You don’t have to break the bank to have a great holiday season. Toy Insider Parent Charlene DeLoach stopped by Better Western Mass in Springfield to show off some great toys for every budget. 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.
PLAYFOAM PALS (EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS)
- Open these pods of Playfoam to find surprises inside! Kids will find an animal friend hidden within each pod.
- Kids can pop their new pal apart and swap its head and body with pieces from other Playfoam Pals collectibles to create combination critters of their own.
- Kids can collect all 12 Playfoam Pals pods to find the super-rare gold endangered animal critter.
- Use the squishy, squashy Playfoam in each pod to sculpt nests, beds, perches, and other play props.
- Age: 5+
- MSRP $7.99 each
- Available: Amazon, Walmart
- Meet Fingerlings Hugs—they’re softies when it comes to affection!
- Their long arms are perfect for big hugs and these cuddle monkeys never want to let you go.
- Kids can swing them, tickle them, rock them, and turn them upside down for different reactions.
- Give them a quick kiss or a long smooch and they’ll kiss you back the same way.
- Record what you say and watch them repeat in funny ways.
- Fingerlings Hugs are available in Bella (Pink) and Boris (Blue).
- Ages: 2+
- MSRP: $29.99 each
- Available: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl’s
REALLY RAD ROBOTS MIBRO (MOOSE TOYS)
- MiBro, is every kids’ robot partner in fun—the robotic buddy who’s got their back!
- Take control of MiBro through his Really Rad Remote.
- With MiBro, kids can play, prank, spy and command.
- Kids can also speak through him via the remote or put him into stealth mode to be an undercover agent and listen in.
- MiBro is full of smart talking phrases and sounds, and kids can enjoy with his range of awesome.
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: $39.99
- Available: Amazon, Target, Walmart
- Use your love and care to help your HatchiBaby Ponette hatch and they’ll come to life! Will you hatch a boy or a girl? Check the secret message to find out!
- With big color-changing eyes, beaks that move and real rocking motions, Ponette HatchiBabies are the sweetest new characters from Hatchtopia!
- Once hatched, there are even more surprises to discover: Reach into the egg to peel-and-reveal four hidden accessories: a rattle, hairbrush, bottle and cuddle buddy! You’ll even find a high chair and birth certificate!
- Care for your HatchiBaby using these accessories and they’ll respond in adorable ways! Shhh, it’s a secret: Different species may come with different accessories!
- Feed, burp, tickle and snuggle your HatchiBaby and they’ll respond—just like a real baby!
- Teach your baby to talk and play EGGciting games such as “find my toes” and bouncy baby.” The more you play, the more response you’ll unlock! Will you learn your baby’s secret trick?
- Ages: 5+
- MSRP: $59.99
- Available: Amazon, Target, Walmart
GRAND DEPARTMENT STORE GIFT SET (EPOCH EVERLASTING PLAY)
- The centerpiece of the Calico Critters new Town series is the Grand Department Store, the most iconic building in the series, which also introduces Stella.
- It features elegant, sophisticated styling and a unified design for even more freedom with the layout.
- With finely sculpted areas and exquisite attention to detail, it draws children in and enhances imaginative play.
- The special gift set comes complete with terrace, balconies, custom windows, awnings, flags, and railings to spark even more customizable play.
- The play starts at the entrance tower through the revolving doors and continues throughout all levels on the elevator.
- Once upstairs, children can send their Calico Critters out to the terrace or balconies to watch over the beauty of the Town.
- Age: 6+
- MSRP: $129.95
- Available: Amazon
SENSORS ALIVE (THAMES & KOSMOS)
- Demystify abstract physics phenomena such as light, sound, and heat like never before with this highly innovative, gamified sensor physics lab that brings physics to life!
- The core of this science kit is an app-based video game in which you use real-world sensor data that you collect from your environment to generate a diverse array of creatures.
- Create, collect, play with, and care for your creatures in the app.
- You will gain experience in measuring light levels, volumes, and temperatures with the three sensor pods, and learn about the physics behind light, sound, and heat.
- Sensors Alive works with a tablet or smartphone operating on recent versions of iOS and Android.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $149.95
- Available: Amazon
