UK Families are Sitting on Half a Billion Unused Toys: ODEON Wants Them Back in Play

LONDON, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly thirty years after the original Toy Story first introduced audiences to Woody and Buzz Lightyear, the generation who grew up with the franchise are now parents themselves, and with Toy Story 5 now playing in cinemas, ODEON is inviting families to pass the Toy Story magic on. This weekend (27 and 28 June), ODEON Cinemas is launching "Play Them Forward" a nationwide toy donation initiative fronted by Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks' brother and the man who has voiced Woody on pull-string toys, games and merchandise since 1994. New research reveals nearly half a billion unused toys are sitting in UK homes right now. "Play Them Forward" gives families the moment and the place to do something about it.

Families are invited to drop a pre-loved toy in good condition at a clearly marked collection point in the foyer of participating cinemas. All toys will be collected, assessed and given a new home via a network of partners including Toys4Life, Help for Kids, Make Do and Grow, Daisy Chain Project, The Toy Library, and East Belfast Mission.

Fronting the toy collection initiative is Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks' brother and the man who has been the voice inside every Woody pull-string toy, game and piece of merchandise since 1994. The role was recommended to him personally by Tom. Jim comments: "The very first thing I ever voiced as Woody was a pull-string toy - 'You're my favourite deputy,' 'There's a snake in my boot.' A lot of parents have told me about their kids carrying Woody everywhere. A big part of Toy Story has been about what happens when something once treasured gets left behind, and I believe well-loved toys deserve to be passed on to another kid who will love it. Play Them Forward gives the loved toys somewhere to go that actually means something. I'm exceedingly proud to be part of it."

The initiative is inspired by new research from ODEON exploring the UK's relationship with its toys, including passing toys on and giving them a second life. The Forgotten Toy Study reveals nearly half a billion unused toys are currently sitting in homes across the country, equivalent to nine toys per household.

Furthermore:

• A third (33%) say the toys their children have outgrown hold memories too precious to let go
• Almost half (45%) still own a toy from their childhood
• 87% agree donating toys is better for the environment than throwing them away
• 51% say they would be likely to donate a toy as part of a family activity such as a cinema trip; rising to 72% among Millennials
• 28% admit to throwing toys away as donating felt too inconvenient - Play Them Forward removes that barrier

"Toy Story has always been about love, imagination and what happens when something once treasured gets left behind. But our research shows that millions of toys are sitting unused in homes across the UK. With this in mind, the aim of the Play Them Forward campaign was to turn that emotional connection into something meaningful for families across the UK. This campaign is about nostalgia, community and giving toys a new story to be part of," said Suzie Welch, Managing Director of ODEON UKI.

ODEON hopes the campaign will create a meaningful impact and also reinforce the role cinemas can play in bringing communities together beyond the screen. Play Them Forward is part of a pan-European campaign across ODEON Cinemas Group including Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Norway throughout summer and autumn 2026.

For more information about Play Them Forward across the UK, please visit www.odeon.co.uk/play-them-forward.

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