There are plenty of things to love about the Late Late Toy Show. Musical performances, rogue toys regularly acquiring a mind of their own and that’s before we even start talking about Ryan Tubridy’s jumpers.
But the one thing that keeps most of the population tuning in every year is the opportunity to see the faces of the little ones as they’re surprised by their heroes on the RTÉ set. Of course, some react more positively than others and there are plenty who simply don’t have a clue what to say. For the most part, though it all comes together in the end and makes for some of the most wholesome moments ever to grace our screens.
Here, we take a look at some of the most memorable instances of kids meeting their idols on the Toy Show and be warned, you might end up shedding a tear or two.
Ahead of the 2019 edition on Friday night, take a few minutes out of your day to reflect on some of these unforgettable Toy Show moments, starting with a reluctant Toby getting a bit shook when he was met by Girls Aloud back in 2003…
We hope wherever he is now, Toby has forgiven Nadine, Cheryl et al. Moving on, it doesn’t get more wholesome than a budding architect meeting Dermot Bannon…
Or a young weather enthusiast being surprised by Evelyn Cusack…
Sport stars always go down well on the Toy Show and one of the funniest moments was when a starstruck Domhnall met a hobbling Robbie Keane…
In 2016, former Ireland rugby captain Jamie Heaslip had young Evan lost for words…
And who could forget last year when Michael met Davy?
Davy Fitz has a few Liam McCarthy Cups to his name but the trophy was brought out by his old rivals, the triumphant Galway hurlers in 2017…
The previous year, a very knowledgable Charlie filled Rory McIlroy in on all of his golfing achievements…
Let’s not forget the musical heroes, with Danny from The Script surprising this trio of talented kids in 2014…
That was certainly a memorable year and another highlight was young Aimee’s squeals as Ed Sheeran appeared behind her…
The Toy Show really pulled it out of the bag last year when real-life hero Scott met three humble rugby players and told them about how he saved his cousin’s life…
"I wanted to save her life"
Absolute hero Scott who donated bone marrow to his little cousin Grace gets a few surprises.#LateLateToyShow pic.twitter.com/xn9dWNgv8k
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) December 1, 2018
All wonderful moments but nothing will ever top the time when Sergeant Graham Burke emerged from a box to be reunited with his children Adam and Kayla after a peacekeeping tour of Mali…
A wonderful trip down memory lane there and who knows what the Toy Show has in store for us this year? The five-a-row Dubs surprising a young Hill 16 regular? Maura Higgins making an appearance? A budding detective meeting Coleen Rooney?
We’ll just have to tune into The Late Late Toy Show on Friday at 9.35pm on RTÉ One to find out.
