Hi there!
Today we’re taking a break from LEGO to talk about something else: the big comeback of the iconic childhood brand Diddl.
A pre-launch event was held on July 18, 2026, during which the first wave of new products was available at four select specialty stores. The official launch followed on July 20, 2026, in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
By now, the new Diddl products can be found in numerous toy and stationery stores—at least in theory. In many places, however, large parts of the product line are already completely sold out.
I was actually out today looking for LEGO bargains at local stores when I happened to stumble upon one of those coveted Diddl displays. My sister was with me, too, and she grew up with the original products. Together, we couldn’t quite resist and ended up spending a small fortune on Diddl products.
Today, I’d like to show you what we’ve collected, compare the quality of the new edition to the earlier products, and talk about how the current hype might play out.
Let’s get started.
What exactly is Diddl?
This is a question that the younger generation, in particular, is likely to ask themselves.
Diddl was created on August 24, 1990, by German graphic designer Thomas Goletz. The iconic jumping mouse left a lasting impression on the childhoods of many people who grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Diddl cards, scented blocks, and all kinds of accessories were among the most popular items to trade in schoolyards back then. While Pokémon was also becoming increasingly popular at the same time, the numerous Diddl products could be found practically everywhere.
Over the course of the 2000s, however, the hype gradually subsided, and the brand eventually disappeared almost entirely from regular retail outlets. After that, the products could mainly be found at flea markets, in thrift stores, or on online marketplaces.
Some older Diddl items are now fetching quite high prices on the collector’s market. Now, the brand is set to make a major comeback with an extensive new product line.
These products have been re-released
The first wave already includes a wide variety of items. These include, among others:
- Ballpoint pens and pencils
- Various notepads and scented notepads
- Bookmarks
- Key chain
- Small and large stuffed animals
- Mugs
- Other Stationery and Accessories
The product line therefore deliberately focuses on the very products that many people associate with Diddl from their childhood.
Our Diddl haul
We were able to snag one of the larger, unscented A5-sized notepads. It has a MSRP of €7.99.
We also bought three different bookmarks:
- Diddl
- Diddlina
- Diddl in a Hawaiian outfit
The bookmarks cost €1.99 each .
My sister also picked up the last remaining Diddlina keychain in the tutu—or ballerina—outfit. The keychains each have a MSRP of €14.99.
To go with it, we were able to buy a large Diddlina stuffed animal with an orange dress and a matching bow. The large stuffed animals cost €34.99 each .
Unfortunately, the large scented blocks with an MSRP of €7.99 were already completely sold out. So we were only able to get two small A6 scented blocks:
- The scent of chewing gum
- Scent of violets
They each cost €5.99.
Last but not least, we bought two Diddl mugs. Each one features a whole variety of different characters. The mugs have a MSRP of €9.99 each .
There are also numerous other versions of the characters available as stuffed animals or keychains. However, most of them were already sold out at our store.
To be honest, we were just glad to have found any mugs at all, along with a few scented blocks and a large stuffed animal. Just ten minutes earlier, we’d been in another store where all that was left were a few plain notepads. Scented products, mugs, and stuffed animals had long since sold out there.
Is the first edition really a limited edition?
At both the first and second stores, the sellers told us that this was a limited edition and that no restocks were planned. However, I find it questionable whether this statement is actually true.
Diddl has just been relaunched with a large-scale campaign. From a business perspective, I think it would be rather unusual to release the entire first wave of products in very small quantities all at once and then immediately replace them with completely new products.
I expect that at least some of the current items will be back in stock by the Christmas shopping season at the latest—and probably even sooner. The next wave of products will be released on October 20.
There’s now a countdown for this on their website.
All of Germany is caught up in Diddl fever
Right from the start of sales, it became clear just how high the demand actually was.
Long lines formed at numerous stores on release day. Many fans were eager to get their hands on some of the first new Diddl products, which meant that the displays were sometimes sold out in no time.
The following items seem to be particularly in demand right now:
- large stuffed animals
- Mugs
- Small and large scented blocks
- certain keychains
Ordinary notepads, ballpoint pens, and similar stationery items, on the other hand, are still somewhat more common as leftover stock—assuming a store even has any merchandise left at all.
Scalpers and investors are already active
Of course, all the hype immediately attracted scalpers and investors.
Reports from various stores indicated that some individuals had reportedly purchased large portions—or even nearly entire displays—on the very first day of sales.
Some are now trying to take advantage of the current shortage and are offering these items for double, triple, or in some cases even more than the usual price. They are speculating that fans who can’t find them locally will be willing to pay significantly higher prices.
Other buyers may hold onto the products for the long term, hoping that the first edition will increase even more in value once it sells out.
And in fact, some products are already selling at significantly higher prices.
Especially for mugs, scented blocks, and stuffed animals, you’ll find numerous auctions with multiple bids. Many deals start just slightly above the original MSRP and, due to high demand, sometimes reach double or nearly triple the selling price.
This shows very clearly just how big the hype is right now.
Better to buy it at the original price
I’m happy for anyone who can recapture a piece of their childhood. Still, I’d recommend continuing to look for these products in stores for now and, if possible, not paying the completely inflated secondhand prices right away.
You can occasionally find fair deals in classified ads where sellers only mark up the price by a few euros. However, such ads disappear quickly, and unfortunately, there are always attempts at fraud mixed in among the numerous listings.
So the secondary market is pretty much a gamble right now.
I can generally understand why some people view these products as an Investment. Diddl has enormous nostalgic appeal, and the current demand offers the opportunity to make money quickly in the short term.
My appeal to such buyers would still be: Don’t buy out a store’s entire inventory all at once.
If you’d like to invest, you can also visit several stores and buy just one or two copies at each one. That way, at least other fans will still have a chance to get a piece of nostalgia for the regular retail price.
In my opinion, anyone who actually buys these products as an Investment should either take a very long-term view or sell them as quickly as possible while the hype lasts. As I mentioned earlier, I think a restock is very likely down the road.
What is the quality of the new products?
It’s especially noticeable with stuffed animals that the quality differs from that of the original products.
Although both the old and new figures are mostly made of polyester fabric, some details of the new edition appear to be much more simply crafted.
In my opinion, the buttons on the mice, in particular, look pretty cheap. Overall, the quality of the new plush toys doesn’t quite measure up to the versions from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
At a price of €34.99 for a large mouse , I find that a bit borderline.
Of course, the sales department is capitalizing on the brand’s enormous popularity and nostalgic appeal to maximize its profit margin. In my opinion, at this price point, they could have either offered better quality or set the retail price a little lower.
Some ballpoint pens and other small accessories are also made of fairly simple plastic. They don’t feel quite as high-quality to the touch as I remember older Diddl products.
The scented blocks are a hit
On the other hand, I like the new scented blocks much better.
My clear favorite among the small sizes is the violet scent. The bubblegum scent is also pleasant, but personally, I like violet a good deal better.
The large blocks are expected to come in the following scents, among others:
- Aloe Vera
- Cherry
- Vanilla
Since they were already sold out in our stores, I unfortunately haven’t been able to try them out myself yet.
If they smell as good as those little scented blocks, though, I can totally understand why these particular products sell out so quickly.
Whether the scent will last for decades is, of course, another question. Surprisingly, some original Diddl notebooks from earlier times still smell today and therefore fetch high prices among collectors. I doubt, however, that modern fragrances will last quite as long. Many of the ingredients and chemical formulations used back then would likely no longer be used in the same way today.
My Conclusion
All in all, Diddl’s comeback is a really cool move.
The brand appeals to both longtime fans who grew up with Diddl and a new generation that is discovering the characters for the first time.
I’m sure that many more products will be released in the coming months. I could definitely see clothing, T-shirts, and other lifestyle items being among them.
The year 2026—and possibly the beginning of 2027 as well—is likely to be marked by several waves of Diddl hype.
In the long run, however, I expect the initial hype to die down little by little. Once the third or fourth wave of products has been released and stores are receiving regular restocks, Diddl could once again become a normal brand whose products are readily available.
But maybe I’m wrong, and Diddl will remain a major hype and collectible phenomenon for the long term, much like Pokémon. Only time will tell.
Despite my criticism of the quality, I’m happy about the comeback. The scented blocks and mugs, in particular, immediately bring back memories and do an amazingly good job of reviving the charm of the brand as it used to be.
Now I’d like to hear your thoughts:
What do you think of the big Diddl comeback?
Have you already bought anything from the new product lineup, and if so, which items have you added to your collection?
Feel free to write it in the comments!
👉 Here you’ll find the best TCG Price Comparison. Exclusive Pokémon Deals for all ages
👉 Click here for the best LEGO Price Comparison. Exclusive LEGO Deals for all ages
👉 And in the Deal Tracker, you’ll find the latest Amazon Deals across various product categories. Deals – Deal Tracker
Author: Dante