The 32 Must-Have Toys for Christmas 2021

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Our Top Picks

Learning Resources Botley the Coding Robot 2.0 at Amazon

"Great for coding beginners, kids can get Botley to do up to 150 steps and 16 fun interactions."

Fisher Price Garden to Kitchen Playset at Amazon

"Perfect for toddlers and preschool aged children, this two-sided playset features both a home garden and kitchen."

LEGO Super Mario Adventures at Amazon

"This interactive LEGO toy brings Mario off of the screen, so your child can build and play with this obstacle course by hand."

Crayola Build A Beast Craft Kits at Amazon

"A fun update on the classic Model Magic kit, kids can make dragonflies, chameleons, and more with the included clay and press tool."

HEXBUG JUNKBOTS at Barnesandnoble.com

"Kids ages 5 and up will love building these characters, with a surprise assortment of parts included in each box."

Lakeshore Learning The Ultimate Fort Builder at Amazon

"This innovative toy comes with 70 pieces and an instruction manual for building castles, igloos, and other structures."

Ryan’s World Vending Surprise at Walmart

"The included coins can be used to select a "snack" that contains a special surprise."

Kinetic Sand Sandwhirlz Playset at Walmart

"This kit comes with red, yellow, and blue sand plus ten different tools to mold the squishy sand again and again."

Blue's Clues & You Dance-Along Blue Plush at Walmart

"This plush, interactive toy is sure to delight little ones with music and phrases from the show."

Pottery Barn Kids Ride-On Fire Truck Pedal Car at Potterybarnkids.com

"Just like its life-sized counterpart, this toy includes realistic features, like a ringing bell and functioning steering wheel."

Searching high and low for the perfect present for a special child? You can close all of those browser tabs because we’ve compiled a list of sure hits for a variety of ages. These in-demand toys all provide hours of fun, but also feature some sort of learning component you’ll love. (Shhh—we won’t tell if you don’t!)

Here, the must-have toys of 2021.

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This cool robot-building toy gives kids ages 5 and up a much-needed screen break, while still teaching the foundations of coding and STEM skills. The set comes with a remote programmer, detachable robot arms, 40 coding cards, six double-sided tiles, and 27 obstacle building pieces.

The 19 Best STEM Toys of 2021

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Perfect for toddlers and preschool-aged children, this two-sided playset features both a home garden and kitchen. There are plenty of pretend fruits and vegetables that kiddos can "harvest," along with plates, cups, and other utensils that can be used for pretend meals.

The 13 Best Kitchen Sets for Kids in 2021

LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course

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This interactive LEGO set takes one of the most classic video games to new heights as kids construct their own obstacle course with bricks and characters, then watch their creation come to life through the companion app.

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This build-it-yourself STEM kit teaches kids how to construct something out of model clay that can wiggle and move, just like other toys. It's a great introduction to the skeletal system for young children, with all of the fun of making the colorful creatures of their imagination come to life.

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A special dumpster pack with over 50 pieces that can be used to build four separate JUNKBOT characters. To add to the fun: Since there are more than 30 collectible figurines, you never know which assortment you’ll get.

The 18 Best Toys for Gifted Children in 2021

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Make teetering pillow structures a thing of the past with this fort builder. In the set, you'll get 45 poles and 25 connectors, along with a step-by-step guide for all types of forts. While it's recommended for kiddos 4-11 years old, who's to say you can't pop in?

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This working vending machine is filled with surprise after surprise! The included coins can be used to select a "snack" that contains a special surprise. As an added bonus, there are lights and sounds that help bring this vending machine to life.

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Mix and match the colored sand to create a beautiful and unique creation! This kit comes with red, yellow, and blue sand plus ten different tools—including a cloud-shaped extruder tube—to mold the squishy sand again and again. Kinetic sand never dries out, so this kit will provide endless hours of fun.

Blue's Clues & You Dance-Along Blue Plush

Buy on Walmart

This plush, interactive toy is sure to delight little ones with music and phrases from the show! Blue can move her head, ear, and paws along with the music, and the included guitar acts as a remote control.

Buy on Potterybarnkids.com

A larger-than-life gift that’s sure to provide hours of entertainment outside or in a large indoor space, like the basement. The fire truck-style ride-on toy, suitable for ages one and up, comes with everything your child will need to play firefighter: a ringing bell, functioning steering wheel and decorative wooden ladder. It's a truly special gift that they'll cherish for years to come—and its classic vintage look won't look too shabby in your home, either.

The 20 Best Ride-on Toys for Toddlers of 2021

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With a totally awesome crop top, denim skirt, hot pink tights, and white boots, Courtney Moore is the quintessential '80s girl. Children will love reading her story and following along as she creates her own video game with a female heroine.

The 16 Best Baby Dolls of 2021

Treasure X Sunken Gold Treasure Ship Playset

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This single boat promises hours of fun, as it comes with 25 levels of adventure—complete a series of challenges to figure out how to save the captain of the ship and destroy the evil sea monster. As they play, they’ll discover hidden secrets within the ship, like weapons, cannons, anchors, steering wheels, and even gold. The ship comes with figurines, so once all of the challenges are complete, your child can still act out pirating adventures.

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Bring your child’s favorite superheroes to life with a larger-than-life 3-foot, two-in-one toy. In an instant, it transforms from a poseable Catboy figure to a cat car vehicle lift with three drop-down ramps.

Hedbanz, Quick Question Family Guessing Game for Kids and Adults

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Take family game night to new heights with a silly game in which participants try to answer the question, “What animal am I?” It’s easy: Players simply grab a headband and card, don it, then ask “yes” or “no” questions to figure out what animal they are.

The 8 Best Family Games of 2021

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This colorful cube plays a wide range of stories, songs, and more based on the character you've chosen, providing plenty of screen-free fun for ages 3 and up. You can also choose a "creative" tonie, which can have personalized messages or bedtime stories uploaded to them via an app, so grandma can record a story for bedtime or your child can record themselves singing their favorite nursery rhyme.

Buy on Americangirl.com

This year, give your child the gift of a fiercely cool companion. Joss, the American Girl of the year, is a fun-loving surfer girl with a special story that will teach your child the power of a positive attitude, an open mind, and a little perseverance.

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Consider this the most unique—and interesting!—piece of clothing your child has ever owned. Thanks to a cool patent-pending chalkboard technology, you can use the included water-based, non-toxic chalk marker to design a “new” T-shirt whenever the mood strikes—simply wipe it clean with a wet washcloth.

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For the budding DIYer, a LEGO kit that lets them create their very own decor: working picture frames. The set comes with six vibrantly colored building blocks that easily snap together to make frames up to 4 inches tall and 2 inches wide.

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Encourage imaginative play with this fun play set. It includes everything your little one needs to plan a special road trip—an all-terrain vehicle with a push and go motor, a camper with a detachable awning, two chairs, and a figurine.

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Monster Burger Truck

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A three-in-one set the kids won’t soon tire of, thanks to multiple levels of play. First, they’ll have to rise to the challenge of constructing their monster truck, then they can pretend to serve up burgers before rebuilding the whole thing into an off-roader or a tractor-pulling vehicle.

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Introduce your kiddo to a bit of your own childhood with the iconic time-traveling DeLorean. The vehicle is complete with working lights and the must-have flux capacitor, plus comes with Marty McFly, Dr. Emmett Brown, Einstein the dog, a skateboard, plutonium cores in an accompanying case, and more.

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This toy, inspired by the fan-favorite character from The Mandalorian, really is out of this world. Simply touch the top of its head to activate familiar sound effects from the movie, including a full range of emotions—happy and excited, giggles and babbles, tired and sleeping, and Force effects.

Ravensburger Disney Hocus Pocus: The Game

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Add something new to family game night with this fun, cooperative card game based on the hit Halloween movie Hocus Pocus. To win, players ages 8 and up must work together to stop the infamous Sanderson sisters from brewing their magical potion before the sun rises.

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A fun, engaging toy that puts your 2-year-old's fine motor and problem-solving skills to the test, as they explore and experiment to fit all ten shapes into the corresponding compartments.

The 22 Best Toys for 2-Year-Old Boys in 2021

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Expand your child’s growing set of imaginative play toys with this outdoor camping set. It includes everything their little figurine needs for a night under the stars: reversible sleeping bags, a tent, and a campfire.

Minions: The Rise of Gru Babble Otto Large Interactive Toy For Kids Ages 4 Years & Up

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Bring one of their favorite movies to life with an interactive minion doll that comes programmed with more than 20 signature sounds and phrases when you move him in a variety of different positions.

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Children age 6 and up will delight in creating their very own wearable jewelry out of colorful LEGO DOTS. There’s no shortage of options—the set features five adjustable bands and 295 tiles in an assortment of vivid colors.

Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Recycling Truck

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By using a real, working, kid-safe toy drill to build this cool truck, kids will have fun learning about the basics of construction and engineering, while also improving fine motor skills. Once the truck is constructed, it’s a great vehicle for pretend play—or can be disassembled and reassembled time and time again.

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If your child can hold a pen, this doodler will give them the unique ability to create an endless array of insect body parts to create a personalized and fully functioning robotic structure called a hexbug.

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These colorful soft foam blocks offer a new way to build for the youngest set of curious, imaginative minds. The magnetic blocks all click together like magic and rotate 360-degrees to create cool, functional animals, sculptures, and more.

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Jinkies—this is one toy you’ll definitely want to tuck under the tree this year. The infamous Mystery Machine has rear doors that fully open to reveal an illuminated monitor, where you can insert ghost cards to learn more about the Scooby-Doo team’s latest mystery. The set also includes beloved characters—Fred, Daphne, Velma—plus a map, flashlight, spyglass, and other mystery-solving accessories.

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For your budding star, an HD video camera on a sturdy tripod with a built-in microphone and special effects, like time-lapse video and more than 20 animated backgrounds.