With Thanksgiving officially behind us, the season of holiday shopping is now in full swing. On MSNBC, our Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht showed off a few of her favorite toys that also happen to make great gifts for kids.
Spaghetti Headz (Morphmallow LLC)
- Spaghetti Headz is a brand new hair twist for girls.
- Made of polymer clay, this eco-friendly swirl of fun is a funky new hair styling fashion accessory for girls of all ages.
- Available in a variety of collectible, themed charm packages, there is something for everyone. From birthdays, to holidays, to kittens and “OMG”s, the collections will have girls clamoring for more.
- More than just a fashion accessory, it also encourages creative play where girls can spend quality time creatively styling each other’s hair or they can even turn the Spaghetti Headz into bracelets.
- It’s simple to use and works with all hair types – just twists around hair and for girls with short hair, the twists can easily be cut to size.
- Ages: 3+
- MSRP: $13.99 per pack (3 twists included in each pack)
Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa (Jakks Pacific)
- The beautiful, interactive Snow Glow Elsa doll sings 32 seconds of the real hit song “Let it Go” by Idina Menzel.
- She sings in a total of 25 languages from around the world! In the U.S version, she sings in English and Spanish.
- Elsa also says 15 sounds and phrases from favorite movie moments.
- Touch her necklace to watch a magical light show on her dress and raise her left arm to hear her sing “Let it Go.”
- Elsa comes with an adorable Olaf figure and she features patented Royal Reflection™ Eyes, a whole new look for Jakks’ Toddler dolls
- Ages: 3+
- MSRP: $34.99
12-Inch Mega Mutant Leonardo (Playmates Toys)
- Designed for preschoolers, this 12-inch Leo figure features brighter colors, softer expressions, and rounded edges.
- Kids can practice ninja training with Leonardo as they control his ninja moves, chops, and kicks.
- The figure features over 100 phrases and karate sound effects.
- Ages: 3+
- MSRP: $39.99
- The innovative, multi-function VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch is packed with robust features such as a camera, video recorder, fun photo effects, and built-in games, in a wearable, kid-friendly, take-anywhere gadget.
- It features a large, easy-to-use color touch screen, as well as more than 50 digital and analog clock displays, making it perfect for kids learning to tell time.
- Other features include a rechargeable battery, an alarm clock, a timer, a stopwatch, a voice recorder, and parental game controls, and it’s available in four vibrant colors.
- Parents can access the Learning Lodge app store to download even more games and watch displays.
- Ages 4+
- MSRP: $59.99
Despicable Me Bee-Do Fireman Minion (Thinkway Toys)
- Press the Fireman Minion’s tummy to hear his original voice, sound effects, and “Bee-Do” siren with flashing head gear.
- Squeeze his left hand for normal chat mode with echo sound effects.
- Soft and huggable!
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: $49.99
Juniors Princess Play Castle (LEGO)
- The Princess Play Castle is a magical world of imagination and fun.
- Groom the beautiful cat at the grooming station and walk across the drawbridge to the fairytale castle with lots of pink bricks.
- There’s even a slide for the princess to play on.
- This iconic set comes in a pretty pink storage box, so it makes an ideal gift set.
- Use the supplied building instructions to rebuild the set into a play garden with a slide and seesaw or the princess’ royal bedchamber.
- Includes a princess minifigure and her cat.
- 150 Piece Count
- Ages: 4-7
- MSRP: $14.99
- Sound the alarm! A trash can is on fire and it’s time to call in the brave firefighters!
- Slide down the fire station chute, jump in the fire truck and get that fire under control!
- This fun, fire-themed set is perfect for first-time LEGO brick builders and features a big fire station with an office and a bed for a firefighter to take a nap on, an Easy to Build fire truck with fire hose, and lots of colorful bricks.
- The LEGO Juniors Fire Emergency set also includes inspiring building instructions that will motivate your child to build and create endless play possibilities.
- Includes 2 firefighter nminifigures.
- 123 Piece Count
- Ages: 4-7
- MSRP: $19.99
Skylanders Trap Team (Activision)
- Portal masters can seek out, defeat, and capture the most wanted villains in all of Skylands.
- For the first time kids can pull the villains out of the games and capture them in Traps.
- Then, send the villains back into the game to fight for good!
- Skylanders Trap Team is forward compatible with more than 175 unique toys from all previous games that kids can enjoy in the real-world and in the virtual game world.
- Ages: 6+
- MSRP: $74.99
HEXBUG VEX Robotics Scarab (Hexbug)
- Kids can design and build their own jumbo-sized robot as they learn about motors, sensors, gears, and how they all function.
- Robots snap together using intuitive tool-less components.
- Fosters creative STEM learning through hands-on play.
- Learn about the robot’s brain, the centralized computer that powers the robot, and how the creature is brought to life.
- Other models include: VEX Robotics Strandbeast, Ant, and Spider.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $69.99
Sky Viper Camera Drone (Skyrocket Toys)
- The Sky Viper Drone is a hi-tech, hobby grade, four-blade R/C copter that measures 16 inches diagonally from blade-to-blade.
- Kids can take birds-eye photos and videos at 100 feet in the air.
- Features advanced stabilization, new tricks and stunts, tighter controls and a built-in camera that records for up to 30 minutes and 30 frames per second with 180 degree adjustable viewing
- Equipped with a lightweight yet sturdy carbon fiber frame, computer-controlled 6-axis gyro and accelerometer stabilization, one-touch stunt capabilities, a 2.4 GHz remote with the rechargeable lithium polymer battery
- Ages: 12+
- MSRP: $79.99
