New Toys Alert: KPop Demon American Girls and 10th-Anniversary 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. In this toy-focused edition of “Don’t Dillydally,” I’ve rounded up the ones I’m most excited about this month, including a new Pokémon video game, heart-shaped Magna-Tiles, and KPop Demon Hunters American Girl dolls.
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This new set of microMAGS that kids can use to build a heart shape is a great Valentine’s Day gift, making it a sellout risk.
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The latest Mini Brands surprise balls launch is especially collectible: Each blind-box orb contains a fine-art masterpiece such as the Mona Lisa, David, American Gothic, and even Maurizio Cattelan’s banana taped to a wall. There are over 50 works in the series — enough to fill an entire mini-museum.
Official KPop Demon Hunters toys were very slow to launch, but there is an exciting deluge of fashion dolls, games, accessories and more slated to drop over the next several months — and the American Girl versions of Rumi, Zoey, and Mira are some of my favorites. The good news is that they are also some of the only toys from the upcoming wave of KPop Demon Hunters releases that are currently available for preorder. The bad news is that they aren’t expected to ship until late November. (But hey, it’s never really too early to start thinking about Christmas, right?) As for the rest, we can eventually look forward to KPop Demon Hunters blind-box toys, Uno, Polly Pocket sets, Little People, and more.
The trailer for the upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe movie just came out, and Mattel has released a bevy of action figures and play sets to go with it. He-Man may be the star of the film, but I think She-Ra and her unicorn — as well as the cast of mutants, monsters, and villains like Moss Man and Fang Man — are far more interesting.
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Instead of collecting Pokémon and pitting them against each other, the latest Pokémon video game for the Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Pokopia, focuses on cozy world-building, similar to games like Animal Crossing — players can transform into different Pokémon and use their powers to nurture and shape the land around them. The game is available for preorder now and will ship in early March.
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LEGO recently announced its most high-tech innovation to date: SMART Play. It’s basically a line of programmable bricks and mini-figures that feature responsive sensors, sounds, and lights. The first SMART Play sets will all be Star Wars themed, including the delightful Yoda’s Hut and Jedi Training Ground, a Millennium Falcon, and more. I haven’t gotten a chance to play with it yet, but from what I have heard, it’s very cool. This one is another preorder, with shipping expected in early March.
Other exciting new LEGO releases include a series of Minifigures in animal costumes, a three-in-one hamster set, and a pull-back Monster Jam monster truck that looks like a unicorn.
Bluey, Squishmallows, and SpongeBob SquarePants stuffed-animal bouquets
These clusters of plush characters from Bluey, Squishmallows, and SpongeBob are an adorable way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with kids or kid-at-heart adults.
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Labubu turns 10 this year, and Popmart is celebrating with a special collection of anniversary toys like this extra-large 13-inch vinyl figure covered in grafitti-esque drawings, a limited-edition Zimomo vinyl plush (Zimomo is one of Labubu’s pals), a blind-box series of fridge magnets, and some colorful phone charms.
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Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the German brand known for its open-ended stepping stones has added a limited-edition red-and-pink-speckled colorway to its lineup.
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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.
