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 talking Ms. Rachel Doll, a new building toy from Melissa & Doug, and a surrealist Magic 8 Ball.
Ms. Rachel’s first-ever toy line just launched for preorder; I’ve had a few of them in my apartment for about a month now, and these two are my favorites. Push the buttons on the doll’s right hand to hear her sing “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Hop Little Bunny.” Push the button on her left hand to hear her count and encourage children to touch their nose. The blocks are made in collaboration with Melissa & Doug — quality! — and come with a set of cards you can use to help kids learn the alphabet, colors, and common vocabulary.
Brio’s new prehistoric-themed train sets can be used on their own or integrated with other Brio play sets. The colorful dinosaur world is a departure from the brand’s more traditional sets, featuring figures with moving parts and magnets that let them pick up (or fight over) a load of dino eggs. This is the deluxe set that comes with a track, but you can also buy add-on sets of either a volcano with a T. rex or a battery-operated train with two different dinosaurs.
This week, I visited two holiday toy fairs in one day and (alongside some very cute pint-size influencers) got a first look at a bonkers number of new toys. This Playmobil pirate ship that really floats was a standout. It’s a knockout gift with movable sails, rotating cannons, and adorable extras like a stowaway rat and a stingray. On the toddler front, Playmobil just launched a couple of great new Disney sets including Cinderella’s castle and Moana’s raft.
I also saw this innovative sensory toy from Fat Brain Toys, now available for preorder, that I am planning on buying for my son and maybe also as a gift for a couple of friends who are expecting. It’s basically a fidget toy for babies, with magnetic tiles that fit into a tablet-size board. The tiles feature a variety of sensory activities, from switches and buttons to a spinning color wheel and a ball maze. You can switch out the order of the tiles on the board or let them play with individual tiles on their own (meaning they are easy to pack in a diaper bag, too). There are 12 tiles to choose from, and the activities are of varying difficulty to keep children engaged for longer.
Last year, the classic Magic 8 Ball enjoyed a bit of resurgence among a new generation. So as soon as I saw this surrealist edition designed by Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami, I knew I wanted to write about it. It’s an eye-catching step above the plain black-and-white fortune teller — and in the same Mattel Creations x Tanaami collaboration, you can also get a psychedelic Barbie or UNO deck.
Each fall, American Girl comes out with a “Girl of the Year.” Meet Summer McKinny, a rainbow-clad baker who loves animals and dreams of launching her own small business: a dog-treat bakery called Waggy Puptails.
The newest addition to the Fingerlings universe is this sweet axolotl that swims when you put it in water and comes with its very own inflatable baby pool. I recently got a chance to play with it and found myself oddly soothed by its colored lights and the sounds it makes when you pet its head. (Another new interactive toy worth mentioning: the brand-new Holobrite Pixie Lantern that’s like a giant Tamagotchi, if the Tamagotchi was a winged dancing doll that goes from digital to three-dimensional and pops out of a plastic lantern when you score enough points.)
While it’s not my favorite Tim Burton movie — I prefer Edward Scissorhands — this elaborate Nightmare Before Christmas LEGO building set gets my pick for the coolest new release from the brand this month. It’s basically three sets in one (Jack’s House, Halloween Town City Hall, and Spiral Hill with a rising moon) with lots of kid-friendly yet spooky attention to detail.
Blockables is a whole new toy line from Melissa & Doug that combines classic wooden blocks with snap-on connectors. There are four sets — town, farm, vehicles, and safari animals — that come with blocks, connectors, felt accessories like airplane wings or a lion’s mane, and little plastic people figures. Blockables technically don’t launch until later this year, but you can preorder them all right now.
Radio Flyer has released several new ride-on toys including a balance bike, a bubble wagon, and a UPS truck. But the Stingray and Stingray Pro, a no-handlebar version for bigger kids, are the coolest of the bunch. Because you don’t need as much balance as you would to ride a scooter or a bike, the Stingray is more accessible to a wider range of kids. Plus both of them let kids spin out and drift — just don’t forget a helmet.
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.
