Earlier this week, New York’s enormous Javits Center was overtaken by the Toy Fair — an annual industry event for press and retailers that hosts over a thousand exhibitors, from LEGO to Tamagotchi. I spent two days walking the aisles to get a sense of the most anticipated new launches of the year and to play with as many toys as possible. Trends-wise, I saw at least five different booths displaying pickleball sets for kids and learned that toys made of cork are definitely having a moment. Floral themes showed up at LEGO, Plus Plus, Green Toys, and Crayola. It seems like everyone is making bag charms now. And several brand reps made the case that sharks are going to be huge this summer thanks to a megalodon appearance in the next Jurassic World movie, which comes out in July, and the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Below, you’ll find the coolest new toys I saw, including Magna-Tiles ramps, pull-back Playmobil cars, and a Calico Critters doughnut wagon.
Playmobil Funstars
Playmobil’s newest sets include a hospital and maternity ward as well as a cat café. But I especially loved these speedy pull-back racers with chunky tires and lots of personality. You can choose from a racing pizza chef whose car is covered in molten mozzarella, a green-haired mad scientist, a pro wrestler with a trophy, and a purple-haired unicorn racer.
Calico Critters Doughnut Wagon
Every year, Calico Critters has one of my favorite booths at the Toy Fair. There is always an elaborate diorama and tons of little details to pore over. This year is the 40th anniversary of the brand, so in addition to the booth, there were large-scale Calico Critter statues set up throughout the Javits Center. My favorite new set for 2025 is this doughnut wagon that comes with 15 tiny doughnuts and opens up to reveal a deep fryer, frosting station, and display case.
Droyd Fury
Droyd makes some of the coolest, most hard-core-looking ride-on toys that still have enough safety features for me to consider them. The brand’s newest vehicle is the Fury, an ATV that goes up to 15 miles per hour (though parents can cap it at 10 miles per hour with a special key). I tested the Fury indoors — it can hold up to 150 pounds — and was left wishing that I could take it outside for a few days to really let loose.
Korko Blocks
Cork is durable and lightweight, as well as more sustainable than wood; because it comes from the bark of a tree, it can be harvested without harming the tree, and then it grows back. This makes it a great material for building blocks, especially for little kids. I got a chance to play with these blocks at the Hape toy booth — Korko is a joint project between Hape and the world’s largest producer of cork — and they were soft yet sturdy, slightly grippy, and surprisingly quiet when they toppled over.
Extra-Fuzzy Eevee
There was a lot of new stuff to see at the Pokémon booth, including nine plush bag charms representing every one of Eevee’s evolutions that will be launching March 11. I also played around with the Pokémon TCG Pocket app, which launched in October and has since been downloaded more than 100 million times. But I still like this 15-inch Eevee plush best because of its extra-fuzzy texture and giant ears. It’s incredibly soft, sits upright on its own, and has an especially chunky tail.
Pusheen Plush Bag Charms
Speaking of plush bag charms, they have never been more popular thanks in part to Jellycat and surging interest in everything kawaii. In addition to the ones from Pokémon, I saw bag charms from Pusheen, Gund, Squishmallows, TY, and Tamagotchi. I love that each of the seven cats in this patisserie blind-box series is holding an elegant little cake that’s almost as big as their body.
Pretend Foraging Basket
If, like me, you dream of moving to the country where you are able to live off the land and celebrate spring with ramp pesto and dandelion fritters, you will love this new wooden foraging set from Tender Leaf toys. Is it incredibly twee and made for children, not adults? Yes, but it would also look nice among a collection of illustrated botanical coffee-table books.
And a few of the best upcoming launches that are available for preorder …
A lot of what was on display at the Toy Fair won’t be for sale until later this year. Much of it will be kept strictly under wraps for awhile yet — I had to step inside windowless rooms and even sign nondisclosure agreements before I could preview the most secretive upcoming launches. That said, some of the most exciting yet-to-be-released toys are actually available to preorder right now. Below are a few of my favorites:
Magna-Tiles Ramps
Not to be dramatic, but the newest addition to the Magna-Tiles universe is going to change everything. Available for preorder now and expected to ship in July, the Rail Racers and Rail Racers Deluxe sets contain a variety of magnetic tiles, marble-size balls, and magnetic rail tracks. The tracks work by sandwiching a series of tiles to create a ramp with two small side bumpers. It’s a simple product, but it opens up a huge amount of play possibilities. Now kids will be able to build racetracks, slides, stronger bridges, bowling alleys, elevated roads, and so much more. As the mom of a car-obsessed kid, I am very excited to incorporate them into my family’s collection.
LEGO x Bluey
Bluey was everywhere at the Toy Fair, with her sweet face printed on everything from huge vinyl banners to bouncy balls to keychains. Of all the licensed Bluey toys I saw, though, the LEGO x Bluey collection, now available for preorder, is my favorite. It includes two Duplo sets (an ice cream parlor that comes with a car, and a house with a built-in memory game), plus three corresponding sets for children 4 years old and up: a house, a family beach trip, and a playground. Each set comes with additional mini-figures and accessories, and they are all expected to ship in June.
Tamagotchi Beauty
I was charmed by this collection of Tamagotchi-shaped three-in-one lip, cheek, and eye-color balms, which will officially be available in August. Each one is the size of a Tamagotchi Nano, but instead of letting you care for a pixelated digital creature, they open to reveal a range of sweet-scented shimmery cosmetics. They’re part of a larger push to add lifestyle products to the Tamagotchi universe, which will include backpacks, plush bag charms, and Polly Pocket–style collectible figures housed inside keychain cases.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
