The 12 hot toys kids will want this year at the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair
These are the 12 hottest toys kids coming out — and many of them have been designed and developed in Australia. One of them also features Ryan Reynolds’ voice.
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Exclusive: These are the 12 hottest toys kids will want this year — and many of them have been designed and developed in Australia.
One of them is a talking Pikachu toy that carries the voice of Hollywood heart-throb Ryan Reynolds, who is playing the Pokemon character in the upcoming film Detective Pikachu.
Kids will be able to squeeze the toy and hear several lines Reynolds has recorded for the film including: “Nice work kid. There is a little detective in you after all,” and “It’s magic that bought us together. And that magic is called hope.”
Australian Toy Association CEO David Hendy told News Corp Australia it was great to see local companies like Big Balloon that created the Pikachu toy at the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair, which begins in Melbourne on Sunday.
Mr Hendy said up to 10,000 people from retailers all over Australia will be coming to this year’s industry trade fair to see what toys are on offer.
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“For years we had a lot of American toys coming to Australia, but now we have strong Australian companies like Moose, HeadStart International and Big Balloon making waves and also representing us overseas at recent toy fairs as far as New York and Nuremberg,” he said.
“Australia’s toy industry is worth around $2.5 billion, and it makes me think that parents are starting to worry about the rise of electronics and want their kids to get back to good wholesome toys that use their minds and involve the whole family.”
News Corp Australia has obtained early access to the 12 top toys being launched today — and they won’t break the budget, ranging from $8 to $100.
Besides Detective Pikachu, Big Balloon has released a baby doll called The Bellies, that allows kids to hear a heartbeat and the baby talk once an umbilical cord is removed.
This year, Moose has a Treasure X Alien toy that carries a bag of slime in its stomach that kids can dissect. It also has a new toy called Rainglow the Unicorn that lights up to reveal how its feeling. Kids can take on the role of being its vet to care for it.
Moose has also released a new range of mini-plush Pikmi Pop toys called DoughMis, which have a doughnut fragrance and squash and rise like real dough.
HeadStart International have created HairDooz dolls that kids can collect and change their outfits and hair.
They have also launched MicroWheels — tiny, zippy racing cars kids can race on a special loop track.
Popular overseas brands including Lego have released a new starship set inspired by Lego Movie 2. Mattel has a new ballerina Barbie doll, and Hasbro has created a Lie Detector game for older kids and adults.
After the success of L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls across the world last year, a new range of L.O.L. Fuzzy Pets is being launched for kids to collect.
“I can’t remember seeing something like the L.O.Ldolls which has been so successful in one hit for many years, and I’ve been working in the toy industry for 40 years,” he said.
“There’s a real trend for collectibles in the industry and this is one of the hottest toys in the world.”
World-famous seven-year-old YouTuber Ryan, whose toy reviews have seen his YouTube channel grow to more than 18 million subscribers a month, has also inspired a new egg-shaped toy named after him, which is filled with surprises inside.
Mr Hendy said other prototypes of movie-inspired toys from Toy Story 4, The Lion King reboot and Star Wars will also be revealed at the fair.
“We’re going to have such a big year with all of these films, and with what’s around you can buy something that’s as cheap as $3.99 or up to $150,” he said.
FIRST TOY TESTERS
Adele Rochman, 4, and Arnold Grynberg, 5, were the first children in Australia to play with the only Detective Pikachu toy in the country.
The two childhood friends loved squeezing it to hear actor Ryan Reynolds, who is voicing the character in the upcoming Hollywood film named after it.
Arnold’s mother Ella Grynberg from St Kilda East told News Corp: “They loved that it was really cute, it made some noises they really enjoyed.”
Mrs Grynberg said they also loved playing with the Treasure X Aliens, which had slime they could pull apart.
She said they really got a kick out of the MicroWheel cars they can race together.
“Cars are really fun for Arnold and his little brother Louie, and while his younger brother couldn’t figure out how to race it on the track, they could still play with it on the floor,” she said.
Mrs Grynberg also said the Lego Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship would be on her kids’ wish list.
“They love Lego, they can play with it for hours and we like to buy toys like Lego can be combined with other toys,” she said.
The Pikmi Pops DoughMis were also a hit because of their distinct doughnut smell.
“They also come in a hard case, and kids like having containers they can store their treasures in,” she said.
“Adele was also disappointed she couldn’t take one of the HairDooz dolls home, she loved playing with its hair.”
Mrs Grynberg said she only buys toys her kids can play with in a social way, and looks for toys that will last.
“We don’t have an iPad at home and while they like to play with the phone sometimes, they mainly play with actual toys,” she said.
“Price is something we consider but we make sure we buy toys that go with what they already have so they can get more out of them,” she said.
THE HOTTEST 12 TOYS UP CLOSE
Here is how 12 of the hottest new toys being launched at this year’s Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair work.
1. Rainglow Vet Set
Rainglow the Unicorn needs the tender loving care of a vet to make her feel better. Its horn lights up and it has 40 sounds and reactions to show how it is feeling. When Rainglow’s horn turns red it means she’s feeling ill. When she’s feeling all better, her horn changes colour to glowing pink, blue and green as she makes a happy face with sound effects.
RRP $100 Available October
2. Treasure X Aliens
Dissect the alien and save the Treasure Hunter within. A bag of ooze is included in every alien stomach as well as a tweezer tool to help pull out the alien stomach contents. Store the ooze in the included storage container or squish the slime into the alien head and watch it ooze out. There is also a chance to find a Real Gem treasure in every pack. These gems are actually known as ‘peridot, ’some of which have been found in meteorites.
RRP: $30 Available June
3. HairDooz
Meet the Hairdooz, six little girls who love their hair dooz. Spin the cute bottle they come in to find the ‘doo’ for her in her very own mini salon. Take off the dryer to reveal the doo, and remove her cape and find her pose and outfit. Each doo has four styles, that’s 24 Hairdooz to collect.
RRP: $13 Available March
4. MicroWheels
Get ready to race with Micro Wheels — the more you pump, the faster they go. Race friends through gravity defying loops and get to your garage first to lock out your opponent.
RRP: $15 Available March
5. The Bellies
These baby dolls have lots of surprises in store including what’s hidden in their nappy. When you first remove their umbilical cord, you hear the beating of their heart and they immediately start to babble. Each one does it in a different way, and when you pop them together, they chat to each other. There are six Bellies to adopt, each with different and unique personalities, plus a hidden birthmark.
RRP: $59.95, available September
6. Detective Pikachu
Launching to coincide with the upcoming May 2019 movie release, the interactive Detective Pikachu features the voice of the star who is voicing him in the film, Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds.
RRP: $79.99, available from May
7. Lie Detector Game
The Lie Detector electronic game is an adult party game that has a voice analysis in it designed to detect subtleties to help you discover who’s telling the truth, and who’s not.
A player in the hot seat is asked uncomfortable Yes or No questions such as, “If you found out your friend committed a horrible crime, would you turn them in?” Create your own bombshell fill-in-the-blank Yes or No questions. Tell the truth and you’ll earn points, but a lie gives points to your opponent. The player with the most points wins.
RRP: $59.99 Available August
8. Barbie Ballerina
Barbie Ballerina can pirouette, spin on both toes, kick forward and backwards and also do the splits. The beautifully designed rainbow tutu is quintessentially Barbie.
RRP: $39 Available September
9. LEGO Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship
Role play a space chase with Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship. Help Emmet and Lucy evade capture by Sweet Mayhem’s Systar Starship toy that is featured in Lego Movie 2. It has an opening cockpit for a mini-doll or minifigure, retractable landing gear, disc shooter, a roll of stickers and an opening prison cell. It has buildable toy figures from the film.
RRP $99.99 Available March
10. LOL Fuzzy Pets
Unbox seven layers of surprise with L.O.L. Surprise! Fuzzy Pets! Wash the fuzz from your Pets to unbox who’s underneath. Or, design the fuzz your way to create your own character. Collect, mix and match accessories with L.O.L. Tots and Lil Sisters.
RRP: $20 Available April
11. Ryan’s World Super Surprise Egg
Ryan, the seven-year-old YouTuber now has a toy named after him. After shooting to global fame with his toy review videos in March 2015 on YouTube, there is now a toy called Ryan’s World Super Surprise.
RRP: $39 Available March
12. Pikmi Pops DoughMi
There are over 40 DoughMis to collect across the range, including a selection of Special Edition Squish ‘n’ Rise DoughMis that feel so soft and squishy, just like real dough — and smell like doughnuts.
RRP: From $8 Available March
Source: Australia Toy Association
Originally published as The 12 hot toys kids will want this year at the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair
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