#Disney Junior Doc McStuffins All-in-One Nursery (Just Play)

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Hatchimals Surprise, Fingerlings, Star Wars, Luvabella, Lightseekers, Squishies, and 3Doodler Top the Toy Insider’s Hot 20, Top Tech 12, and STEM 10 Lists

The Toy Insider, one of the toy industry’s most influential organizations and a trusted go-to resource for parents and gift-givers, has unveiled its expert picks for the best kids’ toys and tech in its 12th Annual Holiday Gift Guide (https://www.thetoyinsider.com/2017-holiday-gift-guide/) The hottest and most coveted items for 2017 are broken out into three lists: the Hot 20 (the most wished-for items of the year), Top Tech 12 (featuring AI, AR, VR and other cutting-edge technologies) and STEM 10 (science, technology, engineering and math toys that make learning fun). These hand-picked 42 items represent an incredible assortment of must-have collectibles, interactive toys, traditional playthings, and tech-infused robots and drones, among many more categories that are sure to make kids of all ages jump for joy this holiday season.

The Toy Insider is the go-to source for product information about children’s toys, tech, and entertainment. It publishes two annual gift guides—one for summer and one for holiday—and reviews toys 365 days a year on thetoyinsider.com, a trusted resource for parents. The content is produced by an editorial team with more than 75 years of combined experience covering the toy industry. The Toy Insider is published by Adventure Publishing Group, publisher of leading trade publications The Toy Book, The Toy Report, The Licensing Book, and Total Licensing Report.

The Toy Insider 2017 Holiday Gift Guide-Cover

“Our team of experts spent the whole year searching for ‘the next Hatchimals,’ reviewing and playing with thousands of toys from manufacturers large and small,” says Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer, The Toy Insider. “There’s nothing like seeing a child’s amazement when they open their holiday gifts, and we’re confident that the toys found in our holiday gift guide will deliver big ‘Wow’s and huge smiles. At The Toy Insider, we know play.“

The Toy Insider’s Hot 20

0-2 years

Go! Go! Smart Wheels Race & Play Adventure Park (VTech)

Go! Go! Smart Wheels Race & Play Adventure Park (VTech)

Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart (LeapFrog)

3-5 years

Disney Junior Doc McStuffins All-in-One Nursery (Just Play)

Disney Junior Doc McStuffins All-in-One Nursery (Just Play)

FurReal Roarin’ Tyler, The Playful Tiger (Hasbro)

L.O.L. Surprise! Tots (MGA Entertainment)

Mickey Transforming Roadster Racer R/C (Jada Toys)

Mickey Transforming Roadster Racer R/C (Jada Toys)

Peppa Pig Lights & Sounds Family Home (Jazwares)

PJ Masks Rival Racers Track Playset (Just Play)

Teddy Ruxpin (Wicked Cool Toys)

Teddy Ruxpin (Wicked Cool Toys)

Thomas & Friends Super Station (Fisher-Price)

6-8 years

Fingerlings (WowWee)

Hatchimals Surprise (Spin Master)

JoJo Siwa CD+G Karaoke Machine (eKids)

JoJo Siwa CD+G Karaoke Machine (eKids)

Oonies Starter Kit (Moose Toys)

Shopkins Shoppies Super Mall (Moose Toys)

Shopkins Shoppies Super Mall (Moose Toys)

Soft’n Slo Squishies (ORB)

9+

LEGO Star Wars First Order Star Destroyer (The LEGO Group)

LEGO Star Wars First Order Star Destroyer (The LEGO Group)

Nerf Rival Nemesis MXVII-10K Blaster (Hasbro)

Nintendo Switch (Nintendo)

Nerf Rival Nemesis MXVII-10K Blaster (Hasbro)

Nintendo Switch (Nintendo)

SoundMoovz (Cra-Z-Art)

The Toy Insider’s Top Tech 12

Aura Drone with Glove Controller (KD Interactive)

Aura Drone with Glove Controller (KD Interactive)

DigiLoom (WowWee)

LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition (LeapFrog)

Lightseekers Starter Kit (TOMY)

Luvabella/Luvabeau (Spin Master)

Luvabella/Luvabeau (Spin Master)

Star Wars Hero Droid BB-8 (Spin Master)

Meccano M.A.X. (Spin Master)

Merge Cube (Merge VR)

R2-D2 App-Enabled Droid (Sphero)

Sky Viper V2450 GPS (Skyrocket)

Sky Viper V2450 GPS (Skyrocket)

Star Wars Hero Droid BB-8 (Spin Master)

Ultimate Justice League Batmobile (Mattel)

VRSE (Skyrocket)

The Toy Insider’s STEM 10

3Doodler Start Robotics Pen Set (3Doodler)

3Doodler Start Robotics Pen Set (3Doodler)

LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (The LEGO Group)

Barbie Fundamental Chemistry Set (Thames & Kosmos)

Dance Code Belle (Hasbro)

Droid Inventor Kit (littleBits)

HEXBUG VEX Robotics BattleBots Minotaur/Tombstone (HEXBUG)

Imagine: Power & Play Motorized 50 Model Building Set (K’NEX)

LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (The LEGO Group)

LEGO Worlds (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

LEGO Worlds (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

Remote-Control Machines: Construction Vehicles (Thames & Kosmos)

Rube Goldberg The Acrobat Challenge (Spin Master)

The Toy Insider’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide will appear in the November issue of Family Circle magazine, on newsstands on October 10th. An extended guide appears online at thetoyinsider.com starting today. This year’s print guide features more than 230 toys from nearly 100 different manufacturers, and an additional 150 toys can be found online, representing more than 130 toy companies in total.

Parents and gift-givers can easily search by a child’s age (broken out into 0-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9+ age groups) and interests using the handy skill-development key. They can also view the guide online with their children to create a wishlist of favorite toys, making holiday shopping easy for friends and family.

The Toy Insider is an independent organization. Its team of experts attends major toy industry trade shows and events and conducts briefings with manufacturers, retailers, and analysts throughout the year. The hot list submission is open to all toy companies, of all sizes. Toys must be new for 2017 and available to consumers for purchase for the holiday season, either on the company’s website or widely available through any retail partner. When evaluating toys, the team considers play value, originality, skill building, product integrity, and, of course, fun factor.

For more information, visit thetoyinsider.com.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide: The Toy Insider Predicts Toys to Top Kids’ Wish Lists with Expert 2017 Hot Holiday Toy Picks Hatchimals Surprise, Fingerlings, Star Wars, Luvabella, Lightseekers, Squishies, and 3Doodler Top the Toy Insider's Hot 20, Top Tech 12, and STEM 10 Lists…

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Walmart Announces 25 ‘Top Rated by Kids’ List In Advance of the Holidays

 It doesn’t matter if the kids have been naughty or nice – Walmart knows what they’ll all ask Santa for this year. To kick off the countdown to Christmas, the nation’s largest toy store today unveiled the list of this year’s hottest toys, as rated by a panel of esteemed experts: kids. This year’s Top Rated by Kids toy list revealed toys kids can interact with and collect; toys that keep kids moving; and toys inspired by their favorite movie and TV characters will be big this season. This year, nearly a quarter of the list is exclusive to Walmart.

For parents looking to get a head start on holiday shopping, Walmart also announced the return of its popular layaway program to help customers stay on budget or pay over time for their toys and other gifts.

“We are gearing up for the season by starting with what matters most to kids – toys!” said Anne Marie Kehoe, vice president of toys at Walmart U.S. “With a little over three months until Christmas, we want to help parents get ahead of the holiday hunt for the hottest toys and find the best deals. We narrowed down hundreds of toys to the top 25 we know kids will love…but this is just the start. We never stop looking for the hottest toys – ever! You can count on us having the latest trends at the best prices throughout the season.”

Top Rated by Kids Toy List

Walmart once again enlisted the help of hundreds of kids, from 18 months to 12 years old, to play with hundreds of contenders and determine the hottest toys coming down the chimney. Like other kid toy experts at the event, brothers, Ashton, 10, and Collin, 6, helped rate the top toys. “I liked the Monster Jam Grave Digger best because I could make it do donuts,” said Collin. “The Batbot is cool because I love watching Batman cartoons. And it shoots a motorcycle from its foot.” For Ashton, anything customizable and creative was a big hit, including the littleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit.

From Ashton, Collin, and the rest of the toy-testers, Walmart determined what will be on kids’ wish lists for Santa this year:

Interactive and Collectible: Toys that inspire creativity, as well as the ones your kids will want to collect and trade with their friends continue to be the hottest trending toys in stores and online. “Kids are looking for toys that allow them to bring their creativity to life,” said Kehoe. Taking a favorite from last year to a whole new level, Walmart will have the latest Hatchimals – toys so hot the details are still secret. Collectibles that will soon be scattered on the floors of American homes include: 

Hatchimals Surprise (*Coming soon, details to be released on October 6)

Fingerlings

littleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit

Num Noms Nail Polish Maker

FurReal Friends Roarin’ Tyler The Playful Tiger

Barbie DreamHorse and Doll

Fisher-Price Zoom ’n Crawl Monster

L.O.L. Surprise Fizz Factory

Soggy Doggy Board Game

Mayka Toy Block Tape

Make ‘em Move: Kids and parents alike love toys that keep kids active and moving. Ride-ons like the Frozen Sleigh and Huffy Electric Green Machine Trike will be bigger than ever before, and more will be released later this season. Toys like the Nerf Rival Nemesis and Adventure Force Light Command Light-Up Motorized Blaster encourage kids to run and play. Popular means of moving and grooving include:

Frozen Sleigh (*Walmart exclusive)

Adventure Force Light Command Light-Up Motorized Blaster (*Walmart exclusive)

Monster Jam Grave Digger (*Walmart exclusive)

Huffy Electric Green Machine Trike

Nerf Rival Nemesis MXVII-10K

RECOIL Starter Set

New Bright Radio Control Tumblebee

VTech Pop-a-Balls Drop and Pop Ball Pit (*Walmart exclusive)

Radio Control DashCam (*Walmart exclusive)

Dusty the Super Duper Garbage Truck

Life-Like Licenses: Few things delight kids like toys that bring their favorite characters from top TV shows and movies to life. Walmart’s toy shelves will be stocked with fan favorites from Paw Patrol, Batman, Cars 3, and more, including:

Imaginext DC Super Friends Batman Batbot Xtreme

Paw Patrol My Size Lookout Tower

Disney/Pixar Cars 3 Ultimate Florida Speedway

Mickey and the Roadster Racers Transforming Hot Rod Mickey

Disney Junior Doc McStuffins Baby All in One Nursery

Beyond the Top Rated by Kids top 25 toys, Walmart will have thousands of toys to choose from that are sure to put a smile on every child’s face. Between Walmart stores and Walmart.com, the retailer will offer more than 1,000 new toys, including more than 300 exclusives at prices customers are looking for. “Top toys are evolving every day, and we’re continuing to find those great, new items and bringing them with speed to our customers,” said Kehoe. 

In keeping with this year’s trends, Walmart will have a large selection of ride-on toys and electronics, which will be announced throughout the season. Electronics include the latest in VR and drone technology, as well as video game systems and hundreds of video games. Finally, in anticipation of the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the retailer will also have a large assortment of Stars Wars-licensed toys available.

For more information on the Top Rated by Kids top toys list, visit http://ift.tt/2f1eduL.      

Free Layaway Returns to Give Customers a Head Start on Holiday Shopping

Walmart’s popular layaway service is once again open, offering customers the opportunity to stay on budget and pay over time for big-ticket items. The top 25 rated toys, along with thousands of other items in Walmart stores, are available to reserve on layaway accounts.

Again this year, there is no opening fee for customers to start a layaway account, and they only need to put down 10% (or $10, whichever is greater). Customers can put items as low as $10 on layaway with a $50 minimum basket. Customers have until Dec. 11 to pay off their account.

from AwesomeToyBlog http://ift.tt/2gI0062