50 Most Popular Toys of 2026
These are the ones our testers won’t stop raving about this year.
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We’re always on the hunt for emerging toy trends, from the latest characters and collectibles to this year’s most anticipated games and gadgets. We regularly attend Toy Fairs, so we can be the first to know about launches, and our Lab experts put hundreds of toys to the test every year to prepare for the Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards. Now that it’s officially time to start shopping for holiday gifts, we’re looking back on the toys our testers won’t stop playing with and readers won’t stop buying, in order to determine the most popular toys of 2026.
Our top picks:
- Star Wars and LEGO: LEGO Star Wars Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter
- Pokémon: Jazwares Pokémon Pikachu Puppetronic by RealFX
- Play set: Bluey Light and Surprise Heeler House
- Collectibles: Care Bears Caring Cuties
- RCs: Hex Bots Explodapede and the Monster Jam Chomping Megalodon
- For toddlers: Bizzikins Annie the Pet Sitter Soft Activity Doll & Busy Book
A few trends: Everyone seems to be chasing Labubu, offering plush bag charms with hard vinyl faces, or trying to capture a creepy or cute aesthetic. Construction sets are adding lights into the mix (and sometimes sounds too). There are also many soccer—excuse us, football—toys coming out for those who loved the World Cup. Influencer collabs are becoming the norm, butter slime keeps selling out, and kids are still wild for Bluey, Grogu, and KPop Demon Hunters. No matter what they're into, kids (and kidults) are lucky this year!
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If you see someone using the Pikachu Puppetronic, you'll swear it's an animatronic, interactive figure. But the holder is controlling it, and the puppeteer's movements trigger more than 100 sounds and actions.
Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, making Pikachu a hot property. We've seen this puppet moving fast, even in preorder, so if you think your kid will want it, don't sleep on it! Ages 6+; three AAA batteries required
RELATED: The Best Gifts for Pokémon Fans
Oh nothing, just the biggest Bluey house ever! The 28-inch-tall play set includes four figures (Bluey, Bingo, Chilli, and Bandit), a sticker sheet, lots of furniture and accessories, and more than 50 sounds, phrases, and songs from the show. The rotating chimney lights up and projects stars on the ceiling, just like Bluey and Bingo have in their room. Ages 3+; three AA batteries required
RELATED: The Best Bluey Gifts for Kids
Mac & Cheese has been an unexpected toy trend this year, and kids have been clamoring for it in many forms, including squishi toys, plush, and books. In this fun, fast-paced game, players have to squeeze a squeaky elbow noodle in order to win the game.
Step aside, Labubus—something cuter is in store. These Care Bears bag charms are packaged in blind boxes, making collecting them a fun surprise. The Caring Cuties have adorable expressions based on their personalities, including Grumpy Bear's signature pout and Bedtime Bear's drowsy eyes. Ages 4+
It’s hard to believe that a concept so simple could be so popular, but our readers with toddlers in their lives cannot stop buying this toy. That’s because it fills many roles at once: It’s a soft doll, it’s a busy board with lots of little play features, and it opens like a book. It also comes in four different themes. Ages 18 months+
Last holiday was a rough one for KPop Demon Hunters fans, since the toys couldn't keep up with the movie hype. This year, that will not be a problem, and there are tons of KPop Demon Hunters toys on the shelves.
What the fans want most are the dolls that sing "Golden" when activated. The Rumi is extremely hard to find, but in addition to Zoey there is a Mira (available at Walmart and Target). Ages 4+
For kids who love creepy-crawlies, this one really scurries like a bug. Start off by rolling it into a ball, then launch it and watch it slither across the floor. Good Housekeeping Institute kid testers loved the way it looked as it crawled around. Ages 4+; two AAA batteries needed for the remote
This spectacular building toy introduces STEM concepts in the most fun way, challenging kids to construct contraptions that will send 20 foam balls sailing. The high-powered but kid-safe fan runs on rechargeable batteries. Ages 3+
Fans of the mystical and magical will love this fairy-themed Gabby’s Dollhouse play set, which has a neat trick—press a button, and fairies fly around the house! (It’s really a fan that activates and blows the fairies around.) The set is also compatible with Kitty Fairy’s Flutter-riffic Garden Play Set. Ages 3+
Kiddie entertainment that's screen-free is one of the major themes of this toy season. Everyone is excited that there's now an under-$100 Toniebox—the new Lite version—which works with any Tonies figure.
It doesn't have quite as much memory as a regular Toniebox, and you can't play games with it via Tonieplay, but for storytelling, it's marvelous! Ages 1+
Barbie can be anything—including a guide through 50 different chemistry experiments. With the help of some tools from home, kids can create glow-in-the-dark chalk, make fizzy reactions, and learn what goes into making the perfect slime. There's also a Barbie Crystal Growing Kit and Barbie Candy Making Food Science. Ages 8+
From the makers of the viral My First Christmas Tree and My First Gingerbread House comes a toy that can be used even out of the holiday season. The My First Picnic Basket can be wheeled around, and then opened to reveal a whopping 50+ play pieces, including a blanket. Ages 18 months+
It might be hard for grown-ups to get excited about slime, but the kids still want it, and what are the holidays for if not making wishes come true? Gui Gui's Mega Slime Haul includes 50+ pieces to unbox, including five slimes, beauty-world-inspired tools, charms, beads, little animal figures, and more. Ages 6+
With LEGO’s newest innovation, the TIE fighter becomes a fully immersive LEGO toy. It comes with LEGO’s Smart Brick, which, when charged, sets off lights, sounds, and even Minifigure dialogue. This even has the capability of “fighting” other TIE fighters, and we predict it will be on a lot of wish lists for big kids and tweens. Ages 8+
RELATED: LEGO SMART Play Sets to Keep Your Kids’ Screen Time Down
Hatching fun! Kids can watch as the egg wobbles and makes noise, then Yoshi appears! The base of the egg can be used like a little nest, and the Yoshi is an interactive toy that lights up, makes noise, and wiggles when it gets excited. Ages 4+; three AA batteries included
Butter-shaped fidgets are viral this year—there’s also a Christmas version of this one—but so are all squishy toys. You can also snag some Crazy Aaron's Better Butter Thinking Putty. No age recommendation given
RELATED: Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Butter Squishies? The Unexpected Toy Trend, Explained
Every year's FurReal offering ends up being a hot toy—people still love last year’s Maggie, the Feed & Follow Cow—but that doesn't make us any less excited for Gabby. She starts in cub mode, and as a kid nurtures her, she grows bigger into an adult tiger! She's got more than 100 sounds and motions plus accessories like a toy and bottle. Ages 4+; four AA batteries required
This strikes a good balance between being easy to use but not too much like a toy, perfect for early elementary kids who want something real but who might be frustrated by a wooden guitar. It has six music modes, the ability for kids to create their own songs, and it connects via Bluetooth so kids can play along to favorite tunes.
A whammy bar and motion sensor add effects. There's a headphone jack if you want your kid rockin' but don't want the whole house rollin'. Ages 5+; four AA batteries included
This is the rare toy that seemingly every kid in our toy-testing room wanted a turn with. It didn't matter their age, gender, or whether they've ever paid attention to Monster Jam trucks, the appeal of leading this truck around on a chain and then hitting beast mode to watch it break free was a universal thrill! We see it's already got thousands of online reviews, so word of mouth is getting around. Ages 4+; two AA batteries required
Got a little kid who wants their own camera? The KidiZoom is on our list of the best cameras for kids because it's durable, has a large screen for them to see what they've captured, and they can add lots of silly effects, many that happen with just a twist of the lens. Ages 3+; four AA batteries required
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