40 hottest holiday toys of 2024

Just because many of us have Thanksgiving and pumpkin spice lattes on our minds right now, that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about shopping for the holiday season.

That's especially true when it comes to the hottest toys of the year. In previous years, we've seen some of the trendiest and most sought-after toys sell out before the holiday celebrations even kicked off! So the earlier you can start shopping, the better.

Thankfully, retailers like Amazon and Walmart and toy review sites like The Toy Insider and TTPM have already begun releasing their hot toy lists for the year, allowing shoppers to get a head start on grabbing the coolest new finds for kids of all ages. Plus, we even had Stephanie Oppenheim, the co-founder of toyportfolio.com, share some of their award-winning picks.

We're also highlighting some of the top finds from the lists we've seen so far below, including picks from classic brands like Barbie and Marvel along with buzzy new releases. We're even sharing some of the bestselling toys from 2023 for anyone who needs a little extra inspo.

Toy Portfolio toy winners | Parents Best Toy Awards winners | Amazon Toys We Love | The Toy Insider top holiday toys | Walmart Top Toys | Kohl's Top Holiday Toys | TTPM Most Wanted List | Bestselling toys of 2023 | Shop TODAY SMS | How We Chose | Meet the expert

If they love playing pretend, they'll love the opportunity to whip up a cup of Joe for their parents. "The machine comes with a pretend coffee beans grinder, milk steamer, a scooper, two cups, a carrier, a croissant and macaron," describes Oppenheim. "The coffee station makes lots of fun noises that add to the pretend play factor."

Calling all Bluey fans! For ages three and up, they'll adore playing hide and seek with this interactive Bluey toy. Simply hide Bluey, and as the kids are searching, the toy will make noises and interact to help find her. And once you do, just touch her nose and get ready for a dance party!

For the kiddo that loves everything outer space, this magnetic construction set from popular toy brand, Magna-Tiles, will have them building for hours. It comes with 32 pieces, ranging from squares to triangles (even a rocket with wheels!), for playtime that will truly be out of this world.

Now that the holidays are around the corner, they'll love decorating your home with holiday decor or will enjoy unwrapping the kit underneath the tree. Inside this kit are different Christmas-themed images they can color and craft with the included materials to make your window festive for the season.

Oppenheim calls this toy "One of the best art activity sets of the year!" The reason is that board becomes an easel for them to draw and create on. But the best part is that the board lights up to bring their masterpiece to life.

Designed for ages 5 and up, Hot Wheels' Ultimate Garage has an adventure in every corner. Each level has neat features like moveable hoses, a car wash, among other things, to race and stunt their cars side-by-side.

"This garage setting comes with just two cars, but it’s a start to one of those collections that is likely to keep growing over time," suggests Oppenheim. "A big action-packed toy that will be enjoyed for social or solo play."

Both younger and older kids will get a kick out of this remote-controlled gecko from Hex Bots. "One of our favorite toys of the year," raves Oppenheim. "This gecko with a grey body, neon green legs and tail and red eyes crawls up walls in a way that is creepy. We think it's the way the legs and tail moves that provide that extra something."

Tossit are silicone pieces that are in a similar shape to darts, but are meant to be safe. You toss it (no pun intended!) like a dart, but instead of a point, it has a suction cup at the end.

The idea is that you’re trying to get your color (there are four) closest to the black piece," says Oppenheim. "You need to have a flat surface — we went with our door, but you can use anything that’s smooth to accept the suction. This would be a great choice for holiday fun for a family get together."

Grace Bastidas, the Editor-in-Chief at Parents, previously stopped by the show to share some of their Toy Awards winners.

This interactive rolling toy activates motor play with options to either use while standing, crawling or stationary. They'll love learning about all shapes, numbers, melodies and more while listening and dancing along with Earl’s wheels and lights.

Each side of VTech's Sort & Discover Wagon is full of surprises. From peek-a-boo doors to shape sorting, there's endless fun — and opportunities for storage — with the toy. And as they push and pull it to their next adventure, the wagon will play music they'll want to sing along to.

They'll be inspired everywhere they go when they bring this portable art studio along for car rides, quick trips and more. It's complete with an easel with clips, chalkboard, opportunities to paint and draw, eraser and other non-toxic art supplies.

The objective of Snack-O-Saurus is helping cave people hunt for food by successfully running away from the dinosaur tongue and grabbing a snack. If you get knocked down by Snack-O-Saurus' tongue, you risk losing the piece of food you worked so hard for. Work as a team or go head-to-head to see who wins!

This DIY mechanical machine lets them unleash both their imagination and STEM skills with an easy-to-build set up. It comes with a step-by-step instructional manual to build and play. The brand says it promotes screen-free time, along with improving hand-eye coordination, motor skills, analytical skills and more.

Bill Nye the Science Guy will teach them how rockets work through this unique virtual reality kit. From the history of rockets to the planets they explore, your tween or teen will be space experts thanks to all that the kit offers. That includes its VR goggles, rocket building kit, among many other features they'll love.

This affordable toy combines two things kids love: Stitch and slime! The blue slime is said to be soft, airy and stretchy so they'll get plenty of satisfying slime pulls.

Kids and parents will get a kick out of this nostalgic toy. These mini Furby Furblets feature so many of the things you remember about the original toys — the cute sound effects and reactions — in a cute, pocket-sized design!

This isn't your average remote-controlled car! It can roll, rotate and drive upside down to easily get over any obstacle or terrain. While they can drive it around the house or backyard, it's also said to be able to drive smoothly over stones, sand and more.

Bitzee's interactive pet toy was one of the hottest toys of 2023 — and the brand released a new version earlier this year that's perfect for Disney fans. They can unlock more than 30 Disney characters, ranging from Simba to Mickey Mouse, and interact and play games with them.

Does your kid love watching the Amazon delivery person drop off the packages? Now they can scoot around on a delivery van of their own. The ride-on toy has under-seat storage where they can keep the wooden packages and other toys.

Playing with Kinetic Sand just got even more fun. With this playset, they can create shapes using the stampers and then watch them come to life when they press them down on the squish space.

See if you can solve all the tricky brain teasers in this TikTok viral puzzle game! They’ll set up the pieces according to the guide and then try to solve each puzzle before the time runs out.

This kit allows kids to make a functioning pinball machine of their own using the obstacles like bumpers, slingshots, bells and more. Even better, it comes with edible gum balls that they can use as the pinballs.

This cute bear magically comes to life to tell kids unique and fun stories of their own creation. While they can create endless new tales, any that they love can be saved and played over and over again.

Barbie is ready for her road trip in BarbieLand! The playset comes with a doll, car and tent, so your kids can take her on a grand adventure. To make play time even more fun, when they pour cold water over the car it will change colors.

Kids can get in on the pickleball craze at home with this fun game! They'll use their paddle to smash the wiggling pickle and flip over their opponent's pickle lids. The brand says it's perfect for kids aged 6 or older. It requires two people to play, so it's great for siblings or sleepovers.

They'll feel just like Spider-Man when they slip on this web slinger. It comes with a can of web fluid, but it also works with water, so there are multiple ways for them to save the day.

This classic toy is said to help kids learn independence and responsibility as they pretend to help with chores. They'll be so excited to get out their own broom when it comes time to clean!

Inspired by the "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory" animated series, this T-Rex action figure has plenty of fierce features that will inspire hours of imaginative play. When they press the button, the dinosaur will thrash its neck and let out a fierce roar — hit it five times in a row and the roar is even louder!

This Lego kit is the perfect stocking stuffer for Harry Potter fans aged 7 and older. They can put together the pieces to build Hedwig and a trunk with a portrait of Harry Potter and his parents, the book "A History of Magic" and a wand.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty. Celebrate the occasion with this sweet stuffed animal. The colorful Hello Kitty plush comes with a special edition teddy bear of her bestie, Tiny Chum.

Yes, Mr. Potato Head is still cool. This super spud set comes with both Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head bodies, two pets and over 45 accessories so kids can mix-and-match to create unique characters.

If your little one has been begging for a pet but still needs to learn a little responsibility, this toy is the perfect way for them to practice. It features super soft fur, blinking eyes and weighted paws so the brand says that it feels "oh so real." When they feed him or pet him, he'll make sounds and react just like a real dog!

They'll open up this ball to discover a fun surprise — a crystal mini figure! Kids can collect classic characters like Stitch, Belle, Moana and more.

TTPM, a review site for toys, baby and pet gear recently released its Most Wanted List for 2024, and this was one of the top toys on the list. Kids can do an experiment and mutate their own MrBeast-inspired action figure that they can then play with.

Get ready to cluck, flap your arms and dance along with Elmo. Not only does Elmo dance along to his own unique version of “The Chicken Dance,” but he also tells jokes and giggles along with kids.

This toy brings the perfect mix of fun and nostalgia. Kids can control what they listen to as they switch between the five records that range from country to pop and kids classics.

Little explorers won’t even need to leave the backyard to get up close and personal with nature when they have these binoculars. They provide two times magnification, without any confusing knobs or extra focus features, so kids can get a closer look at plants, bugs, leaves and more.

This cool remote-controlled car was one our our Gifts We Love picks in 2023 and a bestselling toy for the season. It features a patented technology that allows it to climb up walls and even on the ceiling.

Baby's got beats! This "DJ table" features more than 100 songs, sounds and learning phrases for them to bounce and sing along to. It features three Smart Stages learning levels to grow along with your baby and help them learn colors, shapes, the alphabet and even Spanish words.

When kids press Furby's heart gem and say “Hey Furby!” they can give the little animal commands, talk or sing with their new friend.

"The product is absolutely adorable," one shopper shared. "It allows for interactive play between both children and other furbies. I purchased two for my granddaughters and was amazed at how cute they were. They are definitely an upgrade from the original version my daughters played with as children."

Stay up to date with everything Shop TODAY. Get exclusive deals on TODAY-favorite products, info about the latest trends and expert-approved finds sent right to your phone.

To create this list, we looked at Amazon and Walmart's hot toy lists and selected a handful of our favorite picks from each one. We also selected some bestselling toys from our coverage last year.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time. Learn more about Shop TODAY.

Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY.