The 20 Most Popular Toys of the Year

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Whether you're looking for the best toys for toddlers or one of those hard-to-find gifts for tweens and teen-approved presents, there's wisdom in crowds. Yes, every kid is different, and their personal tastes do matter. But trends also tell you what's grabbing the attention of kids today, and what they'll be most excited to open when a birthday, holiday or big occasion rolls around.

CHECK OUT OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF TOYS AND GIFTS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES

With all that in mind, these are the most popular toys of the year according to Good Housekeeping readers — the hot toys that no one can get enough of. Some of them are viral on TikTok or other platforms. Others are Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners, which have been tested both in our labs and with real families, so you know that they've really been put through their paces and stood the test of time. And still others are those toys with popularity no one can explain — what is a Bilibo, anyway? — but have just been runaway hits with both kids and their parents. When it comes time to shop for gifts for kids of any age, keep these in mind.

And stay tuned for our 2024 Toy Awards — coming soon.

Fat Brain Toys Bilibo by Moluk

Far and away Good Housekeeping readers' most-purchased toy of last holiday season, the Bilibo continues to be a hit this year because of its open-ended nature. Active kids can use it as a seat or a stepping stone. Imaginative ones can turn it into a helmet or a landscape for other toys. It comes in a rainbow of colors, and there's also a mini set you can get — combine a couple and the possibilities are endless! Ages 2+

RELATED: The Best Gifts for 2-Year-Olds

MYNT3D Super 3D Pen

They've tried clay. They've tried building blocks. Now, give them a new medium to create with. The MYNT3D Super 3D Pen gives kids an introduction to 3D printing, letting them melt colored filament and shape it into the objects of their imaginations. The pen lets users adjust the heat, which affects the speed the filament comes out — fast to fill in a large area, slow for details — and it comes with three colors of filament, though you can always buy more. No age recommendation given

Crawligator Tummy Time Toy

A previous Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award-winner, the Crawligator promotes gross motor coordination in babies — especially in the muscles that help them get crawling. It has a pad that runs along the top, making it comfy for tummy time, and wheels on the bottom for when babies get old enough to push it around on the floor with their legs. Good Housekeeping Institute testers appreciated that the sides curve up to keep babies from rolling off. Ages 4 months+

RELATED: The Best Baby Gifts

Shashibo Shape-Shifting Box

This cube is just the thing to keep restless hands busy. It unfolds into a series of different, unique shapes (strong magnets keep it in place with a satisfying click), and then it becomes a puzzle to get it to return to its cube form. It also comes in many fun colors and wild patterns. Ages 8+

Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table

When it's time for some sensory water play, this table lets kids pour water into the top and watch as it "rains" down to the lower level. It also comes with cause-and-effect toys, like pinwheels and tipping buckets, along with scoopers, creatures and other accessories that'll have them exploring the water. The only catch, Good Housekeeping Institute testers say, is that it takes some time to put together. Ages 18 months+

RELATED: The Best Water Tables

Make It Real Mini Pottery Studio

If there's one enduring toy trend, it's the one that makes kids want to "miniaturize" everything. This set combines that with DIY and lets kids create their own small works of pottery. It also can adjust to their level of expertise: Kids can start off by following templates and using the dome to keep the mess to a minimum, and as they get better they can remove the dome and try their own creations. Good Housekeeping Institute testers say that kids loved using the wheel and the tools to shape the clay. Ages 8+

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope

The voice of Bindi Irwin leads kids through their science expeditions with this talking microscope. The slides offer 60 different full-color images, and kids can learn more than 100 facts about the world around them. For budding scientists, GeoSafari Jr. also has a talking telescope and a set of binoculars to make for a complete STEM lab. Ages 4+

RELATED: The Best STEM Toys

LEGO Icons Dried Flower Centerpiece

LEGO is a family affair, which means the adults and "kidults" can get in on the fun with this building set. This 812-piece set, part of the popular Botanicals series, makes autumnal blooms that are perfect for displaying on Halloween or Thanksgiving as a centerpiece of the table.

RELATED: The Best LEGO Set for Adults

Ooze Labs Soap & Bath Bomb Lab Kit

Kids step into the role of scientist at a beauty company with this toy, which combines self-care and STEM concepts. They'll learn about biology and pH levels as they work through experiments that help them create their own, useable soaps and bath bombs while adding in different colors and fragrances. Ages 6+

RELATED: Best STEM Toys for Kids, According to Engineers

Spooner Boards Freestyle

When it comes to using a Spooner Board, balance is the name of the game. Good for ages 2 to 15, these encourage kids to stand, wobble, spin, rock and even flip, working on their balance and core strength. They come in several colors, and they also come in a bigger version, the Spooner Board Pro (26 inches long compared to the Freestyle's 23 inches). Ages 2+

Crayola Light-Up Tracing Pad

With this kit, artsy kids love layering the different transparencies on top of each other to make a scene. They can trace it all into one, unified image — the light on the board helps them see the outlines — and then color it all in to complete the look. The set comes with everything they need, including templates, tracing paper, colored pencils, blank paper and a graphite pencil to trace with. Ages 6+

Air Hogs Zero Gravity Sprint RC Wall Climber

Kids will be amazed at the way this remote-controlled car drives up walls and even onto the ceiling! Parents are more drawn to the affordable price, and the way it doesn't damage walls or paint as it zooms around. Ages 4+

RELATED: The Best Remote-Controlled Cars

My Friendship Bracelet Maker

Old-school campers wish they had something like this when they were making friendship bracelets! This comes with a clip at the top to keep string in place, pegs at the bottom to keep threads from getting tangled, and even drawers that store pre-cut thread. It also comes in several color combos. Ages 8+

Bouncy Pals Fox

Keep them active, indoors or outdoors, with this bastion of gross motor coordination. Kids can work on their balance and their leg muscles as they bop around on it, and in addition to a fox you can get a dog, cow, bull, tiger or zebra. Ages 2+

RUKUSfx PRO Motion-Controlled Music Mixer

This little device puts the power of a DJ booth in the palm of their hands. It plays music and kids can add in their own flair, like sound effects, loops or layers, just by using hand gestures, making their own spur-of-the-moment remixes. Good Housekeeping Institute testers say they appreciated the innovative way it unlocked their kids' creativity, and also kept them engaged for long periods of time. Ages 6+

Emotional Support Chickies

These cute chicks popped on the Good Housekeeping readers' radar as an Easter basket stuffer, but they've been going strong ever since. And, with five adorable birds with different expressions snuggled together in a nest — though they do come out individually — why wouldn't they stay popular? But if chicks aren't their fave, there are tons of Emotional Support plush sets, including crinkle-cut fries, pumpkin-spice lattes, strawberries, dumplings, pizza and flowers, and even an advent calendar. Ages 0+

RELATED: The Best Toy Advent Calendars for Kids

Playskool Chase 'n Go Ball Popper

This toy starts up a cycle of fun: Kids put balls inside the elephant, the elephant shoots them out of its trunk and then the kids run to collect the balls and start it all over again. It's great when they have energy to burn (and you don't). Ages 9 months+

RELATED: The Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds

Sky Viper Vector Stunt Plane

Good Housekeeping Institute testers gave this a Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award because of how easy it was to get started and control. It flies fast and far, they say, and while learning tricks took a longer time, it kept kids engaged. It's also one of the few drones for tweens, as opposed to teenagers. Ages 12+

RELATED: The Best Drones for Kids

Fashion Punch Style & Stitch Loom

This easy-to-use kit lets kids use templates and a stylus tool to make their own friendship bracelets without knotting string. Good Housekeeping Institute testers said the kids liked planning out their designs almost as much as making them, and also liked how it was a way to get them to work on their fine-motor coordination. Ages 6+

LEGO Vincent Van Gogh 'The Starry Night'

Vincent van Gogh sold more LEGO sets to Good Housekeeping readers than anyone else — more than Harry Potter, Darth Vader or the Avengers. Readers loved re-creating Van Gogh's most famous painting with LEGO bricks — and the set even includes a minifigure of the artist himself! Ages 18+

Shop more toys and gifts for kids

Looking for more great gifts for kids? Let the experts do all the hard work for you!

• Top-tested items: See what toys, gifts and books ranked the very highest in our Lab tests with our Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards, our Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Awards and our Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards.

• Great learning toys: While all toys can be helpful vehicles for supporting developmental growth, we love to spotlight notably exceptional educational Toys and STEM toys as well as ones that can support social-emotional growth, like those included in our lists of the best sensory toys, pop fidget toys, and autism toys.

• Gifts for babies: Please the newest members on your gift list (and their parents) with these useful baby registry items, as well as gifts for babies, gifts for baby girls and gifts for baby boys. Of course, you might want to get something for new parents to help them through the hectic newborn stage.

• Gifts for toddlers: The coolest new toys in this space pull double-duty, whether it's social-emotional learning combined with motor skills, or creative play combined with language, as you can see in our gift guides for gifts for 1-year-olds, Montessori gifts for 1-year-olds, gifts for 18-month-olds, gifts for 2-year-olds, Montessori gifts for 2-year-olds and gifts for all toddlers, as well as our stocking stuffers for toddlers.

• Gifts for preschoolers: As they begin to explore the world around them on a deeper level, help them explore with STEM sets, art kits, creative toys and toys that inspire their imaginations. Find our favorites in our gifts for 3-year-olds (including gifts for 3-year-old boys and gifts for 3-year-old girls), gifts for 4-year-olds (including gifts for 4-year-old boys and gifts for 4-year-old girls) and gifts for 5-year-olds (including gifts for 5-year-old boys and gifts for 5-year-old girls).

• Gifts for big kids: By these ages, they've developed their own interests. Help them dive deeper into the subjects that most interest them, from coding to art to cartooning to history and geography, with these gifts for 6-year-olds (including gifts for 6-year-old boys and gifts for 6-year-old girls), gifts for 7-year-olds (including gifts for 7-year-old boys and gifts for 7-year-old girls), gifts for 8-year-olds (including gifts for 8-year-old boys and gifts for 8-year-old girls), and gifts for 9-year-olds (including gifts for 9-year-old boys and gifts for 9-year-old girls). It's also fun to shop for some of our best-reviewed and top-selling stocking stuffers for kids.

• Gifts for tweens: Sure, once they get old enough for an iPad or gaming console you might be at a loss of what to get them. We have you covered with engaging picks for gifts for 10-year-olds (including gifts for 10-year-old boys and gifts for 10-year-old girls), gifts for 11-year-olds (including gifts for 11-year-old boys and gifts for 11-year-old girls), and gifts for 12-year-olds (including gifts for 12-year-old boys and gifts for 12-year-old girls), or see what's trending with boys or tween girls as a whole.

• Gifts for teens: We decode what's on the lists for this picky age group, from the hottest accessories to the most-wanted tech gifts, with gifts for 13-year-old boys, gifts for 13-year-old girls, gifts for 14-year-olds, gifts for 15-year-old boys, gifts for 15-year-old girls, gifts for 16-year-olds, gifts for teen girls, gifts for teen boys and even fun stocking stuffers for teens.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

For decades, the Good Housekeeping Institute has provided expert reviews and advice on everything parents and children love, including STEM toys, educational toys, sensory toys and more.

This article was written by Marisa LaScala, Good Housekeeping's senior parenting and relationships editor. Marisa has covered all aspects of the world of parenting, from the postpartum years through the empty nests, since 2015, and she's pitched in with Good Housekeeping's toy coverage since 2018. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter, who are both avid toy collectors, along with a collection of emotional support plushes.

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