Description
What happens when learning meets fun? Magic!
Introducing the Waterloo Hippo Mat™ — a Waterloo play mat and road play mat for toy cars, designed to spark imagination, storytelling, and thoughtful screen-free play.
Designed to celebrate real places through imaginative, screen-free play, with recognisable landmarks, open landscapes, and local details that make each route feel distinctly Waterloo.
With wide, drivable roads made for toy cars and 15+ landmarks, places, and local quirks from Waterloo, every play session opens up a new adventure. Children can invent routes, create missions, and act out real-world scenes — from hilltop lookouts and farmyard journeys to battlefield crossings, museum visits, and story-filled historical adventures.
A road play mat for toy cars that celebrates Waterloo with character, care, and a strong sense of place.
What’s on the Waterloo mat
The Waterloo Hippo Mat™ road play mat features a playful, map-style layout inspired by the area, including highlights such as:
- Lion’s Mound, the most iconic landmark on the battlefield
- The lion statue atop the mound, a bold visual symbol that makes the mat instantly recognisable
- Memorial Waterloo 1815 Museum, the main museum at the heart of the site
- The Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo, the giant circular artwork that brings the story to life
- Hougoumont Farm, one of the battlefield’s most famous and best-preserved sites
- Hougoumont’s famous gates, a powerful story detail from the battle
- La Haye Sainte Farm, one of the key battlefield strongpoints
- Mont-Saint-Jean Farm, a major site linked to the events of 1815
- The field hospital at Mont-Saint-Jean, an important human story within the battlefield
- Napoleon’s Last Headquarters at Caillou Farm, a major pre-battle landmark
- Wellington Museum, the town-centre site linked to the Duke of Wellington
- The Brussels–Charleroi road, the historic route that helps shape the battlefield layout
- The rolling ridge lines and fields, because the landscape itself is part of Waterloo’s identity
- A Papelotte Farm reference, inspired by another of the historic battlefield farms
- Battlefield memorial monuments and columns, adding depth and discovery to the landscape
- A cannon and artillery reference, a dramatic nod to the battle story
- Saint Joseph’s Church in Waterloo town centre, helping connect town and battlefield
- A living-history reference inspired by Waterloo’s guides and reenactments
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 Waterloo 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
- 1× Waterloo Hippo Mat™
- Pre-order perks
Specifications
- Size: 100cm × 100cm
- Weight: 990g
- Surface: Microfiber velvet
- Backing: Non-slip latex
- Care: Hoover regularly, and 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 Waterloo
- Discover more about the Waterloo battlefield and visitor site
- Learn about the Lion’s Mound, Panorama, and Waterloo battlefield site
- Explore the Wellington Museum
- Discover more about Waterloo’s wider battlefield landscape
- Learn about the Pass 1815 museums and heritage sites
Read more
Read our guide to the landmarks included on the Waterloo play mat.
Designed for everyday play
Designed for imaginative everyday play, and made to feel thoughtful and gift-worthy from the moment it arrives.
