Amazon Prime Day is still a few weeks away but that hasn’t stopped the world’s largest online retailer from dropping a guide to the best toys of the year.
The toys, which range from the new Super Mario Lego set and The Child from The Mandalorian, to a children’s video camera and a Playmobil DeLorean set, are expected to be the hottest sellers this year according to the retailer and could, in all likelihood, run out of stock by the time the holidays hit later this year.
Amazon hasn’t said which, if any, might get a small price drop for the holiday season – but if you’re looking to get a jump on your shopping list and don’t mind paying full price, here are a few of the top picks:
VTech KidiZoom Studio Camera | £59.99 or $49.99 at Amazon
For parents of the next big influencer, Amazon is selling the new VTech KidiZoom Studio Camera that allows kids to capture themselves on camera and export the video. The camera has 20+ animated backgrounds and comes with easy on-camera editing, creativity tools and a tabletop tripod/selfie stick.
Star Wars The Child Animatronic Edition AKA Baby Yoda | £59.99 or $59 at Amazon
Star Wars' most adorable alien is coming later this year (December 15) and while few have gotten to hold it yet, Amazon is expecting it to be one of the hottest toys to hit shelves this year. The Child - or, as you probably know it, Baby Yoda - makes noises and moves in, we can only presume, lifelike and adorable ways.
Squeakee 12300 Interactive Balloon Dog | £59.99 or $58 on Amazon
It's not nearly as cute as Baby Yoda, in our humble opinion, but Squeakee the Interactive Balloon Dog offers a similarly huggable and loveable companion for kids for around the same price. Unlike Baby Yoda, you can teach Squeakee tricks and, when your kids are done playing with it, deflate it for the day.
Present Pets | £54.99 or $49.99 on Amazon
Sticking with the pets theme, Present Pets offer a more traditional animal-like companion for around the same price as Squeakee and comes in one of two colors. According to Amazon, the toy makes over 100 sounds and actions, and is powered by six(!) AAA batteries.
Lego 71360 Super Mario Adventures Starter Course | £44.99 or $59.95 at Amazon
One of the biggest surprise partnerships this year was the one between Denmark's Lego and Japan's Nintendo companies to produce the truly eclectic Super Mario Lego series. At 231 pieces this starter set should be enough to get your kid's creative juices pumping as they build an interactive level of their own design for Mario to explore.
Playmobil 70317 Back to the Future DeLorean Toy | £39.99 or $44.65 on Amazon
Great Scott! Playmobil has created a relatively realistic model of the DeLorean from Back to the Future to rival Lego's partnership with Nintendo. Unlike Nintendo's plumber playset, the DeLorean is only about 64 pieces, which should make it a whole lot easier to assemble.
Lego 75292 Star Wars The Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Transport Starship Toy | £119.99 or $129.99 at Amazon
If you're buying for someone a little older, the Lego Star Wars Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Transport set may be a bit more appropriate. At 1,023 pieces it's a bit more ambitious than the Mario or Back to the Future sets, but might make a good fit for Star Wars lovers both young and old.
Mattel Games Uno Showdown | £16.00 or $19.99 on Amazon
Uno Showdown livens up the age-old card game by adding a reflex component - be the last player to hit the button in a showdown and you'll be the one drawing all the extra cards. It's a bit messier than the standard game of Uno, but if you're tired of the same ol' polite race to get rid of your cards, Showdown could mix things up.
- Ready to get started on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 shopping? Here are the best Amazon Black Friday deals we've seen so far this year
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Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.