We got kids to road-test the must-have toys for Christmas this year, and this is what they had to say.
Kids + toys = a very merry Christmas. We think that’s a no brainer. What to get that kid that will go down a storm? That’s a whole ‘nother ball game.
To help you in your quest to be deemed best mum/dad/aunt/uncle/sibling this year, we’ve asked some keen kids to adopt the title of “Official finder.com.au Toy Tester” and road-test the most popular toys out this Christmas.
We surprised them with toys, asked them to play and got their feedback.
Popular Christmas Toys for 2015
Sphero BB-8
Cleverkeet
Shopkins Ice-Cream Truck
Geomag
Crayola Animation Studio
Talking Peppa Pig
Crayola Colour Wonder Peppa Pig and Dora The Explorer
Peppa Pig Airplane
Pie Face
Star Wars Millennium Falcon
Nerf Rebelle Arrow Revolution Bow
Frozen Snow Shooter
1. Sphero BB-8
Top of the list as voted by the big kids at finder.com.au and the little toy testers is Sphero BB-8. The character first appeared in the Star Wars VII trailer and was soon after released as a ground drone suitable for kids eight years of age and older. For Star Wars fans and curious kids, it’s a winner.
The Sphero BB-8 is controlled through its companion app on iOS or Android, where you use the on-screen controls or voice-activated commands to make it move. You can also set it to “patrol” mode, where it automatically roams, surveying its environment and eventually learning its surroundings.
Toy Tester: Nicholas, age 8
What the parents thought: All the kids (Nicholas has younger siblings) loved BB-8! I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under 8 though due to the small parts. It also kept falling into uneven parts of the floorboard and needs a lot of uncluttered space to roam around properly, so it’s best for big homes with flat flooring. Nicholas now wants to watch the Star Wars movie and all the other movies because of it!
Suitable for ages: 8+
Cost (RRP): $249.95
Buy it from: Macintosh Addict ($249.95) and The Co-Op Bookstore ($249.99)
2. Cleverkeet
Those who can’t afford a pet or don’t have the room to accommodate one have a wealth of options, including the Cleverkeet. This interactive parrot comes in two colours: blue and pink, and it’s one smart bird that talks, sings and dances.
Part of the Little Live Pets brand, Cleverkeet comes with a toy playground that includes a swing, cart and perch. It has preset sayings, but it’s smart enough to be personalised, responding to a given name and answering questions when prompted. When placed in his playground, it will interact automatically with it, such as swinging on the swing and driving the cart.
Toy tester: Portia, age 6
What the parents thought: From a parent’s perspective the Cleverkeet is just great. The robotics inside the bird are amazing. I would consider it a serious contender for the best toy this Christmas. It has loads of playability, as it responds when it hears its name, and it can learn to reply and talk when prompted.
Suitable for ages: 5+
Cost (RRP): $79.99
Buy it from: DealsDirect ($79.95), oo.com.au ($79.95) and costumes.com.au ($99.95)
3. Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck
The latest release in the highly popular Shopkins range is the Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck. It’s being touted as a hot contender for under-the-Christmas tree placement by little ‘uns with good reason. Not only does it reach out to the fans, but it’s adorable too and comes with two mini Shopkins characters. Perfect for the hot Australian weather.
Toy Tester: Talia, age 3
Talia's review: I love ice-cream trucks because I love ice-cream. I wish I could eat it every day! I love this truck because I can pretend to sell ice cream to my family – everyone can have some yummy treats. Pink is my favourite colour.
What the parents thought: Talia's been introduced to Shopkins via an older cousin, whom she idolises, so her eyes lit up at the very sight of this ice cream truck. She's not generally into cars (or aeroplanes, as above), but this was different as it was an ice cream truck – and it's pink. It came with two characters, shopping bags, an umbrella stand, and offered plenty of creative play and fun. Highly recommend this toy for girls in the 3-5 age group.
Suitable for ages: 3+
Cost (RRP): $29.99
Buy it now from: Target ($24), Big W ($25), costumes.com.au ($29.95) and Mighty Ape ($49.99)
4. Geomag
You’re most likely already familiar with LEGO, but this is another kind of construction toy. Built around magnetic balls and sticks with magnetised ends, this Swiss-made toy is an open ended construction toy that allows you to build as far as your imagination will take you. There are instructions to make specific models attached, which you can choose to follow or ignore at your whim.
Designed for 3+ years, it also grows with your kid. Meaning younger children can learn to make lines and small 3D shapes, while older kids and groups can build up larger than life creations.
Toy Tester: Ethan, 5, Manuela 7
What the parents thought: It has so much creativity built into it. I can see much longer play coming from it than other toys as you can be creative and the frameworks and templates help give them ideas on what they can do. The kids really got into this one, but it was quite challenging to build the templated items. You need more than one person, as the construction doesn’t stay upright while you’re building it. So you need one kid to hold it while the other builds onto it. For younger children, it’s still fun, but the templates wouldn’t work for someone younger than 6 or 7 on their own.
Suitable for ages: 3+
Cost (RRP): $20+ (depending on the set you purchase)
Buy it now from: Purple Turtle Toys (68-piece set for $53.95)
5. Crayola Color Alive Easy Animation Studio
Fuelling creativity in more ways than one is the Color Alive Easy Animation Studio, which allows young minds to create and record character animations. Design a character or colour one in from the booklet provided to give it personality and pomp. Then scan it using the companion Easy Animator App, which is compatible with iOS and Android.
When you place the mannequin in front of the device, it will adopt the character’s look. You can then move the mannequin to animate the character on the device and record its actions and adventures.
Toy tester: Ethan, age 5
What the parents thought: Ethan took to the Animation Studio like wildfire. The oldest boy (8) wasn’t too interested in it, but Ethan had loads of fun. Our youngest was more interested in colouring the characters in the book, so it has various levels of play depending on what your child is after.
Suitable for ages: 6+
Cost (RRP): $34.99
Buy it now from: Toys “R” Us on eBay ($39.99)
6. Talking Peppa Pig
Get ready to slip, slop, slap and play with Peppa Pig in the sun! The latest version of Peppa is a talking beach-inside plush that comes complete with a red bucket hat and armbands. Press her tummy for fun and summery sayings like “Yippee! it’s sunny!”. A must for any Peppa Pig fans out there (yeah, we know there’s a few).
Toy Tester: Talia, age 3
What Talia thought: I liked this Peppa Pig because she can talk. We talked about going on holidays to the beach and I told her she has to wear her hat and sunscreen so she doesn't get sunburnt.
What the parents thought: Initially, I didn't expect Talia to hit it off with this Talking Peppa, as it's geared towards kids aged 18 months+. But, as she does with many of her dolls, Talia took on the mothering role, wrapping Peppa in a blanket, patting her to 'sleep' and having awesome conversations about the beach – as Talking Peppa does.
Suitable for ages: 18 months+
Cost (RRP): $34.99
Buy it now from: Yogee Toys ($35.90), Deals Direct ($34.95) or oo.com.au ($34.95)
8. Crayola Color Wonder
For such a simple toy, the Color Wonder is quite ingenious. Two new branded packs are available this Christmas (Dora The Explorer and Peppa Pig), and each comes with 18 colouring sheets and 5 Color Wonder pens. While the branded sheets are a sellinpoint in themselves, it’s the colour-changing Textas that capture and amaze, as they look clear but create patterns on the page as you colour. The Textas only react to the paper, so drawing on items such as furniture or skin won’t leave the parent scrubbing in disarray, making them a no-fuss no-messy toy.
Toy Tester: Talia, age 3
What Talia thought: When I start to colour in, the Texta changes colour on the paper, and the patterns are so pretty. My brother has a similar Ninja Turtles one. These are fun.
What the parents thought: Talia played with this for hours and loved the “magic” factor; the five clear markers magically show up as different colours and patterns on the 18 Peppa-themed papers. It was well suited to her age group and I'd consider buying these packs for other children. The best bit? As the markers are clear, there's zero mess, and the furniture (and her clothing!) escaped sans Texta marks!
Suitable for ages: 3+
Cost (RRP): $13.99
Buy it now from: Big W ($14) and Target ($12)
9. Air Peppa Pig Jumbo Jet
Fly away with Peppa Pig to journey far and wide and onto adventure. This Jumbo Jet playset includes a mini Peppa Pig, jumbo jet and two suitcase. Open the hatch and pack your bags away, then sit Peppa in her priority seat and get ready to fly!
Toy Tester: Talia, 3
What Talia thought: he aeroplane is quite small and doesn't fit my other dolls into it. I also want to know where Mummy and Daddy Pig and George are?
What the parents thought: Talia loves Peppa Pig and has taken a recent interest in holidays, so at first glance I thought this toy would be a match made in heaven. But after playing with it for only a few minutes, she quickly lost interest. Simply put, it doesn't do much. Yes, you can open up the baggage compartment and load in Peppa's suitcases, and there's a tiny Peppa figurine, but apart from that it's not the most exciting toy for this three-and-a-half-year-old girl. Perhaps it would be better suited for a boy Peppa Pig fan?
Suitable for ages: 3+
Cost (RRP): $39.99
Buy it now from: oo.com.au ($39.95), DealsDirect ($39.95), Yogee Toys ($40.90)
Other hot toys tipped to be big this year
9. Pie Face
A surprise contender, but one that’s selling out fast in major retailers, Pie Face is a game that the whole family can get into. All you need is some willing contestants and a nice delicious pie (or wet sponge) to put on the hand.
The beauty is there is no skill involved, only luck. Keep turning the handles and if you’re unlucky enough to be behind the face when the hand goes “splat”, well, you know what happens...
Suitable for ages: 5+
Cost (RRP): $39.99
Buy it now from: Amazon (from $19.98) and eBay (from $22.99)
10. Star Wars 3.75-inch Battle Action Millennium Falcon
Star Wars mania is in the air, that much is a fact. With it comes the latest in Millennium Falcon collectables, and this is no exception. This 3.75-inch scale playset features a pop-up blaster that fires Nerf Elite darts (yup, cross breeding with Nerf we are), a turbolaser turret, light-up LED cannons and hyperdrive sound effects.
Of course, it comes equipped with a smuggling compartment and 3.75-inch figurines of Chewie, Finn and BB-8.
Suitable for ages: 4+
Cost (RRP): $229.99
Buy it now from: DealsDirect ($199) and oo.com.au ($199)
11. Nerf Rebelle Arrow Revolution Bow
Fans of The Hunger Games can get their Nerf on with the latest in the Rebelle range. This bow features a high-tech, auto-feed, rotating quiver for fasters-than-fast load action meaning you can whip out those arrows at near-lightning speed.
This set comes with six arrows that can fire nearly 30 minutes.
Suitable for ages: 8+
Cost (RRP): $64.99
Buy it now from: Target ($55.20), Mighty Ape ($59.99) and ozgameshop ($65.99)
12. Frozen Snow Shooter
Still a hot brand on every girl’s mind, Frozen is not backing down in 2016. Give her a very white Christmas this year with this Snow Shooter.
Covered in jewels and puffing out billows of snow (silly string), let it “snow” with this beautiful addition to her already large Frozen collection.
Suitable for ages: 5+
Cost (RRP): $69
Buy it now from: Kogan ($44) and Toys “R” Us eBay ($39.99)
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