The holiday shopping season is upon us, and for parents that means hunting down the hottest toys on your kids’ lists. This year, interactive seems to be a running theme among the most popular toys appearing on the top toys lists of 2016. These are just some of the hottest toys according to places such as Toys“R”Us, as well as the site The Toy Insider.
Spin Master: What’s Inside Your Egg?
Perhaps the most highly anticipated toy of the year, Spin Master’s Hatchimals ($49.99) are magical creatures that live inside eggs, which children have to nurture in order for it to hatch. Once the child has played with the egg enough, rainbow eyes will appear and one of two Hatchimal species will emerge: Pengualas and Draggles. The child then raises the Hatchimal through three phases, from baby to toddler to full-grown Hatchimal, teaching it to walk, talk, play games, and more.
Hasbro: New Kind of Action Figure
The Star Wars Interactech Imperial Stormtrooper ($29.99) is just a little different from the ones released when the original movies came out. This one has more than 65 different sound effects and phrases and uses a motion sensor to respond to specific movements. For instance, you can hear different sound effects when equipping the figure with its blaster accessory or engaging in hand-to-hand combat. It is also compatible with the Hasbro Star Wars Studio FX app, which allows kids to make their very own Star Wars movie using their action figures.
Anki: Little Robot With Big Personality
Cozmo ($179.99), developed by consumer robotics and artificial intelligence (A.I.) company Anki, may be one of the most sophisticated consumer robots on the market. Cozmo learns the more you play with him—he even progresses and changes differently for each user based on the daily activities they choose. Cozmo also displays emotions, which aren’t random. His personality is driven by powerful A.I. and a vision system that allows him to recognize people and react to them differently. He can also survey the world around him, explore it, and make decisions based on his mood.
Moose Toys: The Dream Pet
Little Live Pets Snuggles, My Dream Puppy ($49.99), moves and feels just like a real puppy, only it’s not. This is good news for parents as they can avoid the mess that comes with a real live pet. Your kids, on the other hand, can feed Snuggles his bottle and watch as he falls asleep in their arms. And he even responds in different ways as you pat his head or rub his belly—just like a real dog.
TOMY: Another New Way to Play Pokémon
Pokémon Go helped bring the Pokémon craze back in full force, but that isn’t the only new game out there to catch ’em all. Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are the latest games for Nintendo 3DS and they introduce a new element into Pokémon battles: Z-Moves. To pull off these moves, a Trainer must have a Z-Ring and both the Trainer and Pokémon must have the corresponding Z-Crystal. To make the video game more interactive, TOMY released the Pokémon Z-Ring and Z-Crystal ($29.99) that players can actually wear to feel the effect of the Z-Moves.
