Elephant gifts & toys — the best gift ideas
The best elephant gifts and elephant toys for children: from cuddly toys, wooden figures and puzzles to Elmer books, LEGO and cheerful elephant things, from the nursery to the school bag.
By Sonja ·
How lovely that you’re looking for an elephant gift! 🐘 Elephants are sweet, wise and wonderfully cosy — with their big floppy ears, cuddly trunk and gentle look, lots of children adore them. So an elephant gift is usually a hit with a real fan, and it really doesn’t have to stop at a little plastic elephant.
From soft cuddly toys and beautiful wooden figures to puzzles, Elmer books, LEGO and cheerful elephant things from baby to school: we’ve lined up the best elephant gifts for you, handily sorted by type — with an overview by age so you can quickly find something that fits.
Which elephant gift suits which age?
Every child is different, but this is a handy guide. Above all, choose by interest — one elephant fan would rather cuddle and play, another wants to know absolutely everything about elephants.
Babies & little ones (0–2)
Little elephants are the favourite for the nursery. Choose a soft cuddly toy (Little Dutch or Jellycat), a sturdy Elmer board book, a wooden Holztiger elephant and the cheerful Trixie things. Straight away a popular baby gift, too.
Toddlers (2–4)
Reading Elmer aloud, a wooden elephant or a first puzzle, a Playmobil baby elephant to play with and the fun stacking game Volifanten. Lovely to discover together.
Young children (4–6)
Now the real playing starts: figures and Playmobil zoo sets, bigger puzzles, the LEGO baby elephant and crafts with an elephant theme. And of course Elmer stays a favourite.
For the true fan (6+)
Painting with CreArt, a challenging jigsaw (1000 pieces, an elephant mother with her calf) or a beautiful fact book. And for gamers: the cheerful Elephant Mario from Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Which elephant do you know?
Did you know there are two kinds of elephant? And there’s lots to learn about both — fun to discover together with your child.
African elephant
The largest land animal in the world! Its huge ears look a bit like the map of Africa. And they’re not just pretty: by flapping its ears it cools down. Lots of little blood vessels run through them, and the wind cools that blood — that’s how it cools its whole body on a hot day.
Asian elephant
A little smaller, with smaller ears. It lives in the forests of Asia. Did you know you can tell the two kinds apart by their trunk? The African one has two “fingers” at the tip, the Asian one just one.
The trunk
A single trunk has tens of thousands of little muscles — and not a single bone! An elephant uses it to drink, smell, stroke and trumpet, and it can even pick up a tiny peanut with it.
The herd
Elephants live in a close-knit family, led by the oldest female (the matriarch). Together they look after the calves — and it’s actually a little bit true: an elephant never forgets.
Our favourite elephant gifts
Below is our selection by category — from cuddly toys and wooden figures to Elmer books, puzzles, LEGO, baby gifts and school things. We deliberately choose beautiful, sturdy and sustainable toys that last a long time.
The product links are affiliate links: if you order through one, you support Kindkado with a small commission — at no extra cost to you. The shops are Dutch online shops that deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the product names are in Dutch.
Elephant cuddly toys
Big floppy ears, a cuddly trunk and a sweet look — an elephant cuddly toy is a gift that goes to bed with them every night and lasts for years. From a small cuddly toy from HEMA (the Dutch high-street favourite) and a cheerful HABA hand puppet to a luxury Jellycat: something sweet for every budget.
HEMA — knuffel olifant (21 cm)
Little Dutch — knuffel olifant (grijs)
HABA — muzikale olifant (handpop)
Jellycat — Bashful Luxe Elephant
Figures & wooden elephants
For playing and acting out the whole zoo or savannah. We love the wooden elephants by Holztiger — beautifully made, sturdy and wonderfully timeless. And with a jungle play set — such as the Schleich or HEMA safari animals, which include an elephant — or a Playmobil set with a zookeeper, you can act out the whole savannah in no time.
Holztiger — houten olifantenkalf
Holztiger — houten olifant
Schleich — Wild Life Afrika startset (met olifant)
Playmobil — babyolifant met dierenverzorger
Playmobil — olifant met dierenverzorger
BRIO — olifant en wagen (treinbaan)
Elephant puzzles
Puzzling with elephants, from a wooden first puzzle for toddlers to a challenging 1000-piece jigsaw for the slightly older fan (or the whole family). The giant floor puzzle by Crocodile Creek has nice big pieces — ideal for little hands.
SmartGames — Safari Park Jr. (puzzelspel 3+)
HABA — houten 2-in-1 olifantpuzzel (12 st.)
Crocodile Creek — reuze olifantpuzzel (48 st.)
Rainbow — houten olifantpuzzel (120 st.)
Ravensburger — Olifanten in de jungle (150 st.)
Eurographics — Olifantenmoeder met kalf (1000 st.)
Elmer, the elephant with the cheerful patches
No elephant list is complete without Elmer! The patchwork elephant by David McKee has been loved for generations, and teaches children in a cheerful way that being different is actually very special. From a sturdy board book for the very youngest to the big read-aloud book — a gift that lasts.
Elmer was originally written in English; the books below are the Dutch editions.
Hier is Elmer! (kartonboekje)
Elmer — zoek en vind
Elmer en het cadeautje
Het dikke boek van Elmer
More elephant books
Our highlight is the beautiful picture book “De olifant” (The Elephant) by Jenni Desmond: full of real facts and ideal for children who want to know everything about elephants. Plus sweet and funny picture books starring an elephant, perfect for cosy reading aloud. (Most are Dutch editions.)
De olifant (Jenni Desmond)
Olifant, waar ben je? (Ingela P. Arrhenius)
Heb jij misschien Olifant gezien?
Boer Boris en de olifant
Olifantje in het bos
Van mug tot olifant
Tien olifanten op weg naar een dansfeest
Let’s build: LEGO & Plus-Plus
Building and an elephant in one. With Plus-Plus you click together your own elephant, and with the LEGO Iconic set you build a sweet floating baby elephant to put on display. Lovely, focused building fun.
Plus-Plus — tube olifant (100 st.)
LEGO Iconic — zwevende babyolifant
Crafts & creative
Get stuck in with an elephant yourself. Paint a colourful elephant with Ravensburger CreArt, crochet a little elephant with a complete kit, pixel a jungle full of animals or stick on cheerful safari stickers — ideal for a creative (rainy) afternoon.
Djeco — stickers Kenia (safaridieren)
Decopatch — papier-maché olifant
Djeco — schilderspalet Wild Ones (wilde dieren)
Ravensburger CreArt — bonte olifant (schilderen)
Pixelhobby — Pixel Set Dierenrijk (8+)
Hoooked — haakpakket Elephant Mo
Rico — Ricorumi haakpakket olifant
For the very youngest & new babies
Little elephants are the favourite for the nursery — soft, sweet and timeless. That’s why an elephant gift is also a popular kraamcadeau, the gift for a newborn. From a Little Dutch garland and a muslin cloth to a personalised baby book or a heartbeat cuddly toy that soothes the baby.
Little Dutch — slingerelement olifant
Knuffel me, kleine olifant (babyboekje)
Jollein — wieglaken Elephant Tales
Trixie hydrofiele doek 110x110cm - Elephant
Trixie — houten kralenframe Mrs. Elephant
Little Dutch — activiteitenspiraal (met olifant)
Little Dutch — giftset (olifant, leeuw & krokodil)
Invulboekjes — babyboek Happy Elephants
Trixie — nachtlampje Mrs. Elephant
Little Dutch — muziekmobiel groen (met olifant)
Flow Amsterdam — hartslagknuffel olifant George
For school & the lunch table
With an elephant on your water bottle, lunch box and backpack, every school day gets a little more cheerful. The “Mrs. Elephant” range by Trixie is beautifully designed and nice and sturdy, so it lasts a long time.
Little Dutch — gymtas wit (safari, met olifant)
Trixie — drinkfles olifant (350 ml)
Trixie — RVS broodtrommel Mrs. Elephant
Trixie — kinderrugzak olifant (7,5 L)
Even more fun ideas!
A few more cheerful elephant finds that are just a little different — from the fun stacking game Volifanten to a nice surprise for gamers: Elephant Mario from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, as a cuddly toy and as an amiibo.
HABA — Volifanten (stapelspel)
Amiibo — Elephant Mario (Mario Wonder)
Pluche — Elephant Mario (Mario Wonder)
A gift that helps: protecting elephants
Did you know that elephants are under threat? Mainly because of poaching (for their ivory) and because their habitat keeps shrinking, many elephants are not doing well.
A lovely idea: combine an elephant gift with a symbolic adoption. At the Wereld Natuur Fonds (the Dutch branch of WWF) you can “adopt” an elephant — you then often get a cuddly toy and an adoption certificate, and you support the protection of elephants. A playful way to teach children why we need to take good care of these gentle giants.
Elephant spotting: a real animal adventure
An elephant gift is even more fun combined with a real day out. At these zoos, safari parks and museums in the Netherlands — and even on a gigantic film screen — you can see elephants up close.
Safaripark Beekse Bergen· Hilvarenbeek
🐘 African elephants on safari — and stay the night
Here you see African elephants on a real safari — by bus, boat or car through the park. You can even stay the night, right among the animals (see the options on the website). A big adventure that makes any elephant gift extra special.
Visit Safaripark Beekse Bergen →Diergaarde Blijdorp· Rotterdam
🐘 A herd of Asian elephants
Rotterdam’s zoo has a lovely herd of Asian elephants, now and then including a calf. Only up close do you see how big — and how gentle — these animals are.
Visit Diergaarde Blijdorp →DierenPark Amersfoort· Amersfoort
🐘 Asian elephants in the Rijk der Reuzen
In the Rijk der Reuzen (“Realm of the Giants”) a herd of Asian elephants lives in a spacious enclosure. In 2026 a baby elephant was even born there — with a bit of luck you’ll see the smallest giant calf playing.
Visit DierenPark Amersfoort →Ouwehands Dierenpark· Rhenen
🐘 African elephants up close
Ouwehands has a group of African elephants with a large outdoor enclosure that you can even look at from above. Easy to combine with the park’s polar bears and other bears.
Visit Ouwehands Dierenpark →Omniversum· The Hague
🐘 Nature films on a gigantic dome screen
At the Omniversum you watch beautiful nature films on an enormous dome screen — such as “Animal Kingdom”, where you’ll feel you’re right among the animals of the savannah. Check the programme to see which film is showing now.
Visit Omniversum →Naturalis· Leiden
🐘 The mounted elephant Kito, really up close
In the “Leven” (Life) hall stands Kito, an impressive mounted African elephant. Only this close do you really see how big and special an elephant is — one to remember for every elephant fan.
Visit Naturalis →Or make it an elephant film night!
Don’t fancy going out? Snuggle up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and an elephant film. A few tips (check they’re on your streaming service right now):
- 🐘 Dumbo (Disney+) — the little elephant with the big ears who learns to fly; a real classic, also as the animated film
- 🌸 Horton Hears a Who! (rent/Prime) — kind elephant Horton saves a tiny little people; funny and moving
- 🌴 Tarzan (Disney+) — a jungle adventure with a whole herd of elephants
- 💛 The One and Only Ivan (Disney+) — with Ruby the elephant; moving, more for slightly older children
Frequently asked questions
What is a nice elephant gift for a child?+
An elephant gift goes down well with every little elephant fan. Think of a soft elephant cuddly toy, a wooden figure, a puzzle, an Elmer book or something from the cheerful “Mrs. Elephant” range by Trixie (water bottle, lunch box, backpack). Tip: choose something that suits their age.
What age are elephant toys for?+
Elephants appeal to children of almost any age — and they’re especially loved by babies. For the very youngest, cuddly toys, board books (Elmer) and wooden elephants are ideal; young children love playing with figures and Playmobil sets; from about 6, fact books, big puzzles and creative sets come into their own.
What is a nice elephant gift under €10?+
Definitely possible! Think of a small cuddly toy, a Plus-Plus elephant tube, an Elmer book, a Little Dutch garland or a papier-mâché elephant to paint. Plenty of lovely little gifts for a small budget.
Who is Elmer the elephant?+
Elmer is the famous elephant with the colourful patchwork squares, created by David McKee. In his stories, Elmer teaches children in a cheerful way that being different is actually special and valuable. The books are available for all ages, from board books to big read-aloud books.
Where can you see elephants in the Netherlands?+
Among others at Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Hilvarenbeek), Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam), DierenPark Amersfoort and Ouwehands Dierenpark (Rhenen). Beekse Bergen and Ouwehands have African elephants (at Beekse Bergen you see them on safari); Blijdorp and Amersfoort have Asian elephants.
More gift inspiration?
Love animals? Also see our blogs about horses & ponies, big wild cats, sharks and dinosaurs, or our gift ideas by age.