Best of Toy Fair 2020

The Mandalorian is such a homerun for Disney+ that company execs say there is demand for Mando-themed toys even in markets that don’t yet have the streaming service. Audiences especially fell in love with The Child, aka Baby Yoda, and toy versions were nonexistent during the holiday season. The studio cranked up production in time to launch at Toy Fair, and shelves will be fully stocked by the time the second season of The Mandalorian debuts this October. The most adorable and affordable pick is Mattel’s 11-inch Star Wars The Child Plush, which is basically the Baby Yoda of our dreams. The preorder  batch sold out immediately but you can sign up now to grab one of the next wave. For age 3 years+, $25; shop.mattel.com

Why are Junk Bots by Hexbug so appealing? Once all the pieces are dug out from their toy dumpster or trash bin, then the real fun—the building—can begin. Pieces of robots mix and match so kids can create characters using everything that’s included, even the tiny garbage bags some pieces come wrapped in. The unboxing toy sparks creativity and gets kids thinking—perhaps about how everyday items can be reused IRL, too. Coming out this fall for age 3 years+, $5 for trash bin with parts for one character, $20 for dumpster with parts for four characters; hexbg.com/junk-bots

With season two of Go! Go! Cory Carson debuting now on Netflix, it’s the perfect time for these adorable toys with cute characters, from stay-at-home-car Papa to car-chitect Mama to little sister Chrissy and construction-truck friends Timmy and Kimmy. Vtech’s toy versions of the Bumperton Hills neighborhood and citizens all light up, say phrases, and are compatible with each other. Watch for large sets (like Cory’s home, coming out this fall), but in the meantime, preschoolers will love the Go! Go! Cory Carson: DJ Train Trax & The Roll Train, with its dance floor, music, and rainbow chimney on the train engine. Out in March for age 2 years+, $25; vtechkids.com

We get so happy about a craft toy that keeps kids busy and has a lovely end result! Crayola’s new Paper Flower Science Kit is a crafty take on the old science experiment of putting a white flower in colored water and waiting to see how the petals draw up the ink. In this case, kids use a dozen paper flowers and marker wicks to watch dye get absorbed by the paper over time. They can swap out ink to change up the effect as they go. Out in August for age 7 years+, $20; crayola.com

There seem to be far more preschool toys geared at literacy and not so many that teach fundamental math, which is why we’re so tickled by Hape’s Monster Math Scale. It’s a colorful larger-than-life scale that lets kids get an easy visual cue for just how weighty, say, nine is compared to two. Add numbers on one side to see if you can get the scales to even out and make it clear that seven and two is the same as nine.  Out in March for age 3 years+, $30; hapetoys.com

Bubbles in a pouch! Keep Little Kids Fubbles Bubbles on the Go in your bag and always have instant meltdown prevention (or at least kid distraction) on hand. The wand is built into the cap so it’s easy to seal and reuse without worrying about a big spill. And these toys make great party favors too! Hitting stores soon for age 3 years+, $2 each or $10 for six; littlekidsinc.com

Fifty funny GIF-like characters have little movements to make kids laugh, like tiny memes IRL. Funny examples include a disco-dancing avocado, a grumpy cactus that waves a “Hey” sign, and a donut on a treadmill. These toys are an easy laugh, and they're fun to photograph, display, or give to a friend. Out in May wherever toys are sold for age 6 years+, $5 each; moosetoys.com

The vehicle in the new WowWee Power Treads pack is literally all treads that spin around to keep it crawling over any surface, even a super bumpy one. What’s cool is that it works on its track or off, so your kid can use some imagination—and creative engineering—to turn the whole house into a custom course for the vehicle. Prop one of the 14 track pieces on books to make the vehicle climb, let it run across the bed, then design a way for it to get down the other side…and on and on. Coming out in the fall for age 5 years+, $25; wowwee.com

We’ve seen plenty of circuit boards, but most definitely don’t feel like toys. The new Circuit Explorer line from Educational Insights is different. It combines imaginative space sets with working circuit technology, so kids can learn what makes the pieces light up but also have fun doing it. Out this summer for age 5 years+, $30 for the Circuit Explorer Mars Colony Rocket; educationalinsights.com

Mattel, which owns both Fisher-Price and Mega Bloks, is using a new plant-based material for green versions of classic toys. They’ll look and feel like the usual plastic, but are more sustainably produced with sugarcane. Look for the eco versions of the Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack ($7) and Baby’s First Blocks ($10), and three Mega Bloks First Builders sets—Polar Friends ($5), Safari Friends ($10) and Woodland Friends ($20). Coming out in April, baby toys for age 6 months+ and Mega Bloks for age 12 months+; fisher-price.com and megabloks.com

Gund’s classic rainbow caterpillar is inspiring a whole line of new Baby Gund toys, and our favorite is the Tinkle Crinkle Activity Gym. At one end is a caterpillar character made from different tactile materials, which are fun for Baby to explore. A soft tummytime cloud pillow is at the other. Overhead toys will bait your baby into reaching, grabbing and kicking. Coming out in early June for ages birth+, $89; gund.com

This is basically an air-hockey table for toddlers! The Lamaze 3 in 1 Airtivity Center gently blows air to help a newly-standing kiddo knock around the floating sea creatures. More underwater-themed toys line the rim, too. Out this fall for ages 6 to 36 months, $70; tomy.com/lamaze

PAW Patrol is a perennial Nick Jr favorite, since preschoolers seem to universally love the show, doggies, and vehicles. Now the series is working another preschool obsession, dinosaurs, into the PAW Patrol universe! You’ll see dinos appear on the show first, then in toys like this spectacular PAW Patrol Dino Patroller, which comes with Chase and a T-rex. Out this fall for age 3 years+, $60; pawpatrol.com

The premise of this game is simple: Draw a card that shows a group of colored cups in some formation, then race to be the first to stack the cups that way—while wearing hilarious Octopus fingers. Playmonster’s Stacktopus is challenging but not frustrating, definitely funny, and the kind of thing that a kid can play on their own (racing to get faster) or with up to two others (to see who finishes first). Out now for age 5 years+, $13; amazon.com 

These Brick-Built LEGO Minions and Their Lair are a challenging build for a big kid, but they have a rewarding payoff. Not only are the Minions fun to display, their back opens up to reveal a Minion lair where tiny minions can do their work. Out April 27 (tied to the new movie) for age 8 years+, $50; lego.com