Toy Insider Senior Editor Jackie Cucco joined News 12 in New York to show off the best educational, budget, and travel toys for the summer. 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 spring and summer, be sure to check our complete Toy Insider Spring and Summer Gift Guide
LITTLE TIKES 3-IN-1 PAINT & PLAY BACKYARD EASEL
This inflatable art station features multiple panels that kids can paint on, including a printed scene, a clear panel to trace over objects and people behind the screen, and an opaque panel for kids to paint their own creations. It includes paint and drawing tools.
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HASBRO SPLASH GAMES COLLECTION BY WOWWEE
These outdoor games put a splashy twist on classic board games you love! Choose from Twister Splash Game, Crocodile Dentist Splash Game, or Operation Splash Game, each featuring elements of the iconic board games — but now they spray water.
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WADDLE HIP HOPPERS 2-PACK JOUSTING SET
Kids can bounce and battle with this set of inflatable ride-on horses with jousting sticks. A pump is included to get young knights riding in no time. It's like a Renaissance Faire at home.
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AHA!EMPATHY
This set includes a storybook, an oil-spill experiment, and several ocean rescue projects that teach kids how pollution is affecting the sea and what they can do to help. The hands-on projects help kids show their empathy in action.
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FLOWER GARDEN GROWING KIT
This STEAM kit makes it easy for kids to decorate their pots, then plant their flower seeds and watch them grow. Introduces kids to the excitement and reward of watching their very own flower garden grow and produce. Includes three stainless steel pots; cosmos, nasturtium, and zinnia seeds; peat pellets; wooden labels and garden shovel;…
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SNAP CIRCUITS GREEN ENERGY
Kids can make their own real-working circuits and learn the basics of electronics and alternative energy with this set. With more than 45 parts and 125 projects to explore, kids will gain knowledge about clean energy concepts, including the science behind electric cars, windmills, and hand-generated power.
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POPPY THE COUNT & STACK FLOWER POT
This friendly-faced flower pot features six two-piece flowers that kids can assemble and rearrange. Each of the flowers is a different color and they are printed with the numbers 1-5, with a bumblebee on the sixth. Kids can store the pieces inside the flowerpot, which has a handle for on-the-go play.
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PERFECTLY CUTE MAGIC SINK PLAYSET
This play sink features a working faucet and running water! The realistic design makes for perfect open-ended pretend play for kids. Use the real working sink (just add water) and included pretend dish soap bottle and brush to pretend to wash dishware and cutlery. Includes two plates, two mugs, two forks, two spoons, and two…
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SEW FAST
In this game, the race is on to see how fast kids can sew. Each player gets a sewing board and three strings in three colors. Players will flip over a challenge card and race to thread their strings through their boards to match the picture. The first player to finish wins.
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CLASSIC WHAM-O SUPERBALL
This Superball is packed with 50,000 pounds of compressed energy that gives it the ability to bounce higher than any other ball. The look, feel, and bounce you remember from the ‘60s makes this a nostalgic staple.
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CLASSIC WHAM-O HACKY SACK
Get retro this summer with this classic Wham-O toy! The Hacky Sack is an original two-panel model in yellow and blue.
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CLASSIC WHAM-O FRISBEE
This classic game of catch will give you all the nostalgic feels this summer with a retro edition of Frisbee that measures 9 inches in diameter and 141 gram weight.
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ULTIMATE WATER BEADS ACTIVITY KIT
This set includes over 30 activities, tools and games. It comes with over 10,000 beads (2 oz jumbo-size beads & 6 oz regular-size beads): Just add water and watch them grow! Kids love how they feel as they move them around on the 10 included double-sided activity cards. There are 10 learning activities, which include…
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SUNGEMMERS
Kids can create window art using pre-printed window designs, color guides, sun-catching stickers, and double-sided mounting tape. There are four different kits kids can choose from, each featuring more than 1,000 gemstones.
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AKEDO ULTIMATE ARCADE WARRIORS BATTLE GIANTS
These Battle Giants feature new figures that are double the size of the original Akedo figures. Kids can disarmor their opponents by pressing the bash controller or deliver the Akedo signature split-strike. This wave features four new giants, including two super sluggers and two four-arm furies.
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CRA-Z CRACKLE CLAY
Kids can create and crack pretend treats with an ASMR effect. As kids mold and fidget with the clay, it makes popping and crackling sounds. The set includes a modelite compound, molds, and glaze.
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BUBBLY WINGS FAIRY
Kids can wear these shiny fairy wings that produce a trail of bubbles once an adult fills the bubble solution reservoir and turns them on. The more kids move around and make the wings flap, the more bubbles they will emit — up to 1,500 per minute.
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MAXX BUBBLES BUMP ‘N’ GO DINO BUBBLER
This self-walking bubble machine can move and spin on the ground with roaring sounds, a light-up head and tummy, and a continuous stream of bubbles that blast out of its mouth. When it encounters obstacles, the dinosaur will walk and turn itself around. It includes a 4-ounce bottle of bubble blast solution.
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POKÉMON TRADING CARD GAME: V BATTLE DECKS
Kids can battle against each other or play alone in this Pokémon card set. It includes a ready-to-play, 60-card deck; three reference cards; a rules booklet; a single player playmat; a large metallic coin; a deck box; and more.
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JURASSIC WORLD POP UP T-REX, DINOSAUR GAME
Kids can take turns to carefully slip one of the colored dinosaur bones into the crate without knowing which slot will make the dinosaur pop up. If kids disturb the dinosaur, it will spring out of the top. The last surviving player wins the game.
