Tis the season to start making holiday gift lists.
Looking for some gift-giving inspiration this holiday season? For years, parents have looked to Good Housekeeping to clue them into the best, most popular, and safest toys to consider once your kids starts tugging at your pant leg with their urgent demands.
Good Housekeeping just announced their Best Toy Awards of 2021. As described, these are the basic steps they take in a “months-long process” to make their decision:
Safety check: Their engineers and analysts start by ensuring that each toy meets all safety standards. They also assess pinch points and make sure toys won’t shatter into small pieces to pose a potential choking hazard.
Ease of Use: Next, they carefully evaluate how simple each toy is to assemble, how well it’s constructed, and how durable it is during play.
Kid Approval: Final decisions come from more than 100 children, ages 1 to 15, who assess the fun factor.
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This year’s collection includes three sub-headings: $35 and Under, $65 and Under, and Over $65. These are just some of the winners. Check the full list here.
$35 and Under:
“Peekaboos,” funny little dolls stuffed into their own furry toys animal costumes. "Create your Potato Head Family," which is self-explanatory and just as awesome as it sounds. And and a nifty "Light-Up Activity Board" from Crayon where kids can experiment with see-through geometric pieces and transparency sheets.
$65 and Under:
A “Deep Sea Shark Rescue Submarine Set,” for the kid who just can’t watch enough “Shark Week,” this might tear him away from the tube. “Lulu Achoo Doll,” the latest addition to the popular Baby Alive series, this doll features a myriad of interactive accessories, including a doctor station with stethoscope and thermometer, and she can make 50 expressions. And the "Plug Farm," an interactive game that’s sort of Lego-meets-digital world; kids can move toy animals across a digitized board to create an augmented reality farm.
Over $65:
The "Alphapals Backpack Set" that includes cute stuffed letters that kids can take on the go. The "USPS Mail Carrier Ride-On Toy," where your little one can sit inside and imagine they're delivering the gifts this year (and probably faster than they’ll actually arrive). And the "OMG! House of Surprises," a four-feet tall, four-feet wide color-blasted house with lights, twirling rooms, a working elevator, and all kinds of fun furniture to let your child play house as if they were a budding Miami Beach deco architect.
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Given the supply chain problems, improving economy, and loosening of Covid restrictions in general, there will be lots of hands to grab for a more limited supply of toys this year. So you better hop to it.
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