The Hottest Toys of 2025
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Every holiday season, the trendy toys sell out fast, so it’s always smart to buy the most in-demand ones early. That’s especially true in 2025, with prices and stock continuing to fluctuate after months of tariff-related uncertainty. And it’s even more true right now, with so manyBlack Friday salesalready underway.
To help you choose your gifts wisely, I’ve pulled together a list of the most exciting and covetabletoysthat kids from 2 to 12 are obsessing over this year. I have spent the past several months attending toy fairs and testing the newest toy releases, and each time I talked to a toy-industry expert, a cool or stylish parent, or a kid of any age, I made sure to ask them about the toys they keep seeing on playgrounds, in stores, and in their friends’ homes.
Blind-box toys are more popular than ever, and kids as young as 4 years old are still asking forLabubus. Toy vending machines seem to be cropping up everywhere, with different styles for different tastes and ages. And interactive pets, whether virtual or stuffed, are still a favorite. Below, you’ll find the most asked for (and at times hard to get) toys of the 2025 holiday season.
And if you’re looking more great gift ideas, we also have more elaborate holiday gift guides for kids of all ages, including1-year-olds,2-year-olds,3-year-olds,4-year-olds,5-year-olds,6-year-olds,7-year-olds,8-year-olds,9-year-olds,10-year-olds,11-year-olds, and12-year-olds— plus the meticulously curatedStrategist Toy Store, filled with all our greatest hits.
TheLabubu crazehas somewhat calmed since I wrote about the global phenomenon in June. But I have heard from lots of parents and teachers that the creepy-cute plush bag charms are still just as coveted by grade-school kids. (I also still see them hanging from adults’ bags during my subway commute.) Popmart currently has a bunch of Labubu toys available to buy, including the Big Into Energy series, a matching Big Into Energy phone charm series, and the more recently released Pin for Love series, any of which would make an excellent gift.
Read more:The Confused Aunt’s Guide to Labubu
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I first got a look at this LEGO vending machine set over the summer while visiting one of several toy industry trade shows. The 1,343-piece kit lets you build a working vending machine that uses special coin bricks to “purchase” surprise balls with LEGO Minifigures inside. You can also fill the surprise balls with notes, candy, or any other small trinket.
Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio’s niece got this itty-bitty toy fridge with a working light inside for her 6th birthday in September. The fridge was selling out regularly at the time and it took about a month of waiting for back in stock alerts to find one available at retail, without paying a reseller’s markup. The set comes with exclusive minis and fridge magnets, plus her niece was also gifted afew mini surprise ballswith more food inside to stock the shelves. Trolio says that even as an adult she finds arranging and organizing the food inside is oddly satisfying.
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You don’t have to be aBlueyfan to enjoy playing with this elaborate toy grocery store. Like the best Barbie Dreamhouses it’s full of exciting details like a real working escalator and an intercom that actually works and attaches to the side of the building. Kids can call for a price check, push the cart around with Bluey and Bingo, or serve the sisters a lollipop and other snacks in the rooftop cafe.
New Magna-Tiles and Connetix sets
It was a bumper year for Magna-Tiles and Connetix launches; both brands came up with innovative new ways to play with magnetic building toys. Magna-Tiles branched out by adding several pet-themed sets to its lineup, including a mega pet playhouse with a fishbowl and hinged doors. There are also two different firefighter sets, police sets, and a Rail Racers set that helps turn regular tiles into ramps for cars or balls.
Connetix launched a very cool light-up pack that lets you build your own night lights or lanterns. There are also new expanded roads packs, aConnetix Proline that’s geared toward older kids, and a set of nesting window-shaped tiles called Portals.
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I included Play-Doh Barbie on my list of thebest holiday gifts for 5-year-oldsand I think it is legitimately one of the best toys you can get this year because it combines two childhood classics in one creative kit. Each set in theseriescomes with an 11-inch Barbie doll, a stand, a sheet of patterned Play-Doh, a clothing cutter, a tool for making fringe or ruffles, a stamper, and hair and hat molds. Once you’ve used up all that, you can also buy additional pattern sets in hearts,bows, andgems.
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The original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017 and has been one of the gaming world’s most popular consoles ever since. So when Nintendo finally released the upgradedSwitch 2in June, it immediately sold out. The new system has a bigger screen and improved controls, plus it gives you access to games you can’t play on the original Switch, likeMario Kart WorldandDonkey Kong Bananza. And, though it’s more expensive, according to Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon, it’s definitely worth the money.
Read more:The Nintendo Switch 2 Is Definitely Worth the Upgrade
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DJ Furby - Rainbow
While I do not want DJ Furby in my house, I do think it’s a toy that kids will love and one that will be hard to get come December. It’s an expanded version of the original 1998 Furby with a long soft body and light-up buttons on its belly that kids can use to switch from dance party to BFF to chill mode. And it speaks both English and Furbish now.
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Also in my guide to thebest holiday gifts for 5-year-oldsis this adorable and lifelike hatching baby T.Rex toy. Watch as your baby dinosaur gnaws its way out of its egg and leaves traces of gooey dino blood behind. Once it is “born,” you can feed it a steak and give it gentle pets to get it to chill out.
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My favorite interactive animal toy of the year is Maggie the Feed and Follow Cow. When prompted, she’ll follow her baby bottle anywhere, like a real Highland Cow calf. She also moos, swishes her tail, blinks her enormous sparkly eyes, and plays the little toy bell attached to her collar.
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I already have Melissa & Doug’s Spray and Shine Car Wash squirreled away for my son’s upcoming 3rd birthday. And I predict that it will quickly become a favorite toy in our house. The car comes splattered with mud that disappears when you spray it with cold water and send it through the sponge-y rollers. Just rinse it in warm water to make the dirt reappear and start the process over again.
More Christmas Gift Ideas
- The Best Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
- The Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds
- The Best Father’s Day Gifts for Outdoorsy Dads, According to Outdoorsy Dads
- The Best Gifts for Outdoorsy Dads, According to Outdoorsy Dads
The Strategistis 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 abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
