What’s on your wish list? Store shelves are packed with enticing toys during the holiday season. TFK editors picked 10 of this year’s top toys to help you narrow it down.
Learn to Letter
Crayola’s Signature Series helps draw out your inner artist. Learn to letter in the style of calligraphy, which the company calls Crayoligraphy. You can shop for markers and a lettering inspiration pad. Or you can get a combination of inspiration with the Crayola Signature Crayoligraphy Activity Set. It includes practice pages, dual-ended markers, gel pens, and ideas. ($15 on crayola.com)
Oh, Oonies!
Oonies are a new way to “inflate, stick, and create.” Use the starter set from Moose Toys to stick together an entire ooniverse of creatures and creations. Oonies balloons generally stay inflated for up to five days, and some components can be reused. A Starter Pack contains enough pellets to make three Oonies designs. Plus, parents love this promise: No glue, no water, no mess. ($20 at many retailers)
Who Will Get Wet?
If you’ve ever helped give a dog a bath, you know that the animal isn’t the only one who will get wet. In the new board game Soggy Doggy, two to four players race against the clock while taking turns bathing the pooch. When will he shake himself dry? The first person to make it around the board without getting a surprise shower wins. ($15 or less on jet.com)
Away You Go!
Planning a trip this holiday break? Yoobi has you covered. The Traveling Teen Bundle ($20, shown) comes with a 12-piece set of gel pens, a mini composition book, headphones, a pencil case, and a mini duffel bag to hold it all. The larger Weekend Getaway Bundle ($50) contains 24 gel pens, a journal, earbuds, and a duffel bag with a luggage tag. Plus you can feel extra good about the purchase—for every Yoobi item you buy, the company contributes Yoobi products to a classroom in need. ($20 and $50 on yoobi.com)
Who’s In There?
Whether it’s your first experience of Hatchtopia or just the latest addition to your collection, you’ll enjoy Hatchimals Shimmering Draggle. You put in love and care to get an electronic furry friend to come out. Your new chick will have wings, sparkles, and rainbow eyes. You can teach it to talk, walk, dance, and play games. ($53 or less on jet.com)
Hear Him Roar!
Hasbro’s new friend lets you tame one of the toughest species in the jungle. FurReal Roarin’ Tyler is a stuffed tiger trained to make more than 100 sounds and movements. He plays with his baby bird buddy, which is included. If you growl at Tyler, he’ll roar back. He aspires to be fierce, but this cute little cub is really cuddly. ($115 or less on jet.com)
Say What?
Repeat that, please! Inspired the by an online viral challenge, Hasbro’s Hearing Things game requires players to read lips. One player reads a phrase from a card while their teammate wears electronic headphones that block out sound. The goal is to guess as many phrases as possible—which is easier said than done. The game includes instructions, headphones, a timer, and 150 cards. ($20 at major retailers)
Hello, Alexa
Amazon’s assistant, Alexa, now comes in a smaller and cheaper size. The Echo Dot has a less powerful speaker than the full-sized Echo, but this version is still plenty powerful—it can even hear your voice commands across a room in which music is playing. You can ask Alexa to send a text message, answer questions, tell you the weather forecast, and do other tasks. ($50 on amazon.com)
Fly Sky High
The Sky Rider Night Hawk Hexacopter Drone has a built-in Wi-Fi camera. You can capture photos or video and stream it straight to a smartphone as it soars through air. LED lights and rotors that glow in the dark let you navigate the night sky. The drone has a 300-foot range, three speeds, and can also be used with virtual reality goggles. ($80 or less at Walmart)
Soft and Squishy
Squishies have totally taken off. The soft, slow-rising collectibles come in all shapes and sizes. Squish-Dee-Lish, from Jakks Pacific, combines animals and food—two categories anyone can get excited about. With 50 styles, you might wind up with a panda on top of pancakes, a pear bear, or something similarly sweet. ($5 each at major retailers)
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