The Toy Insider recently wrapped their 2025 Holiday of Play industry event at Current in Pier 59 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Similar to their Sweet Suite event held in July the Holiday of Play event connects press and influencers with top companies for an evening of food, fun, and play. However what makes Holiday of Play different is that with the holiday season around the corner the event is not only a great place to discuss, see, and play with upcoming products but is especially a key event for hearing about top holiday gifts. Along with their Gift Guide the Toy Insider will showcase their choices in three main holiday gifting categories – STEM10, 12under$20, and Hot 20.
The Toy Insider is a perfect resource for researching and finding reviews of toys, technology, and entertainment. With their years of experience The Toy Insider posts reviews of products throughout the entire year assessing products through a tested review process that includes quality, price, and playability along with putting together their gift guides for Summer and Holiday. Simply put The Toy Insider knows play. You can follow them through all forms of social media as well: Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
As typical the Toy Insider brings in top brands such as LEGO, Mattel, Bandai, Spin Master, and Playmates as well as companies with hot holiday toys. Because of the tighter booth space at these events products from companies are limited in focus on specific brands rather than their entire product lines. As is typical for these events I’ve included some products that may while they may be outside my core focus I found them worthy of mentioning below and I continue to encourage you to check out The Toy Insider’s resources for all your collectible and non-collectible ninja needs.
Gift Guide Selections
As mentioned above within the gift guide the Toy Insider has sorted three specific categories that they like to focus on for the holiday season. Hot 20 consists of 20 top choices for the holiday season, STEM 10 focused on 10 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine toys to get your kids imagination moving, and 12 Under $20 focuses on 12 top toys that won’t break the bank.
Highlights include LEGO Technic Ferrari FXX K, Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle, Disney Ultimate Stitch Interactive Feature Plush, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Pet Turtle Playset, Pokémon Trading Card Game: Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box, and Bandai Namco’s Tamagotchi Paradise
Highlights include Chompsaw, Connetix 70-Piece Pro Constructor Set, and ESPN Virtual Reality
Highlights include Roseart Crystal Gem Creations, Goliath Clickeez 5 Pack, MGA Entertainment Cartuned, and P.M.I. Kids Booksy: The Disney Edition
The LEGO Group
https://www.lego.com/en-us
LEGO is generally my overall highlight whenever I attend a Toy Insider event. LEGO always has products for every level of fan and usually has a display of at least a few new sets on along with more popular recent release announcements. Highlights at Holiday of Play include Nintendo Super Mario Game Boy, Stranger Things Brick Headz, Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, Holiday Express Train, Family Christmas Tree Decoration, Star Wars Grogu Hover Pram, Transformers Soundwave, DK Book Holiday of Hogwarts book, and a new collaboration with Nike.
Loops Lab
https://loopslab.com
One of the more unique items I saw at Holiday of Play had to be Loops Lab new interactive music-making system. The system lets you create your own sound by placing collectible figures onto their responsive stage. Each stage has eight spots letting you add and remove figures to your hearts content. As you add and remove figures the music changes and seamlessly blends to form some amazing music. Additionally, all the music was created specifically for the game by a creative team.
The base starter set comes with a stage and the five piece funk band the Lax Funkers. Mix and match bands with other sounds to create some truly unique sounds. Other bands include 8 Bit Allstars Game Music, Curly Lines Neofunk, Draosonic Volcano Pop, Fantasimo Classical, Mountain Riders Blues Fusion, and Space Mariners Galactic rock.
Toyish Labs Clixo
https://clixo.com/
Another unique product I saw at Hoiday of Play was Toyish Labs latest toy Clixo. The building system features their award-winning flexible magnetic toys that creates an open-ended building system. Strong magnetic pieces can snap together to form 3D constructions as limitless as a child’s imagination. With a few unique shapes and pieces anyone can get to building. Packs come in many types with tiny themed bundle packs such as space, marine, jungle, birds, and Timothy Goodman editions; more elaborate theme packs including Mars Rover, Jungle Expedition, Tropical Birds, Ocean Creatures, Space Mission, and their most recent Dino Pack; and more elaborate free play sets such as their 150 piece Family Pack or their more reasonably priced 40 piece Creator Pack.
Goliath Games
https://www.goliathgames.us/
I’ve become a bit more familiar with Goliath Games over the last few years along with last year’s Power Saber release as well as having covered them at Toy Fair earlier this year it seems as though they continually have something of interest. A family-owned global toy and game companies founded in 1980 the company creates, manufactures, and distributes games and toys. Their new Hyper Burst line of micro racing cars hit a chord. The battle royal type race turns the race from fastest car wins to last car to survive wins. Charge up each car and send them shooting down a track at over 600 MPH scale speed.
Mattel
https://about.mattel.com/
Mattel was continuing their 80th anniversary with a showcase of their 80th anniversary line. Other highlights include a WWE Money in the Bank ring and a Thomas & Friends Load & Launch Barrel Delivery and the Hot Wheels Race Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit Track Set.
Bandai Namco
https://www.bandai.com/
Bandai is a leading North American master distributor of toys, collectibles, novelty and hobby products. They have an extremely diverse catalog of licensed products across the US, Hong Kong, and Japan. Along with their figures line Bandai is finally bringing their popular Hyper Yoyo Accel line but their main showcase was on their Tamagotchi line and mainly their Tamagotchi Paradise a new way to play that goes from the cellular level to a whole planet view. Clean them, feed them, play with them and enter lab mode and play mini-games. You can even connect with other devices and unlock other ways to play. Other Tamagotchi products included plush and collectibles.
Playmates
https://playmatestoys.com/
Playmates focused on their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sewer Spewer figure while their Pet Turtle Playset was a Hot 20 winner. Other notables were their Power Rangers Re-Ignition figures.
Spin Master
https://www.spinmaster.com/en-US
Most of what Spin Master had on display had already been shown off earlier this year but what they were showing off is worth mentioning again. Their two highlights include their licensed Bitzee’s including Harry Potter and Jurassic World. Bitzee is an interactive digital pet that you can play and grow with. Bitzee reacts to your swipes, tilts, shakes and touch. With your love and care, help your pets grow from baby, to adult, to Super Bitzee. As you expand your Bitzee you are able to expand and unlock new characters.
The other highlight was their Jurassic Park Primal Hatch T-Rex. First watch as the T-Rex hatches from an egg and then train and play with it. The T-Rex features over 100 sounds and reactions, as well as articulated features.
Booksy by P.M.I. LTD
https://pmi.co.il
The Booksy line has really taken off and has even expanded with a new Disney license. Stories featuring Frozen’s Elsa, Lilo and Stitch’s Stitch, Moana, and The Lion King’s Simba. Booksy figures are fun little toys that each feature an actual book with a story housed inside the figure.
Tonies
https://us.tonies.com/
Tonies are a screen-free audio system that offers a creative and interactive way for children to enjoy audio entertainment. The Toniebox, a cube-shaped speaker, works by placing a collectible figurine on top of it which then plays song, stories, or educational content associated with that character. The new Toniebox 2 which was on display allows for even younger children to begin to use the system with a more durable build and a growing cast of characters. Also introduced was Tonieplay which expands the system to interactive games, quizzes, and challenges controlled through their app. The new system also has an alarm, sleep timer, and night light. Tonies also has a growing set of licensed figures for all your favorite characters including Marvel, Disney, Paw Patrol, and more.
Energizer
https://energizer.com/
As the official battery partner of The Toy Insider Energizer was on hand to make sure everyone has enough juice to keep electronics running and with a special appearance by the Energizer Bunny.
