This holiday season, spend more time playing and less time assembling your toys. Toy Insider Editor-in-Chief Ali Mierzejewski stopped by Fox in Baltimore to show off some great toys that are ready to be played with right out of the box. 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.
TOUCH & DISCOVER SENSORY TURTLE (VTECH)
- When the Touch & Discover Sensory Turtle comes out of his shell, he’s sure to entertain your little one!
- This cuddly plush turtle features a variety of textures, colors, and patterns to stimulate baby’s senses and encourage fine motor skills.
- Play peek-a-boo with the cute and cuddly turtle by tucking in his head and legs to change him into a soft, wobbly ball for two-in-one play.
- The chunky button on the top of the shell is easy for little ones to press and lights up in a variety of colors as it responds with sounds, music, and cute phrases.
- The shell includes a baby-safe mirror, a rattle, and a ring.
- Ages: 3 MOS.+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Available: Amazon, Walmart, Target
SHIMMEEZ (BEVERLY HILLS TEDDY BEAR CO.)
- Shimmeez are sparkly, shimmery, two-toned sequin plush.
- They come in three sizes ranging from a backpack clip to an 8-inch and 14-inch plush.
- When you run your hand over the shimmering sequins, the color changes for a magical effect.
- Kids can create their own patterns and designs among the sequins.
- Ages: 6+
- MSRP: Backpack Clip $3.99; Medium Plush $8.99; Large Plush $16.99
- Available: Walmart, Target, specialty stores
3 POUNDS SQUISHY LIKE SLIME (WECOOL TOYS)
- The pre-made slimes come in all varieties, from Glitzy to Fluffy to Neon, and more.
- Glitzy slime has glitter infused, while fluffy feels like satin and the neon comes in vibrant colors.
- This slime is super stretchy, giving kids an amazingly tactile feel while they play.
- These slimes do not require any mess or glue to make, just open the tub and play.
- Compound Kings slime doesn’t leave any residue on your hands.
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: $14.99
- Available: Walmart, Michael’s
- KiiPix is an affordable instant film printer that lets you take your favorite smartphone photos and turn them into hard-copy keepsakes.
- KiiPix requires no special app or battery.
- Place your smartphone on the instant film printer and print your favorite photos right from your phone.
- KiiPix lets you create vintage-inspired printed photos to share special moments with family and friends or to frame and display.
- Available in three colors: pink, blue, or black.
- Film is sold separately.
- Ages: 13+
- MSRP: $39.99
- Available: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Paper Source, Scheels, tomy.com
CRACKERS IN MY BED (WINNING MOVES)
- Find ‘em, Match em’, Feed Him Quick!
- Kids spin the spinner and search through the bear’s bed to find the top-half cracker pieces that match the bottom-half cracker pieces they have.
- When a correct match is made, kids “feed the bear.” First player to feed all their crackers to the bear wins!
- This game is designed for two to four players.
- Ages: 4+
- MSRP: $12.95
- Available: Amazon
CINCO LINKO (CARDINAL GAMES/BIG POTATO)
- Cinco Linko is a super-simple five-in-a-row tile game that you can clip to your bag and play on the go, no matter where you’re headed.
- With no game board required, any flat surface can be your playing field
- Just choose a color, grab your stack, and take turns laying down tiles side-by-side until someone manages to get five-in-a-row of their color, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
- Run out of tiles? Well, that just means you’ll have to pick up the ones you’ve already placed and reposition them one by one until you manage to sneak your line of five past the other players.
- Cinco Linko comes with 60 tiles (15 pink, 15 yellow, 15 green, 15 orange). The tiles stack easily onto four included racks that clip together to keep the game together on the go.
- Designed for two to four players
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $9.99
- Available: Walmart
EXIT: THE GAME, ORIENT EXPRESS OR SUNKEN TREASURE (THAMES & KOSMOS)
- This party game designed for up to six players brings the hit Escape-Room concept to home use.
- Solve a series of riddles and puzzles to escape from a room. Each correct solution brings you to another riddle. How fast can you escape the room?
- Each unique game involves strategy, skill, and teamwork.
- New titles include Orient Express and Sunken Treasure.
- In Orient Express, the culprit is still on board your train, and there is not much time until the train reaches the terminal. The case is perplexing and must be solved quickly so that the perpetrator does not escape!
- In Sunken Treasure, you’re searching for the legendary treasure of Santa Maria and embarking on a dangerous adventure. However, something goes wrong and you become trapped deep in the sea. Can you solve the riddles of the old wreck and recover the treasure?
- Ages: 12+
- MSRP: $14.95
- Available: Specialty stores
