Looking for the best toys to keep kids entertained on a long summer road trip? Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht stopped by the offices of Family Circle magazine to show off the top travel toys for carefree car rides. For more on the products featured in this segment, check out the notes below, and for more on the hottest new toys of the season be sure to view our Spring and Summer Toy Guide.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Folkmanis)
- Sweet and gentle, the Folkmanis® CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL puppet is the ideal lap dog. Animate mouth and forelegs to bring life to this chestnut and pearl colored pooch.
- Ages 3+
- MSRP $35.99
- Available: Folkmanis.com, Amazon
Dove- Flying in on wings of peace and love, the gentle Folkmanis® DOVE puppet conveys a universal message of hope. Movable head and wings make a flutter, taking your imagination to higher realms.
- Ages 3+
- MSRP $27.99
- Available: Folkmanis.com, Amazon
Toad- It’s not easy being green, unless you’re a Folkmanis® TOAD puppet. With a textured and warty plush body and wide open eyes, use your imagination to animate forelegs, mouth and even the tongue of this awesome amphibian!
- Available NOW.
- Ages 3+
- MSRP $29.99
Cupcake Surprise (Sunny Days Entertainment)
- With a little sweet magic and infinite imagination, decadent desserts transform into princesses with every Cupcake Surprise!
- Every princess doll will be the belle of the ball and all the bakeries of the land in her sparkly gown and decorative bonnet, or indulge in a sugary treat and serve these charming cupcakes fresh from the oven. Expect endless playtime and never-ending wonderment in each Cupcake Surprise – discover deliciously scented fragrances with every doll!
- Whether in the bakery, kitchen, or castle, the sweet-smelling 2-in-1 toy will surely inspire imaginative play.
- Each doll comes with her own styling hairbrush. Packaged in 12 different styles with six available scents: strawberry, vanilla, grape, chocolate, lemon, and peanut butter. Collect them all!
- Ages 3+.
- MRSP $9.99
- Available: Amazon
- The charming FlipAZoo toy plush is two buddies in one, and kids will flip for these lovable animal friends!
- Each fun-stuffed FlipAZoo features two fluffy characters that flip back and forth for two sides of fun.
- FlipAZoo is simple and easy to maneuver, and it even doubles as a soft pillow.
- Discover the complete FlipAZoo collection for a variety of characters, colors, and sizes that are great for fun on the go or at home.
- People of all ages will love collecting FlipAZoo friends, one by two! Available in a variety of characters and sizes.
- Ages: 2+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Available: Fipazoo.com; Walmart
Wonder Crew- Wonder Crew® Buddies, the toy line for boys designed to empower boys to connect, nurture and build empathy through friendship, imagination and adventure. Combining the adventure of an action figure with the emotional connection of a stuffed animal, 15″ Wonder Crew Buddies are available now.
- The crew includes Will (Caucasian), Marco (Hispanic), James (African American) and Erik (Asian). Each comes dressed in superhero gear, complete with matching mask and cape for kids.
- Wonder Crew also has three Adventure Packs: Builder includes a construction outfit and hard hat for the buddy, and a matching vest for kids; Explorer features a safari-looking outfit and hat for the buddy, and a matching hat for the child; and Snuggler is a set of pajamas for the buddy, and a blanket for kids!
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: Buddies – $29.99‒$34.99; Gear sets – $14.99‒$19.99
- Available: Target
Color Wonder on the Go Mess Free Coloring Books (Crayola)
- Take your mess-free coloring with you with Color Wonder Color On The Go books. Books include 15 coloring pages and three Color Wonder markers in a durable case that keeps you organized and ready to go.
- Color Wonder markers won’t color on skin, furniture or fabric and only color on the special Color Wonder paper.
- Available in fun themes like Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Disney Princess, and Shimmer and Shine.
- Ages 3+.
- MSRP $4.99
- Available: Amazon, Walmart, Target
Farm World Dog Kennel (Schleich)
- This little girl is accompanied by an an Australian Shepherd in this dog kennel playset. The Australian Shepherd is a very sporty, energetic dog. It loves being outside and herding sheep. The new kennel offers it protection from wind and rain.
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Available: Amazon, Toys “R” Us
English Thoroughbred with Blanket (Schleich)
- Thoroughbreds are very fast, slender racehorses that are descended from Arab horses. They are primarily used for flat racing. Since they are very sensitive to cold, they need a large padded blanket to keep them warm, even in the stable.
- Age: 5+
- MSRP: $12.99
- Available: Amazon, Toys “R” Us
Thumb Chucks - CONTROL THE ROLL! Thumb Chucks from Zing are the newest and coolest skill toy for the ultimate finger rollin’ fun!
- Twirl, flip and twist Thumb Chucks around your fingers to perform awesome tricks. Two high-bounce plastic ‘Chucks’ are connected with a ‘belt’ and fit right in your pocket.
- Kids can master a wide range of tricks from intermediate to advanced. Thanks to the built-in motion-sensitive LED lights, the Chucks glow in the dark for the ultimate light show.
- The new free Thumb Chucks app, available on iOS and Android in January 2017, includes over 20+ tutorials that teach users a variety of mind-blowing tricks.
- The more kids master, the more belts they can collect. Learn how to earn special belts by going to ThumbChucks.Toys.
- Thumb Chucks are available in red, orange, green and blue.
- Ages: 5+
- MSRP: $7.99
- Available: Zing, Toys “R” Us, Amazon, Target
PlushCraft - PlushCraft makes fabric crafting fun and easy. Use the stylus to punch colorful fabric pieces into premade pillows, room decor items, and even 3D pals.
- Kids can make little pillows, backpack clips, or mini purses
- Kits include sea life, koala pillow, football pillow, puppy backpack, 3D bunny and many more!
- Age: 5+
- MSRP: $6.99-16.99
- Available: Amazon, Walmart, Joann’s
Fashion Plates Travel Design Set (Kahootz)
- Create fabulous designs on the go with the Fashion Plates® Travel design set! This portable Fashion Plates® set is the perfect take-along size and features mix and match travel-themed Fashion Plates®, crayons, paper, and a built-in storage compartment. However you get there, now you can be creative anywhere!
- Kits include 12 double-sided fashion plates, 10 sheets of paper, 4 coloring crayons, 1 rubbing crayon, 1 crayon holder, 1 drawing tablet with built-in storage tray, an idea guide.
- Age: 6+
- MSRP: $14.99
- Amazon, Walmart, Target
Ooze Labs (Thames & Kosmos)
- Ooze Labs are fun and simple science experiments in big chunky plastic test tubes! Each Ooze Lab tube contains a simple science experiment to create a safe material that is both fun to play with and chemically interesting.
- Kids can mix up a batch of magnetic slime, hyper-color slime, or glow-in-the-dark slime, hot ice crystals, or magic sand.
- Ages: 7+
- MSRP: $4.95
- Available: Amazon
Y Glider To Go (Yvolution)
- These fun scooters carry kids’ luggage for them on the go!
- Features a removable bag to hold all kids’ stuff when you’re traveling on your next family vacation.
- Three wheels allow for kids to lean to steer!
- Entire scooter is foldable for easy storage.
- Available in two different sizes.
- Ages: 3-5 and 5-8
- MSRP: $79.99 and $99.99
- Available: yvolution.com
