Toy and game companies are assembling a holiday lineup built around tactile play, buildable worlds, tech-enhanced collectibles and familiar characters. In a Toy Book roundup of manufacturer-submitted picks, the selections range from $4.99 collectibles to a $279.99 wooden railway set, giving retailers a broad spread of price points and play patterns.
The feature groups the picks around imaginative worlds, hands-on experiences, sensory fun, tech-forward play and franchises. Because companies were invited to submit their own “Hot for Holiday” choices, the list reflects what toy makers plan to promote rather than measured consumer demand.
Sensory and social play
Several picks lean into giggle-driven, tactile play. Goliath’s Chester is a butt-shaped pal that wiggles and makes fart sounds when children squeeze its cheeks; pressing its head triggers dancing and tunes. It is $29.99 for ages 8 and up and requires three AAA batteries. Just Play’s 18-inch Tiggle Me Elmo Giggle Max offers laughter, full-body movement and other reactions for ages 18 months and up at $39.97. Horizon Group USA’s slow-flow glitter-gel stress toys, licensed with Squishmallows, Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, Minecraft and Bluey, among others, are priced at $4.99–$8.99.
Buildable worlds and vehicles
Mattel’s customizable dollhouse includes nine indoor and outdoor play areas, two pools, two slides, more than 65 accessories and a modular design that can form one large house or two connected houses with a bridge; it is $214.99 for ages 3 and up. Fat Brain Toys’ tube-building set uses adjustable airflow to send foam balls racing, hovering and popping through builds that combine art, physics and experimentation at $129.95. Spin Master’s Rocky’s recycling truck pops out a 2-foot inflatable dinosaur when children press the light bar, then packs it back for repeat inflation, at $64.99.
Ravensburger’s 56-piece BRIO World Space Deluxe Train Set extends the wooden railway into a multilevel space layout with tunnels, a space station, a rover and a shuttle with lights and sounds. Astronaut figures have magnetic suits that connect to a tether inside the shuttle. The set is $279.99.
Franchises and collectibles
Licensed characters appear across several formats. The Pokémon Co. International marks 30 years of Pokémon with an Elite Trainer Box that introduces a “Futuristic Rare” rarity, all-foil cards and the return of 30 classic Pokémon at $49.99 for ages 6 and up. A Pikachu puppetronic toy, created by Wow! Stuff and listed at $79.99, uses more than 100 action and sound combinations, touch sensors, blinking eyes and mouth movement. Tonies’ Toniebox 2 Pokémon set includes Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur figures that play stories and songs on a screen-free audio player for $199.99, ages 5 and up.
LEGO’s 106-piece Bluey set includes Bluey and Rusty mini-figures and a school scene with a mini kitchen, café, hospital and baby-care area, inspired by the “Early Baby” episode, at $24.99. MGA Entertainment’s eight mini dolls are inspired by music genres and come in pink disco balls with a vinyl record player on top; spinning a mini record unlocks surprises. They are $11.99 for ages 4 and up.
Tech-forward play
Hapiko’s voice-powered sticker maker uses AI to create and print sticker combinations and includes filters intended to guard against unwanted content; the device is described as not “always listening.” Cra-Z-Art’s instant camera prints black-and-white photos without extra cables or devices and comes with markers and stickers. Golden Bear’s Strikesphere basketball trainer uses light-guided drills across three game modes and an LCD scoreboard to track high scores at $99.99.
The spread gives retailers a wide set of options, from low-priced impulse items to higher-ticket playsets and tech toys. Because the picks come from manufacturers, the roundup indicates where companies see holiday opportunity, but it does not establish which products will become the season’s best sellers.