‘Tis the season for finding your favourite toys with our annual report

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Suddenly – it’s the holiday shopping season! It’s certainly one of the most challenging thanks in part to everything from supply and demand issues, insanely expensive shipping containers, labour shortages, empty store shelves and budgeting woes, mostly caused by the pandemic.

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Add to this – looking for a child’s favourite gift. And toys are big on everyone’s list this year.

In fact, Canadians were shopping for toys back in September, notes Google Canada Research, the fear being many wouldn’t find the most coveted toys of the season in time. It seems, everywhere you turn the messaging is abundantly clear: If you see what you want, buy it right away.

The holiday season’s hottest toys will run out fast and be difficult to restock, said James Zahn, senior editor of Toy Insider in a recent interview with the Washington Post. “The ripples of the supply chain issues have caused regional outages on certain products and it makes it very hard to predict what will be in stock where and when,” added Zahn in the Washington Post story.

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According to NPD Group Canada, ( npd.com/news ) in 2021, toy growth is coming from all across the industry, and “we expect to see strong results for both e-commerce and in-store (shopping),” said NPD Group’s industry analyst Joan Ramsay, on the company’s website.

What’s hot? Games, puzzles, outdoor and sports toys and plush. Plus interactive toys, along with beloved traditional favourites, including Mattel’s famous Barbie doll.

According to the Toy Insider’s Report, ( thetoyinsider.com ), some of the hottest toys to look for include Choppin’ Fun Learning Pot (Leapfrog; MSRP $21.00); Batman Bat-Tech Transforming Batcave (Spin Master; MSRP $100) Got2Glow Fairy Finder (WowWee; MSRP $49.99), Kidzoom Printcam (VTech;  MSRP $93.99) Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron (Moose Toys; MSRP $99.99) toys that encourage imagination.

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Also: Baby Alive dolls and FurReal Pets continue to be hot-ticket items, while gaming continues to bring families together. This year, Hasbro is taking the classics and adding an eye-popping new twist – check out the Monopoly Builder and Hungry Hungry Hippos Launchers. Peppa Pig and Play-Doh are in great demand for the preschool group and My Little Pony is a a fan favourite.

Add to the list: the PAW Patrol The Movie Ultimate City Lookout Tower stands at three feet and brings the pups’ Adventure City headquarters to life. Plus Harry Potter fans will be able to recreate scenes with the Wizarding World Magical Minis Hogwarts Castle – a two-foot-tall playset packed with magical features.

Also in huge demand: STEM 10 – science, technology, engineering and math toys that make learning fun.

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Money maybe tight, but parents are looking to buy: “Surveys that track holiday spending are revealing consumers expect to spend more on holiday gifts this year, as families plan to get back together, said Gordon Chow, president of VTech Canada, ( vtechkids.ca ) adding “the demand for toys will continue to be strong for this holiday season.” They include “toys that allow children to be creative, (with) role-playing,” added Chow.

Toys, games and puzzles played a critical role in keeping many people on an even keel during the pandemic, note toy industry officials, so their popularity continues. “At the beginning of lockdowns, parents were focused on toys that would keep their kids entertained and busy,” said Chris Beardall, Spin Master’s president and CCO of toys, ( spinmaster.com ). This saw a rise in classic games and puzzles, activities, and digital games.

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“What hasn’t changed is kids’ attraction to their favourite characters – like Batman or Paw Patrol, and the excitement that comes with getting a new toy,” said Beardall, adding “hot toy trends today include those that allow children endless opportunities to use their creativity “to develop their own storylines.”

In fact, imagination is the star of this year’s toys and there’s a trend towards toys with surprises, notes toy industry specialist Laura Gambino of Swerve PR. “Toys that have an element of fantasy are big,” says Gambino, along with nostalgia – favourites of yesteryear, like the Cabbage Patch doll , are making a strong comeback, along with toys that are full of fantasy and magic, like Bright Fairy Friends – individual fairies that are housed in special, motion-activated fairy homes and filled with accessories.

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“We’ve seen unprecedented demand for our toys, games and entertainment throughout the pandemic,” said Marisa Pedatella for Hasbro Canada ( shop.hasbro.com/en-ca ). “As families stayed home, they turned to (toys) to find more ways to connect with each other through play – including classic board games like Monopoly, and new TV shows and movies, like Candyland and My Little Pony: A New Generation on Netflix.”

Pedatella says consumers should “rest assure that shelves will be filled with products this holiday.”

Some of the most popular toys include the following:

Ghostbusters Proton Blaster M.O.D.: Inspired by the Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie, it allows kids to imagine joining the Ghostbusters on their next ghost hunt. MSRP $ 31.49.

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Star Wars Galactic Snackin’ Grogu (The Mandalorian): Grogu, a.k.a “Baby Yoda,” is an animatronic toy  loaded with a galaxy of features. Touch the top of Grogu’s head to activate over 40 sound and motion combinations. MSRP $85.

Adventures of Ayuma: Community Tree: One of Playmobil’s brand new themes, introduces us to a world filled with fairies, friendship, courage and magic. Playsets within the theme come with innovative features that allow children the ability to fully immerse themselves in this magical world. Playmobil; MSRP: $229.99

Purse Pets: Blend fashion with interaction with a purse that literally comes to life doubling as a fashionable pet. The purse blinks, responds to touch and makes tons of noise. (MSRP $40).

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Ivy the Bloom Bright Unicorn: This robotic unicorn toy spreads her wings and sparkles with light when she talks and sings. Press the butterfly button on the wand to choose a colour and change her eyes, wings, or hair, horn and flower. Play music for Ivy and she’ll dance and glow. Ask Ivy to play a song, then hear her sing eight different tunes. MSRP $69.99

LeapLand Adventures: This video game for early learners takes kids on a quest for keys to unlock Clever Castle while exploring letters, numbers, shapes and colours. Kids can explore 150+ learning items at their own pace by playing the educational content in the Learning Centre. LeapFrog; MSRP: $41.99.

Kinetic Sand Sandisfactory Playset: Inspired by the millions of Kinetic Sand ASMR videos posted on social media, kids can create their own experience just like the ones they see online. Spin Master; MSRP $25.

Other websites to check out: moosetoys.com ; jazwares.com ; funrise.com ; ravensburger.com .