Toy and game companies are pitching retailers a broad holiday lineup built around familiar characters, sensory play, and build-and-experiment kits, according to The Toy Book's Hot for Holiday roundup. The featured products were submitted by the manufacturers themselves, which were invited to flag the items they expect to drive holiday purchases this season.
The range is wide. Price points in the roundup run from about $4.99 for collectible minis and stress toys to $279.99 for a 56-piece wooden railway expansion, and age grades stretch from toddler sets listed for ages 0–2 to blind boxes marked 15 and up. The publication groups the picks around imaginative worlds, hands-on experiences, sensory fun, tech-forward play, and established franchises.
Franchise names anchor the list
Pokémon's 30th anniversary shows up in several entries. The Pokémon Co. International is offering an Elite Trainer Box ($49.99, ages 6+) that introduces a "Futuristic Rare" card rarity, all-foil cards, and the return of 30 classic Pokémon. A Pikachu animatronic created by Wow! Stuff and listed with Jazwares pairs more than 100 action and sound combinations with touch sensors, blinking eyes, and mouth movement ($79.99). Tonies' Toniebox 2 Pokémon set carries a Pikachu-yellow colorway and four figures — Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur — that play themed stories and songs on the screen-free audio player ($199.99, ages 5+).
Other licensed entries include The LEGO Group's 106-piece Bluey school set with Bluey and Rusty mini-figures ($24.99) and a two-foot-tall, five-story Bluey home whose chimney projects spinning stars and moons ($149.99); Jakks Pacific's Donkey Kong playset with 2.5-inch figures that ride rails, swing on vines, and climb ladders ($19.99); Playmates' Mega Thunderzord, which plays more than 15 phrases and sounds from the show as its eyes light up ($37.99); and a 502-piece Minecraft Skeleton build with a removable diamond helmet that unlocks an in-game item (ages 10+).
Sensory and squish-led play
Goliath's Chester, a butt-shaped character, wiggles and lets out fart sounds when kids squeeze and stretch its cheeks, and dances when its head is pressed ($29.99, ages 8+, three AAA batteries). Schylling's NeeDoh countdown hides six NeeDoh surprises and seven Halloween treats behind 13 doors ($14.99). Horizon Group USA's slow-flow glitter-gel stress toys come in Squishmallows, Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, Minecraft, Bluey, and other licenses ($4.99–8.99), while Yoonique's four-inch farm friends pair plush with a squeezable rubber core ($4.99). Moose Toys offers a five-slime unboxing kit with more than 50 mix-ins ($32.99), and Simplay3's oversized sensory nest rocks and spins in any direction ($129.99, ages 2+).
Building, magnets, and experiments
Construction entries lean on open-ended builds. CONNETIX's travel pack from Brave Toys fits 32 compact magnetic pieces and two sheets of reusable stickers into a carry tin ($25). Magna-Tiles' lighthouse-inspired set adds a Lighthouse Rescuer figure, a sea turtle, a rescue raft, and shoreline pieces for building docks, waves, and towers. BRIO's 56-piece Space Deluxe Set from Ravensburger takes the wooden railway into a multilevel layout with tunnels, a space station, a rover, and a light-and-sound shuttle ($279.99). Mattel's modular dollhouse combines nine indoor and outdoor play areas, two pools, two slides, and more than 65 accessories across two structures that can be joined into one house or linked by a bridge ($214.99, ages 3+), while Fat Brain Toys' tube-building set uses adjustable airflow to send foam balls racing and hovering through kids' constructions ($129.95).
Tech, role-play, and collectibles
Cra-Z-Art's instant camera lets tweens shoot photos and video and print in seconds without extra cables, with markers and stickers for decorating black-and-white prints. Hapiko's voice-powered sticker maker uses AI with built-in filters and states that the device is not always listening. Golden Bear's Strikesphere indoor basketball trainer runs light-guided drills across three modes and tracks scores on an LCD board ($99.99). Loops Lab's DJ set lights an eight-spot stage in multiple colors with five EDM-inspired band characters and two DJ figurines (ages 12+), and Fizz Creations puts PAC-MAN, Tetris, and Grinch games on keyring, handheld, and plug-and-play formats ($16.99–39.99). Collectibles include Super Impulse's 16-style Drip Drops sneakers and TOMY International's woodland blind boxes carrying uplifting messages ($18.99–24.99 each, ages 15+).
How the list was built
The roundup is not an independent test: companies were invited to submit their own picks to flag holiday drivers for retailers to watch. The Toy Book notes that a version of the feature appears in its 2026 Fall Toy & Licensing Preview Issue, and directs readers to sister publication The Toy Insider's 2026 Holiday Gift Guide for its team's own selections.