Another holiday season means another round of toys that make us smile, laugh, and immediately clear space on our shelves. Our writers pulled together their favorite finds across fandoms, ages, and play styles to help you track down the perfect gifts for the geeks in your life. Here are the toys that stood out this year.
Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. This means that the GeekDad/GeekMom contributor may make a small amount of commission if you click through and purchase the item at no extra cost to you. We may have also received the item for review from the manufacturer.
Robosen Toy Story Mini Robots
Suggested By: Dakster Sullivan
Mfg: Robose
Price: Starting at $109.99
Purchase: Robosen Toy Story Mini Robots
Description: Robosen’s latest mini robot line gives kids the fun of Robosen tech without the price tag. These tiny and adorable robots come with basic programmable actions to add some fun to your kids’ room or your desk. Using the same base, you can interact with any character in the line (currently Toy Story and WALL-E). The fluid motions and authentic voices will have people wondering if you have the real deal. Using the Robosen Studio & Robosen Hub anyone can unlock their creativity by customizing actions and voices, and immerse themselves in a vibrant community of passionate fans sharing their incredible creations from around the world. The Toy Story collection starts at $109.99 and WALL-E.
Polly Pocket Back to the Future Compact
Suggested By: Jonathan H. Liu
Mfg: Mattel
Price: $33.00
Purchase: Polly Pocket Back to the Future Compact
Description: Here’s a Polly Pocket set that might end up sitting on mom or dad’s desk instead of in the kid’s playroom—it’s Back to the Future! The compact opens up to show the famous clock tower for the lightning bolt scene, or fold down the facade to switch to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance at the high school. The set comes with Doc, Marty, Lorraine, and—of course—the DeLorean time machine! (JHL)
ChompSaw
Suggested By: Jonathan H. Liu
Mfg: Chompshop
Price: $246
Purchase: ChompSaw
Description: This clever gizmo is like a table saw for cardboard—it’s kid-safe and makes it easy to cut out cardboard shapes for all sorts of projects. Chompshop has some digital patterns available, but there are plenty more to be found on Etsy and other sites, and of course, your kids can come up with their own ideas too! Read the full review here. (JL)
Lego Dancing Groot
Suggested By: Rory Bristol
Mfg: LEGO
Price: $35.95
Purchase: Lego Dancing Groot
Description: This buildable dancing Groot is a great gift for kids and adults, as it has an interesting and creative design, and is one of the best mechanical builds for beginners. Groot’s pot has storage for extra bits, along with a crank that makes Groot dance, and he has accessories from some fan-favorite scenes including sunglasses and headphones for his pre-teen phase. And if you’re worried about the film being a bit old (it was released in 2014), remember that movies may age, but dancing Groot is forever.
Nee Doh Sensory Toys
Suggested By: Rory Bristol
Mfg: Schylling
Price: $9.89
Purchase: Nee Doh Sensory Toys
Description: NeeDoh makes a range of sensory toys, most of which are meant to be squished and/or stretched. The Nice Cube is a 2.25″ cube which features a resilient and stretchy shell, but there are many types of sensory toys, including the Fuzz Ball, Mello Mallo, and the Sploot Splat, each of which offers its own style of sensory input. These toys are great for all ages, and the price point means you can get more than one for a larger gift, or just a couple for stocking stuffers. RB.
Kinetic Sand SquishPizza
Suggested By: Sarah Pinault
Mfg: Spin Master
Price: $20
Purchase: Kinetic Sand SquishPizza
Description: Kinetic Sand has slowly replaced all kinds of putty and squishy things in our house, as our go to malleable building toy, so we are excited now that they are branching out into tools and implements. Kinetic sand feels like wet sand, it can be squished, stretched, and shaped, but never dries out for endless reuse. The pizza kit is a great starter set including 1 pound of Kinetic Sand in 4 colors, 2 squishers and 3 tools. It comes in a great carry case so will be good for grandparent hopping over the holidays. SP.
Bitzee Jurassic World
Suggested By: Sarah Pinault
Mfg: Spin Master
Price: $35
Purchase: Bitzee Jurassic World
Description: Being a fan of my long dead Tamagotchi and the entire Jurassic Park franchise, it is with great misgivings that I turned this toy over to my ten year old instead of hoarding it away myself. This version of the Bitzee digital pet range allows you to pet a Dinosaur, where the dinosaurs respond to touch, tilts and shakes with sounds and reactions instead of eating you! You can raise a baby dinosaur, play games, and for the first time in the Bitzee range you can connect two Bitzees to play against friends or trade dinosaurs. Utterly mesmerizing for kids and adults!
L.O.L. Surprise Powerpuff Girls, Care Bears, and Minions
Suggested By: Will James
Mfg: L.O.L. Surprise
Price: $14.99 to $22.99
Purchase: L.O.L. Surprise Powerpuff Girls, Care Bears, and Minions
Description: L.O.L. Surprise dolls and toys have been a favorite of my daughter’s for years now, and this year L.O.L. has released several licensed team ups that no only my daughter loves, but bring loads of nostalgia for me too! Along with surprise balls for Care Bears, Minions, and Powerpuff Girls, there are also three L.O.L. fashion dolls for the Powerpuff Girls. Fans of L.O.L., surprise toys, or any of these franchises, will not be disappointed!
Funstars Racers
Suggested By: Will James
Mfg: Playmobil
Price: $22.99
Purchase: Funstars Racers
Description: This year, Playmobil released the Funstars racers. These race cars are pullback (and they pack quite a punch) and fully modular so you can customize your car between sets. They are available in four flavors Pizza, Unicorn, Professor, and Wrestler. Check out my full review of Playombil Funstars here!
Switch 2
Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Nintendo
Price: $449.00
Purchase: Switch 2
Description: The Nintendo Switch 2 is more than just an iterative upgrade of the previous Nintendo Switch hardware. Its improved graphical capabilities include 4K HDR support and 60 FPS gameplay when docked. Even in handheld mode, the 7.9-inch screen doesn’t miss a beat at 1080p. The Joy-Con 2 controllers magnetically attach and boast additional mouse functionality, and new features like GameChat and GameShare can’t help but make even a solo gamer like me a little bit more social. Additionally, the Switch 2’s robust backward compatibility allows me to revisit my existing Switch game library at any time, often with faster load times and improved visual fidelity. The holidays are the perfect time to pick up this new console, as it’s sure to please the entire family! –Z. [Review materials provided by Nintendo of America]
Game Boy 72046
Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: LEGO
Price: $59.97
Purchase: Game Boy 72046
Description: While I’m usually pretty good at ignoring the siren’s call of new LEGO products, I forked over the money for this 1:1 scale Game Boy replica as soon as pre-orders opened up. It beautifully apes the overall look and feel of the original DMG, complete with color-accurate buttons and d-pad. A working slot accepts brick-built Game Paks, and it even includes corresponding lenticular screens! Whether you’re a Nintendo fanboy or an avid LEGO builder, you’ll be bowled over by everything this ingenious 421-piece kit has to offer. –Z.
White Stripes Reaction Figures
Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Super 7
Price: $24.60
Purchase: White Stripes Reaction Figures
Description: Over time, I have slowly but surely amassed a veritable Who’s Who of tiny rock and roll royalty thanks to Super 7’s Reaction figure collection. In my den, Papa Emeritus III stands proudly next to Lemmy Kilmister and Wu-Tang’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard, all beneath the sightless eyes of the Slayer Minotaur. To celebrate their recent induction into the Hall of Fame, I just added The White Stripes to my musical rogues’ gallery. While there are a couple of versions—Super 7 has never been afraid to add some variation to the product line—I ended up going with the Get Behind Me Satan 2-pack, commemorating the 2005 album of the same name. Jack and Meg’s era-appropriate wardrobes walk a fine line between country/western and goth, adding just the right amount of je ne sais quoi to my growing figure collection. –Z.
