Welcome to the pre-holiday season, a magical time filled with joy, cheer, and the low-grade panic of realizing you have a very long list of very specific toy requests to fulfil. This is the Hunger Games of holiday shopping, where the last Tickle-Me-Elmo on the shelf can turn the calmest parent into a ruthless warrior.
But what if you could win the game before it even begins? Black Friday has arrived, and it’s brought an entire sleigh-full of deals on the most-wished-for, most-obsessed-over toys of the year. We’ve compiled the ultimate cheat sheet to help you secure your “Parent of the Year” award and avoid the dreaded “it’s sold out everywhere” meltdown.
#1 The Only Family That Actively Encourages You To Rearrange Their Faces Without Any Emotional Consequences Is The Potato Head Family
Review: “My grand daughter loves these potato heads. Every time we video chat, she always has one of them in her hand. Classic toy that never goes out of style.” – Ron Deluga
Image source: amazon.com
#2 The Slightly Creepy Little Friend From Your Childhood Is Back, And This Time It’s Had A Major Hollywood Glow-Up As The Interactive Glam Gold Furby
Review: “Cute, fun, works as described and we’ve had this for several months.” – M.M.
Image source: amazon.com, Caronda
#3 The Only Way To Find Out What The World Looks Like From A Three-Foot-Tall Perspective, Complete With A Thousand Blurry Pictures Of The Dog, Is With A Goopow Kids Camera
Review: “The cutest camera!! Bought this camera for my daughter for her 4th birthday and she loved it! The camera comes with the memory card and she can also play games on it. She can also add frames to the pictures and the quality is actually good for it being a kids camera. This camera is worth the price.” – Evelyn Nicole
Image source: amazon.com, Evelyn Nicole
#4 The Blocky World Your Kid Is Completely Obsessed With Just Got A Major, High-Definition Upgrade With A Copy Of Minecraft For The Playstation 5
Review: “Works really well my kids loved it.” – Coryn buell
Image source: amazon.com
#5 The Crossover Event Of The Century Has Arrived, And It Involves A Giant T-Rex And A Fleet Of Tiny Race Cars, A.k.a. The Dinosaur Truck With 12 Pull Back Cars
Review: “Had a very happy 3 year old!! He still plays with this a year later.” – mariah
Image source: amazon.com, Jamie Carpenter
#6 A Dinosaur Race Track Is The One Place Where A T-Rex And A Hot Wheels Car Can Finally Settle Their Ancient, Prehistoric Beef
Review: “Such a fun, cute toy for Dino loving kiddos! Despite not coming with instructions the set up is very self explanatory and didn’t take long at all. I did purchase two and definitely could have just purchased one but we will have endless options when it comes to rearranging the tracks. The cars take a single AA battery and are pretty fast.” – Brooklyn Mills
Image source: amazon.com, Brooklyn Mills
This is the one week where you can finally say “yes” to the giant, slightly obnoxious, light-up-and-make-noise thing they’ve been begging for, all without having to dip into their college fund. It’s a win-win: they get the toy of their dreams, and you get the smug satisfaction of a deal well-bagged.
#7 A Remote Control Car With LED Lights & 360° Flips Is The Only Thing That Will Make Your Kid’s Jaw Drop Faster Than The Car Itself
Review: “This toy car is so cool!! It has headlights that light up and it turns in all sorts of directions, twist, and even rides on two wheels! It has a remote to drive it and the battery pack cones off to recharge it. This toy car is a really great value and is so entertaining!” – Lena Rubio
Image source: amazon.com, ALURA
#8 The Toddler Tricycle Is The First Step In Your Child’s Long, Illustrious Career Of Terrifying You With Their Need For Speed
Review: “Skip buying the little bike for toddlers and BUY THIS! Love that it’s adjustable so it’s going to be used for a much longer period of time in the house. Great for our toddler to go from tricycle to balance bike with one purchase! So happy with this purchase and will recommend to all my friends for sure! Our little man loves it!!” – Michael Ryan Amador
Image source: amazon.com, Michael Ryan Amador
#9 The Winning Fingers Flashing Cube Memory Toy Will Either Prove Your Child Is A Genius Or Provide A Very Humbling, Flashy Light Show
Review: “This game cube is alot of fun! It’s challenging and helps with memory, coordination, speed, and its entertaining! My daughter loves this so far. It has different games you can pick like catch me, remember me, follow me and chase me.” – T Nycole T
Image source: amazon.com, T Nycole T
#10 A Set Of Audrey 2 Piranha Plant Building Toys Is The Perfect Gift For The Kid Who’s A Little Bit Of A Botanist And A Whole Lot Of A Mad Scientist
Review: “This was such a fun quick project.” – Amazon Customer
Image source: amazon.com, Amazon Customer
#11 The Parent-Approved Way To Settle A Minor Household Dispute Over Thechores Is With A Friendly, Foam-Dart-Fueled Duel Using The Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander
Review: “It was a birthday gift and he loved it.” – alan p blair
Image source: amazon.com, Mark Masaki
Source: PJ-The-Awesome
#12 The Only Crab You’ll Ever Be Happy To See Scuttling Across Your Living Room Floor Is This Crawling Crab Baby Toy
Review: “This toy keeps my daughter plenty busy. I had it for half a year now and she still brings it over to me so I can turn on so she can play. Highly recommend.” – chino
Image source: amazon.com, chino
This mission about securing the goods that will buy you precious moments of peace and quiet during the holiday chaos. Every new LEGO set is a few hours of focused, non-screaming construction time. Every slime kit is an afternoon of sticky, but blessedly independent, play. Think of these deals not just as toys, but as an investment in your own holiday sanity.
#13 A 6-Pack Slime Pack Is The Perfect Way To Say “I Love You, But I Also Enjoy A Little Bit Of Chaos And A Constant, Low-Grade Fear For My Carpets”
Review: “Small package but was great for my daughter! It was enough to keep her busy for 2 hours she loved mixing her own “add ins” we loved the fall vibe! It was perfect!” – celeste
Image source: amazon.com, celeste
#14 The Ultimate Slime Kit Contains Everything Your Kid Needs To Conduct Their Very Important, Very Sticky Scientific Research All Over Your Kitchen Table
Review: “Excellent slime! This was our first time purchasing slime. I had a 7 year old, 9 year old and a 10 year old playing with it. This kept them busy laughing and creating for at least 2 hours and they didn’t even use all the slime up yet! This is a good quality.” – Placeholder
Image source: amazon.com, Placeholder
#15 An Optimus Prime Action Figure Will Single-Handedly Protect Your Kid’s Room From The Decepticons, Or At The Very Least, From A Messy Floor
Review: “My kid loves this toy, he refuses to put it down.” – Amazon Customer
Image source: amazon.com, Karla
#16 A Pack Of Rainbow Scratch Paper Is The One Art Supply That Will Make Your Kid Feel Like A Powerful, Color-Revealing Wizard
Review: “This was fun gift to add into my granddaughters gift. We had fun drawing. She plans on keeping this one in the car for entertainment on a drive.” – mcduffic
Image source: amazon.com, mcduffic
#17 3-Pack Of Spidey And His Amazing Friends Will Ensure That Your Kid’s Playtime Is More Action-Packed Than Your Entire Weekend
Review: “It’s great – all three superheros are included – spidey, spin and ghosty. There are two webs and one wings that can be attached to the toys. You can move their heads, legs and arms. All in all, good purchase.” – Dunja
Image source: amazon.com, Dunja
#18 A Baby Montessori Sensory Teething Toy Is A Fancy, Educational-Sounding Way To Describe The Thing Your Baby Will Be Aggressively Gumming For The Next Six Months
Review: “I bought these Montessori sensory toys for my 5-month-old, and they’ve been a hit from day one! The different textures, shapes, and bright colors keep my baby’s attention, and I love that each piece encourages fine motor skills and sensory exploration.” – Evelyn
Image source: amazon.com, Evelyn
#19 A Set Of Iplay Educational Toddler Cars Makes Learning Fun
Review: “Love these little cars. Purchased them for our Grandson’s first Birthday. He carried them, rolled them and chewed on them. By two years old he was pushing the animals down and laughing at them as they rolled down the hallways. Now at three years old they are still some of his favorite cars, he races them, talks to the animals and uses his imagination to create fun playtimes.” – Kathy
Image source: amazon.com, Kathy
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