The Toy Insider gives us the scoop on the holiday toys for kids that will be flying off the shelves this year. Time to get your shopping list together!
Want to know all the hot toys kids are going to be begging for this gift-giving season? The Toy Insider has released its annual Top Toy lists, filled with toys that kids are guaranteed to want to pick up again and again. The toys that make the Top 20 list are all about play-value –how much do kids get out of the toys, and if they grow along with the kids.
All the hottest toys this year are bringing interactive to the next-level – instead of “watch me” toys, toys are now talking back! Disney’s newest sing-a-long Elsa from “Frozen,” lets kids pass a microphone back-and-forth and sing the full-length song “Let It Go” together. Mattel’s new Hello Barbie, which features speech recognitions, can tell interactive jokes and stories. Play All Day Elmo from Playskool has more than 150 responses, games, and activities, as well as separate age settings for toddlers and preschoolers.
With the new Star Wars movie coming out just in time for Christmas, Star Wars toys are very on-trend this year – “the shelves are going to be full of them,” says Toy Insider’s Ali Mierzejewski. Three which made the Insider’s Top 20 list – the Bladebuilders Jedi Master Lightsaber, The Force Awakens Battle Action Millennium Falcon, and Star Wars Voice Changing Masks, all from Hasbro–have a multitude of play modes to entertain kids long after watching the movie!
Highlights on this year’s Top Tech Toy list include the Sky Viper HD Video Drone from Skyrocket Toys- which kids can control the flight stunts while it records HD birds-eye video and pictures, and MiPosaur by WowWee- a robotic dinosaur that kids control with a trackball. The Kidizoom Smartwatch DX from VTech, the Kurio Smart Windows Tablet from KD Interactive, and the LeapPad Platinum Imagicard from LeapFrog all offer children as young as 3 the opportunity to play with touchscreen technology.
Kids want it, parents asked for it, and manufacturers have delivered it, and this year The Toy Insider released their first ever Top STEM list. With something for children of all ages, STEM toys make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fun while being educational. Kids can build their own toys like remote-controlled toys with Remote Control Machines: Animals from Thames & Kosmos, circuit kits that conduct electricity with Makey Makey Classic from JoyLabz, or UV-printed 3D designs with the 3D Maker from Tech 4 Kids.
Check out the full lists at thetoyinsider.com.
