The Top 10 Toys of 2017

6 minute read

From fast-spinning fads that dominated American classrooms to surprise-filled eggs with fuzzy creatures, TIME’s Top 10 Toys of 2017 quickly flew off shelves at retailers across the country. Products like WowWee’s “Fingerlings” captivated young users with its interactive nature, and Nintendo’s Super NES Classic Edition had nostalgic adults running to stores to relive some of their best childhood memories.

The best toys from this year also came from a variety of companies. Some shared similar qualities — like packaging that hides the surprise toy inside or constructible kits that challenge children’s creativity and taps into their engineering skills.

Here are TIME’s Top 10 Toys of 2017.

10. LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox

LEGO

Imagine LEGOs — but far more advanced. The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox Building and Coding Kit allows kids and preteens to flex their engineering skills with buildable interactive and motorized robots with five different models. Users can construct their own robot and create functions for it with the LEGO Boost app, which must be used on tablet devices. The toolbox is available for $159.99.

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9. furReal Roarin’ Tyler the Tiger

Hasbro
HasbroHasbro

Hasbro’s Roarin’ Tyler the Tiger will have no issue roaring back at you. The interactive animal, which ranges from $95 to $115 at various retailers, responds to you if you talk to or touch it. The tiger has more than 100 sound and motion combinations, and Hasbro says the tiger will close its eyes when you pat its head or move when you touch his muzzle. He also comes with a small and squeaky yellow chicken to play with. Tyler the Tiger also has a sibling, Ivory, which is a white tiger.

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8. Paw Patrol My Size Lookout Tower

Spin Master Ltd.

If you have a young child, chances are you know all about Paw Patrol. The popular Nick Jr. television show becomes reality with the 32-inch tall Paw Patrol Lookout Tower by Spin Master, which also produces the show. While standing, children can look out the periscope at the top of the tower, press buttons to make the tower light up and play with their favorite Paw Patrol characters. The toy is available for $99.99.

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7. Nintendo Switch

Nintendo

Nintendo increased production this year on its Nintendo Switch because stores just couldn’t keep them in stock. The functional gaming device can switch from a home console to a mobile one with just a few maneuvers, making it an on-the-go gaming system that still maintains Nintendo’s reputation for high-quality products. The Nintendo Switch went on sale in March and is available for $299.99.

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6. Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit

LittleBits

With a new Star Wars film on the way this winter, the Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit has already been a big hit. Kids can piece together their own droids with unique accessories, teach them new skills with the Droid Inventor app on their iPhones or Androids and go on more than a dozen missions. And if kids grow tired of the original functions of their droids that come with an R2D2-esque base, they can reconfigure it to personalize it with household items. The kit is available for $99.95.

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5. Hatchimals

Spin Master Ltd.

While Hatchimals first appeared on the market ahead of the holiday season last year, the toy’s popularity continued throughout 2017. Playing on the popular surprise element, the hatchable eggs reveal a colorful, plush toy for kids to enjoy. This year, Spin Master upped the ante with a new Hatchimals Surprise product that comes in a larger egg and reveals twin stuffed animals. The latest iteration of the toy sells for $69.99 — $20 more than the original Hatchimals eggs.

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4. L.O.L. Surprise!

MGA Entertainment

One of the hottest toys of the holiday season, L.O.L. Surprise! balls have capitalized on the surprise factor that kids seem to love with presents. Each spherical package comes with seven layers of wrapping that reveals one of several toy dolls offered by the company. The company also offers L.O.L. Surprise Fizz — an alternative to the product that appears more like a bath bomb and fizzles in water — as well as the massive L.O.L. Big Surprise — jam packed with 50 surprise products inside.

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3. Super NES Classic Edition

Nintendo

Nintendo’s highly anticipated Super NES Classic Edition hit shelves — and was quickly bought off them — in late September. The reboot of the 1990s classic Nintendo, 16-bit gaming console includes 20 classic games, as well as the never-before-released sequel to Star Fox. The handheld gaming system retails at $79.99 and has been sold out in stores and online — and in pre-sales before it was officially released. The revival of the retro game has pleased many longtime fans who were itching to relive their childhoods with the classic console.

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2. Fidget spinners

High Angle View Of Fidget Spinners On White Table
Getty Images

They angered teachers, they dominated Amazon’s bestseller list for toys and they were inaccurately advertised as gadgets that would help children with ADHD or autism. Fidget spinners — a simple, spinning hand-held device — took the country by storm this spring as they occupied the hands of seemingly everyone from kids in classrooms to adults commuting to work. Many companies got in on the fidget spinner craze — including political campaigns and newsrooms selling their own branded devices. While the fad has appeared to fade in recent months, the impact fidget spinners has had is nonetheless massive.

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1. Fingerlings

Wow Wee Toys
Wow Wee Toys

These finger-sized, mechanical animals are difficult to get a hold off, especially because they’re only sold at select retailers. Fingerlings, inspired in part by pygmy marmoset monkeys, are robotic monkeys, sloths and unicorns that respond to touch, sound and motion. Retailed at about $15 and up, the WowWee-produced toys come in different colors and in packaged play sets — encouraging kids to collect more than one. The unique toys offer entertainment to any child — and from a company that has typically focused on drones and robots.

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