Already planning your Christmas shopping? Argos is here to help.
Is it vaguely horrifying to think of Christmas today, in the midst of a pandemic and in boiling hot weather?
Yes, yes it is. But on we must go, for the jingle bells of commercialism are ringing.
So for all parents anxiously working out what hyped up toys they’ll need to put in their children’s sticky paws, Argos has released their annual list of the top toys for the Christmas season.
Ready to see what puzzling bits kids desperately want this year? Here we go, starting from the most wanted.
Be warned: it gets weird.
1. Design A Friend Sienna Doll, £35
2. Fisher-Price Rollin’ Rovee, £60
3. Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers, £30
4. Kidizoom Studio, £60
5. Laser Battle Hunters, £60
6. Lego Adventures with Mario Starter Course, £50
7. Lego Technic Lamborghini, £350
8. Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo, £33
9. L.O.L Surprise! OMG Fashion Dolls Series 3, £32
10. PAW Patrol Dino Rescue Dino Patroller, £65
11. Poopsie Dancing Unicorn, £50 – launching this month
12. The Child Animatronic Edition, £45 – launching in October
You’ll spot some interesting toys on the list, including kids’ vlogging equipment and a, um, flamingo on the toilet.
Argos says time spent in lockdown has inspired nostalgia for familiar brands, too, with 50% of parents reminiscing about their old toys these last few months and 22% planning to give their children something that conjures memories of their own childhood this Christmas.
An animatronic doll of The Child from The Mandalorian – affectionately known as Baby Yoda, the diminutive star of the popular Star Wars spinoff that came to the Disney+ streaming service during lockdown – is expected to be one of this Christmas’s biggest hits. The doll moves (including its ears), gurgles and even ‘summons the Force’.
Nintendo and Lego have collaborated to release the Lego Adventures with Mario Starter Course, offering kids the chance to recreate the iconic platform games in physical form, collecting coins and squashing enemies.
The Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo is an interactive flamingo that tells kids when it has to sit on its potty, while Poopsie launches the Dancing Unicorn, a new version of Poopsie Slime Surprise Unicorn – the pooping mythical creature that was one of the biggest hits of 2018.
There are familiar faces (and creatures) on this year’s list, with Toys from L.O.L. Surprise! and Paw Patrol making the list for a third and fourth year in a row, respectively.
Oh, and if you saw the news about Argos ditching its big catalogues, don’t panic – they say they’ll continue producing the printed Christmas gift guide regardless, so you can still do your usual circling-what-you-want process.
Juliet Ward, Head of Toy Buying at Argos, said: ‘With so much time spent inside during lockdown, the nation has rekindled its love for toys, turning to them now more than ever to keep themselves entertained during what has been a difficult time for many.
‘This year’s top toys list offers a huge variety of new products, ranging from toys inspired by the biggest TV and gaming franchises to bizarre – but crucially, fun – pooping animals.
‘When we craft the list of our top toy predictions for the year, we always try to accurately gauge the toy crazes that are set to make thousands of wish lists. This year it’s heartening to see so many toys that will encourage families to spend time together, whether that’s putting together a LEGO Lamborghini or reminiscing over the Mario games of the 80s and 90s.’
Toy expert Peter Jenkinson said: ‘Argos’s predictions for the top toys this Christmas are based on almost 50 years of experience and expertise in what parents buy for their children, offering not just a shopping list, but an insight into shopper behaviour and how the world around us affects what we buy.
‘You can see from the presence of an influencer studio kit and the animatronic doll that the lockdown has had a profound effect on what parents are set to purchase this year, while there are also toys – such as the LEGO Technic Lamborghini – that necessitate parents investing time in building the toy and playing alongside their children.
‘This year, children have spent much of their time locked away at home, unable to visit friends their own age and having birthday parties over Zoom. It’s meant a great deal of time has been spent with their immediate family, and while this is a good thing, the toy list also includes products that allow children to get back to simply being a kid – whether that’s a dancing unicorn or a flamingo that chirps about going to the toilet.’
… we have just discovered that said flamingo also eats his poop, so will need to take the rest of the day to think about this revelation.
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