Back in October, we gave you fair warning about all of the hot toys that we knew were going to sell out. And we were right. Bots are snatching up Fingerlings left and right, and desperate parents are seriously considering spending upwards of $700 on the reselling sites. But we’re not here to gloat. For all of you who sat on our early hot-toy content, we’re back with some more. We spoke with Chris Byrne, content director for TTPM, the toy consumer research and review group who are surefire predictors of toy success, about six more popular and great toys that you can still buy before the holidays. Don’t wait this time.
Bizzy Bubs just came out this week and are the closest thing you’ll get to Fingerlings. This time, though, instead of cute animals, they’re cute human babies that wrap around your finger, crawl, walk, and fart. It’s all the silliness of Fingerlings, but perhaps even more relatable. “They’re going to be huge,” Byrne says.
We didn’t have LOL Surprise on our first list, but we should’ve because these things are huge. They’re mini-dolls that come inside of a plastic sphere that’s then wrapped in seven layers of cellophane. Unpacking the layers mimics the YouTube phenomenon of unboxing, and each new section also contains another sticker for collecting, adding incentive to keep going. Lucky for you, they’re still available, and the newest series of pets and best friends are just hitting shelves now.
Another hot collectible: Num Noms. They look like food, they’re supposed to smell like food, and they’re adorable.
This year is also a big one for games, Byrne said. A fun one called Soggy Doggy mimics the success of Pie Face from years past. Here, everyone goes around in a circle pouring water on a dog. When the dog gets too wet, he’ll shake himself off on one unsuspecting player. Kids love the suspense and the (containable) mess.
Another “fun, but under-purchased,” according to Byrne, suspense game is called Boom Blast Stix. The game is made up of triangular rods that you pile one by one on top of a container. Like the soggy dog shaking, the container eventually pops! Throwing the sticks all over the circle of players. It’s kind of like Jenga, except instead of everything falling, it explodes.
Break Free transforms the experience of an escape room into something older kids can do at home with a couple of friends. Two to four players lock themselves into the game with handcuffs and then rush to free themselves by solving a puzzle. The first one out wins.
Byrne says the next generation of fidget spinners are called Tumblstix. They’re just a fiddle toy, so they don’t do a whole lot, but they have LED lights, and they’ll tumble around end over end. “They’re just silly fun,” Byrne says. “It’s classic play.”
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best women’s jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
