Brace yourselves, mammas, because we have news! There’s only 25 weekends til Christmas!
Yes, only 25 Saturdays and Sundays left to work out which must-have toy your kid will put on their Santa list this year – and find it before it sells out! Because every mum knows there’s nothing worse than desperately scrounging the aisles on Christmas Eve for that toy Santa has promised! Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Australian Toy Association President Andrew Skinner tells Mum Central the best way to make sure you get your hands on this year’s crop of hot toys is to shop early.
“Last year some toys like the LOL dolls were in such hot demand in October and November, the distributors were unable to secure more stock for Christmas,” Andrew says. “Mums, make your decision when the October retailer catalogues come out and buy early to avoid disappointment.”
We asked Andrew and his toy insiders at Santa’s workshop for the scoop on the toys your kids are likely going to put on their Christmas lists. Come count them down with us.
1. LOL Big Surprise
Just when you thought the LOL Big Surprise craze would fade away into oblivion, here are 50 never before seen LOL doll surprises up for grabs! Oh yes! This limited edition LOL Big Surprise ($99) may make kids think all their Christmases have come at once, but parents are still divided over whether this uber-hot toy is worth the big bucks you pay.
Still don’t know what a LOL Big Surprise is? It’s basically a giant purse shaped piece of plastic stuffed with smaller plastic toys and dolls that your child has to open. If you’ve got a daughter, she’ll love the fact that with these LOLs you don’t know what you’re going to get… hence the SURPRISE bit. Oh and the doll accessories are apparently a key factor in this toy’s likability!
2. Pikmi Pops
Pikmi Pops are LOL dolls’ more affordable cousin – big lollipops you can’t eat, filled with cute plushies instead of sugary candy. The jumbo unicorn Pikmi Pop ($29) is the one your tween daughter is probs already eyeing off, and it’s tipped to be as rare as a real unicorn by Christmas, so we suggest you grab it asap.
Or go for the even cheaper Pikmi Pops Surprise Pack ($13) with scented mini plushies and other surprises. Phew! How can you resist! The scent alone is enough to tempt your little ones – so we’re told.
3. BFF (Best Furry Friends)
Leading out the interactive Christmas 2018 toy brigade are BFF Best Furry Friends ($29), which are making the leap from pocket sized toys to huggable plush that react to your kids’ touch – and talk too. There’s a Pegacorn (that’s a unicorn with wings in case you didn’t know) and dragon, for mini GoT fans. AIf you’re not up for buying an actual pet this Christmas, perhaps this could be the perfect furry friend substitute? Just saying.
4. Luvabella Doll
Luvabella Doll ($125) is no ordinary baby doll. It moves, talks and plays just like a real baby. (Face palm, just when you thought your babies were grown up!) Cover her eyes for a game of peek-a-boo, tickle her tummy and toes to make her giggle, or place a hand on her chest to feel her heartbeat. Some might think she’s a little on the creepy side, but apparently her abilities more than make up for that! And here’s the kicker, just like a real baby, she starts off with babbles and coos until your kid teaches her to talk.
This doll wasn’t widely available in Australia last Christmas so expect it to be huge with doll loving kids who also like robots.
5. Scruff a Luvs
We’re calling it. Scruff a Luvs ($20) are going to be THE hot toy for little animal lovers. A pound puppy for Generation Z, these plush toys weirdly start out as scruffy matted balls of coloured fur and you don’t know exactly what pet you have until after you give it a bath. Apparently they become quite the cute thing after a wash and blow dry. Yes, mamas, be prepared, you’ll need to get the hair dryer out for this one! It’s not just us that need styling!
6. Jurassic World LEGO
Lego isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. Still a huge favourite, there are literally hundreds of sets to choose from, you can never have enough small plastic bricks, right? (I know! More pieces to stand on in the middle of the night!) Hot tip, this Christmas experts say the Jurassic World Lego range is the one to get!
7. Hatchimals
Remember the great Hatchimals Christmas disaster of 2016, when mums came to blows trying to get their hands on Hatchimals for the kids? Yep, experts tip it’s going to happen again thanks to the newest incarnation, Hatchimals Mystery.
Already running low on toy shelves, best be quick if you want to score one. Why are they so wildly popular again? For the first time in Hatchimals history, what you’ll hatch is a total surprise. Inside one egg are four possibilities. Kids can even teach their Hatchimals mystery how to say their name and they’ll remember it. Heaven help us!
8. Smooshy Mushy
They’re smooshy, they’re mushy and you can bet your kid’s going to want one. The Smooshy Mushy is always stuck in sticky situations and needs its bestie to pull it out. Yeah, we don’t know what that means either, but for sure your kid does. A good filler for the Christmas stocking, sets includes one scented pet and a bestie food item for $13. Get smooshy mamas!
9. Zoomer Enchanted Unicorn
For the kid that already has every kind of unicorn toy on the planet, we present the unicorn robot. The Zoomer Enchanted Unicorn ($149) is an interactive toy that moves on its own. Kids can teach it to sing, dance and trot out a figure eight. Feed the magical unicorn an apple and carrot when she gets hungry and treat her with a sugar cube. But hold on, give it too much sugar and it gets “hyper” and does a crazy dance. Hmmm, sounds like every kid we know…
10. Party Pop Teenies
Party Pop Teenies (from $5) come in a party popper! Yep, your kid gets to cover the house in glittery confetti while they uncover a cute new surprise toy – a tiny collectible doll and even tinier accessories. The catchphrase with this hot toy is ‘Every day’s a party and your little one is invited!’ What about us, huh?
11. Crate Creatures
Drum roll… and the 2018 Toy of the Year goes to your child’s potential new ‘beast’ friend. Crate Creatures! Unleash them with a crow bar, then you can pull their tongues for monstrously fun sounds and gross noises! Ahem … sounds like fun! You can also record and yak back phrases. What more could you want! No, really!
And that’s a wrap on the hottest toys of 1018 front. Let us know in the comments what your child is asking for this Christmas. And take a browse through out toy section to find more toy inspiration, including these toys you’d much rather give other people’s kids!
