True, the child having a liking for a character should be appreciated too as they are sharing their interest with you - parents (best friends )
and yes, the small toys and the merchandise available nowadays in the market are high in creativity though they are earning loads by shedding parents pockets :P
There are lots of options these days when planning a theme for your birthday party, market is flooded with all kinds of gifts, you can plan for Animal Theme party, it's a good idea you will get a large of variety of theme related products and supplies- one of the site which i know is returngiftwala . com
here they offer very innovative range of animal print products which can be pass on to your guests as Birthday return gifts.