SKU: ATHENS-REGULAR

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Athens Hippo Mat™ (PRE-ORDER)

£49.99

incl. VAT

In stock

What happens when learning meets fun? Magic!

Introducing the Athens Hippo Mat™ — an Athens play mat and road play mat for toy cars, designed to spark imagination, storytelling, and hours of screen-free fun.

With wide, drivable roads made for toy cars and 20+ landmarks, places, and local quirks from Athens, every play session becomes a new adventure. Children can invent routes, create missions, and act out real-world scenarios — from ancient hilltop adventures and lively market visits to city-centre errands, seaside journeys, and funicular rides to the top of the hill.

Designed to celebrate real places through imaginative, screen-free play.

A road play mat for toy cars that celebrates Athens.

 

What’s on the mat

The Athens Hippo Mat™ road play mat features a playful, map-style layout inspired by the city, including highlights such as:

  • Acropolis Hill with the Parthenon — the unmistakable icon of Athens and the mat’s natural hero feature
  • Acropolis Museum — a major cultural landmark with strong learning value
  • Odeon of Herodes Atticus — a dramatic open-air theatre tucked below the Acropolis
  • Temple of Olympian Zeus — a striking ancient landmark with its giant columns
  • Hadrian’s Arch — a memorable “drive through the arch” play moment
  • Panathenaic Stadium — the all-marble stadium linked to the first modern Olympic Games
  • Syntagma Square — the civic heart of modern Athens and a natural central plaza
  • Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the Evzones changing of the guard — an iconic Athens ritual children can recreate in play
  • Hellenic Parliament — a recognisable city landmark above Syntagma Square
  • National Garden — a calm green space that gives the mat room to breathe
  • Plaka — Athens’ historic neighbourhood of little streets and colourful buildings
  • Anafiotika — the whitewashed hillside quarter that feels like a Greek island within the city
  • Monastiraki Square — a lively meeting point full of local character
  • Monastiraki Flea Market — a playful stop for market-stall details, colour, and storytelling
  • Ancient Agora — a key historic area that adds depth to the city story
  • Temple of Hephaestus — one of the clearest and most recognisable ancient temple shapes in Athens
  • Roman Agora — another strong archaeology-and-adventure stop along the route
  • Tower of the Winds — a distinctive classical landmark with plenty of personality
  • Lycabettus Hill with the funicular — a brilliant “ride to the top” feature for imaginative play
  • Piraeus port with ferries and ships — adding movement, sea travel, and a wider sense of journey

 

Play that builds skills

As children explore routes and make up stories with their toy cars, they naturally practise:

  • hand-eye coordination and fine motor control through driving, parking, and navigating
  • communication and social skills through role-play with family and friends
  • early geography language through places, directions, landmarks, and routes

 

Soft, grippy, and made for everyday play

This Athens play mat is made with a soft microfiber velvet surface that feels smooth under hands and knees, making it ideal for floor play. A non-slip latex backing helps keep the road play mat in place when play gets energetic, while also helping to protect floors and reduce noise.

 

What’s included

 

Specifications

  • Size: 100cm × 100cm
  • Weight: 990g
  • Surface: Microfiber velvet
  • Backing: Non-slip latex
  • Care: Hoover regularly, then wipe clean with a damp cloth
  • Packed dimensions: 114cm × 10.2cm (mat is rolled into a cylinder tube)
  • Packed weight: 1.6kg

 

Peace of mind

  • CE and UKCA certified
  • Recommended age: 12 months+

 

Discover more about Athens

 

Read more

Read our guide to the landmarks included on the Athens play mat.

 

Designed for everyday play

Made for imaginative everyday play, and designed to feel thoughtful and gift-worthy from the moment it arrives.

£49.99

incl. VAT

In stock

Educational Fun

Turns playtime into learning time. Children can build stories, explore places, practise direction and develop real-world awareness through imaginative, screen-free play.

Premium Quality

Crafted to feel as special as it looks. Each Hippo Mat™ is made with durable backing, a soft microfibre surface, high-quality print and embroidered blue stitched edging for a beautifully finished feel.

Perfect Gift

A thoughtful gift for little explorers. Beautifully designed and full of play value, a Hippo Mat™ is a memorable present for birthdays, Christmas and special occasions.

Pre-Order Perks

The more eligible mats you add, the more your pre-order includes. Only valid until April 30th 2027:

▢ 1 mat

Become eligible for:

▢ ▢ 2 mats

Everything above, plus:

▢ ▢ ▢ 3 mats

Everything above, plus:

Reviews

FAQ

The more eligible mats you add, the more your pre-order includes. Only valid until April 30th 2027:

 

▢ 1 mat

Become eligible for:

 

▢ ▢ 2 mats

Everything above, plus:

  • Free shipping
  • A free limited edition toy car
  • A free sheet of Hippo Mat™ stickers

 

▢ ▢ ▢ 3 mats

Everything above, plus:

  • 50% off your third eligible Hippo Mat™

Hippo Mat™ is designed for children aged 2–6. The roads are wide for toy cars, the landmarks are simple and recognisable for imaginative play and early learning, and the high quality materials are safe for young skin.

Yes. Every Hippo Mat™ is inspired by a real town/city and includes locally recognisable features (roads, parks/water, landmarks and local details) laid out in a top-down map style.

Yes. We design wide, drivable roads first, then build the rest of the map around them so cars can travel smoothly without clutter.

Hippo Mat™ is a premium printed play mat made for everyday play, featuring a microfiber velvet surface with a non-slip latex backing. It’s designed to be giftable, durable, and easy to use on the floor at home.

Hippo Mat™ is made for children’s play and designed with simple, clear artwork. The non-slip latex backing helps to prevent sliding for those intense play sessions. and the microfiber velvet surface won’t leave any nasty friction. Always supervise young children during play, and keep packaging away from children.

This mat is 100cm × 100cm. The embroidered stitching edges are approximately 1cm thick, and the main surface is around 0.6cm thick.

When shipped to you, it is rolled up into 114cm × 10.2cm cylinder tube.

Yes — for everyday mess, you can wipe the surface clean using warm soapy water.

It is not advised to use harsh chemicals or machine wash.

Generic play mats are usually made to be one-size-fits-all. Hippo Mat™ is different. Our mats are inspired by real locations and created to combine premium design, imaginative play, and local meaning in one product. That means clearer layouts for toy cars, more recognisable features, and a play experience that feels richer, more personal, and more memorable.

On most surfaces it stays put during normal play. If you have very smooth floors, a simple non-slip underlay (or rug gripper) helps keep it perfectly stable.

Yes. Hippo Mat™ is designed to feel premium and gift-worthy, and the “local place” theme makes it personal for birthdays, Christmas and new-home gifts.

Yes — Hippo Mat™ is built around real locations. If your area isn’t listed yet, you can request it and we’ll prioritise new designs based on demand.

Click here to see the full list of Hippo Mat™ Locations.

Until November 2027, every Hippo Mat™ order is a pre-order that will arrive anytime between October 1st and December 20th 2027. Once this pre-order period has ended, orders will usually be dispatched within 2 working days.

After dispatch, estimated delivery times are:

  • Austria: 5-8 working days
  • Belgium: 6-9 working days
  • Czech Republic: 7-10 working days
  • Denmark: 7-10 working days
  • France: 6-9 working days
  • Germany: 5-8 working days
  • Greece: 10-13 working days
  • Italy: 4-6 working days
  • Netherlands: 3–6 working days
  • Poland: 8–11 working days
  • Spain: 5-8 working days
  • Sweden: 6-9 working days
  • Switzerland: 7-10 working days
  • United Kingdom: 2–3 working days

Delivery times are estimates and may vary during busy periods or due to customs and local carrier delays.

If it’s not right for you, you can initiate the return of your Hippo Mat™ order within 14 days of delivery.

Contact us and we’ll help you quickly.

Yes — Reg’s Pledge: every mat helps fund play and learning for children.

Click here to learn more about Reg’s Pledge.

Yes — we offer bulk pricing for nurseries, schools, and early learning centres.

Click here to learn more about ordering for Schools.

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Share Hippo Mat™. Help More Children Play.

Every Hippo Mat™ helps fund play and learning for children through Reg’s Pledge.

Would you share Hippo Mat™ with someone who’d love it too? A friend, family member, school, nursery, or local group is a great place to start.

The more people who discover Hippo Mat™, the more good Reg’s Pledge can do.

No sign-up needed. Just a quick share.