If you have young kids, the odds are these items are on their Christmas list. Hamleys know what they are talking about when it comes to toys (although, don’t actually shop there – it’s so expensive and you can buy 95% of what it sells cheaper elsewhere). The toy store has released its predictions for the top 10 most popular toys for Christmas 2015.
There’s a nifty little website called 2015 Christmas Toys Finder, which uses technical wizardry (or hard working Christmas elves) to find the cheapest place you can buy these toys. It checks the stock availability and price across 15 major online retailers, every single hour – so you always will be able to get the best deal.
From past experience, it’s best to buy your Christmas toys in advance, ideally before December. That’s when they are cheapest, as stores tend to hike up the prices the closer we get to the big date, as parents start to get desperate and well shell out extra to ‘get it done’.
Of course, the very best time to buy a toy is during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. You can generally rely on the item being as cheap as they are going to be. Smyths, Toys R Us and Argos, all have discount codes around this time too. Check out MoneySavingExpert’s deal predictor, that thinks The Disney Store will have 40% off (between 27th-30th Nov), Tesco Direct will have a big discount code (between 27th-30th Nov) and it’s Clubcard boost (double) on the 27th.
If you’re looking for a toy that isn’t super popular and likely to sell out, consider holding your nerve and waiting for the January sales to kick in, which tend to happen earlier and earlier every year – even before Christmas.
What are the top toys?
- Tracy Island – The number one item is an Interactive Tracy Island. Which is weird right? I don’t think kids these days have seen how they can make it themselves with some toilet roll, sticky tape and a mountain of newspaper – thanks Blue Peter! Did anyone actually manage to make this back in the day? The actual toy will cost you around £70.
- Skate and Sing Elsa – You’d think they’d be sick of it by now, but no. With a remote control that makes her glide around the room, while she sings ‘Let It Go’. It’s the stuff of nightmares – that bloody thing will follow you around all day. It costs around £35.
- I-Que Intelligent Robot – This seems to be the modern day Furby. It’s a piece of plastic with an eye instead of a face (a Furby is equally horrifying to be fair), it will talk to you, do quizzes etc. It costs around £50.
- Little Live Pets – Clever Keet – Is a pet bird your kids can’t kill (well, until the batteries run out). You can teach the bird to talk and it will speak to you, sing, dance and swing. It costs around £40.
- Once upon a Time Princess Rose Peppa – (Enter your own David Cameron joke here). This is a Peppa Pig soft toy that sings ring-a-ring-a-roses when you hold its hand. It’s around £15.
- Kinetic Sand – It’s like sand, but science-y. The sand flows like liquid, but doesn’t make your fingers wet and will never dry out. If Play-Doh or actually sand is ‘too 2015’ for you – this is what you need. It’s around £20.
- 3D Magic 3D Maker – This is for crafty kids. 2015 has been the year of the 3D printer (it makes wheels for kittens!), so unsurprisingly, there’s now a kids version. It allows you to make 3D works of art using gel pens and the UV Creation. You can make jewellery, doll accessories, animal figures etc. It costs around £30.
- My Friend Freddy – which I think looks like a cross between a 90’s Care Bear and Troll. Freddy is an interactive talking cuddly bear. Although he cannot physically understand you and talk back, you can pair him up via Bluetooth with an Android or IOS app. There are 50 questions that you can personalise to your child. It costs around £25.
- Shopkins ‘Scoops’ Ice Cream Truck Playset – This is very basically an ice cream truck toy. There’s no bells and whistles – it’s just a toy truck, that will set you back around £16.
- Leappad – The Leappad has been in the top ten Christmas lists for years. It’s a hi-tech learning tablet, with a front and back camera (child selfies!). It’s about £75 – which is cheaper than an iPad I suppose.
I’m a bit surprised there’s no Barbie, Minecraft, Jurassic Park/Star Wars related toys. Oh, and those two wheeled hover-board balancing things – everyone seems to have one!
What toys will you be getting leading up to Christmas?