Kids Are Already Begging for the New Elmo — So Beat the Masses and Grab These Toys Early This Year (2024)

Squeezy interactive dumplings are a bit reminiscent of Wowwee's Fingerling toys, except these are much cuter. You squeeze their little cheeks, and its little body pops right out of the head, and the eyes move up and down.

We promise it's nowhere near as strange as it sounds. It's positively sweet, and kids are going wild for it. (Mine certainly are.) These are available for preorder right now, shipping the week of Nov. 15. 2021.

Got a little future daredevil on your hand? Why not get them one of these very slow (1mph) bumper cars? It's battery-charged and controlled via dual joysticks under each hand.

Just make sure that your child is at least 18 months old, and always strapped in and buckled before setting them loose to annoy the cat and each other. They will have tons of fun, though.

Do you have a future Picasso on your hands? Let your child indulge their inner artist and love of cute creatures with the Crayola Scribble Scrubble Cloud Playset.

In the kit your child will get a koala-corn and owl-icorn and a set of special markers, a rainbow slide, and a tub to wash off the creations. It's utterly charming.

If your child is itching to pick up a new instrument, but you're not sure if you have the cash to shell out for lessons, bring home this quality keyboard.

It functions just like a regular piano keyboard, but it also features the ability to teach your child new music by connecting to an app. The keys will light up and show your kid how to play songs. It's entertaining and will leave your child with music skills to last a lifetime.

If the skill really takes off, you can also bring home this 88-key piano keyboard that teaches music in the same way.

We're all trying to be just a little bit better to the planet, and that can start by decreasing the amount of plastic toys we buy our kids.

This cardboard castle lets kids do the work of decorating it, thanks to the coloring-pages exterior. And it should be noted that just because it's cardboard doesn't mean it's not sturdy. Think of all the boxes your kids keep around for months and months just because they've determined it's the perfect theatre/mailbox/veterinary office.

Moose Toys have some real magical mojo, and this year, they really hit it out of the park. The Magical Mixies Crystal Ball is a step up from 2021's cauldron.

There's a lot happening with this toy: it's a crystal ball that lights up and has "eerie smoke" (glycerin steam), and kids use their magic wand to make a surprise creature appear. That creature has over 80 sounds and reactions, acting a bit like a Zoltar or Magic 8 ball. Kids can do it over and over again, and the crystal ball also doubles as a night light! Kids love this toy so much that we named it our toy of the year in 2022.

More: The Best Outdoor Toys for Kids

Remember the bottle trend from a few years ago where kids were trying to flip a half-full bottle of water to land on its base? It's like that, with the addition of having a dart element to it. Also, it's way easier to land these darts.

The darts are built with suction cups that stick pretty well to most surfaces without damaging them. How do I know? My kids landed their darts on my oh, so brand-new television ... and it was fine.

“What’s this called?” “Where’s my funny bone?”

Got a body-curious kid? This is the toy they need. Not only is it a fun squishy toy, but it also properly labels each part of the body in plain and simple English. It’s informative and a real riot for kids who are into it.

Plus, it comes with tweezers to get the organs out, which is gross and cool.

Not many pretend play toys have delighted our testers as thoroughly as this spaceship. It's a wooden, puzzle-style build, with lights, sounds, and projectors. The inside has this cool, hologram/Trekkie-style screen that makes kids feel like they're really doing something special — and they are — they're flexing creative muscles.

The only drawback is that you'll have to flex your muscles to move it, because it is heavy.