Calling out to all chatty and talented children across the country, the time has come to shine!

Christmas is right around the corner, and that means that we are weeks away from the magic of the Late Late Toy Show.

The countdown officially kicked off on Friday as Patrick Kielty confirmed that the search has begun to find the 2026 batch of children to appear on the show.

He said: ‘The stars of the Toy Show have always been our amazing kids. And this year we’re looking forward to them shining brighter than ever.’

‘So if you want to dream big and show Ireland and the world what you’ve got, the adventure starts here…’

Applications are now open and parents and guardians of children with ‘Toy Show sparkle’ are invited to submit their application at RTÉ.ie/latelate.

The closing date for entries is midnight on 27 September. While the details of the Toy Show’s theme remain under wraps, the Grinch-themed 2025 show proved a hit with an audience of 1.7m tuning in over the weekend.

The show also saw the public donate €4.6m to support the Toy Show Appeal, which supports charities which help to change the lives of children and their families across the country.