A Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade-worthy Pikachu looms overhead. Full-size Formula 1 cars and Sparkle Smash, the monster truck, are parked nearby, and gigantic posters mimic the movies, only with Ty’s beanies as the stars (honestly, their take on Sharknado seems 100x better).

If you don’t squeal a little when you enter New York’s Javits Center for the Toy Fair, your might be dead inside. I hardly stepped five feet into the main floor when I was surprised by not just a throne made of Squishmallows BUT a five-foot-tall Furby, quietly wandering down the halls. It’s a complete feast for the senses, taking over the Center’s 3.3 million square feet with all things toys and games—and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it all.

Brands come here to play, but they don’t play around. At least not when it comes to their displays—or their business deals. Formally known as the North American International Toy Fair, the trade show is four days of nonstop toy demos, displays and deals. It’s where toy makers of all sizes show off their latest and greatest, not just to the media and creators, but (perhaps more importantly) to buyers.

I hadn’t been since the last great Toy Fair, in 2020, and at that time, I was completely unprepared for how much hustling—and the sheer volume of vendors—that it involved. But this time around, I came with a game plan: I couldn’t take meetings with every toymaker (the 2025 Toy Fair boasted nearly 850 vendors!) but I created a priority list. Then I scheduled back-to-back appointments from the show’s opening at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a 30-minute buffer for lunch and the last hour (5-6) to sweep the halls for anything I’d missed. It was a whirlwind, but since I only had one day to take it all in, I wanted to ensure I captured as much as possible. (A colleague attended another day, hitting up several booths I couldn’t take full walkthroughs in.)

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So, after going through my notes, camera reel and consulting with others who attended, I found that there were a few standouts I couldn’t stop thinking about—and I have a feeling kids will feel the same way.

What Are the Top 2025 Toys and Games?

1. Gui Gui Slime

Sephora-caliber slime is headed to stores this April. You can choose from clear, gloss, butter and cloud slime, each of which is packaged in a semi-blind box in a container that will remind you of Isle of Paradise, Sol de Janeiro or a number of other high-end beauty favorites. Each one contains fun mix-ins and charms, and the slime itself is more tacky and stretchy than sticky.

Runner Up in the Slime Category: Kawaii Slime Company’s Ice Cream Slime

My daughter is a huge fan; I love the scents, aesthetic and whipped-and-not-too-sticky texture.

2. Loops Lab

This launch was so under wraps I didn’t capture photos or video of it, but it’s worth calling out for budding music fans. Using an electronic “stage,” you choose various Loopster characters and arrange them on it, creating your own loops, beats and—ultimately—songs. You can collect different characters to incorporate various genres of music, as well as instruments, crafting a sound that’s entirely your own.

3. Thames and Kosmos Magic Wand Craft Kit

So your letter to Hogwarts didn’t arrive yet. Prepare for the day that it comes by creating your own wand—or a replica of Voldemort’s, Harry’s or Dumbledore’s—with this kit, which includes paint, modeling clay and wooden rods, among other tools and materials. It’s available for pre-order now, and it will ship in the fall.

4. LEGO Botanicals

This one goes out to my kidults out there. LEGO created a miniature garden oasis at this year’s Toy Fair, complete with a mini flower shop—and it was completely enchanting. I can see how someone could get into creating intricate flowers out of tiny LEGO bricks as a meditative way to unwind at the end of the day.

5. Fart Monsters

Larger-than-life Fart Monsters were everywhere you looked at the Toy Fair, so clearly ScentCo put some big marketing money behind this launch. And for good reason: Kids love potty humor. (Just look at Skibidi Toilet’s success, after all—and that thing’s creepy.) Parents—and thus retailers—may initially search for something more high-brow than a stuffy that doubles as a whoopie cushion, but after years of toy testing, I know kids will gravitate toward this. Plus, the toots are gourmet-scented! GOURMET!

6. Play-Doh’s Barbie & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Collabs

Play-Doh’s Barbie collab takes those old Barbie stencils (that let you “design” outfits for your doll) to the next level, by molding your own clothes and hairstyles for her. It features a cool riff on the Fun Factory tool, where you can make ruffled and ruched clothes with it, and launches patterned Play-Doh sheets, so kids can easily cut out chic designs for their dolls.

On the Ninja Turtles front, I loved how the Turtles’ shells and gear doubled as tools and cutters for playing with Play-Doh…and most especially the tube of Play-Doh that looked like pizza.

While part of me groans at the idea of single-use Play-Doh—because, let’s face it, those premium patterned Play-Doh sheets/pizza tubes are destined to be used once, then smooshed into a gray mass—I realized: Isn’t all Play-Doh pretty much single use? Because every kid I know mashes them together or doesn’t put the lid on properly and they dry out anyway. As nobody says anymore but somehow feels appropriate for this toy: YOLO!

Barbie will hit Target stores this June, and the rest should debut later this year (July for TMNT, Aug. 1 for the widespread release of Barbs).

7. Tile Town

There are plenty of magnetic tile brands out there (in fact, more and more keep popping up, making me wonder if this is a trend or simply a category of play at this point). However, Tile Town stands out for its use of characters and action tiles—aka special tiles that when you pop a character onto ’em, they cause something else in the scene to animate. (At the Vet Center, for example, action tiles cause the pet door to open and shut, and the x-ray machine to work.)

A sneak peek into this year’s launches reveal even more fun, like this recycling truck.

8. Kala Light Tone Color-Changing Ukuleles

Tweens and teens are notoriously hard to shop for—especially if they already have the Owala bottle, Stanley tumbler, AirPods and lululemon belt bag. How about a ukulele? Better yet, one that changes colors? Kala’s known for its fun, and relatively affordable, instruments, and I can see these inspiring teens’ dreams of late-night beach bonfires and hangouts with friends. (Whether you allow that is an entirely different story, but…)

9. Bazuuyu Plushies

First came the Jellycats. Now, fluffy food with faces on ’em are popping up everywhere, and it came to life in a ridiculously cute way at Bazuuyu’s hot pot station. Their riffs on the stuffed-food trend featured less-common produce and snacks, all loaded with personality.

10. Exploding Kittens Roly Poly Goalie

I actually met with the Exploding Kittens team virtually a few days after the fair, and I’m so glad I did. Their kids’ line launched last year and quickly featured some of my kids’ favorite games (seriously, don’t sleep on You Little Stinker and Hurry Up, Chicken Butt). Their latest, Roly Poly Goalie, feels like a little kid-friendlier version of Throw, Throw Burrito.

You race to flip cards, with whoever flips the higher-numbered card getting to keep both. If you flip the same number, it’s a battle to roll, throw or dodge an included set of squishy balls (ahem, roly poly goalies) to see who scores the lot. The player with the most cards wins.

…And one bonus that’s just meme-worthy: Manhattan Toy’s Jumbo Kodiak Bear

This was exactly what I looked like by the end of the fair. And pretty much what every parent looks like at the end of Maycember, or on Dec. 26th, or any double-play-date-birthday-party-and-ballet-class extravaganza. That bear could use a nap. And a hug. And a 42-ounce cold brew. She is all of us.