never found myself fishing a tiny accessory out from under the couch wondering whether it belonged in a toy bin or a choking-hazard warning label.
The dollhouse that doesn't feel like a dollhouse
The House Play Set is technically a dollhouse, but it doesn't really function like one.
Instead of a traditional open-front house, Cheery Lane opens from the top and folds into different configurations. My daughter can access every room without awkwardly reaching through tiny doorways or trying to wedge figures into impossible corners.
Better yet, it plays nicely with toys she already owns.
The Cheeries fit perfectly inside the house, but so do her Little People figures, her Ms. Rachel toys, and whatever random character happens to be joining the adventure that day. That's a bigger deal than it sounds. Parents know that if a toy only works with its own ecosystem, interest can fade fast.
Built for kids, not for display
"When designing Cheery Lane, we wanted to create a flexible play world designed specifically for children as young as 2 to make their own," Lauren DeFeo Duchene, president of Melissa & Doug and EVP at Spin Master, said.
That goal is obvious once kids start playing with it.
The house is light enough for my daughter to carry herself, which means Cheery Lane regularly migrates from the living room to the kitchen to her bedroom and back again. When she's done, the set folds up into itself with a built-in handle, so I don't have to haul a giant dollhouse around the house.
In other words: It's one of the rare toddler toys that's actually designed for how toddlers play.
And judging by the number of miles we've put on that recycling truck already, I'd say Melissa & Doug nailed it.
It'll be a Christmastime slam dunk
We are already sifting through the best toys and games of 2026 to find the best Christmas gifts for kids, and I can say without hesitation that Cheery Lane and its adorable suite of characters and cars will find itself on just about every recommendation list we create.
The toys are well-made, the house is unique from the Barbie villages and knight's castles we already own, and the modular nature of the house means you'll be able to continue expanding it as the years progress.
Cheery Lane Modular Doll House
This four-piece dollhouse is a huge hit in my house (and doesn't contain any small parts that will give me a heart attack).
Shop at Target
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melissa & Doug just launched the most unique dollhouse I've ever seen
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