The Toy Insider has unveiled its 21st annual Holiday Gift Guide, featuring 400 toys from more than 190 toymakers across three signature lists: the Hot 20, STEM 10, and 12 Under $20.
The 2026 guide its most affordable Holiday Gift Guide to date. Nearly half of the featured toys are priced under $25, while 75% are priced under $50. The guide also highlights toys for a wide range of ages and interests, including tweens, teens, and “kidults.”
This year’s guide highlights several trends across the toy aisle, including squishy toys, mystery collectibles, and products featuring characters from Spider-Man, Toy Story, and Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters.
“We’ve all been there: You want to find a toy kids will be excited to unwrap, but you also want to know it’s something they’ll actually play with,” says Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer at The Toy Insider. “And as kids get older — and continue to find joy in toys — finding the right gift can get even trickier.”
Hot 20 features toys across four age groups, including Fisher-Price Little People My Mario Mario’s Adventure Playset, Sesame Street Tickle Me Elmo Giggle Max, Bluey’s Light & Surprise Heeler House, KPop Demon Hunters Singing Fashion Dolls, Pokémon Trading Card Game 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box, Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game: Collection Starter Set — Rapunzel Edition, LEGO Star Wars Smart Play: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing, and Pokémon Pikachu Puppatronic by RealFX.
STEM 10 includes Barbie Chemistry Activity Lab, BRIO Space Station Set, Crayola Goo Deluxe Dissection Playset, CrunchLabs by Mark Rober — The Crunchinator, MAGNA-TILES Treetop Adventure 42-Piece Set, Mindframes Click ’n’ Create Complete Wearable Construction Set, RASKARS: Dash Starter Set, Scrib3D Advanced 3D Pen Set, SolarFlowers, and V8 Race Car.
12 Under $20 features Animal Jamboree, Bilibo Midi, Butterluvs, Dungeons & Dragons Questers, Fuggler Gold Edition Figure Blind Box, Happy Haul, Just Ameerah Fluffy vs Clearz 9 Pack, NERF KPop Demon Hunters, Rump Race, Squishmallows Original KPop Demon Hunters Derpy & Sussie, SQZY Gel Gems Pyramid, Decahedron & Cube, and Starbox Nook Nooks Series 1 by Starbox.
“After testing toys all year, our experts found exciting, affordable options for every stage — from little ones discovering new ways to play to tweens, teens, and even grown-ups diving deeper into their favorite hobbies and fandoms,” shares Schacht. “Through this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, shoppers can spend less time second-guessing and feel confident about every gift they add to their cart.”
The 2026 Holiday Gift Guide is presented by Walmart, The Toy Insider’s preferred retail partner, and powered by Duracell, the official and exclusive battery partner of The Toy Insider. The Toy Insider’s editors also curated The Toy Insider Edit: Walmart Top Toys, a collection of Walmart’s top toys for the season.
Consumers can search for toys and games by age and compare prices across authorized retailers. The Toy Insider evaluates products based on play value, originality, skill building, product integrity, and fun factor. Read the guide online at thetoyinsider.com/2026-holiday-gift-guide.
