As the site’s resident toy expert — I’m the writer behind the Strategist’s “Toy Store” and gifts for every age — I get an early look at the latest and greatest new toys, often before they hit store shelves. There are dozens of new releases every month, so leading into the holiday season I’ll be doing a toy-centric edition of “Don’t Dillydally.” Here are the launches I’m particularly excited about right now, including a Star Wars marble run, chapter books for the Toniebox audio player, and a spooky new edition of Exploding Kittens.
The Best Moana 2 Toys
The sequel to Moana is coming out over Thanksgiving, and there are lots of tie-in dolls, dress-up toys, and play sets on the way — including an American Girl Moana doll now available for presale. Of everything that’s currently ready to ship, I am most excited about Mattel’s Moana doll that sings an excerpt from the new song “We’re Back”; a LEGO set that comes with everything you need to build Moana’s raft and a transforming island that holds the heart of Te Fiti; and a Squishmallow version of her chicken pal Heihei.
Zombie Kittens
This new addition to the Exploding Kittens universe features a completely new deck of cards, including zombie kitten cards that let previously exploded players come back to life. But even dead players can continue playing to torment living players from the grave.
A Death Star Marble Run
Gravitrax, maker of the intricate modular marble runs we’ve recommended for years, just released its first-ever licensed toy. The action set, which is modeled after the Battle of Yavin from Star Wars, features a base plate shaped like the Death Star; marbles printed with the faces of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Darth Vader; and X-Wing Fighter and the TIE Fighter figures to incorporate into the track.
Wow in the World STEM Toys
Wondery’s new line of STEM toys is inspired by the popular kids’ podcast Wow in the World and created by Strategist-approved toy brand Thames and Kosmos. Each kit explores different scientific concepts like phosphorescence, geology, and physics. In the box you’ll find both printed instructions and access to step-by-step audio guides recorded by podcast hosts Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas.
Bratz x Mean Girls Karen and Gretchen Dolls
The third and final Bratz x Mean Girls collaboration dolls — a two-pack of Gretchen and Karen — launches this week on Halloween at 11 a.m. Eastern. Each character in the collection comes packaged in a Burn Book–shaped box with their daytime outfits and sexy Halloween costumes from the movie. Compared to most of the toys I write about, these nostalgic Y2K dolls are geared more toward adult collectors than actual kids. And though I am not a doll collector, if I were to buy any of the Mean Girls Bratz dolls, it would be this pair, because they are the comedic backbone of the original film. Like Regina and Cady before them, they are expected to sell out in a matter of minutes.
Fraggle Rock film strips
For even more nostalgia, Little Tikes just released a set of Fraggle Rock story books to use with the very popular Story Dream Machine — a retro-looking projector and audio player. My almost-2-year-old son adores his Story Dream Machine, and it’s been a nice baby step toward letting him watch TV that doesn’t actually count as screen time. I love the weirdness of the Fraggle Rock characters and can still sing most of the theme song, so this is big news for me.
Tonies chapter books
Lastly, a big launch for the Toniebox audio player geared toward older kids: chapter books including Captain Underpants, Ramona Quimby, Big Nate, and The Questioneers, a.k.a. Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and their crew. Each set includes four unabridged chapter books shaped like actual books rather than toy figures.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
