Meredith Corp.’s Parents magazine is rolling out a ton of holiday toy content, including its Best Toys for Kids of 2020 list.
The Best Toys list includes 45 top toys as selected by the Parents magazine editors and is featured in the December issue of Parents magazine — on stands Nov. 6 — and online. The Toy Insider‘s Chief Toy Officer Laurie Schacht appears in videos introducing each category alongside Jessica Hartshorn, entertainment editor at Parents. Additionally, members of the Toy Insider editorial team can be seen showcasing even more of this year’s hottest toys in videos featured on the Parents x Toy Insider Holiday Hub. The Toy Insider’s 15th annual Holiday Gift Guide can be found in the November issue of Parents.
“In 2020, families found themselves sheltering at home with limited childcare, and so Parents set out to find them new toys to keep their kids engaged, entertained, and playing independently—without screens,” says Parents Editor-in-Chief Julia Edelstein. “Our vetted list of nearly 50 toys promises to make the winter months of social distancing more fun for everyone … we’re thrilled to debut this list just in time for the holiday season to help make shopping for gifts a little easier.”
The full Parents Best Toys for Kids of 2020 list can be viewed below.
TIMELESS TOYS
- Baby Doll: Sweet Smiles Doll (Madame Alexander)
- Build-It Set: Playmobil RC Crane with Building Section (Playmobil USA)
- Car Tower: Go! Go! Smart Wheels Ultimate Corkscrew Tower (Vtech)
- Companion Doll: Healthy Roots Dolls Zoe (Healthy Roots Dolls)
- Marble Run: Pi Gauss Cannon Marble Run Set (HABA)
- Puzzle: King of the Dinosaurs (Ravensburger North America)
- RC Vehicle: Monster Jam Megalodon Storm (Spin Master)
- Rescue Vehicle: Real-Action Fire Engine (Lakeshore Learning )
- Train Set: Fisher-Price Thomas & Friends Talking Thomas & Percy Train Set (Mattel)
LOVABLE CHARACTERS
- Baby Shark: Pinkfong Baby Shark Dancing DJ (WowWee)
- Blue’s Clues: Blue’s Clues & You! Dance-Along Blue Plush (Just Play)
- DreamWorks Trolls World Tour: Color Poppin’ Poppy (Just Play)
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian The Child 8-in. Basic Plush (Mattel)
- Sesame Street: Bedtime Elmo With Light-Up Flashlight (GUND)
FAN-FAVE PLAYSETS
- Bluey: Bluey’s Family Home Playset (Moose Toys)
- Frozen 2: LEGO Disney Anna and Elsa’s Storybook Adventures (LEGO Group)
- Marvel Avengers: Marvel Bend and Flex Action Figures (Hasbro)
- PAW Patrol: PAW Patrol Ultimate Police Cruiser (Spin Master)
- PJ Masks: PJ Masks Transforming 2 in 1 Mobile HQ (Just Play)
BIG REVEALS
- Fun Reveal: Blume Petal Pets (Skyrocket)
- L.O.L. Set: L.O.L. Surprise! Clubhouse Playset (MGA Entertainment)
- Plush Surprise: Rainbocorns Sweet-Shake Surprise (ZURU)
- Hidden-in-Slime Prize: Treasure X Sunken Gold Shark’s Treasure (Moose Toys)
ART AND SCIENCE KITS
- Cool Gadget: Flynoculars (iPlay, iLearn)
- Craft Kit: Paper Flower Science Kit (Crayola)
- Jewelry Kit: Just My Style All-in-One Jewelry Carry Case (Horizon Group USA)
- Magna Tiles: Caterpillar Magna-Tiles (CreateOn)
- Science Kit: Ooze Labs: Colorful Crystal Lab (Thames & Kosmos)
IMAGINATIVE PLAY
- Baby Play: Fisher-Price Little People 1-2-3 Babies Playdate (Mattel)
- Baby Toy: Bandana Buddies Activity Toy LLama (Skip Hop)
- Best Fix-It Toy: John Deere Build-a-Buddy Value Bundle (TOMY)
- Dino Adventure: Large Dino Research Station (Schleich)
- Fantasy Playset: Under-the-Sea Mermaid Palace (Lakeshore Learning)
- Pretend Pet: Little Live Pets Lil’ Dippers (Moose Toys)
FAMILY GAMES
- Board Game: Trailz (PlayMonster)
- Silly Game: #UpsideDownChallenge Game (Vango Toys)
- Suspense Game: Popcorn Poppin’ (YULU)
IDEAS TO GET ACTIVE
- Activity Table: Lamaze 3-in-1 Airtivity Center (TOMY)
- Ride-On: Kid Trax Silly Skaters Unicorn Inflatable Ride-On (Pacific Cycle)
- Rocker to Rider: 2-in-1 Rocking Kids’ Balance Bike (Mobo Wobo)
- Starter Sports: Count & Win Sports Center (VTech)
- Water Table: Ball Buddies Adventure Center (Step2)
FUN FAUX FOOD
- Full Kitchen: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen (Mattel)
- Just the Java: Zoo Bark-ista Set (Skip Hop)
- Mini Set: Yum-2-3 Toaster (LeapFrog)
To craft its Best Toys list, Parents editors consulted with the toy experts at the Toy Insider and had 60 families across the country test toys from a pool of more than 500 new products to determine the 45 winners. All toys included on this year’s list are screen-free, sustain interest, please parents, and cost no more than $100.
For even more of the hottest toys of the year, be sure to consult the Toy Insider‘s Holiday Gift Guide. With more than 160 toys in print and more than 300 toys online, parents and gift-givers will find the perfect toy or game for any kid.
