Yahoo Finance Retailers reveal their top picks for hot toys this holiday season
The holiday season is a time for giving. A chance to come together with friends and family and celebrate the spirit of the season. And of course, a chance to get the children in your life the gifts they really, really want.
Don’t worry if you’re stuck on what cool toys to get for kids this year, because Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart have officially released their respective lists for 2015. Some familiar names grace the lists of both retailers including a certain minion-centered movie franchise that’s probably going to be on wish lists for years to come. Let’s break it all down shall we?
Star Wars
Can anyone even remember the last time toys from George Lucas’ timeless move franchise weren’t unbelievable popular? Thought so. The Jedi Master Lightsaber appears on the lists of both stores. It lets kids to put together more than 100 different combinations of lightsabers and kids as young as four can get a kick out of it. For Star Wars fans age 10 and up, the Wal-Mart recommended Millennium Falcon Squad remote control spaceship might be a better fit. It’s suitable for playing outside and it flies like a drone using the controls of a traditional remote control car.
Minions
It doesn’t take a marketing specialist or super mom/dad to know minions are a hot item. The first minions movie released back in 2010, “Despicable Me,” has grossed nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars at the box office! I don’t know any kid that doesn’t love those little creatures. A Tumblin’ Stuart doll that makes all kinds of funny noises is perfect for the little ones. Between Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart, there are eight different minion options to choose from. Pick up a couple now and your holiday shopping will be done in a breeze, keeping your child smiling through the holidays no doubt.
Art attacks
For kids who like to be creative, gifts that inspire them to make art and explore their imagination are perfect. Vtech’s Kidizoom Action Cam is basically a GoPro for kids, perfect for an action sports enthusiast that wants to record their own highlights from a first person perspective and explore art of the digital variety. Kids who want to make cool, more traditional crafts can try the Crayola Cling Creator, which lets your young artist make cool creatures and designs that stick on flat surfaces. For kids as young as six, the Crayola Minions Sketcher projector may serve better. It’s just as artsy with less potential for making a mess…and it’s a minions toy of course!
Music to our ears
Think your kid could be a budding young rock star? Have them explore their talent with the always entertaining Guitar Hero Live (one of the few toys on the wish list that adults can gladly pick up and enjoy). You can pick up a bundle with multiple guitars for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Wii for less than $200, which isn’t too bad considering how interactive and exciting it can be.
If your child prefers to get up and move to the music rather than playing it themselves, Twister Moves Hip Hop Spots is a fantastic option. It combines dancing to hip hop music with the game Twister, which means it’s random, exciting and sure to get everyone moving to the beat. It’s good for a bit of exercise if the kids have been spending way too much time with more stationary toys and games lately.
Other cool toys
If your child is indeed a bit older now and you’re a cool enough parent to let them play Call of Duty video games, Nurf Modulus might be a good toy to pick up. Other classics include anything Marvel or Lego and of course, including Aira’s Pegusus Sleigh which will inspire your child with visions of pegasi flying through the sky.
My own personal favourite is Pie Face. It’s a simple game kids will rope you into playing too. You turn a handle that swings a pie at your face. If you turn the handle and doesn’t swing, you get a point, if it does, you get a pie in the face. It’s a great way to create suspense and excitement and get you and your kids laughing together. It’s simple but effective, and very entertaining. In fact, this game was the subject of a video that went viral from the U.K.
So there you have it! Your holiday shopping list is all taken care of. Be sure to check out the full list of this year’s top toys for both Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart and stay ahead of the game by doing your shopping early. Now all you have to worry about is developing your plan of attack for trampling all over other parents on Boxing Day all for the sake of getting minions at a hefty discount!
