Ready for some fun in the sun? Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht stopped by The Morning Show on Global News in Canada to talk about the hottest new toys of the summer. 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 season, check out our Spring and Summer gift guide.
TAD’S FRIDGE PHONICS (LEAPFROG)
- Make learning the alphabet exciting with Tad’s Fridge Phonics!
- This interactive toy introduces children to the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make, helps build vocabulary and exercises fine motor skills.
- Kids can place one of the 26 musical letter tiles into the letter slot and press down for three modes of play that reinforce letter names, phonics and word skills.
- Three frames can be customized with personal photos and images for a unique, personalized play experience. And, with its magnetic base, it’s great for fridge play in the kitchen.
- Ages: 2+
- MSRP: CAD $24.99
- Available: Walmart, Amazon, Mastermind Toys, Indigo, Buy Buy Baby
PEPPA PIG FAMILY VAN PLAYLAND 50-BALL BALL PIT (JAKKS PACIFIC)
- Join Peppa Pig and family for a vacation get-away in their family camper van! Have fun in this colorful Playland with lots of room for play.
- Includes 50 soft-flex balls for added fun.
- Fun, interactive play panel with colorful character graphics.
- Ages: 2+
- MSRP: CAD $59.99 – $69.99
- Available:
MIC GUY BLUETOOTH SING-ALONG SPEAKER (THE SINGING MACHINE)
- Bring your children’s voice to life with this adorable Mic Guy Bluetooth Sing-Along Speaker to create endless hours of memorable family fun.
- Did you know that music helps children improve overall confidence, linguistic processing, and promotes brain and body wellness? This Singing Machine Kids Bluetooth Speaker brings the joy of music combined with the benefits of developmental skills. Rock out with your family anywhere any time!
- Line-in to connect to your external devices, stream songs from your Bluetooth compatible devices, free Singing Machine Kids Music App.
- One Wired “MIC GUY” microphone to sing-along to your favorite tunes.
- Select from three popular pre-recorded children’s songs and choose from three pre-recorded sound effects.
- Record your child’s voice for up to 3 minutes.
- Collapsible handle for portability.
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: CAD $20
- Available: Toys R Us
SMASHERS (ZURU)
- Get ready to smash the ball & collect ‘em all with Smashers – the hottest new collectables from ZURU!
- Smashers have over 100 wacky collectable characters, which can only be found in the innovative Smashball that puts the action right in your hand! Smash open the Smashball to reveal your character hidden inside.
- Smashers Series One is all about sports and includes both “good and bad” sports characters, along with limited edition and very rare figures to find and collect!
- Battle against the Bad Sports to earn Smash Points and become a Smasher Elite! Just throw, smash, and surprise!
- Available in One Pack, Three Pack (with two Smashers hidden in Smashballs), Eight Pack (with six smashers hidden in Smashballs), Smashers Tin (which comes in two versions, Football and Basketball, and contains a Limited Edition Smasher), and Smashers Team Bus (comes in two version, Football and Basketball, and contains two limited edition Smashers).
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: CAD $3.99 for One Pack, $7.99 for Three Pack, $14.99 for Eight Pack, $24.99 for Smashers Team Bus
- Available: Giant Tiger, Red Apple Stores, London Drugs
TWISTY PETZ (SPIN MASTER)
- Twisty Petz is a brand new, super gem-tastic & super bling-tastic line of collectible toys from Spin Master.
- These cute collectibles transform from adorable animals into beautiful bracelets with a simple twist. Twisty Petz are a fun fashion twist for your wrist that you can take anywhere on-the-go!
- Connect the ends of this string of jewels and create a stunning bracelet the perfect accessory for any outfit. With two twists, your favorite bracelet becomes your favorite pet, super cute from nose to tail.
- Collect over 70 adorable animals in rainbow, pastel, gold, and pearlescent finishes!
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: CAD $7.99 Single Pack, $19.99 Three Pack
- Available: Amazon, Target, Walmart
WUBBLE FULLA SLIME (NSI INTERNATIONAL)
- Wubble Fulla Slime is the new squishy, squashy Wubble Ball filled with gooey slime.
- Squeeze it! Stretch it! Toss it! Once you pick it up, you won’t wanna let it go!
- Comes in tiny and large.
- Ages: 6+
- MSRP: Tiny: CAD $9.99-$11.99, Large: $19.99
- Available: Showcase, London Drugs, Home Hardware, Red Apple, Giant Tiger, EB Games
MYSTICONS GRIFFIN & FIGURE ASSORTMENT (PLAYMATES TOYS)
- Mysticons ride their royal griffins into battle to fight evil. The griffins feature realistic eyes, removable armor, saddle, and flapping wings and come with their companion Mysticons warrior.
- Assortment includes 6-Inch figure and interactive animal, with accessories.
- Includes unique Topps trading card with codes to unlock quests in the Mysticons’ Digital App.
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: CAD $12.99 for Basic 6-Inch Figure, $24.99 for 10-Inch Deluxe Figure, $29.99 for Griffin & Figure Assortment
- Available: Toys R Us Canada
MYSTICONS BASIC ROLEPLAY ASSORTMENT (PLAYMATES TOYS)
- Dress up as your favorite Mysticon character.
- Become a Mysticon warrior with Mysticons Basic Roleplay Gear Set! Includes Dragon Staff, mask, and dragon arm bracer.
- Three assorted characters to become.
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: CAD $19.99
- Available: Toys R Us Canada
MY FAIRY GARDEN TREE HOLLOW (PLAYMONSTER)
- My Fairy Garden is the first of its kind: a toy that’s also a real, live garden!
- Kids love kits that allow them to grow plants at home; it gives them a connection to nature and a sense of satisfaction at having nurtured a living thing.
- My Fairy Garden takes it to a new, exciting level by allowing children to interact with it as part of an enchanting play set!
- Kids plant the organic seeds, and care for their garden, all while setting up and playing with adorable fairies, woodland friends, and accessories!
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: CAD $34
- Available: Amazon
BOTLEY THE CODING ROBOT ACTIVITY SET (LEARNING RESOURCES)
- Botley the Coding Robot gives children as young as five early exposure to coding and helps them gain confidence in STEM through fun, imaginative play.
- Botley is 100-percent screen free and does not require the use of a smartphone or tablet. Ready to use right out of the box, a simple remote control allows children to code up to 120 programmable steps.
- And, a 77-piece activity set gives children the tools to create challenges and activities like obstacle courses and mazes.
- Botley grows with children and has many features to discover including looping, black line following, and smart logic to detect objects – and avoid them! There are also secret hidden features for children to discover.
- Ages: 5-9
- MSRP: CAD $79.99
- Available: Mastermind Toys
SKY ROCKET SKY VIPER STUNT DRONE (SKYROCKET)
- Learn to fly and perform awe-inspiring stunts with the Sky Viper S1700 Stunt Drone from Sky Rocket.
- This stunt drone reaches max speeds of up to 25mph, and with the touch of just a single button you can experiment with up to eight awesome tricks like barrel rolls and flips.
- Complete with a re-engineered frame and improved control range, you can easily fly it inside or outdoors using the included remote control.
- Maximum Speed: 10 miles per hour
- Maximum Running Time: 6 minutes
- Ages: 12+
- MSRP: CAD $89.99
- Available: Toys R Us, Walmart Canada
