The Hottest Holiday Toys of 2024

This Walmart exclusive is a hit with kids, tweens, teens, and adults — so, everyone. It’s a little like a Magic 8 Ball with the voice of Darth Vader. You tap his head for his “wise,” but often obtuse, advice. Ask if you can wear pajamas all day and Darth might say, “Your thoughts betray you.” His eyes light up red while he talks, but because he’s only 6 inches tall, he’s far from scary. Darth has 40 responses; one of which is, “Don’t underestimate the dark side. And don’t underestimate your taxes.”

The popular Bluey cartoon features the Heeler family. They’re dogs, and Australian, but everyone in the USA relates to them deeply. After watching “The Sign” with my niece, which left us bawling our eyes out, I am a forever fan. There are several new Bluey toys for 2024, but this is my favorite; it’s an airplane that opens up to be a resort with a bonus boat. It comes with Bluey and sister Bingo, dressed for vacay. The exclusive Amazon version also includes mom, dad, and a captain to pilot the vehicles.

People of all ages are mesmerized by this looped string that zips so fast through its controller that it seems to fly, defy gravity and do tricks. It’s a blast, and I’ve watched kids and adults beg for a turn.

The 46 silicone pieces of the Plip Kit lock together or break apart with a satisfying sound. It’s not like kids can build a house out of the bendy strings, but they can make plenty of cool creations, including balls and garland strands. It’s a cross between a construction toy and a fidget toy and, so far, hugely popular with online reviewers.

I’ll always love the Dreamhouse, but this Camper is less expensive and still wow-worthy. Kids can unfold a giant, 30-inch slide for their dolls to have a little water-park action at the campsite. More than 60 accessories are included, like stickers and furniture and two puppies.

Everyone and their nephew loves Magna-Tiles, and this one also scratches the itch for kids who love outer space. What’s cool is that all the pieces of the buildable launch pad are stored inside the space shuttle. The tiles are compatible with the rest of the Magna-Tiles universe, including this year’s new castle.

Toddlers love ride-ons. They love boxes. And they love little cars. This has all of those! Your child can stash boxes in the van, “deliver” some toys, and generally tool around. It’s made by Radio Flyer and is an ode to the delivery drivers who bring so many families their holiday presents.

Spidey and His Amazing Friends is one of the most popular shows for toddlers and preschoolers. This animatronic Spidey friend dances when upright and crawls when you set him on his belly — he’s a hoot.

This new doll is gorgeous, and with Moana 2 coming out during Thanksgiving weekend, it’s going to be in high demand (shipments are already backordered to December). She’s got luxurious long, curly hair, a flower barrette, a pretty armband, plus a necklace that opens up.

It’s Darth again! This time he’s two feet tall, shoots disks across the room, has a Stormtrooper that can live on his shoulder, and wields a lightsaber. A hatch opens in the back to reveal a playset, so it’s a great toy-within-a-toy with a lot of surprise features to uncover.

Your baby will love pulling out these root vegetables — each has a texture that is fun to explore. Additional “seed packets” are actually crinkle toys, and there’s a mirror on the bottom so you can flip it over, set it upright, and let your baby gaze.

These five giant foam pieces give your kid the raw materials for a stage, a throne, a fort — whatever they want to build. The base piece folds in half, and the blue-cloud piece can be a backrest for sitting or an arch to crawl through. There are a ton of possibilities for the playroom!

It’s tough to choose the best LEGO set because there are so many good ones, but I do like the new Animal Crossing LEGO universe, based on the popular video game. This set includes minifigures Isabelle, a Shih Tzu, and Fauna, a deer. Once kids build the home and garden they can play with it like a dollhouse.

See, I could not choose just one LEGO. I want to include this Monster Truck because it’s awesome, costs less than $15, and is good for a wide age range, starting at age 5. I recommend buying a few and keeping them on hand for birthday parties because it’s the kind of LEGO set that a kid wouldn’t even mind having multiples of!

Whoa, it’s a wooden toy with a very modern play pattern — that of a vending machine. It really works to dispense the included toy food, or your kid can put other things in there and have it dispense small stuffed animals or real snacks.

Toddlers watch the gentle Ms. Rachel via YouTube, where she has 12 million subscribers following her educational content. Now there are Ms. Rachel toys, too, like this soft box that babies and toddlers can empty out, practicing small-motor skills and learning about object permanence. Six toys are inside, including a scarf and a plush Bean Bear.

Daisy can be as fun for your pre-K kid as it is for your tween or teen. There’s fart humor, yoga poses (she can do a downward dog or a bird pose), and there’s also a practical meditation mode that has Daisy breathing deeply while soft music plays.

I love that even 18-month-olds can play with a train, thanks to this set, built in the round like an activity center but featuring a smiling Thomas engine and train track. Toddlers can match puzzle shapes to their correct pegs, move an elevator up and down, and open and close the doors of the station house.

A teen who loves to be in the kitchen could get very into this, which works like a 3D pen but makes edible sugar decorations. It’s harder to use than the brand makes it look — early creations might be hilariously basic, and not worthy of any TikTok video — but it keeps an older kid focused, busy, and challenged. And they can eat their mistakes!

Ending with one more for the preschoolers: This axolotl who teaches as she’s fed. Kids can hold up a food piece for Sandy to sniff, then place it on her tongue to learn about the food through Sandy’s songs and phrases. The food then travels through her body and out her behind, which is always good for a laugh.