Holiday season is toy season. We’re approaching that time of the year when the all the best and most popular toys are making their way to store shelves everywhere, ready for the oncoming rush of holiday shopping.
What makes the best toys of the 2024 holiday season? Simply put, they’re an absolute bundle of fun. They look good, they play well, and they engage children in creative ways that keep them playing for many hours on end. They light up the imagination, they generate laughter, and, on occasion, they even teach kids a new skill or two that they can help progress their individual development over time.
Some of the best toys of the 2024 holiday season are from established franchises. Others are brand new IPs that took the industry by surprise. Some of them bring a fresh angle to familiar gameplay, while others create a whole new way to play and engage. Some are big, some are small, some are complex, and some keep things as simple as possible. Whichever the case, they all end up creating a fun experience that make them a favorite among kids of all ages.
These are the best toys of the 2024 holiday season.
Flat 2 Fast Card Racer
Age rating: 5 and up
Like a few of the best toy cars we’ve seen through the years, this one combines a car and a launcher that you use to send the vehicle careening forward at high speeds. Unlike those other toy cars, though, the cars in this set can collapse into a flat pile that makes them easy to transport. During play, you put one of the flattened cars inside the launcher and hit the button to send it flying forward, at which point the collapsed vehicle automatically morphs into its race car form before hitting the ground. It’s a seriously fun transformation to see, adding some extra novelty to an erstwhile familiar racing gameplay. At the price, you can buy a bunch of these cars, too, allowing the whole family to partake in some weekend drag racing at the living room floor.
Educational Insights Kanoodle Ultimate Champion 3D
Age rating: 5 and up
If your kid loves that Kanoodle style of viral puzzles, they probably won’t mind getting a new one. This new brain teaser set comes with 500 challenges, a 2D gameboard with 55 slots, and a built-in timer with controls. The challenges include both 2D and 3D games, with the 2D challenges using the holes on the gameboard to form patterns and the 3D ones making you stack up the balls on the gameboard. This set includes 12 Kanoodle pieces, by the way, with an Advanced difficulty rating, so it’s a perfect gift for kids who’ve previously ran through a few of the easier sets.
Hex Bots Wall Crawler Gecko
Age rating: 4 and up
Having a large lizard crawling around your walls isn’t most parents’ idea of a relaxing atmosphere at home. Many kids, though, will probably be thrilled at the thought, which is why this is one of the best toys we’ve seen all year. This RC toy gives your kid a robot lizard they can unleash on your home’s walls, allowing them to partake in the simple joy of creeping out their mom, dad, sister, and every other unwitting relative who comes by during the holidays. Do note, the toy gecko won’t be able to crawl from the floor to the wall, as there’s a switch at the bottom you’ll need to toggle when switching from floor to wall, since it uses different mechanisms with each one. It requires smooth, flat walls to crawl on, by the way, although we’re not entirely sure how it’s able to stick on them so well. Whatever the case, it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
Cry Babies Morning Routine
Age rating: 1.5 and up
Nurturing a toy doll is one of the classic play patterns for the best toys year after year. The Cry Babies Morning Routine toy embraces that, introducing young toddlers to a morning routine they can do with their doll that involves brushing her hair, feeding her, and helping her brush her teeth. Throughout each activity, the doll responds with over 25 different reactions that include both sounds and actions, such as dancing, clapping, and lighting up her eyes.
Littlest Pet Shop Playset Gen. 7
Age rating: 4 and up
Littlest Pet Shop came back this year after being discontinued in 2018. Much as we love those little adorable animal figures on their own, this playset takes playing with them to another level. It’s, basically, a dollhouse for your kids’ LPS figures, giving them a cool place to chill in. The dolllhouse opens at the cross section, giving you access to the different rooms inside, allowing you to set your little animal figures up in the beds, the bathtub, the benches, the hamster wheel, the cat shelves, or anywhere else in the house. It also comes with a three-level tower on the side that you can use to showcase your favorite figures, with each level sporting rotating platforms to add some dynamic play.
Magic Mixies Pixie Supremes Magic Mirror
Age rating: 5 and up
Magic Mixies is, pretty much, a staple on our yearly best toys list. This year, they’re going with a magic mirror that has 50 built-in lights and sound effects to give it that genuine whimsical feel. Instead of letting you concoct a plush doll like past years’ versions, though, this one allows you to magically manifest a butterfly pixie fashion doll that you can style and accessorize to your liking. The doll stands 10.5 inches tall, while coming with nine points of articulation, so you can arrange it into different poses. The set includes seven different fashion accessories and two different outfits to wear. And yes, the mirror can be used as regular vanity mirror afterwards, with the occasional sounds and effects if you want them.
Just Play FurReal Peanut the Playful Monkey Interactive Toy
Age rating: 4 and up
Kids love to monkey around, so a playful toy monkey will always be one of the best toys to keep them engaged. That’s what you get with this 15-inch tall interactive baby primate plush, which you can play with like a real pet. The toy monkey can stand and walk on its own, although it also enjoys walking while you hold it by its hands, in which case it will occasionally show off its athletic somersault skills. It can plop down on its, too, as well as react to various gestures using sound and actions. According to the outfit, it has over 100 different reactions for really immersive pet play.
Holobrite Pixie Lantern
Age rating: 5 and up
This magical lantern comes with a mysterious keyhole on the body. We mean… why would lantern have a keyhole? Stick the included key into it to unlock a magical pixie hologram that appears inside the screen at the lower section. You can befriend the digital pixie by listening to her stories, playing games, dancing, and other activities. Once your friendship grows a certain level, the pixie will decide to pay a visit to your world, popping out in five-inch doll form from the top of the lantern as the magical pixie dust fills the surrounding air. That way, you can play with her in real life, styling and accessorizing her like any of your other dolls. Want to see her again in her world? Put the doll back inside the lantern and the hologram will return for a bit more interactive digital play. Not only can you play with the pixie, theres’s a virtual store where you can buy accessories for her room, adopt virtual pets, and buy her new outfits.
Jada Toys Godzilla x Kong Heat Ray Breath Godzilla RC
Age rating: 8 and up
Monster figures almost always find a way to put themselves into any best toys list. This one is particularly interesting because it’s an RC Godzilla made by the same folks that brought us that RC Wednesday Addams Thing, allowing you to send out your kaiju to spread terror without having to hold it in hand. It measures 12.5 inches tall and 25 inches from nose to the end of the tail, making it quite the menacing sight next to your favorite dioramas and action figures. It walks with a terrifying stomp, whips its tail, and lights up its energy spine in a fiery glow. The creature can also unleash a light-up heat ray breath, albeit without actual fire coming out of its mouth. It’s easily one of the most fun Godzilla toys out there.
EastPoint Deluxe Steel Frame Axe Throw Set
Age rating: 8 and up
Axe throwing is fun, but there’s no way it’s a safe activity for kids (or anyone for that matter) to partake in. This play set replaces the wood-chopping blade with a similarly-sized safety axe with no actual sharp edges, as well as a target that traps the toy axe in between a set of two-inch long plastic bristles. That means, you can throw the safety axe much like the real thing, have it hit the target board, and stay right where it landed without having to cut into the board surface like a real throwing axe would. Make sure to tell the kids to set it up outside, though, because you definitely don’t want an axe hurtling through the air anywhere in the house.
Fisher-Price Imaginext Star Wars Darth Vader Bot
Age rating: 3 and up
Easily one of the best toys this year for any Star Wars fan, this Darth Vader robot figure stands 27 inches tall, making for quite the imposing presence for any child to behold. It comes with a number of engaging prerecroded sounds, including that unforgettable heavy breathing the Dark Lord likes to do, with various light-up sections because that’s what robots do. It’s got a few other tricks, such as launching a ball from its hand, launching discs from its torso, and wielding a light-up Lightsaber when the close quarter combat begins. Sadly, it’s not very articulated, offering just basic movements at the neck, waist, arm, and elbow, with every manual move actually triggering additional sounds, which gives it some extra flair. Still, it’s a Vader figure that stands over two feet tall, so we can’t imagine many kids who won’t enjoy one.
Step2 Dino Dash Up & Down Roller Coaster
Age rating: 5 and up
A ride-on roller coaster sounds like a ridiculous toy. How the heck will you fit a ride-on roller coaster in the house? Fortunately, this one only offers a limited length of track (nine feet long), so it can definitely fit in roomier spaces around the house, as well as in outdoor areas like your backyard. It comes with a ride-on cart that will send your kid coasting up and down the short track, which is surprisingly engaging enough that we’ve seen kids actually ride this over and over throughout the day. Even better, you can extend it with expansion tracks if you have extra room to spare, although that’s available separately.
Droyd Zypster Electric Go-Kart
Age rating: 3 and up
Ride-on cars will always have a place on the best toys list year after year. Our favorite for this holiday season is this low-slung electric go-kart, which can hit the road at up to 6 mph for a fun yet safe romp around the neighborhood. Parents can adjust the max speed between 3 to 6 mph, so you can start your kid slower if they’re not quite comfortable driving ride-ons, while a max range of three miles ensures plenty of driving fun before they’ll need to steer it back home for a recharge. The seat and steering wheel can both be adjusted to accommodate for different heights and angles, all while supporting weights of up to 125 pounds, so kids can probably bring on their dogs along for the ride.
