The Toy Insider has released its 2026 holiday gift guide, and the list runs from Elmo’s hiccup fits to a shark popping out of a fizzing egg. The 20-item rundown covers toys for kids of all ages, from plush dolls to slime sets and a playable mini record player.
The list is the result of months of work by the Toy Insider team, who attend industry trade shows starting as early as 14 months before Christmas and hunt trends across media events and editorial submissions. They sift through thousands of toys each year, and this year’s picks had to pass five criteria: play value, originality, skill-building, product quality, and fun factor.
How The Picks Were Made
Ali Mierzejewski, Editor-in-Chief at The Toy Insider, explained the selection process to ABC News. “Through industry trade shows starting as early as 14 months out and trend hunting across media events and editorial submissions throughout the year, we sift through thousands of toys to find those that fit our play criteria and will surely be a big hit with our readers,” he said.
The criteria themselves are straightforward enough to be believed. Play value, originality, skill-building, product quality, and fun factor are the five points the team tests against.
What’s On The List
The list runs the full range of toy categories. Here is a quick look at some of the standout items:
- A Bluey-inspired 2-foot-tall playset with a chimney that projects spinning stars and moons
- An interactive Elmo that laughs, flaps his arms, and gets the hiccups from laughing too hard
- A Minnie Mouse roadster with pink and white details, a working horn, and a seatbelt
- A Play-Doh kitchen set with a pasta maker and a stove that sizzles with lifelike sound effects
- A 9.5-inch Yoshi figure whose tongue unrolls to pick up a magnetic apple
- A slime set with over 50 accessories, four regular slimes, and a mini slime pack
- A Pokémon Elite Trainer Box featuring the Futuristic Rare card and all-foil cards
- A shark egg that foams, fizzes, and turns red before the Megalodon jumps out
- A Rapunzel set with four Attack of the Vine booster packs and a glimmer foil promo card
- A LEGO Star Wars set with the Emperor’s throne room and an A-wing ship
- A mini record player with a vinyl that remixes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5
- A 16-inch interactive Pikachu plush that responds to hand movements with over 120 sounds and actions
Not every entry is a blockbuster licensed property. The ChompSaw, a safe power tool for kids that lets them build cardboard creations, made the list alongside the KPop Demon Hunters dolls and the NeeDoh fidget toys.
The Range Of Picks
The Toy Insider’s stated approach is to sift through thousands of toys and apply five specific tests: play value, originality, skill-building, product quality, and fun factor. The list reflects that approach, mixing licensed franchises with craft sets and fidget toys.
The Bluey playset and the Yoshi figure both carry the originality mark, with the Yoshi tongue mechanism standing out as a standout feature. The Play-Doh kitchen set and the ChompSaw both test the skill-building and product-quality criteria, giving kids hands-on projects rather than passive entertainment.
The Pokémon box and the Rapunzel set are clearly collector-targeted, while the slime set and the fidget toys lean toward impulse buys. The mini record player with the Beethoven remix is a separate category altogether.
The list also reflects current pop culture. Bluey, Pokémon, and Rapunzel are all properties with active audiences, and the KPop dolls reference the Korean wave.
What stands out is the sheer range. A shark popping out of a fizzing egg sits next to a plush Pikachu that tracks hand movements.
Source material: “The Toy Insider's top picks: 20 must-have toys for 2026,” ABC7 Los Angeles.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.