Teens and tweens can be notoriously difficult to shop for. That’s why Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht stopped by NBC in Dallas to show off some great gift ideas for the older kids on your holiday shopping list. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below, and for our complete rundown of the best gifts for the holidays, check out our complete holiday gift guide.


MERGE CUBE (MERGE VR)

  • The Merge Cube is the world’s first holographic object kids can hold in the palm of their hand. Kids can play, learn, and explore in magical new ways.
  • Download apps using a tablet or smartphone at www.MergeCube.com, view the cube through your device’s camera, and watch the Merge Cube come to life as it transforms.
  • The Merge Cube experience can be upgraded by selecting the optional virtual reality mode and sliding a smartphone into virtual reality goggles to be completely immersed in holographic worlds.
  • Ages: 10+
  • MSRP for cube: $14.99 (MSRP for headset: $59.99
  • Available: Walmart

HOUSE OF BOING (UNIVERSITY GAMES)

  • Fill your life with Boing! House of Boing is the game that mixes speed, dexterity, and fast thinking. The first player to empty his or her room of balls wins! House of Boing features 10 games to wow your next party, including House of Boing, Top Boing, Team Boing, Long Boing, and more. With its elegant design, House of Boing may be enjoyed as a work of art or played as a challenging addition to any game room.
  • Fun for 2 to 4 players.
  • Age: 12+
  • MSRP: $24.99
  • Available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Toys “R” Us

NIKKO AIR ELITE 115 RACE SET  TOY STATE)

  • Part of a debut line of Nikko Air racing drones, the first and only co-branded drones designed expressly for consumers. New pilots can master the drone racing skills they need to fly to the next level with this new racer.
  • The set even lets them create custom courses and challenge friends to a race.
  • Includes Air Elite 115, modular gate system, and accessories.
  • 2.4 GHz transmitter.
  • Variable flight modes.
  • Age: 8+
  • MSRP: $59.99
  • Available: Amazon, Target.com, Toys “R” Us, Walmart.com

WHO’S THE DUDE? (IDENTITY GAMES USA)

  • Players can play charades with “The Dude,” a life size inflatable man-doll, while the other players try to guess within the time limit what you and the Dude are doing.
  • Using the charade cards, player act out scenes from a movie, a sport, or a profession.
  • The game includes 440 charade cards, 50 score sheets and different ways to play.
  • Age: 16+
  • MSRP: $24.99
  • Available: Target

NERF RIVAL NEMESIS MXVII-10K BLASTER (HASBRO)

  • Kids can dominate blaster battles with the NERF RIVAL Nemesis MXVII-10K blaster.
  • This blaster has a 100-round capacity to outlast the competition.
  • The fully-automatic NEMESIS MXVII-10K blaster features the first-ever easy load hopper for high-speed reloads, and is compatible with the Nerf Rival rechargeable battery pack (sold separately).
  • Ages: 14+
  • MSRP: $99.99
  • Available: Amazon, Target, Toys “R” Us, Walmart

About the author

Bill Reese

Bill Reese

Bill Reese is Business Operations Manager at Adventure Media & Events, where he's worked since 2014. A former editor at Playbill and graduate of SUNY–Purchase, he spends most weekends rooting for the New York Red Bulls pro soccer team and making subway systems out of Brio trains with his little boy Jonah.

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