Every year, The Real Deal monitors the shopping scene to predict which toys will be the ones topping kids’ holiday wish lists — and which ones parents should buy early. Over the years, toy highlights have included Hatchimals and the NES Classic Edition back in 2016; Fingerlings and the SNES Classic in 2017; Pomsies and Rainbocorns in 2018; Blume Dolls and Owleez in 2019; Squeakee the Balloon Dog and Baby Yoda in 2020; Magic Mixies in 2021; and Mixlings, CoComelon and that viral mini Target Toy Shopping Cart in 2022.
To help us make sense of the 2023 holiday toy landscape, we reached out to toy industry experts who know what kids want and which toy trends are going to define this holiday season. Plus, read on for advice on how to time your holiday toy purchases to get what you want and save the most, especially after a year of inflation.
Table of Contents
- Holiday Toy Trends.
- Top Toys for the 2022 Holidays: Our Official List.
- Advice for Toy Shoppers: When to Start Shopping for Toys.
Combining what the experts had to say about this year’s trends with early top toy lists (Walmart’s dropped on Aug. 22 and Amazon released its annual Toys We Love List on Sept. 12) and our knowledge of what’s flown off shelves in previous years, we’ve rounded up the hottest toys for holiday season 2023. We hope our list helps you make you make your gift list early this year — because some of the toys below may be tough to come by in December.
For more on toy trends, check out our more in-depth Q&As with toy industry experts:
- DeeDee Wright-Ward of Purpose Toys talks the importance of diversity in the toy aisle.
- Jay Foreman of Basic Fun! talks toy nostalgia and intergenerational play.
- Nelo Lucich of Skyrocket talks gel blasters and other trending tech toys.
Top Holiday Toy Trends for 2023
After a couple years of “new normals,” (the pandemic, then supply chain issues, then “revenge” spending on experiences and travel), 2023 has been the year of inflation. While inflation itself has been slowing for months, shoppers have been hammered by it for a solid year now. So where does that leave toys? Are consumers, pinched as they are by rising costs and rising credit card APRs, going to hold back on holiday toy shopping? Not necessarily.
“I think if consumers look carefully, they’re going to see one of the areas of products that’s been least hit by inflation is the toy market,” says Jay Foreman, CEO of toy company Basic Fun!, which owns toy brands Tonka, My Little Pony, Lite-Brite and Care Bears.
[Consumers] have done a pretty fair amount of revenge travel and revenge going-out-to-dinner. And they might turn around and say, “‘”Boy, it was great to get out again, but, heck, when I look at my dinner bill, what they’re charging me at restaurants and what the hotels are charging and what the airlines are charging, it’s ridiculous.”
Jay Foreman, Basic Fun!
Toys are largely imported, Foreman says, and transportation costs and prices in China have stabilized). Plus, with price points of as little as $5, toys may present a better value (and hours of play) for a lower cost than more inflation-hit “experiential” purchases like travel and meals out.
“[Consumers] have done a pretty fair amount of revenge travel and revenge going-out-to-dinner,” he says. “And they might turn around and say, ‘Boy, it was great to get out again, but, heck, when I look at my dinner bill, what they’re charging me at restaurants and what the hotels are charging and what the airlines are charging, it’s ridiculous.’”
If you’re heading back to the toy aisle this year, these are the overarching trends to get caught up on for 2023:
1. Barbie and Her Doll Army
“We can’t talk toys without talking about Barbie,” says Marissa Silva, , editor-in-chief at The Toy Insider, which provides toy-buying guides and expert reviews. “…While tech toys and flashy playthings have gotten lots of attention over the last decade, this film has reminded people of all ages just how much they love the classic doll.”
And Barbie isn’t alone. Dolls in general are trending, Silva says, citing American Girl, Rainbow High dolls and Our Generation dolls as examples of toys that are expected to be “big business” this year.
Doll lines are also getting more diverse, notes Jen Derevensky, co-president of Ren Beanie Public Relations, which specializes in consumer products for kids. Parents and kids now have natural-hair baby dolls like Littlelistas and Latinistas (the first all-Latina fashion doll line sold at major retailers).
“New doll lines that represent a wide range of cultures and backgrounds continue to join the market, offering more authentic and nuanced options for shoppers,” Derevensky says.
2. Pink and Sparkles
Thanks to Barbie, and to Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour, the toy industry is going to be riding a pink and sparkly wave into the holidays. That means shoppers should expect “dazzling sequins and shimmery pink” to be “extremely alluring” this season, Derevensky says. Examples include the limited-edition Care Bears Sequin Cheer Bear and the Disney Junior Minnie Mouse Butterfly Ballerina Plush.
3. ‘Kidulting’ Toys
Holiday toys aren’t just for kids. Adults are also collecting LEGO sets, stuffies, action figures and more for nostalgia and fun.
“One of the biggest and most-talked-about is a trend we are calling Kids @ Heart,” Silva says. “More grownups are playing with toys than ever before, and toy companies are making toys with kids at heart in mind.”
The “Kidulting” trend has been percolating for a while (think the Bronies, adult male “My Little Pony Fans” who got a lot of media attention several years ago) and encompasses casual collectors and serious hobbyists alike.
“There’s a whole group of adults who are into toys as a hobby,” Foreman says. “So that’s a growing trend of toys being purchased outside their age demographic.”
4. Nostalgia and Intergenerational Play
This one’s different from Kidulting – it involves parents purchasing toys they remember playing with as kids for their kids. The result? Shared, intergenerational play time.
Parents might not be able to relate to (or figure out) the play patterns of a new, unfamiliar toy. But a toy they played with as a child?
“With my kid, I can play board games because I know how to play them. I could sit with my son and play Star Wars because I knew who the characters were,” Foreman says. “…Multigenerational play is priceless.”
As technology innovates, some of these toys that spark parents’ nostalgia have some new bells and whistles, too.
“Classic beloved brands that offer an engaging new twist are sure to ignite a wave of excitement,” Derevensky says. For example, the new Elmo Slide encourages kids to mimic Elmo’s dance moves. And Lite-Brite has a new peg-free version called the Lite-Brite Touch as well as a Disney Super-Bright special-edition version.
5. Affordable Tech Toys for Older Kids and Teens
Technology is always evolving but also becoming more affordable, meaning toys “that bring video game play to life” are fitting into more parents’ budgets, says Derevensky.
“Affordable tech toys will be hot this year, especially for hard-to-shop-for tweens and teens,” she says.
Examples include drones, toy maneuverable stunt jets, music mixers and Bluetooth-enabled gel blasters. And all of these have options at the under-$100 price point.
What’s a gel blaster, you ask? It’s a toy gun that shoots water-based pellets that burst on impact and evaporate (these pellets are non-toxic and leave no mess or stain behind, by the way).
“Gel beads blasters came out maybe 12 months ago and blew up on TikTok,” says Nelo Lucich, CEO of Skyrocket, which created the Faction line of gel bead blasters. “It was all organic. There were a couple videos posted, and all of a sudden the category blew up overnight. We couldn’t keep up with demand. That’s still a really hot category.”
If you have to read a 10-page manual before you even try it, that’s not fun.
Nelo Lucich, Skyrocket
Toy companies do have to strike a balance, though, between cool and too complicated for parents to figure out, Lucich says. His company, Skyrocket, offers the flyable Sky Viper Vector Performance Stunt Jet, which, despite having impressive tech features, can get flying practically right out of the box.
“User experience and fun factor are the most important things,” Lucich says. “If you have to read a 10-page manual before you even try it, that’s not fun. “
6. Plush
Plush toys might not have many (or any) bells and whistles, but the plush category is still a crowd-pleaser this year.
“Thanks in large part to the massive popularity of Squishmallows, plush toys are very trendy this year for kids of all ages, from toddlers to highschoolers,” Silva says. “Some of our favorite new collections are BumBumz from Jazwares and Fluffie Stuffiez from MGA Entertainment.”
Amazon’s 2023 Toys We Love list heavily features plush toys, including the (preorder only) weighted Elmo doll ($19.99), Pokemon plushes and the Amazon-exclusive Wild Republic Holiday Fox plush ($18.99).
7. Traditional and Timeless
The most enduring “trend” of all, however, is not a trend: Traditional, timeless and low-tech toys are still relevant and always a go-to — and, parents should note, a good break from screen time.
“Traditional toys are a really good disconnect, and when kids sit down and play with dolls or Hot Wheels or action figures or board games, they put the electronics down,” Foreman of Basic Fun! says.
Which Toys Will Sell out This Year?
Here’s some good news: 2023 is a year that parents may not have to rush to a store, scout restocks and pay an arm and a leg on the secondary market. Our experts say there’s no front-runner, hyped-up ‘it’ toy this year.
“I think everything is so fragmented you’re not seeing singular toys stand out the way they did in the past,” Lucich says. “In the past, you’d have this one must-have product, but we haven’t had that in a while.”
Some may remember the run on Magic Mixies during the 2021 holiday season, but that was an anomaly – a result of the supply chain challenges that defined that holiday season and some clever marketing.
“If you remember, nobody knew what the Magic Mixies were, this time [early fall] that year,” Foreman says. “They deliberately hit very very late in the season and they created a demand for it. Today, I don’t see anything like that.”
There are some toys that are poised to be popular (and become hard to find later in the season, though). Derevensky predicts the Magic Mixies (there’s a new Genie Lamp version) will still be among this year’s ‘it’ toys and the new Furby will be right up there as well. Plus, “highly-collectible” toys, like the Disney Doorables figures “typically sell through quickly,” Derevensky says. “Especially the Disney100 Celebrations of Wonder Set and Series 10 Multi Peek, which has an ultra-rare limited production Mickey Mouse Disney100 figure – only 100 were made!”
Top Toys of the 2023 Holiday Season
And now, without further ado, these are the top toys of the 2023 holiday season. We’ll update our roster as retailers come out with their official toy books and toy lists (and as our editors’ kids update their wish lists). Note: These toys are not ranked in any particular order, but are a representative list of what’s bubbling to the top, popularity wise, as well as new trends that are likely to crescendo this year.
Barbie
What it is: Barbie needs NO introduction, especially after the year she’s had in the spotlight. And her product line has options for every budget, from $100+ Barbie dream houses, to dolls that retail for under $20. If you’re after limited-time collector versions of dolls from the movie (like Weird Barbie or Roller Barbie), you’ll likely find those sold out (or preorder-only), but check here to see what Mattel has left.
Why it’s a top toy: Pop culture trends always give holiday toys a boost, and we expect the Barbie hype to be going strong during the holiday shopping season. Plus, Barbie has always been a classic that constantly innovates – her Dream Houses make it into the major retailers’ toy lists and catalogs year after year.
How much and where to buy: The Barbie Fantasy Hair doll above retails for $16.29 at Target. And you can shop everything else Barbie at Target.
Rainbow High Dolls
What it is: A line of fashion dolls aimed at the 6-to-12 set. Each one is dressed head to toe in a single color. There’s an animated series based on the dolls, and the characters all attend Pacific Coast High, an elite fine arts school that holds classes poolside.
Why it’s a top toy: Dolls are having a moment, thanks to Barbie. With each doll embodying its own color, Rainbow High dolls are very collectible. And the show tie-in fuels the dolls’ popularity, as kids will want their favorite character(s). Plus, who can resist these bright colors and enviable clothing?
How much and where to buy: $25 to $50 at Amazon, depending on how many dolls (and outfits) come in a set.
Furby from Hasbro
What it is: Parents will remember (how can they forget?) the gremlin-like interactive beast that sings, talks and moves. Furby has made a comeback in 2023 in time for the holidays, and it has pretty much the same features and appeal as the original (its eyes are less creepy, though, we must say). Now, it has the ability to be awakened by a wake word (“Hey Furby”) just like Alexa (Furby doesn’t connect to the internet, though), and can make 600 responses in both English and Furbish.
Why it’s a top toy: Furby taps into the nostalgia and intergenerational-play trends. It also made Walmart’s Top Toys list for 2023.
“This year, one of the biggest toys is sure to be Furby from Hasbro,” Silva says. “Parents will latch on to the nostalgic factor the furry little creature brings, and kids will love the adorable design and interactivity.”
How much and where to buy: $69.99 at Walmart
Beast Lab from Moose Toys
What it is: Beastly creatures that look like lizzards, sharks and dinos that you unleash from a “lab” at home. They’re from Moose Toys, which also created the Magic Mixies. They come out in September and are aimed at kids 5 and up.
“Beast Lab from Moose Toys is incredibly cool and kids will love the surprise reveal in store,” Silva says. “It’s sort of like a mad-scientist, monster-fied version of the super popular Magic Mixies.”
Why it’s a top toy: Walmart included Beast Lab in its Top Toys list. Magic Mixies took the holiday season by storm in 2021, with kids entranced by the “surprise” toy factor (you don’t know which creature you’ll get until it emerges from the cauldron at home). Beast Lab toys, similarly, emerge from a mad-scientist’s lab setup that your child unlocks with a finger scan. Your kid then adds “ingredients” to set off bubbles, and then a surprise beast emerges. Moose Toys has a winning formula here, and it’s still running with it.
How much and where to buy: $69 at Walmart to $74.99 at various retailers; available online Sept. 1 and in stores Oct. 1.
Elmo Slide
What it is: A dancing, interactive Elmo doll for preschoolers. He combines the nostalgia factor with technology that encourages kids to move. The toy plays the “Elmo Slide” song and encourages kids to dance along. You can also activate “game mode” for Elmo to lead your child in a game.
Why it’s a top toy: Elmo has staying power, and his various iterations have become top toys over the years. This version, which will entertain your toddler for you, is sure to resonate with parents. Want a less callisthenic iteration of Elmo? The Comfy Cozy Monster Hugs Elmo ($19.99 at Amazon) made Amazon’s 2023 Toys We Love List. It’s is a weighted, sensory version of Elmo that helps ease your child’s anxiety.
How much and where to buy: $49.99 at Walmart
Magic Whisper Luna
What it is: A plush cat with a bone-conduction speaker inside. That means everyone else hears meows coming from the toy, but when your child puts the cat’s magical gem to their forehead, they hear a special message just for them.
Why it’s a top toy: Magical pets and plushes have been trending for years now. This plush has a cool tech factor (the bone-conduction speaker), but won’t break the bank.
“The child gets to feel like they have a special connection with their pet,” Lucich says. “They can talk to the cat and nobody else can. And it’s $25 retail. So it’s got these cool technological features, but it’s at a low price point.”
How much and where to buy: $24.99 at Target.
Faction Spectre Gel Bead Blaster
What it is: A toy shooter that fires gel beads (at the rate of eight beads per second). The beads explode on impact, are nontoxic and leave no mess behind. Pair it with the Faction Skyfire Target Drone, which menuevers through the sky as you try to hit it with your gel blaster.
Why it’s a top toy: Gel blasters are all the rage right now, and this one’s got three firing modes, a team chat button and a smart beacon that tracks accuracy. You can also connect it to the Faction app to track your stats (optional). Basically, gel blasters take what kids love about Nerf, but don’t require hunting down darts behind bushes afterwards.
“The little kids are playing with Nerf, but, for the older kids, with the [gel bead] ammo, you don’t need to reload darts,” Lucich says. “With foam darts, you have to pick up the darts all over the house and reload. You spend a lot of time not shooting darts, but picking up darts.”
The shooters can be had for under $50, and ammo is cheap – 40,000 new beads for as low as $14.99.
How much and where to buy:
- $49.99 at Amazon for the blaster
- $34.99 at Amazon for the target drone
- Reload with 40,000 new beads for $14.99.
Minnie Mouse Butterfly Ballerina Plush
What it is: A singing, dancing, light-up Minnie Mouse plush for the 3-and-up set. She knows phrases like, “Come on, let’s dance together,” and she sings the song “Just like a Butterfly” while her tutu spins and lights up.
Why it’s a top toy: Is Disney ever NOT at the top of little kids’ wish lists? Is Minnie NOT always a vibe? The toy also leans into the plush trend and the trend of interactive toys (like Elmo, above) that encourage kids to move.
How much and where to buy: $39.99 at Amazon
Sky Viper Vector Performance Stunt Plane
What it is: A toy stunt plane that can be controlled with a video-game-like controller to fly and do loops and barrel rolls. It flies up to 35 miles an hour, can be controlled from up to 600 feet away and has an audio tracer so you can find it if it crash-lands out of sight.
Why it’s a top toy: The plane made the Toy Association’s 2023 finalists list for the Outdoor Toy of the Year category.
It’s one of the pricier items on our list, but it’s still under $100 – and it ties into the tech trend. It’s got plenty of features, but it also is easy to get in the air. Last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” got kids and adults alike interested again in stunt flying, Lucich says.
“You feel like you’re a Top Gun pilot,” he says.
It also taps into the intergenerational play trend (who DOESN’T want to play with this thing?) and gets kids away from screens and out of the house.
How much and where to buy: $79.99 at Amazon
Lite-Brite
What it is: The ultimate throw-back toy. Lite-Brite is just how you remembered it – a light-up backboard with interchangeable patterns that let you insert colored pegs to create light art.
These days, you also have plenty of special-edition patterns to play with, including the Disney 100 Years of Wonder edition and even a “Stranger Things” edition. Going on a road trip? Take the pegless Lite-Brite Touch version, which lets you light up cells by touch to make art and play games.
Why it’s a top toy: Lite-Brite is simple and classic. Parents remember it, and kids still love it. And it enjoys staying power, due to its ability to be part of pop culture moments (like “Stranger Things”). These tie-ins have taken it outside its original 4-to-8 age demographic.
“It turns into not really a toy, but a craft that turns into a room decor piece for an older kid,” Foreman says. “…We’re finding ways to make these classic toys hip or stretch the age demographic out so that a broader range of consumers can embrace some of these classic properties.”
How much and where to buy:
- Disney 100 Years of Wonder version: $24.99 at Amazon
- Lite-Brite Touch: $29 at Amazon
- Lite-Brite “Stranger Things” Special Edition: $30 at Amazon
BumBumz
What it is: A line of collectible plushes that come in many forms. They’re from Jazwares, which acquired Kellytoy (the maker of Squishmallows) a few years ago.
Why it’s a top toy: BumBumz are still new (they just hit the market in 2022) and there’s a lot of buzz around the question, “Are BumBumz the new Squishmallows?” They’ve proliferated widely (and quickly), they’re collectible and they’re cute. They have a different texture from their sister-line Squishmallows (which makes them compelling from a sensory standpoint) and, while we haven’t gotten our hands on one of them yet, buyers rave about how soft they are.
How much and where to buy: $15 and up at Amazon
Fluffie Stuffiez
What it is: Another plush, with a fun twist! Pull the fluff off the toy to reveal the new colors underneath. Then, stuff that fluff into a squishy mold pouch to create a new toy.
Why it’s a top toy: Walmart included this toy on its Top Toys of the Year list, and it was a finalist for the Toy Association’s list as well. Fluffie Stuffiez tie into the plush trend, the surprise trend (because of the new colors and patterns underneath) and the collectibles trend (because of all the different options). They’re also a fidget and sensory toy – pulling the soft fluff off the toy is very satisfying.
How much and where to buy: $14.96 at Walmart
Care Bears Sequin Cheer Bear
What it is: A sparkly updated, limited-edition version of a classic cartoon character.
Why it’s a top toy: This toy intersects with the nostalgia trend, the kidulting trend, the sparkles trend and the plush trend. Cheer Bear is simply timeless and will be well loved by your kid or inner child.
How much and where to buy: $24.99 at Amazon
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 7-Inch Feature Bowser Action Figure with Fire Breathing Effects
What it is: A 7-inch Bowser action figure, inspired by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” It breathes “fire” when you fill its reservoir (the mouth lights up red and vapor comes out). Bowser is part of a suite of several movie-related action figures.
Why it’s a top toy: Movie tie-ins tend to dominate the subsequent holiday season, and the “Mario” movie absolutely captivated kids this year. Bowser was the breakout star of this film, with his viral ballad “Peaches” going viral on TikTok thanks to kids performing it at their schools’ talent shows. The fire-breathing element makes this action figure a little bit cooler than the other characters’ figures.
How much and where to buy: $29.97 at Amazon
When to Start Shopping for Holiday Toys
Now that you understand the toy landscape, it’s time to make your shopping plan, because when it comes to holiday toys, timing is everything. You want to make sure you get what your kid wants and get a deal on it, if possible.
What’s confusing about the 2023 holiday shopping season, is that it’s not like any of the most recent holiday shopping seasons, Foreman says. It’s not like 2021 (the year of the supply chain issues) or 2022 (the year retailers were left with a glut of inventory).
“This year is sort of in between,” Foreman says. “The retailers are being cautious. … They’d prefer to sell out rather than be over-inventoried.”
That means last year’s advice of holding out until the last minute to take advantage of retailers having too much stock won’t likely work this year.
“You probably will get deals earlier this season than later,” Foreman says “…You’ll see the sales early because retailers always want to get the selling season kicked off early, and I think you’re going to find not as many promotions later in the year.”
Consider this your plan:
1. If you know exactly what your kid wants this year, and it’s a hot item, get it early.
“Coming out of the pandemic, retail ate a lot of inventory and ended up carrying huge amounts of inventory, so they’re not trying to do that again,” Lucich says. “So if it’s a new hot toy, there might not be enough stock.”
2. Keep looking for sales throughout the fall.
That way, you can take advantage of early deals that pop up (like Target’s $20 off $100 toy sale that usually happens in the fall, as well as Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale in October).
“It’s a great idea to start shopping for toys as early as September,” Silva says. “If you know what your kids want early on, that gives you a lot of time to try to find them at the best price. Shop early, shop often, watch for deals, and always leave a little bit of ‘just in case’ room in the budget for those last-minute ‘must-have’ items kids will decide they need to have.”
Black Friday is still one of those big “buying moments,” Lucich says. But keep an eye out for deals the entire fall.
“You just have to watch the price. When you see it on a great sale, buy it,” he says.
3. Plan to finalize kids’ wish lists by late-fall.
If your kids need an inspirational nudge, retailers’ toy catalogs (including the famous Amazon toy catalog) get mailed out in October. But “set expectations they are not getting everything,” Derevensky says. In fact, encourage them to prioritize their picks so you know what to scoop up first.
“In our house, we have a Black Friday tradition – I give the kids all the holiday catalogs, along with scissors, glue sticks and poster board, and have them create their own ‘wish boards’ with favorites grouped together,” Derevensky says. “It’s a fun way to get them excited for the holidays post-Thanksgiving, and it keeps them busy while I shop online.”
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