Before you head to Walmart to buy your kids their toys this holiday season, this list will make things easy for you. This year, Walmart invited over 1,000 kids and their parents to a huge Toy Tester event. At the event, they got the opportunity to play with over 200 unreleased toys to help Walmart decide what's hot for 2015. I was given a sneak peek into the feedback from both the kids and parents, which was used to curate Walmart's Top 20 Toys of 2015. So no need for you to waste your time searching online. The work has been done for you.
There are a few over-riding trends I noticed this season. Frozen, Star Wars and Minions are everywhere. Toys are less gender specific than ever, and not surprisingly, toys that focus on creative play scored high. So here it is: a breakdown of the Top 20 Kid Approved Toys at Walmart according to toddlers to tweens (and their parents) to make your holiday shopping super easy this year!
About the Toy: This was the most popular toy with the pre-walker/pre-talker crowd. It has all the pieces you need for life on a farm—cow, sheep, pig, goat and a farmer—plus a barn door that makes animal sounds and plays Old MacDonald.
It's parent approved because: It's easy to clean up. The barn folds up and stores all the pieces inside.
Age: 1-5
Expect to pay: $28.47
Frozen is still top of mind with the kiddie set. What's interesting to note was that every age group from toddler to moms loved this doll set featuring Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Sven. Proof that this season is all about the power of Frozen.
It's parent approved because: Moms love Frozen as much as their kids, thanks to the great messages embedded in the story.
Age: 3+
Expect to pay: $39.97
Like the Frozen franchise, another successful film cross-over are the loveable mumbling Minions from the Despicable Me films. This toy allows kids to make cool disguises and hilarious hairdos using Play-Doh. The set comes with a barber chair, two minions, thimbles, scissors, comb and 4 jars of Play-Doh.
It's parent approved because: Using the included scissors for little fingers allows kids to practice fine motor skills and who knows—maybe a future as a barber?
Ages: 2-6
Expect to pay: $16.96
Loveable Poo never goes out of style with the junior set. My kids loved anything with connected to the world of Poo. This colourful toy was a big hit with the toddlers because they could easily grasp the wooden knob on each puzzle piece. They loved the challenge of placing the pieces into the right spaces.
It's parent approved because: We all know that puzzles are great for our kids' growing brains.
Ages: 18-24 months
Expect to pay: $9.94
Apparently you couldn't pull the girls away from these dolls. Named after fun jobs like Party Planner, Bakers, and Pop Stars, the girls testing these toys loved getting the dolls dressed up and acting out what they wanted to be when they grew up with help from the myriad of available accessories. I'm still waiting for the rocket scientist doll.
It's parent approved because: These dolls inspired imaginative playtime about careers which kept the kids occupied for a long time.
Ages: 5-10
Expect to pay: $32.97
About the Toy: The latest toy from the Thomas the Tank franchise features a winding train track which resembles a super fun roller coaster. Thomas drives around the track until he reaches the highest point, and then careens down a corkscrew, gravity-defying piece of track that made the little kids' jaws drop.
It's parent approved because: You can always depend on Fisher-Price for good quality.
Age: 3+
Expect to pay: $54.94
About the Toy: Star Wars is huge again this year, so the kids loved playing with these lightsaber. Each saber has electronic sounds and lights. But what makes this toy better than most is the blade building feature which lets the kids customize their saber in hundreds of ways.
It's parent approved because: There are a few sabers in each pack so it's perfect for playdates.
Age: 4+
Expect to pay: $49.97
About the Toy: The toddlers were totally tooting this toys' horn. It comes with 13-feet of interchangeable tracks, a stunt ramp, moveable gears, starting flags, and track switches. All of these features are triggered by cute little radio controlled racecars. Keep in mind that you'll need a space aproximately 4-feet square to lay out the whole track.
It's parent approved because: It's great for playdates because several kids can use the track at the same time.
Age: 1-5
Expect to pay: $49.94
About the Toy: If your toddlers are fans of Paw Patrol, you can choose their favorite character, each of which comes with a different transforming vehicle. This is one of those toys that can be played with on its own or you call collect a whole posse of pets for your little guys or gals.
It's parent approved because: They are non-gender specific and inspired imaginative play.
Age: 3+
Expect to pay: $15.97
About the Toy: This is the perfect toy for young art enthusiasts. When using the markers and projector provided in this toy, your kids can draw or trace anything on a reusable sheet, then add more sheets on top to create layers. The coolest feature is that the art can be projected onto walls or ceilings at 20x the size. I've already bought one for my daughter.
It's parent approved because: Creative play matters.
Age: 6+
Expect to pay: $28.96
About the Toy: Imagine old fashioned Twister meets Dance Dance Revolution. This toy is a really fun twist on an old classic. It's great for kids who like to bust a move and burn off some energy. Toy testing kids loved playing this electronic dance game by following the lights and hopping on the spots while keeping up with the beats. Kids can play on their own or compete with their friends. Higher scores unlocks more challenging levels.
It's parent approved because: It gets the kids off the couch moving to the beat.
Age: 8+
Expect to pay: $27.93
About the Toy: The toddler crowd was having a blast in these inflateable play pits. Each package comes with 20 balls, an interactive side panel, and peek through windows. You can choose a variety of styles from franchises like Frozen, Teenage Ninja Turtles, and many more.
It's parent approved because: These are so easy to store. Just deflate and fold up. Also, it's the perfect toy for travelling as long as you have a pump (or a good set of lungs!).
Age: 2+
Expect to pay: $39.96
About the Toy: Kids love gooey stuff. With the Crayola Cling Creator, kids can make customized clings that stick to and peel off windows, mirrors or other flat surfaces. There are 20 different molds and colours to play with.
It's parent approved because: It's gooey but isn't messy and a great activity for boys and girls
Age: 8+
Expect to pay: $18.96
About the Toy: Think drones for the Star Wars junior crowd. Aside from the lightsaber, the coolest thing about Star Wars is the Millenium Falcon and this toy really hits a high note. This toy actually flies using fancy tech like quad rotors and gyrostabilization. The body is made from foam making it safe and durable. It can also fly up to 200-feet away using the remote control.
It's parent approved because: Let's face it, we're going to want to play with this one ourselves!
Age: 10+
Expect to pay: $107.86
About the Toy: This colourful building and sorting toy was a big hit with the toddler toy testers. Each package includes 44 big, easy-to-use bloks that snap together and roll on wheels. Bloks are brightly coloured and numbered so kids learn patterning, building, and counting all in one toy.
It's parent approved because: Kids were thoroughly engaged in playing with this toy while learning.
Age: 1-5
Expect to pay: $21.98
About the Toy: The toy testing girls were all over this toy which lets them build a magical pegasus sleigh pulled by two flying horses. The fantasy sleigh has opening wings and comes with two mini elf dolls, a dragon, two pegasus figures and an ancient windmill with a secret cave. First they build it and then let their imaginations soar!
It's parent approved because: Lego is all about inspiring creative thinking.
Age: 8-12
Expect to pay: $49.86
About the Toy: This toy is perfect for the kid who wants to build and recreate scenes from Star Wars. Not only do they get to actually construct a very cool Starfighter out of Lego, it also comes with a bunch of very detailed Star Wars characters like R2D2, the Battle Droids, the Droid Commander so your kids can act out the scenes. Star Wars is hot!!
It's parent approved because: This set comes with 318 pieces, which pretty much guarantees your kids will be busy with this for a long time.
Age: 8+
Expect to pay: $59.86
About the Toy: Minions rule! The kid toy testers gave two thumbs up to the fully buildable station wagon with working wheels, blaster, removable roof, case, and the safe full of hidden loot to discover. Of course, it was extra fun to build the mischievous Kevin and Stuart Minion characters with interchangeable parts like overalls, goggles, arms, feet and hair.
It's parent approved because: Many parents felt this was the perfect toy to work on together with their kids. Oh, and it makes station wagons cool again.
Age: 5+
Expect to pay: $21.93
About the Toy: The boy toy testers at the event were all over these motorized blasters. The Nerf inventors really thought of everything this time: including a targeting scope, drop grip and dual-rail barrel. Its many removable parts lets your kids customize their blaster in more than 30 combinations and can launch the included darts at targets up to 90-feet away. While this tested indoors, it will be great for outdoor fun too!
It's parent approved because: You can count on Nerf products for hours of safe fun for battle hungry kids.
Age: 6+
Expect to pay: $47.86
About the Toy: Talk about a cool combo toy! It's a remote control car that unleashes a hidden indoor stealth remote control flying helicopter—all with the push of the button. It's totally fun and totally easy to operate.
It's parent approved because: This toy provides the great value of basically two toys in one.
Age: 8+
Expect to pay: $28.47
This post is sponsored by Walmart Canada as a part of the Walmart Toy Testers program. In exchange for this review, I have received special perks in the form of products and/or compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own.
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