This Christmas 2020, Santa really needs to step up his game after a year of cancelled holidays with disappointment upon disappointment. Whilst the year may have been a write off, 2020’s top toys are once again filled with creative new ideas and are sure to be crowd pleasers. Some of our favourites include a Flossing Sloth, L.O.L. Surprise Frontline Hero doll, LEGO Dots, and would you believe a ‘Gotta Go’ Flamingo who desperately needs the loo?
Whilst there’s no obvious contenders for the 2020 Christmas sell-out item, there are some real crackers up for grabs, as well as an impressive list of new board games (and, given that we will probably be stuck inside all winter, we think these will be an especially smart purchase). Please note that some of the items listed at the time of writing are not being released until September or October.
Jump To: Critters | Dolls | Action | Tech & Learning | LEGO | Games | Stocking Stuffers
Top 2020 Critters
The world of Critters is an ever-expanding one, arguably more popular this year than ever before. It’s the section you’ll find the dark horse for this year’s possible favourite toy, the Gotta Go Flamingo. That gives you a rough idea of the sort of toys you’ll find here, mainly based around animals and likely to have kids laughing and screaming with delight in equal measure.
Even if you don’t plan on buying one of these for your little ones, you’d do well to make a note of them as virtually every other child will have at least one of them at all of the kid’s parties that you go to this year. In fact, if you do buy one then you might want to write your child’s name on them Toy Story style, which should make it easier to find the one that belongs to you when it’s time to go home!
Care Bears “Unlock the Magic” Interactive Figures
Care Bears have been around for decades and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere any time soon. In 2020, the new version of the old favourite promises six different characters for you to collect, Each coming with special Care Coin. The interactive nature of the toy allows for more than 50 different reactions, including lighting up, speaking funny phrases and even singing. Their belly badges also light up!
Frozen 2 Shape Shifter Olaf Plush
Do you want to build a snowman? With the Frozen 2 Shape Shifter Olaf Plush you won’t need to, but you will be presented with an Olaf toy that can be changed and altered in order to turn him into whatever you’d like him to be. The soft toy is in sections and each one can be put wherever you want, meaning you can swap his feet with his head or give him a stick for a nose. He’ll then say funny phrases once he’s been assembled.
Playmobil Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mansion
The latest addition to the Playmobil genre is the Scooby-Doo Mystery Mansion. As well as the Mansion itself, you’ll also get Daphne and Fred, who have arrived to conduct an investigation, plus a monster and various accessories. Ghosts vampires and other creepy characters will appear on the walls of the Mansion thanks to a torch that ‘beams’ them there. Scooby-Doo also comes with the set, so you’ll have a scarey-dary-doo time!
Gotta Go Flamingo
Part of the Little Live Pets range, the Gotta Go Flamingo is a bright pink flamingo that has to…well…go! In the box, you’ll find Sherbet the Flamingo, some Magic Flamingo Food, a scooper to feed him with and a toilet. His neck wobbles as he swallows his food, after which he’ll sing the ‘Uh oh, gotta go!’ song. That’s the point at which you’ll need to get him onto the loo so he can ‘poop’ his food back out and you can re-use it.
Star Wars “The Child” Animatronic Edition
Otherwise known as Baby Yoda, The Child is the endearing character from the Disney Plus Mandalorian series. It has more than 25 sound and motion combinations, including the ability to activate the Force. After that The Child will need a sleep, given how exhausting it is, so laying it down will allow to have a Force Nap. The sounds are inspired by the TV series, with Hasbro going all out to make it a fun addition to their roster.
FurReal Mama Josie the Kangaroo
With big eyes and fur all over, the FurReal Mama Kangaroo named Josie will doubtless be a firm favourite with the young ones. She comes with baby ‘roos, with one girl, one boy and one surprise. Her arms move as does her head, with Josie able to do a dance when she’s happy. You can feed her and she’ll even do a little burp or a hiccup if the food goes down the wrong way. There are 70 sound and motion reactions in all.
Squeakee the Balloon Dog
Clowns at children’s parties all around the world have been making balloon dogs for years, but now they might be redundant thanks to the interactive Squeakee the Balloon Dog’s arrival. There are more than 60 interactive sounds and motions that allow Squeakee to come to life. He also responds to the accessories that come with him, doing stuff like a ‘sit’ when he hears a squeak or a ‘lie’ when he feels the pin being used.
Zuru Pets Alive Fifi the Flossing Sloth
No, this isn’t a toy that will teach your kids about the importance of dental hygiene. Instead, the ‘floss’ in question is the dance move that a real sloth would only be able to do in slow motion. Fifi, on the other hand, wiggles her bum and moves her arms back and forth in a quick-fire flossing motion. Fifi dances to three different songs, with cute blinking eyes enticing everyone from grandma to the postman to join in with the boogying.
Funlockets Secret Surprise Escape Game Treasure Hunt Tower
The Secret Surprise Escape Game Treasure Hunt Tower boasts 18 different compartments that you’ll need to find. Once you’ve done so, you’ll receive one of 32 different surprises, which include the likes of secret notes, charms and jewelry. A mystery will need to be solved in order to unlock the compartment where you’ll find your surprise. Unlocking them all will require you to go through the coded messages and mysteries.
Top 2020 Dolls
Dolls are no longer the mildly terrifying lifeless things that they were when your mum started her collection of them. Instead, they have become exciting and fun-filled toys that allow children to develop a genuine connection to them. In the modern era, the word ‘dolls’ covers a myriad of possibilities, which ensures that kids that get a doll will want to take it everywhere with them.
Rather than being the almost collectible item that china dolls will have been in the past, nowadays, dolls are more like best friends to kids. They’re interactive, asking their owners to be hands-on with them and to involve them in their everyday life. More and more, the dolls that we include in our list of the best toys for the year are ones that you can imagine still being played with in years to come.
CurliGirls
There are a range of CurliGirls dolls for children to collect and play with. The main talking points are their crazy hairstyles, plus the ‘makeup’ that they wear to give them a sense of vibrancy. There are also pets that the CurliGirls have with them, linked to the CurliGirls by the continuation of the crazy hairstyles. Bright, fun and vibrant, CurliGirls are dolls that are jam-packed with personality.
Barbie Color Reveal Slumber Party Fun
There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to Barbie Color Reveal Slumber Party Fun dolls. Each package contains a whole host of surprises, with the set including a Colour Reveal Barbie, a Colour Reveal Chelsea doll and some Colour Reveal pets. Clothing, accessories and wigs also come as part of the set, plus some storytelling pieces to enable the slumber party nature of the gift set. The doll’s features are revealed after putting her in water.
Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers
Hatchimals have been our lists for a few years now, with the 2020 iteration being pixie themed. The Crystal Flyers can really fly, having the ability to dance in the air once they’ve been charged via a USB cable. Once she’s airborne you can use your hands to guide her, flying higher or lower depending on where your hands are. You can choose from either Krystalina Rose, who is Pink, or the purple Violet Onyx.
BFF Bright Fairy Friends
There are a host of Fairy Friends to collect, with each one being revealed when you open up the box. Housed in a fairy home that features motion-activated twinkly lights, the fairy’s wings will glow when you press her necklace. With twelve dolls to collect, kids are able to swap accessories and clothes between the various ones. With bright hair and big eyes, the endearing dolls will be a welcome addition to any home.
L.O.L. Surprise! MGAE Cares Limited Edition Frontline Hero
L.O.L. Surprise! dolls have been all the rage for a number of years, with this year’s collectibles being themed around the idea of Frontline Heroes. That means you can expect dolls that have lab coats and a sense of wanting to help, aided by wearing a mask. There are seven of them to collect in total, with each L.O.L. ball containing a wealth of different surprises to keep children entertained for hours.
Top 2020 Action Toys
Long-gone are the days where girls play with dolls and boys play with action toys. Instead, action toys are available for either gender and girls and boys will love them equally. Given that young kids struggle to sit still for very long without getting antsy, having an action toy to entertain them is always a popular option. There are a good few choices to pick from for 2020, too.
The joy of action toys is that they’re all about doing something, which will engage a child’s imagination as well as their brain and their body. There’s a whole host of ‘crash, bang, wallop’ to this year’s list of action toys, plus a little bit of nostalgia for the parents who might well buy one toy in particular specifically so that they can play with it. Great Scot! Whatever next?
Wreck Royale Cars by MGA Entertainment
The name of this toy tells you pretty much everything that you need to know, with MGA Entertainment offering cars that ‘explode’ when they crash. The vehicles promise Mix ’n’ Match parts, which detach from the rest of the car when their spring-loaded bumpers are activated. All of the parts work with all of the cars in the MGA range, so a small collection of them will offer a multitude of possibilities.
Air Hogs Stunt Shot
The Stunt Shot Air Hog is, in essence, a radio-controlled car. What makes this more impressive, though, is that it can drive over pretty much anything. The car’s body is separate from the wheels, allowing for some interchangeability. Imagine a RC version of a monster truck and you’ll have a good sense of what to expect here, though it’s actually much more fun as it boasts the ability to flip over, amongst other things.
Treasure X Sunken Gold Treasure Ship
Argh, me hearties. The Treasure X Sunken Gold Treasure Ship is exactly what you might imagine, with a pirate ship being the theme here. The treasure on offer genuinely has been dipped in gold, so you’ll certainly feel as though you’re getting your money’s worth. There are 25 levels to the play, engaging the imagination as the pirates try to avoid the Kraken in order to save the captain and find the gold.
Playmobil ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean Time Machine
Are you buying this toy for your child or yourself? It doesn’t really matter as you’ll both get to play with it and will enjoy it just as much as each other. The iconic DeLorean car comes with Doc, Marty, Marty’s skateboard and Doc’s dog Einstein. It also has some plutonium that you can put into the back of the car to engage the flux capacitor. Dressed in their gear from 1985, you’ll want to help them get back to the future.
Paw Patrol Dino Rescue Dino Patroller
The success of Paw Patrol is unarguable, with Chase and the gang ever-present nowadays. The Dino Patroller is a motorised vehicle that works by pushing a button, allowing it to race into action to help dinosaurs in trouble. There’s room for all six pups to fit inside the Dino Patroller, though only Chase comes with the package. Engage the imagination to launch thrilling rescue missions.
Schleich Large Dino Research Station
Quite when dinosaurs became all the rage is difficult to pinpoint, but young people absolute love them. In the case of the Schleich Large Dino Research Station, you’re getting your hands on a load of dinosaurs that are being kept safe in order for research to be carried out on how they operate. There are guns to stun the velociraptor in case it escapes from its pen, though, so you don’t need to worry about being eaten.
Playmobil Mars Mission Rocket with Launch Site
There’s nothing that isn’t interesting about space exploration, with the Mars Mission Rocket from Playmobil tapping into that. You get a space capsule and some astronauts to pilot it, plus a maintenance platform. The lights in the set are functioning, so it has an extra dimension to it when it’s played with in the dark. Dream of a world beyond our borders plan a mission to Mars with this space-themed kit.
Nerf Elite 2.0 Warden DB-8 Blaster
When it comes to Nerf guns, the Elite 2.0 Warden DB-8 Blaster is about as exciting as the foam bullet firing toys can get. With four barrels on the front and a heft looking body, this is something you can imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger carrying as he tries to take on some evil alien being. It has slam-fire capability and can fire two darts at once, with the blaster being customisable to boot and able to dire darts up to 26 metres.
Boom City Racers Series 1 Fireworks Factory
Boom City Racers are collectible cars that take die cast vehicles to another level. They can ‘explode’ apart when they suffer an impact, with the Fireworks Factory offering three different ways to play. In the box, you’ll get the Factory itself, a vehicle, a mini launcher and two foam rockets, offering plenty of ways to get involved. Launch your car at the factory door and burst it open or take part in the two-player Fast Blast challenge.
Top 2020 Tech & Learning Toys
Decades ago a ‘toy’ that allowed for learning would have been something like an abacus. In 2020, however, technology is such that kids will be playing and not even realising that they’re learning. Gone are the days of needing to buy something boring and stuffy if you wanted the present you’re buying for a little one to be educational and they’ve been replaced by genuinely excellent alternatives.
Of course, in amongst all that you’ll need to accept that the ways that kids learn and the things that they’re educated about have changed. Whether we like it or not, children nowadays will grow up with iPads, smartphones and other uses of technology. That being said, not every toy on the ‘Learning’ list is about coding or using computers. They’re just useful, healthy ways of educating a youngster.
Botley 2.0 the Coding Robot
Coding will be the future for many young people, so the sooner they begin to get their heads around it the better. With Botley 2.0, your child will learn sequences containing as many as 150 different steps, teaching the robot to do all sorts of things. It can put on a light show, move in different directions and offer some exciting features that young people will love. They’ll be learning to code within a matter of minutes thanks to Botley 2.0.
Wow Wee Power Treads Epic Course Pack
Power Treads are vehicles that users will have to build themselves before being able to use them, coming with courses that will also need to be built. That’s the educational part of it all, whilst the ability to create your own course will doubtless tap into the imagination of young players. The all-surface vehicles can flip, jump and roam around the place, so don’t be surprised to see your little one finding out if they can cope with stairs…
See my Feelings Mirror
Education isn’t always about learning practical things. Yes, coding is useful, but so is having a genuine emotional intelligence. That’s what the See My Feelings Mirror from Learning Resources tries to tap in to. It comes with six slide-in photos of children expressing real emotions, giving the user the chance to learn self-awareness and about the feelings and emotions of others. Also available as a set of 4 mirrors for £37.50.
Top 2020 LEGO Sets
It is virtually impossible to imagine a time when LEGO will no longer be popular. That has been the case for years, but the manner in which the company has shifted and adapted with the times has been impressive to see. Given they are essentially just plastic bricks, LEGO toys shouldn’t be as engaging as they are. Yet it’s virtually impossible to see some and not try to build something with them.
In our list of LEGO toys here we’ve tried to find a mix of different options, from beginners’ pieces that teach young ones about how LEGO works through to more popular licensed things. The beauty of LEGO is that it doesn’t really matter how old the person is that you’re buying some for, they’ll almost certainly get a heap of enjoyment out of whatever you buy, so you can’t really go wrong.
LEGO Dots
LEGO Dots are, in essence, a way of introducing to young people the joy of LEGO as a concept. Instead of building something like a spaceship or a car, kids have a jewelry box or a pencil case that they get to decorate with LEGO pieces. They can be changed and altered to suit moods and have enough tiles in the kits to allow for true self-expression. The key is that they tap into a child’s imagination, which is limitless.
LEGO DUPLO My First Alphabet Truck
Combining the worlds of fun and education, the LEGO DUPLO My First Alphabet Truck does what it says on the tin, really. There’s a truck that has numerous LEGO pieces that are decorated with letters of the alphabet. This allows little ones to learn the alphabet as they load the bricks onto the trick, though they can also opt to spell out other words like ‘Play’ or ‘Fun’ should they wish to.
LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Monster Burger Truck
Anything with ‘3-in-1’ in the title implies the ability to get plenty of value out of it, which is certainly the case with the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Monster Burger Truck. Do you want it to be a burger truck, selling its wares to LEGO figurines? Or would you prefer it be a monster truck, taking on all comers? Perhaps you’d prefer it to be a tractor or even an off-road vehicle? Whatever you want it be it can become. Sort of.
LEGO Star Wars 2020 Advent Calendar
As with LEGO itself, Star Wars remains as popular today as when it first emerged in the 1970s. In both cases that is because of the ability to reinvent itself, with the LEGO Advent Calendar featuring 24 doors, behind which lie character from across the saga. There are 12 mini-builds to be found, plus the amusing sight of Darth Vader wearing a Christmas jumper. Be careful or else he’ll feel your presents.
LEGO Super Mario Adventures Starter Course
This year, retro items seem to be all the rage. Whether it be Star Wars, the DeLorean or Super Mario, decades-old characters are as popular as ever. In the case of the LEGO Super Mario Adventures Starter Course, you can team up with your favourite character that then uses an LCD screen to offer expressive responses to whatever’s happening during the adventure that you go on together.
Top 2020 Family Board Games
Those of a certain age will doubtless remember boring Sundays sat in front of the Monopoly board, keeping an eye on dad who was cheating as the banker. Board games have long been a staple of a child’s toy chest, allowing parents and kids to play together at something that doesn’t require the older members of the family to tap too deep into a sense of imagination long forgotten.
That’s not to suggest that the board games on offer here are anything other than fun-filled, however. They’re definitely more exotic and interesting than the games of old. They’re well-themed, providing a real sense of fun and amusement that will reignite the child in even the most worldly of adults. There’s no more collecting properties for hours on end here, with everything feeling fast-paced and exciting.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
At first glance, it might well seem as though someone has just thrown five words together and called it a board game. Instead, it’s something of a cross between Snap! and Hearts, with players needing to slap the deck when the word that they say from the sequence of Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese and Pizza matches what’s on the card that they’re putting down. It’s a game of mayhem and extremely fun for that.
Munchin’ Monkey
Imagine a cross between Buckaroo and owning a pet monkey. That will give you some sense of what to expect when it comes to Munchin’ Monkey, with Charlie swinging from his tree and wanting to be hand-fed. You feed him what the dice tells you to, with his nappy bursting when he’s eaten too much. The person that bursts Charlie’s nappy is the winner, with the coconut and coconut water exploding when it builds up too much.
Cheatwell Games Baffled
That Cheatwell Games’ Baffled comes with the tagline of ‘You’ll need the memory of an elephant’ tells you what this game involves. You get sixty seconds to memorise the positions of 12 symbols, which shift between turns. It will leave you baffled when you try to put them back in the correct order, trying as hard as you can to remember whether they were when you last saw them.
Herd Mentality
This isn’t necessarily about teamwork, but you do need to think like the crowd in order to win. You’re all asked a question, such as name a fruit, with everyone who names the same fruit winning a cow. The person with the most cows at the end of the game is the winner, unless they’ve collected the pink cow. It might sound complicated but it’s really not and wrong answers will often lead to hilarity.
Beat That!
Coming with a tagline that declares it to be ‘The Bonkers Battle of Whacky Challenges’, Beat That! promises hectic, ridiculous and competitive fun. There are 160 challenges available, with the completion of one allowing you to ask your fellow players to ‘Beat That!’ if they can. There are a large variety of different challenges, which will test your skill and your dexterity, as well as your competitiveness.
Throw Throw Burrito
The goal of Throw Throw Burrito is to earn the most points by the end of the game, with points earned by collecting identical cards. Get three matching cards and you’ll earn a point, with everyone playing at the same time for some hectic fun. So, where does the burrito come in? Burrito Battles result in players throwing burritos at each other, with Burrito bruises being earned along the way. It’s bonkers, but it’s fun.
Hocus Pocus Strategy Board Game
Based loosely on the film of the same name, the Hocus Pocus Strategy Board Game asks players to work together in order to stop the Sanderson sisters from brewing up their wicked potion. It’s aimed at between 2 and 6 players, with games taking around half an hour to complete. That allows for plenty of replays, with fifty ingredients cards making up the deck alongside some spell cards and a sun token.
Puglicious
Pugs are one of the most popular dogs around nowadays, with the Puglicious game asking participants to stack treats on the pug’s nose. If the pug eats the treats then you win, whilst if they don’t, the treats go back in the pile. The pug is able to flip the treats off its nose in order to eat them, which adds to the sense of fun involved. Dog lovers will adore the cute little pug that is the centre of attention here.
Top 2020 Stocking Stuffers
Have you ever got to Christmas Eve, feeling smug about the excellent presents that you’ve bought for your kids only to look at the fireplace and realise that you haven’t filled their stockings? Perhaps that’s why people in years gone by would wrap some coal and stuff a tangerine in there, desperate to bulk it out a little. Well, we’re here to help you avoid having to do that this Christmas.
Stocking Stuffers aren’t ever going to be the main present on offer, but they are presents that add just that little bit of excitement on Christmas Day. Think of them as being bonus presents that won’t cost you the earth but will elicit a smile or two when they’re opened. Some of them also match presents mentioned in the main sections above, so there’s a little something more to them if you want there to be.
Smashers Dino Ice Age Surprise Epic Egg
Another dinosaur-themed gift, this time asking your little one to smash the egg open in order to reveal the dinosaur pieces inside. You’ll then be able to build a wooly mammoth, a pterodactyl or a T-rex. There are also hidden clues and a scratch map to reveal where you need to look for things. The dinosaurs themselves can wag their tails and move their heads, plus they can fight against one another.
Boom City Racers
Boom City Racers are a series of cars that, as the name suggests, go ‘boom’. There are 24 different cars to collect, with the pieces being interchangeable once they’ve ‘exploded’ off the car. Obviously, they pair with the Boom City Fireworks Factory mentioned elsewhere on the page, with the cars bursting apart on impact. They also come in a rocket-shaped box, adding to the sense of excitement.
Baff: Gelli Baff, Baff Bombz, Slime Baff, Crackle Baff
Sometimes you need to find a way to make bath time more fun, which is where Baff Bombz come in. They are non-toxic and safe on skin, with the Bombz essentially acting like other forms of bath bombs but aimed at kids. The Rainbow Baff Bombz, as an example, look like a white cloud and then leave a trail of rainbow colours when put in the water. Some of them are biodegradable but not all of them are eco-friendly.
LOL Surprise! Pets
L.O.L. Surprise! toys remain popular, with the L.O.L. Surprise! MGAE Cares Limited Edition Frontline Hero mentioned elsewhere. These small Stocking Stuffers present you with a Surprise! ball, inside of which you’ll find the likes of puppies, bunny rabbits, hamsters and kittens. They will cry, tinkle or even change colour when you feed them with the provided water bottle, so in some ways they’re educational too.
Cheatwell Games White Unicorn Popper
Cheatwell Games have created a White Unicorn Popper that will shoot rainbow-coloured balls when squeezed. The balls can shoot up to 20 feet, encouraging both hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Safe for both indoor and outdoor play, there are other animal types that do the same thing if unicorns aren’t really for you. Pair it with some sort of target and you’ll soon find young ones popping their balls repeatedly.