The holiday toy season is taking shape with a wide-ranging lineup that toy and game companies are pitching for children’s wish lists. Companies were invited to submit their own “Hot for Holiday” picks, highlighting products they want retailers to keep on their radar. The selections span imaginative worlds, hands-on experiences, sensory fun, tech-forward play and familiar franchises.
The feature identifies the picks as company submissions, with suggested pricing and age ranges supplied by the companies.
Sensory, active and collectible play
Among the sensory and active entries, Goliath’s Chester is a butt-shaped pal that wiggles and lets out silly sounds when children squeeze or stretch its cheeks; pressing its head makes it dance. It is listed at $29.99 for ages 8 and up. Just Play’s 18-inch Tiggle Me Elmo Giggle Max, a reimagined version of the classic 1990s toy, offers laughter, full-body movements and other reactions at $39.97 for 18 months and up. Schylling’s NeeDoh countdown hides six NeeDoh surprises and seven Halloween treats behind 13 doors for $14.99.
Collectibles range from MGA Entertainment’s eight mini dolls, each in a pink disco ball with a spinning record player, at $11.99 for ages 4 and up, to Super Impulse’s Drip Drops tiny sneaker collectibles. Series 1 includes 16 styles with brands such as Hot Wheels, Godzilla and Smiley; each comes with a shoebox, real laces, a display case and a keychain.
Building sets, vehicles and playsets
Mattel’s customizable dollhouse comes with nine indoor and outdoor play areas, two pools, two slides, more than 65 accessories and a modular design that can form one large house or two connected houses with a bridge. It is priced at $214.99 for ages 3 and up. BRIO’s 56-piece Space Deluxe Set extends its wooden railway into a multilevel space layout with tunnels, a space station, a rover and a shuttle with lights and sounds; astronaut figures have magnetic suits that connect to a tether inside the shuttle. It is listed at $279.99.
Hasbro’s 11-inch action figure transforms into a car in four steps and includes accessories for both modes at $54.99. Spin Master’s Rocky recycling truck includes a two-foot inflatable dinosaur that pops out when children press the light bar, plus movie-inspired sounds, at $64.99. LEGO’s 106-piece Bluey set includes Bluey and Rusty mini-figures and a school scene with a mini kitchen, café, hospital and baby-care area, inspired by the “Early Baby” episode, at $24.99.
Tech-forward and franchise-led toys
Tonies’ Toniebox 2 Pokémon set, inspired by Pikachu’s yellow colorway, includes Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur figures that play stories and songs on the screen-free audio player; it is priced at $199.99 for ages 5 and up. Jazwares’ Pikachu toy offers more than 100 action and sound combinations, touch sensors, blinking eyes, mouth movement and soft puppetronic play at $79.99. Hapiko’s voice-powered sticker maker lets children create and print sticker combinations with AI, with built-in filters and assurances that the device is not “always listening.” CRA-Z-ART’s instant-printing photo device prints black-and-white photos in seconds without extra cables or devices and comes with markers and stickers for decorating.
Franchise entries also include The Pokémon Co. International’s Elite Trainer Box for Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, with the new Futuristic Rare card rarity, all-foil cards and the return of 30 classic Pokémon at $49.99 for ages 6 and up; and Jakks Pacific’s Donkey Kong multi-level playset with 2.5-inch Donkey and Diddy Kong figures at $19.99.