The 38 hottest holiday toys of 2021: Squeakee, Squishmallows, Crayola, Hot Wheels and more!
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If you’ve been feeling like holiday shopping keeps getting earlier and earlier, you’re not alone. It has been. And this year it’s for good reason. With online shopping the preferred way to buy for many this year, and with predictions that toys will sell out early, the sooner you get your holiday shopping done the better.
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Amazon recently released its annual Toys We Love list, Macy's shared their Hot Toy list and Walmart revealed their Most-Wanted Toys list. All three showed that character toys, including CoComelon, Super Mario, PAW Patrol and Bluey will continue to be popular and that kids are looking for a little bit of magic, creativity and interactivity in their toys this year. We consulted with some of our favorite toy forecasters, and also did a healthy bit of research on our own to help you get a leg up on this year’s trends. Here are our favorite toys that will help make Christmas morning magical.
1. Squeakee the Balloon Dinosaur
Recommended ages: 5 to 15
Playing off the success of last year’s Squeakee the Balloon Dog, this year’s hot toy is a stomping, roaring and dancing dino. These interactive toys are just hilarious. They respond to your voice and your touch and kids will get a kick out of this ferocious balloon-style toy.
“Last year’s dog version was so popular and this is a really fun upgrade and it plays on the dinosaur trend, which is always popular with kids,” says Chris Byrne, aka The Toy Guy, an independent toy analyst, researcher and consultant.
Get the Squeakee the Balloon Dinosaur at Amazon for $69
2. Got2Glow Fairy Finder
Recommended ages: 5 to 15
Fairies are having a moment, and this might be the most fun fairy toy we’ve seen. It’s both interactive and imaginative, and it takes technology and makes it playful.
Use the magical jar to find, catch, interact with and trade fairies who appear on a glowing LED screen where they show their style and express their personalities. Collect 100 different fairies, each with different looks and personalities.
“It’s virtual but there is a lot of play. What I love about this is that the play is more important than the technology. It’s imaginative, interactive and it feels like real magic, which I love,” says Byrne.
One of the hottest toys of the season, this sells out and restocks fast. Be sure to click the "notify me" button if this tops your holiday list.
Get the Got2Glow Fairy Finder at Amazon for $39.97
3. Squishmallows
Recommended ages: 3 and up
Squishmallows are selling out everywhere, and for good reason! These super soft, absolutely adorable and sensory-soothing snuggle toys are popular from toddlers to teens. Whether they're already Squishmallow collectors or new to the fad, they'll love the these cuddly toys. Claire's has a whole line of exclusive designs to shop. For options like a Baby Yoda, Chewbacca, food-themed Squishmallows (like the coveted Scarlet the Strawberry) and trendy designs like corgis, head on over to Amazon or your local toy store.
4. Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad
Recommended ages: 6 and up
Crayola never disappoints when it comes to innovative art supplies, and their Light Up Tracing Pad is proof positive. The pad is so much fun and it's a great toy for kids that are looking to improve their drawing skills. It features a backlit screen to make tracing especially easy, and it comes with colored pencils and tracing sheets so that they can start using it right away.
Get the Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad at Amazon for $25.99
5. Star Wars Galactic Snackin’ Grogu
Recommended ages: 3 and up
Baby Yoda (AKA Grogu) just keeps getting cuter. If your kid is a fan of the Mandalorian, they'll love this upgrade to last year's hottest toy. This one is just as interactive, but comes with four accessories for some seriously stellar fun, including a bowl of soup, a space cookie, a spoon, and a shiny silver toy ball.
Get the Star Wars Galactic Snackin’ Grogu at Amazon for $79
6. Hot Wheels City Robo T. Rex Ultimate Garage
Recommended ages: 3 and up
This robo-city, T. Rex, multi-level garage is a jaw-dropping Christmas morning dream for the car-loving kid. It parks over 100 cars, has a multi-course speedway and it has a chomping T. Rex that the racing cars need to outrun. Amazing!
Get the Hot Wheels City Robo T. Rex Ultimate Garage at Amazon for $99
7. CoComelon J.J. Doll
Recommended ages: 18 months and up
Byrne expects that all CoComelon toys will be popular, but one that's getting a lot of chatter is the Musical Bedtime JJ Doll, who sings and makes soothing sounds with the squeeze of his belly.
He's the ultimate bedtime buddy for your CoComelon fan. This small, plush JJ lookalike cycles through seven different sounds with a cuddle, including the "Yes Yes Bedtime," which will hopefully provide a little encouragement to help little ones drift off to Dreamland.
Get the Official Musical Bedtime JJ Doll from Amazon for $19.97
8. Pixicade
Recommended ages: 6 and up
Do your kids dream of making their own video game? Do you wish they would do something more creative? Everyone’s dream will come true with one of the coolest toys we’ve seen this year: Pixicade. Pixicade takes your own drawings and transforms them into a video game you can play. This is based on popular 8-bit games from the '80s and allows kids to transform their art into an interactive, play-based medium that they can share with their friends.
“There is so much play and interactivity with this game. It really takes their drawings to the next level and it allows them to be engaged in the creative process,” says Byrne.
If you think you'll love this toy as much as we do, USAToday readers will get 15% off their entire order through November 30 with the code USATODAY15.
Get Pixicade Game Makers at Amazon starting at $24.99
9. Lego Super Mario Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Building Kit and Expansion Set
Recommended ages: 8 and up
Legos are always popular. Super Mario is always popular. This brings the two iconic toys together. Byrne says that you really can’t go wrong with a Lego set, but this, and the accompanying Super Mario sets are going to be the popular Lego sets of the season, thanks in part to their interactive nature.
After being built, this Lego set is like the video game come to life, with all sorts of flipping, shaking and balancing challenges that are rewarded with fun, video game-style sound effects. This also works with the Lego Super Mario app that comes with building tips and ideas.
“A lot of the Lego experience has become model-building, but these Mario sets are really fun to play and interact with. They take the game off the screen in a really cool way,” says Byrne.
Get the Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course at Lego.com for $59.99
Get the Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course at Lego.com for $59.99
Get the Super Mario Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set at Amazon for $98.95
10. My Squishy Little Dumpling
Recommended ages: 4 and up
For a mini interactive toy, My Squishy Little Dumplings are sweet, adorable and silly. They come with names like Dip and Dot and each dumpling “wakes up” and jumps up to reveal its legs and body when you “squeeze” its cheeks. They giggle and glow and they chatter about in their own language. These are collectable and silly and wildly entertaining. Be forewarned: If you have one, your kid is going to want them all.
Get My Squishy Little Dumplings at Amazon for $14.99
11. Anything Ada Twist
Based on the 2016 children's picture book written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts, Ada Twist Scientist is now a Netflix TV show. Our precocious heroine is all about encouraging children, especially girls—and girls of color—to develop an interest in STEM. We love all of the high quality Ada Twist inspired toys on the market but, if we had to pick one, we'd pick the full dress up set—complete with goggles and lab coat—to help them look the part.
Get the Ada Twist Scientist Dress Up Set at Walmart for $19.95
12. PAW Patrol Movie Tower
Recommended ages: 3 and up
Byrne calls this the Barbie Dream House of PAW Patrol and, from where we are standing, that sounds about right. Inspired by the recent PAW Patrol movie, this is an action-packed toy that brings the Adventure City headquarters from the big screen to your playroom. At an impressive 3 ft. tall, this is the tallest PAW Patrol tower yet, and it brings the fun on every level. This toy is filled with amazing discoveries and cool features including a transforming light-up rescue ramp, command center, vehicle lift, pup elevator, holographic city maps and so much more!
Get the PAW Patrol, Transforming Ultimate City Movie Tower at Walmart for $129
13. Lego VIDIYO
Recommended ages: 9 and up
It's time to rock out with your Legos! The Lego VIDIYO line is an interactive set that brings your builds to life through movies and music. Kids make their stage builds, scan their minifigures in the accompanying app and create fun and sharable music videos. They can customize the style of their shoots by choosing from a range of sceneries, including a castle, a forest, a tropical island and outer space. We are partial to the Boombox Battle set that comes with four scannable minifigures, but there are lots of options for expanding the VIDIYO world.
14. Kidamento Kids' Camera
Recommended ages: 3 and up
Our favorite kids' camera that we've tried this year, this is a straightforward, durable first camera that fits perfectly into the palm of a child's hand—or perfectly into your fanny pack, should you need to carry it for them. This virtually indestructible camera is compact and cute and it does away with all of the distracting video games that so many other kids' cameras have. It also feels great to hold and is covered in a super soft, shock-proof latex covering that's just as adorable to look at as it is tough.
Get the Kidamento Kids' Camera at Amazon for $74.98
15. Purrble
Recommended ages: 3 and up
The pandemic has done a number on kids. This interactive plush toy that responds to touch is a soothing companion that cleverly teaches kids breathing and self-regulation techniques, all while being a perfectly cuddly pal.
Equipped with seven sensors that respond to touch and a heartbeat that races or slows depending on how well you are able to calm him, kids regulate themselves while enjoying low-key, quiet playtime that centers them and helps them to regulate themselves during stressful periods.
Get the Purrble Calming Companion at Amazon for $49.99
16. We Wear Cute So Glittery Hand Spa
Recommended ages: 8 and up
It's been a long year! Treat them to some self care with relaxing glittery manicures. This sensory-inspired hand spa includes a relaxing Orbeez-filled spin and sooth spa, 1,000 Orbeez seeds, a nail file and two colors of glitter to customize two glittery manicures without any nail polish needed. Partnering with TikTok sensations Ash and Em from We Wear Cute, this adorable spa will make them feel like their favorite influencers.
Get the We Wear Cute So Glittery Hand Spa at Walmart for $14.97
17. Snap Ships
Recommended ages: 7 and up
One of our favorite toys for two years running! For the space-loving kid: Snap Ships are building kits that really understand how kids play. These kits not only create impressively cool space crafts but, once built, the toys solidly lock into place to stand up to just about any intergalactic battle your kid can dream up.
Get the Gladius Snap Ships building set at Amazon for $25.57
Get the Komplex Snap Ships building set at Amazon for $24.99
18. Magical Hogwarts Mini Castle
Recommended ages: 5 and up
This amazing replica of Hogwarts Castle stands at almost two feet tall and is the perfect toy for kids who want to enter the wizarding world of Harry Potter and friends. Here they can relive the magic that resides in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, with interactive lights, sounds and fun magical elements. With 12 accessories and an exclusive 3-inch Hermione mini doll included, they'll have a spellbinding time reliving scenes from the books. Additional characters are sold separately (and make for excellent stocking stuffers).
Get the Wizarding World Harry Potter, Magical Minis Hogwarts Castle at Amazon for $54.99
19. LetsGlow Studio
Recommended ages: 8 and up
Give their TikTok videos a glow up with this cool kit. Both of the experts we talked to love this toy, and so do we. This fun kit allows them to unleash their inner costume and prop designer by creating reflective fashion and accessories. Then, simply dim the lights, clip the accompanying 16-color LED glow light to your phone and set their scene in motion.
“It’s just such a fun and creative toy,” says Oppenheim. “Tweens can be hard to shop for but this is one that we think will be really popular.”
Byrne adds that he likes that it’s sort of subversive STEAM toy for an age group that may otherwise roll their eyes at STEAM learning.
“It touches on exactly what they love to do, but it makes it creative. It’s arts and crafts and it’s technology,” says Byrne.
Get the LetsGlow Studio at Amazon for $29.99
20. KidiZoom PrintCam
Recommended ages: 4 to 11
This kids’ camera has all the creative fun of other KidiZoom cameras, including selfie and sticker functions, and it also lets you print your photos in either framable prints or sticker formats. The creative options of this cool, kid-friendly camera are limitless, and it comes in a durable, kid-friendly package.
Get the KidiZoom PrintCam at Walmart for $49.88
21. Corner Crush
Recommended ages: 7 and up
A new spin on a classic concept, this is a next-level game for Connect Four fans. Oppenheim loves this toy for its multi-level challenges and the added strategy is demands. This is a fun toy for kids 7 and up, but particularly well-suited to hard to shop for tweens and teens.
Get Corner Crush at for at Target for $19.99
22. Spirograph Animator
Recommended ages: 6 and up
If you loved Spirograph as a kid, get ready to become a fan all over again with this fun upgrade. This cool new toy uses the same gears to make fractal-style drawings and designs, but with a modern twist. A spinning base and light-up strobes turn your drawings to life, making them appear to animate and nearly jump off the paper.
Get the Spirograph Animator at Amazon for $16.99
23. House Monsters
Recommended ages: 3 and up
It’s hard to be scared of monsters when they are this quirky, cuddly and cute. This collectible set of six silly monsters arrive in a shoebox-style habitat that mimics a spot in your home and represents all of their favorite things.
Sudsy lives in the dishwasher, eating soap bubbles and is always cleaning all around the house. Fluffy is all about fashion and loves to hide inside the closet. Their friends live in places like your dryer, under your bed (of course) and in your refrigerator. All come with a little card explaining their likes, dislikes and distinct personalities.
Byrne calls these toys “sweet, silly, entertaining and funny” and we agree.
Shop House Monsters on Amazon starting at $16.99
24. Barbie's Dream House 2021
Recommended ages: 3 and up
Barbie's Dream House just got an upgrade! If you remember this three-level townhouse from your youth, it got a full gut job to make it the place to be in 2021. This new model offers 360-degrees of play and 10 living areas, including a pool, a roof deck (complete with bar and disco ball), an elevator, a swing chair and more.
Get the Barbie Dream House at Walmart for $179
25. MicroMachines Corvette
Recommended ages: 4 and up
Back to the "mini" craze, this will appease both any mini and/or car obsession your child may have. MicroMachines are tradable and collectible and this cool Corvette pop-open raceway just makes them all the more fun. It pops open to be assembled into a multilevel raceway with lots of tips and turns and drag race functionality. It’s cool, it’s compact and it packs away easily, making it the perfect toy to take with them on family trips.
“It’s just a really fun toy and the design is great,” says Stephanie Oppenheim, co-founder of ToyPortfolio.com.
Get the MicroMachines Corvette racetrack at Target for $39.99
26. Purse pets
Recommended ages: 5 and up
Packed with purse-onality, these fabulous purse-sized pets are fun, interactive and each has their own individual personality—just like a real pet! Each responds to touch and really blinks as they interact with their owners. Each has more than 25 exciting sounds and reactions unique to each Purse Pet’s style! A perfectly portable toy, these little pets are great for on-the-go adventures.
Shop Purse Pets at Amazon starting at $19.97
27. Funko Snapsies
Recommended ages: 4 and up
The "mini" trend shows no signs of stopping. The Zuru 5-Surprise Minis are still as popular as ever, but other brands are starting to jump on the trend. Funko’s Snapsies line falls into the mini trend, but with a twist (or a snap). Each ball opens to reveal mystical creatures you can snap together to assemble. After you’ve collected a few, you can mix and match pieces to create new creatures.
“Collectibles are so much fun for kids, and they really have a social element. Kids love to compare and trade, and this is a fun toy for that,” says Byrne.
Get Funko Snapsies at Amazon for $10.96
28. Motorized bumper cars
Recommended ages: 1.5 to 6
“Ride-ons are always really, really popular,” says Byrne. While other motorized ride-ons are all about the ride, this one is all about the collision. For little kids who may not yet have control over their steering, this takes away the discouragement and turns up the fun. If you’re looking for a big-ticket hit, Byrne recommends something like this.
Get the Kidzone Electric Vehicle Bumper Car at Amazon for $199.96
29. Papaton Shadow Theater
Recommended ages: 3 to 8
This beautiful toy has been racking up parenting and toy-maker awards, and for good reason. It’s a beautifully designed shadow puppet set that’s perfect for developing narrative storytelling skills, and it’s just right for family time.
The shadow puppet kit comes with over 30 characters and props to enact four well-known fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise & The Hare and The Lion & The Mouse. You upload the accompanying app to your phone that narrates and sets the story to music, while also shining a light on the stage. Children take over and act out the stories for your enjoyment.
“Here’s why I really like it: It engages kids in narrative creativity and storytelling. It’s a gateway to writing, creative thinking and problem solving. And kids love puppets—I think people are really going to like this one,” says Byrne.
Get the Papaton Shadow Theater at Amazon for $59
30. Tamagotchi Pix
Tamagochi are back, and this time they are both more interactive and more social! Tamagotchi Pix is the next generation of your virtual pet—it still needs to be cared for and fed, but this time around you can find Tamagotchi friends and have characters go on playdates, to help keep your character happy.
Get the Tamagotchi Pix at Amazon for $39.46
31. Toniebox
Recommended ages: 2 and up
Screen-free listening systems are starting to really take off. Parents want their kids off their tablets, but we still aren’t fully free to completely shed all social distancing restrictions, so there’s still a large amount of “stay-at-home time” where kids are craving entertainment. These small story-telling speakers are the screen-free answer.
There are a handful of these kinds of speakers on the market, but Byrne recommends the Toniebox for the cute design, the adorable “Tonies” that tell the stories, and for its very cool partnerships, including Disney, Peppa Pig, and LeVar Burton.
“This is just the cutest box and makes a really great gift,” says Byrne. “I really think it’s important for kids to have tools to help them build their listening skills. These are great for that.”
Get the Toniebox starter set at Amazon for $99
32. Play-Doh Rising Oven play set
Recommended ages: 3 and up
And you thought you knew Play-Doh. This fun toy is filled with "wow factor" when kids create cakes that magically "rise" in the play oven, with a bell that ding when it's ready. This fun set allows you to create all sorts of fun creations that would make bakers at MilkBar and Flour Shop swoon: including surprise rainbow sprinkles-filled desserts and multi-layer rainbow cakes.
Get the Play-Doh Rising Cake Oven play set at Walmart for $14.97
33. Koosh Balls
Recommended ages: 4 and up
Remember Koosh balls? They’re back! And they are just as popular the second time around as they were the first. Retro toys are always big and sensory toys continue to be popular. Koosh balls offer both in one and make for fun stocking stuffers.
Get the Koosh 3-pack at Amazon for $20.99
34. Pop-its
Recommended ages: 4 and up
The popularity of Pop-its show no sign of waning, so you better plan to have at least one in their stocking this year. Pop-its are a hot commodity on the school bus and the playground where kids compare and trade them, and where they pop out all of their daily frustrations in the forms of dinosaurs, unicorns, llamas, avocados and more.
Go keychain size or super size—they’ve even developed board games with dice that you can pop to the win.
Shop Pop-its at Amazon starting at $7.99
35. Bluey Caravan Adventures
Recommended ages: 3 and up
Bluey may just be the most charming kids’ show on TV and is one of the few kids’ TV shows that parents profess to love as well. If you have Bluey fans at home, they'll love the new Caravan Adventures Playset. It folds open to reveal a seriously souped up RV with bunks, a kitchen and a hangout area, as well as a mini campfire and tiny toy marshmallows for roasting. With camping and outdoor adventures being such a popular family pastime these days, this toy is perfect to take on outdoorsy getaways or to play with at home while dreaming about them.
“It’s a toy that’s all about family time and it’s a great little toy for kids to express themselves with,” says Byrne.
Get the Bluey Ultimate Caravan Adventures Playset at Amazon for $44.84
36. TeeTurtle octopus plushie
Recommended ages: 3 and up
One side is salty and one side is sweet. The TeeTurtle octopus plushie is cute, cuddly and lets kids express themselves in their present mood. Fitting in the palm of your hand, it comes in 21 different color combinations, each of which are reversible, so it's essentially like two gifts in one.
Get the TeeTurtle Reversible Octopus Plushie from Amazon for $15
37. Thames & Kosmos Mega Cyborg Hand
Recommended ages: 7 and up
The Toy Association named this cool, hydraulic-powered toy the STEAM Toy Of The Year. It not only lets your child feel like they’re a cyborg, this kit is loads of fun and will help kids learn about hydraulics and robotics. They'll learn how to assemble the hand, piece-by-piece and the fun will continue as they conduct experiments, picking up objects of different shapes and sizes.
Get the Thames & Kosmos Mega Cyborg Hydraulic Hand kit at Walmart for $26.97
38. Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron
Recommended ages: 5 to 15
According to Byrne, unboxing will continue to be huge, and this fun toy puts a magical twist on the trend. “This toy makes the whole concept and feel of unboxing part of the play.”
Add the special “potions” to this magical, mystical cauldron and stir it with the spell-casting wand to magically create a furry, fluffy friend. When you tap their jewel with your wand, you reveal if they have the powers to make your wishes come true.
Get the Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron at Amazon for $69.99
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
This article originally appeared on Reviewed: The most popular toys for boys and girls: Squishmallows, Squeakee
