Editor’s note: Amazon’s October Prime Day has officially started, so we’re no longer updating this post. For our most up-to-date coverage of the sale, check out our roundup of the best October Prime Day toy deals and sign up for our email newsletter.
Amazon’s Big Deal Days (a.k.a. October Prime Day) kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday, October 8, and runs through Wednesday, October 9. But as we’ve seen with Prime Days past, some sales have already started — including a few decent discounts on some of our favorite toys. Amazon is signaling these early Prime Day deals with a couple different red labels on product pages. Anything that’s denoted as a “limited-time deal,” a “Prime early deal,” or a discount that’s only available “with Prime” can be considered an early Prime Day deal.
Though Strategist deals editor Sam Daly advises approaching “early deals” with caution in her guide to shopping Prime Day, she’s still managed to unearth some actually worthwhile ones across all product categories — and I’ve also noticed quite a few early Prime Day deals on toys, games, kids’ books, and art supplies. With the holidays coming up fast, October Prime Day is a great time to shop for gifts. So I’ve rounded up the best early toy deals below, after researching past sale prices to make sure the ones I’m recommending are legit. Everything here is at least 20 percent off, and I’ve focused on products we’ve written about before or that come from toy brands we know and love.
This doll-size Radio Flyer wagon, teddy bear included, will let kids easily haul stuffies and other toys around the house. It comes at a great price, too, now that it’s on sale for under $40.
Green Toys is one of the best toy brands to shop on Prime Day, as it routinely offer deep discounts. The recycled plastic toys are kid and parent favorites that last a long time.
Melissa & Doug’s Prime Day toy discounts have been remarkably good in the past, so it’s no surprise that this play ice-cream shop is one of the best early deals at nearly half off. It’s featured in our guide to the best gifts for 2-year-olds, but that’s just the starting age. Older kids, up through kindergarten at least, will spend hours playing with this set as well.
There are lots of good deals on books for kids worth considering, from board books to graphic novels. The sampling above features titles for all ages that I think would make the best gifts. In particular, if you know a kid in the second- or third-grade age range who loves to read, don’t skip The Wild Robot — especially since the movie based on the book series just hit theaters.
Skillmatics arts-and-craft kits are high quality and really fun. This set includes scratch pages as well as scratch stickers, so kids can decorate notebooks, water bottles, and more with the things they create.
Magic Mixies make for a fun holiday gift because of the exciting reveal experience they offer. Right now, the best deal from the brand is on this magic-potion revealing mermaid doll that would make a great stocking stuffer. It comes with special ingredients that you pour into the top of the tube to make your potion. Then you push the jewel-shaped button on top and watch as the liquid goes from deep purple-y blue to clear and your new doll is revealed.
Melissa & Doug’s line of National Park–themed toys doesn’t get enough praise, so I’m hoping this deal will earn it some well-deserved attention. This hiking play set encourages kids to get outside and includes a fanny pack for gear storage, a working flashlight, and a pair of retro photo-disk viewer binoculars.
This LEGO-esque Pokémon training stadium building set has over 1,000 pieces and, at almost 40 percent off, is at the lowest price I have ever seen it.
It’s candy, but it’s also science! It’s also pretty tasty and reasonably easy to use — one of senior editor Jen Trolio’s daughters received a unicorn version of this kit for her seventh birthday and it was a total hit. The “gross” edition with worms and spiders would be especially appropriate for Halloween.
LEGO’s annual line of Advent calendars tends to sell out long before December, so if you’ve got a kid in your life who would appreciate this classic LEGO City one, don’t dillydally — especially now that it’s 20 percent off.
There are already a bunch of National Geographic kits on sale, but this one is my pick because it’s two toys in one — dinosaur skeletons and air-dry clay to bring them back to “life.”
The toys I predict will be on sale for October Prime Day
Based on years past, I have a feeling that Strategist-favorite brands like Magna-Tiles, Barbie, Micro Kickboard, Gund, Avenlur, and Crayola will all be slashing prices once Prime Day actually starts next week. I can’t be sure about which specific products will be discounted, but my hope is that there will be deals on the new microMags mini magnetic tiles and at least one splurgy indoor play gym from Avenlur.
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.
