Toy Insider and Toy Book Senior Editor James Zahn stopped by WCIU’s “The Jam” in Chicago to present a selection of the hottest toys of the year that The Toy Insider is donating to the Journey of a Leukemia Warrior holiday toy drive. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below, and for the complete rundown of the best toys of the holiday season, be sure to check our complete Toy Insider Holiday Gift Guide.

MY ROBOTIC PET — TUMBLING HEDGEHOG

Build a working hedgehog robot with this 172-piece kit, then control it by clapping. Watch it tumble, roll, spin, bristle its spines, and scurry. Learn about gears, motors, sound sensors, LEDs, and more. Build a working hedgehog robot with this 172-piece kit, then control it by clapping. Watch it tumble, roll, spin, bristle its spines,…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $39.95
  • Age:
  • 7+

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SWEET HAPPY BABY

This beautiful 14-inch Sweet and Happy baby doll from Small Wonder by Madame Alexander is ready to be your baby's baby! Our dolls engage your child, encouraging imaginative play, teaching empathy, and building social skills. Dressed in a cozy sleeper and hat, this baby has molded head, arms and legs and a weighted soft cloth…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $17.99
  • Age:
  • 1+

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REALLY R.A.D. ROBOTS TURBOBOT

This bot can perform tricks, record and deliver messages, and more. Kids can control Turbobot using voice commands. It features all-terrain wheels, a Turbo mode, a spy mode, and more than 100 phrases and sounds.This bot can perform tricks, record and deliver messages, and more. Kids can control Turbobot using voice commands. It features all-terrain…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $49.99
  • Age:
  • 5+

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NICKELODEON SWEET SLIME CREATIONS

Mix and make slime versions of your favorite sweet treats — such as frosting, cookie dough, cake batter, etc. — that look like the real thing. The kit comes complete with everything you need to make the slime including glue, activator, and colorant.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $9.99
  • Age:
  • 6+

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OOZE LABS: SOAP & BATH BOMB LAB

Kids can pretend to be chemists with this STEM set, as they create and test cosmetic products. They will use tools, scientific techniques, and basic chemistry principles to make soaps and bath bombs.Kids can pretend to be chemists with this STEM set, as they create and test cosmetic products. They will use tools, scientific techniques,…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $29.95
  • Age:
  • 6+

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BEAKER CREATURES

Beaker Creatures is a new line of science-themed collectibles from Learning Resources that combines the thrill of collecting with hands-on science experiments that build skills and spark curiosity. Includes 35 collectible characters from five different families for children to discover, classify, and explore. ?Beaker Creatures is founded in real science, from the fizzing Reactor Pods…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $24.99

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TREASURE X ALIENS 

Embark on an exciting space adventure to rescue your treasure hunter – cutting, digging and dissecting them from one of three different alien bodies – and find out if your package includes the rare prize of a real space gem.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $14.99
  • Age:
  • 5+

Buy Now

The Toy Insider participates in affiliate programs that may generate revenue for the site when a purchase is made through the links below.

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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