Who decides which toys are the hottest of the holiday season?
MINNEAPOLIS – Who can forget Tickle-Me Elmo, Beanie Babies, Hatchimals or Cabbage Patch dolls? They were the Hottest Toys of the holiday season back in their heyday.
"The things we have a lot of, that we think of as our it toys, those are the ones that I think are fun, I think are a good value and kids are going to play with for a long time," said Abby Adelshein-Marshall, co-owner of Mischief Toys.
Each year, she and her family attend a toy fair for smaller toy stores. They'll spend two full days visiting toy company exhibits and play with the toys that interest them.
"The most important thing is to see these new toys and touch them and play with them," said Adelshein-Marshall. "I really go with my gut."
Adelshein-Marshall says some toy manufacturers or retailers will publish "hottest toy" lists to promote and advertise their new toys.
"Vendors also tend to have special deals where if you order their new things, you'll get a special discount," she said.
The Toy Insider publishes two annual gift guides a year. They say their experts spend countless hours independently testing toys.
"This is for parents and grandparents buying for kids – it says 'this is why kids love it and why it's worth your money,'" said Ali Mierzejewski, a senior editor at The Toy Insider.
She said their team looks at five categories:
- Is it worth the price tag?
- Is it unique?
- Does it help a child build skills?
- Does it work?
- Is it fun?
Both Adelshien-Marshall and Mierzejewski said social media also plays a big factor as YouTube and TikTok are filled with videos of new toys.
"I think TikTok has really changed the landscape because you can get kids on TikTok and they'll see something cool and they'll share it with their friends," said Adelshein-Marshall. "And then all of them are asking for the same thing and parents and none of the parents have any idea where it came from."