Toy and game companies were invited to submit their own "Hot for Holiday" picks this season, and the resulting lineup runs from $4.99 collectibles to a $279.99 wooden rail set. Gathered by The Toy Book, the submissions cluster around imaginative worlds, hands-on experiences, sensory fun, tech-forward play and familiar franchises — a spread the publication frames as the drivers retailers should have on their radar.
Because the picks come from the manufacturers themselves, the list reflects what companies want on shelves rather than independent testing or sales results. The publication directs readers to its sister title, The Toy Insider, for its holiday gift guide.
Licensed properties and collectibles
Franchise-driven items dominate the lower price points. The Pokémon Co. International marks 30 years of the brand with 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. The LEGO Group's 106-piece Bluey set ($24.99) recreates a school scene from the "Early Baby" episode with Bluey and Rusty mini-figures and a mini kitchen, café, hospital and baby-care area.
Collectibles scale down further. Super Impulse's Drip Drops line turns sneakers into 16 Series 1 styles carrying Hot Wheels, Godzilla and Smiley branding, each packed in a display shoebox with real laces, a display case and a keychain. TOMY International targets teens 15 and up with woodland-themed blind boxes carrying uplifting messages at $18.99–$24.99, while Jazwares offers a Pikachu puppetronic plush — more than 100 action and sound combinations, touch sensors, blinking eyes and mouth movement — developed by Wow! Stuff.
Sensory and hands-on play
Squish, stretch and repeat is the theme across several picks. Goliath's Chester ($29.99, ages 8+, three AAA batteries) wiggles and jiggles and lets out silly sounds when squeezed, and dances when his head is pressed. Schylling's NeeDoh countdown hides six squish surprises and seven Halloween treats behind 13 doors for $14.99, and Moose Toys packs five slimes with more than 50 mix-ins and beauty-inspired accessories into a $32.99 unboxing set.
Horizon Group USA's slow-flow glitter gel stress toys ($4.99–$8.99) cover licensed themes including Squishmallows, Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, Minecraft, Bluey and Pudgy Penguins. At the youngest end, Yoonique's 4-inch plush farm friends with squeezable rubber cores sell for $4.99, and Just Play's 18-inch Tiggle Me Elmo Giggle Max ($39.97, 18 months and up) adds full-body movement and laughter to the classic character.
Tech-forward play
Screen-adjacent toys arrive with explicit guardrails. Hapiko's voice-powered sticker maker uses AI to create and print sticker combinations, with built-in filters and assurances that the device is not "always listening." Cra-Z-Art's instant-print camera for tweens produces black-and-white prints in seconds without cables or extra devices, and ships with markers and stickers for decorating them.
Elsewhere, Tonies' Toniebox 2 Pokémon set ($199.99, ages 5+) includes Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur figures for its screen-free audio player; Golden Bear's Strikesphere basketball trainer ($99.99) uses light-guided drills across three game modes plus an LCD scoreboard; and Fizz Creations puts PAC-MAN, Tetris and Grinch games on keyring and plug-and-play devices at $16.99–$39.99. Loops Lab's DJ stage set, aimed at ages 12 and up, lights an eight-spot stage in multiple colors for its Waveravers band characters and two HedX DJ figurines.
Large-format playsets
At the top of the range, Ravensburger's BRIO World Space Deluxe Set ($279.99) takes the wooden railway into orbit with 56 pieces, a multilevel layout with tunnels, a space station, a rover and a lights-and-sounds shuttle whose astronaut figures use magnetic suits to connect to an interior tether. Mattel's customizable dollhouse ($214.99, ages 3+) spans nine indoor and outdoor play areas, two pools, two slides and more than 65 accessories, with two structures that join into one large house or two houses linked by a bridge.
Bluey's five-story home ($149.99) stands 2 feet tall with themed rooms and a chimney that projects spinning stars and moons; Simplay3's oversized sensory nest ($129.99, ages 2+) rocks and spins in any direction for collaborative indoor or outdoor play; and Fat Brain Toys' airflow tube set ($129.95) sends foam balls racing through adjustable tube builds.