'Good Housekeeping' Picks The Best Toys Of 2016
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Christmas is just around the corner -- less than two months away! -- and most children have already started working on a list for Santa. But there's another list that parents will want to keep an eye on when buying gifts for the kids this season.
Good Housekeeping magazine has announced its 2016 Best Toy Award winners, divided by price range. Every item on the list has been tested and approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute's team of engineers. More importantly, they also all passed the most important test of all -- the magazine's child critics.
More than 500 toys were analyzed during the study. In order to be considered, the toys all had to first meet Consumer Product Safety Commission standards and then pass the Good Housekeeping Institute's safety evaluations including toddler drop tests and reviews for pinch points or sharp edges.
The list was narrowed down to 100 toys for 100 children (ages 3-12) to enjoy during supervised playtime and also at their own homes. This helped researchers determine a toy's fun factor. The following lists show which toys were found to be the best for a variety of prices points.
Top Overall Pick
- Fisher-Price Thomas & Friends TrackMaster Thomas' Sky-High Bridge Jump ($100, 3+)
$20-$30
- Technology Will Save Us DIY Electro Dough Kit ($27, 4+)
- Be Amazing Toys Frozen Science ($20, 4+)
- Creativity for Kids Light-Up Doodle Art ($20, 7+)
- Craftivity Kits ($20+, 12+)
- Blip Toys Street Shots Racers Street Blaster ($20, 5+)
- The World of Eric Carle Little Artist Super Dough ($20, 3+)
$30-$50
- Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash Track ($43, 4+)
- 3Doodler Start ($50, 8+)
- Crayola Air Marker Sprayer ($30, 8+)
- B. Toys B. Boogie Woogie Mat ($30, 3+)
- Zing Firetek Zyclone ($30, 6+)
- MGA Entertainment My First Flyer ($43, 4+)
$60-$70
- Ravensburger Space Hawk ($70, 8+)
- Lion Guard Training Lair Playset ($60, 3+)
- Playmobil Pirate Raiders' Ship ($60, 4+)
- Elenco Electronics Snap Circuits Arcade ($65, 8+)
- Props in a Box ($60, 3+)
$80-$90
- FurReal Friends Torch My Blazin' Dragon From Hasbro ($80, 4+)
- WowWee Lumi ($80, 8+)
- Wicked Cool Toys Xtreme Cycle Moto-Cam ($80, 8+)
- Lego City Airport Air Show ($90, 6+)
- Crayola Imaginables ($90, 1+)
- Hexbug BattleBots Arena ($80, 8+)
$100 & Up
- BB-8 by Sphero ($150, 8+)
- LittleBits Rule Your Room Kit ($100, 8+)
- Cepia Big Robots ($120, also sold separately for $60, 8+)
- Svan Ice Cream Cart ($130, 3+)
- Bosebuild Speaker ($149, 8+)
- Acoustic Loog ($159, 6+)