As we were evaluating toys for this year's Best Toy Awards, we couldn’t help but notice: There’s a lot of ice cream! By which we mean pretend ice cream. You’ve probably read about the hot toys for 2026; consider these the coolest toys around.
A huge part of their appeal is kids’ love for playing with pretend food. As parents, we’ll never understand why little kids fight eating a meal but will then sit and play with fake food for half an hour. Chalk it up to a mystery of childhood.
After all, who doesn’t want their own ice cream parlor?
As preschoolers play with this one, they’ll be learning at the same time. The talking scooper recognizes and says the colors of the ice cream. More than 50 accessories encourage role play, including menus and pretend money. Display signs help kids organize other faux sweets. Then they’ll start to recognize “important” sight words, like pie!
“My child loved the magnetic scoop!” one parent of a 3-year-old told the Good Housekeeping Institute. “It was so fun and easy for little hands to use. He also loved pushing the cart around the house to take ice cream orders throughout the day.”
Besides the LeapFrog cart, there are lots of other toys using the ice cream theme, too, including wooden play sets, toys for toddlers, and adorable plush that even tweens will crave.
I Scream, You Scream, Let’s Find More Ice Cream
It’s mesmerizing how the four flavors of faux soft serve swirl together with this toy. “Each time she made a new combination of flavors, she was really excited to share it with me,” one parent said. Ages 3+
The “mystery” is all the doodads packed inside the giant cone: surprise cones, ice cream flavors, and toppings to unwrap. Then kids build treats for pretend play, serving favorite customers. Ages 3+
Van Leeuwen is a growing chain of ice cream stores, now with about 110 locations. Kids can pretend-play serving signature flavors like Honeycomb with this wooden playset. It comes with coins redeemable for two free scoops at the real shop. Ages 3+
Bluey and dad Bandit are on an ice cream run with this set. The 22 pieces include a car for the figures to ride in and two big cones. Ages 18 months+
Six different slimes, with consistencies from glossy to fluffy, serve as the ice cream, and colorful charms and glitter are the pretend toppings. Pretty cool! Ages 6+
Shape sorting gets whimsical with this wooden ice cream truck, where toddlers sort cones and popsicles instead of circles and squares. Wheels allow the truck to be pushed along. Ages 18 months+
A smiling ice cream bar is a perfect stocking stuffer, or an easy gift for a hard-to-buy-for tween or teen. They love plushies! Ages 0+
Load ice cream and toppings, then press to make them fall onto a cone, building a pretend treat. Lights flash, and if they want, kids can follow audio directions to make a specific order. Ages 2+; three AA batteries required
