30 Most Popular Toys That Will Be on Every Kid's List This Year
Get a jump on shopping for holidays and birthdays with these hot, hot, hot toys.
Reviewed by Marisa LaScalaSenior Parenting & Relationships Editor
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One of the most fun assignments the Good Housekeeping Institute gets annually is to keep track of toys coming out in the upcoming year. We meet with brands, attend events like Toy Fair (where we get a preview of thousands of toys in the pipeline), and test toys with kids in the run-up to our annual Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards.
This year, we predict that the below will be some of the most popular toys of 2025. They include kids' favorite characters from beloved TV shows and movies like How to Train Your Dragon, Moana 2, and Bluey. Some follow big toy trends, including new slimes, casual games that involve physical skill, and DIY fashion and building sets. And others are new twists on old faves. (Note: Because some of these are so new, the Good Housekeeping Institute hasn't had a chance to test them all yet). We made sure there was something for everyone on the list, from toddlers to teens.
Play-Doh now makes sensory dough, too. These six each comes in a signature scent—and a special feel. There are two Super Stretch doughs (stretchy), two Butter doughs (soft), Play Foam (full of foam chunks), and Cloud (airy). The set is priced right for a birthday gift. Ages 4+
The newest construction toy is well, squishier, thanks to this BLDR Squishmallow collab. With their unique hard exterior and soft belly design, there’s no other building toy like it. A fun feature about BLDR: It's compatible with other popular building sets, so you can build with any existing bricks you may have at home. In addition to Patty's farmstand set, there are sets with Sunny the bee, Avery the duck, Reginald the corgi, and others. Ages 8+
Future fashionistas will be ready to rule the runway with this kit, complete with design necessities like fun fabrics and trims, dress patterns, sewing needles and thread, and a seam ripper. Use the guide book and materials to make custom clothes on the mini bust forms and learn all about fashion design from first sketches to final garments. Ages 8+
For starters, this Spidey cuts an impressive figure: It stands at 11 inches tall, which leaves lots of room for cool “Venomized” details throughout. But the real fun starts when you push down on Spider-Man’s arm: His torso fills with a dark liquid that turns him into the symbiote. Press his arm again, and Spidey is restored. Ages 8+
RELATED: The Best Spider-Man Toys for 'Spidey and His Amazing Friends' Fans
This funny, fast game is of the hot-potato variety, where you try to get a teammate to guess a word before the pigeon explodes. First you shake the die and see if you need to communicate the word via charades, drawing, saying other words to prompt the right word—it's an entertaining combo of a lot of other guessing games with a goofy pigeon thrown in. Ages 7+
It's the tiny toy from your childhood combined with your favorite TV show from adulthood! It's Polly Pocket and The Office with miniature versions of your favorite characters and scenes from the best episodes like Kevin and his chili, Pam's teapot and painting, Prison Mike, Dwight's beets, and Jim's jiggly Jello stapler. It all folds up into Michael's "World's Best Boss" mug. There are also sets for fans of Stranger Things, Friends, Harry Potter and others. Ages 14+
Tame & Train Interactive Toothless
Between the new, live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon and the opening of Universal Studios’s Epic Universe, which has a whole land dedicated to all things Berk, it’s a good time to be a dragon fan. This Toothless lets kids become dragon trainers in their own right. They’ll have to feed the dragon and bond with him, and he’ll eventually get comfortable enough to show off his great wings. Age 4+
Two iconic toy brands come together for one of the most stylish launches of the year: Play-Doh Barbie. She's specially designed to be used with Play-Doh, so you won't have to worry about it sticking in her hair or to her clothes. Instead, your child can use the included molds and tools to make Barbie's fashion, wigs, and accessories for her. From fun ruffly dresses to floral fringe skirts to crop tops with crazy patterns, there are countless looks for your kid to create. Age: 5+
One of the trends we saw throughout Toy Fair was an explosion of fun, casual games that also require a little bit of physical skill, like Connect 4 Frenzy. Instead of dropping their discs into a static grid, players have to bounce them off the table and into a board that lies flat. But if another player bounces their disc on top, the spot is theirs—so it’s a fast-paced competition until someone gets four in a row. Ages 8+
A big trend in new toys is beauty-inspired packaging, so kids can explore the beauty space in a kid-friendly way. The Gui Gui slime for example, lets kids open up packets of mix-ins to swirl in another color, add beads and sparkles, and place a character on top (or hide it inside). There are four varieties: glossy, clear, buttery, and cloud. Ages 6+
There's a trend of wooden toys with modern electronics, like this Hape piano. Each press of a key plays a sound but also activates lights or produces a pixilated animal on the piano top, depending what mode your child is playing in. And parents, there's volume control. Ages 12 months+; requires four AA batteries (not included)
One of our favorite toys from last season (a Best Toy Award winner) is back with a super sleuthing take. Snap Circuits' Spy Kit allows kids to experiment using electricity and circuitry to build top-secret devices like voice changers, motion detectors, trip wires, and more. Altogether, there are more than 25 spy missions for future special agents to try. Ages 7+
A dad who played Magna-Tiles with his kid dreamed up the concept of tiles that have rails you can fold up to create a ball run. And the brand went ahead and made it! This summer they'll ship this 33-piece set and a deluxe 90-piece set. Ages 3+
Related: Best Magnetic Toys
If you were ever a fan of Crazy Bones, then this new game is sure to bring back that nostalgia, as well as entertain new players. Use the included launcher to shoot out the Mag-Pods! Each has magnetic features that enhance gameplay even further. There are different sets, from games you play against friends to stunt parks you can set up and play with yourself. Ages: 6+
Bluey is a Duplo! Help your preschooler build the Heeler home, then you can hide items and the Heeler family figures behind the windows of the house. Toddlers twist a spinner to see which paired items they need to find, then open and close the windows to play the "memory" game and try to make a match. Of course, they can just play with this as a regular playhouse, too! Ages: 3+
An under-$25 Playmobil set? With vehicles to boot? Count us in. We love seeing toy vehicles operate like so many used to—kids pull this racer back a bit, then let it go to have it zip across the room. The zany pizza-delivery theme with the chef at the wheel has us laughing. There are other designs, too, like a wrestler, a unicorn, or a wacky professor. Ages 4+
RELATED: Best Car Toys for Every Age
LEGO Creator sets keep expanding. This one lets young builders put the pink bricks together to form either a flamingo, a cockatoo, or an axolotl—all are adorable and have posable parts. Ages 8+
RELATED: The Best Axolotl Toys for Kids
Leave it to Maui to break the Ken mold. He's huge! But he's the correct size for a demigod in Barbie-size scale. This set includes Maui wielding his fish hook and Maui with her special necklace. Ages 3+
GraviTrax Star Wars Action Set Death Star
We've long been fans of the GraviTrax system of marble runs. (The GraviTrax Junior Starter Set won a Best Toy Award last year.) Now, Star Wars fans can get in on the action, racing their marbles across the surface of the Death Star and past X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and even the Millennium Falcon. The marbles themselves are even etched with symbols like Darth Vader’s helmet. Ages 8+
RELATED: The Best Gifts for 'Star Wars' Fans
How to describe this? The red, fire-breathing dragon car hauler comes with two Hot Wheels cars already inside, but kids can load in more. The whole thing opens up into a two-lane raceway which kids can use to launch vehicles. The blue dragon comes off the top and has wings; kids can use it to vacuum up cars, making retrieving the vehicles they've launched part of the fun. Age: 4+
Amanda (she/her) researches and reports on products in the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab, ranging from clothing and accessories to home furnishings. She holds undergraduate degrees in apparel merchandising and product development and advertising and marketing communications, as well as a master of science degree in consumer sciences from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2022, Amanda was a lecturer for the fashion and retail studies program at Ohio State, where she taught fashion and textiles courses.
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Alec Scherma (he/him) is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s test engineer, where he helps to create and implement new product testing methodology across home, cooking and cleaning appliances, wellness, tech products and more. He graduated from Drexel University’s College of Engineering with a B.A. in mechanical engineering.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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