Kids Are Already Begging for the New Elmo — So Beat the Masses and Grab These Toys Early This Year (2024)

Kids are picky, fickle little creatures, and honestly, that’s a big part of their charm. The toys they want are ever-changing, and it can be seriously hard to keep up with what trend is cool and what’s “Ugh, so lame, Mom.” Thankfully, there are people out there like myself whose job is to figure out what our kids want before it’s sold out and going for the price of a small car on eBay.

This year, there have been a few new themes that have stood out to me: robots, food toys, and dinosaur toys like this cool 3-in-1 Rescue Rex from Vtech that provides hours of play and all things remote-controlled. It makes sense given the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park, the new Transformers, and the focus on STEAM toys, which food is very much a part of. (What is baking if not art and math?)

Pretend play is having a moment, and one of my favorites is a Girl Scout Cookie Booth from Little Tikes that our testers loved, and even babies are getting in on it with the Fisher Price Learn and Laugh DJ Mix Table. Simply put, it's a great year to be a kid.

I've spent over 100 hours researching toys this year between meetings with brands, toy fairs, and testing toys with groups of children, so trust me — these are the toys your kids will definitely want this year.

Yes, it's a dinosaur, but it's also a police car, a fire truck, and a helicopter. It transforms into all three. It's not a tricky transformation, either. Once your child figures it out, they're good. It's four toys in one.

Your future Judy Chicago or Kehinde Wiley could get their start with this light-up drawing board by Crayola. This enchanting coloring toy illuminates your children's artwork, inspiring them to create more and more illustrations. Powered by three AA batteries, this board utilizes washable color gel markers that create bright and bold lines that your kid will absolutely adore.

It's a real telescope, I promise. It's also a learning tablet that comes complete with tons of different cards that teach your little ones all about space. It also has games for your kids to play as they learn about our universe, making each of them a tiny astronaut.

If you want to see your child cackle with glee, get them this remote-control shark. It chomps as it goes, and it's actually pretty quick. Don't worry — it's light and doesn't hurt when your child inevitably chases you down while you're cooking dinner one evening. It's a cat's worst nightmare, but they're good at hiding.

Take cornhole and mix it with ring toss, and you'll get close to the fun of this game, but it won't quite make it because this is so much better. Plus, the bean bags look like magma!

Our 2023 Toy of the Year, Dog-E is one of the most fun toys I've seen in recent history. It's an app-controlled robot dog that does tons of tricks, including playing tug of war, making tons of sounds, and even playing games with your child through the app.

Have you ever watched a group of 4-year old boys lose their minds? I have, and it was because of this toy. In Spidey's Web Spinner Web Quarters, you place Spidey in the spinning web room right below the light up top, hit the button, and he spins. The you empty him right into his car.

This is a 6-foot-tall car ramp and exclusive monster truck. The exit part of the ramp is, of course, a dinosaur. In his mouth, the end of the track changes for different car tricks! It is bananas fun, and it drives cats and dogs and kids alike out of their minds.

Have a little future veterinarian on your hands? This Playmobil set is just the thing for them. Made of more than 80% sustainable materials, this 347 piece set includes everything from the clinic with actual stalls to a pulley system, heat lamps, and row boat! There's also an AR component where kids can learn all about the animals and the environment.

Every tester loved the way this Barbie smelled. I know, a scented Barbie is pretty strange in the abstract, but this pop reveal just works. She comes in her own reusable cup, with a little pet, a cup of her own, and the grape Barbie even wears roller skates. It's a fun, affordable toy — and if there's anything we learned this year, it's that you can never go wrong with Barbie.

This is not the Barbie head you remember. This is a mermaid unicorn Barbie with 20 different styling accessories including some serious hair bling. The brush and styling wand glide easily through the hair — but if it does get stuck? A pro tip: Human hair conditioner works a treat to untangle Barbie hair.

Get ready to launch a rocket straight into the air, all without batteries or the help of NASA. This kid-powered Stomp Rocket shoots foam-tipped rockets up to 200 feet into the air. Whether they're stomping in the backyard or at the park, they will be blown away by how far their rockets will soar.