New Toys Alert: Seasonal Jellycats and Scary Labubus
As the site’s resident toy expert — I’m the writer behind the Strategist’s “Toy Store” and gifts for every age — I get an early look at the latest and greatest new toys, often before they hit store shelves. There are dozens of new releases every month, so leading into the 2025 holiday season, I’ll be doing a toycentric edition of “Don’t Dillydally.” Here, the launches I’m particularly excited about right now, including holiday-themed Squishmallows skin care, Clixo dinosaurs, and Pop Mart’s latest series of blind-box toys (which happens to feature Labubu).
The “Why So Serious” collection launches on October 9 — tonight! — at 10 p.m. ET. There are six products, including a circus-tent Labubu mug, a new Crybaby vinyl plush, a furry Labubu candy pouch (perfect for anyone dressing up as a Labubu for Halloween), and a blind-box series often characters with two secrets and two possible Labubus. The collection is predicted to sell out just as quickly as other Labubu series. But my contact at Pop Mart says the company will be restocking. So if you miss out tonight, don’t despair.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie merch
The Gabby’s Dollhouse movie — out now with Kristen Wiig starring as the villain — has spawned all sorts of licensed toys, including a set of cat ears just like Gabby’s that play sounds, light up, and interact with the new interactive Dollhouse. There are also a few LEGO sets, my favorite of which has an under-the-sea theme and features Gabby as a mermaid.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Clixo’s newest pack comes with all the bendy magnetic pieces (54 in total) needed to build a pterodactyl, a T. rex,a triceratops, and more. The pieces are printed with scaly textures and shaped specifically to create hinged jaws and clawed feet.
As the great tween skincare awakening continues, TONYMOLY and Squishmallows have added a colorful new Advent calendar to their ongoing collaboration, along with a holiday hand creams and fuzzy animal headbands that would all make fabulous stocking stuffers.
It’s hard to keep track of all the Jellycat launches. In addition to the Halloween collection, there’s a tin of sardines, a mole, a pebble, and a lemming. But my favorite new releases are the winter ones, including a puffer mitten, a snowflake, and a snow globe that looks ready to take up residence on a mantel somewhere.
New! You can now save this product for later.
The original Bitzee is an interactive digital pet housed inside a case that looks like a ring box. Since the first Bitzee launched in 2023, there have been a number of iterations, like Stitch and Harry Potter. But this new version is a sphere that houses a rambunctious hamster. You can feed it treats, pet it, exercise it on a hamster wheel, and more.
We still have to wait for the next installment of the Bratz x Mean Girls collection — the first doll in the new series, “Spring Fling” Regina, dropped today, with Janis and Cady coming up next on October 16 and October 23. But in the meantime, you can get your hands on the very stylish Bratz x Hello Kitty series, featuring Yasmin, Jade, and Cloe. Yasmin comes with a Hello Kitty–shaped purse and headphones with a red bow; Jade has a Hello Kitty sailor hat; and Cloe has a red bow-shaped purse and Hello Kitty earrings.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
More From The Strategist
- Hark, the Advent Calendars Arrived (Very) Early This Year
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- 63 Things You Should Never Buy Full Price
- The Strategist Fall 100
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.
