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Everything you missed at Toy Fair 2020
If you're a toy-loving child (and which kid isn't), your favorite times of year are birthdays and the big gift-giving holidays in December. If you're a toy-loving adult, however, your Christmas comes much earlier in the year, when all the companies announce their new stuff in February at the New York Toy Fair.
Polly Pocket meets Tamagotchi in this portable LCD home
Remember Polly Pocket? It was a line of dollhouses that folded up into a makeup compact, making them small enough to fit in a purse. It was pretty great for kids to take to school or on trips. But those Lilliputian dimensions came at a cost: Mostly all those easily lost (or swallowed) small pieces. Skyrocket's new Pixel Stars Dreamhouse solves that problem by making almost everything — the dolls, accessories and furnishings — digital.
'Baldur's Gate 3' comes to Steam in 2020 as an Early Access game
It took a while, but Larian Studios is narrowing down launch plans for Baldur's Gate 3. Hasbro (which controls Dungeons & Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast) has confirmed at the New York Toy Fair that the long-anticipated role-playing sequel will arrive on Steam sometime in 2020 as an Early Access title. You won't see BG3 gameplay until Larian's PAX East presentation on February 27th at 3:30PM Eastern, but it's already clear the studio doesn't intend to make players wait much longer past the two decades since Baldur's Gate 2.
Tomy's Dancy Beatz is a dancing disco ball you can choreograph
Tomy has unveiled a new dancing toy at the 2020 New York Toy Fair that shows shades of the Sony Rolly. It's called Dancy Beatz, and based on the video render the company has released, it will look like a disco ball with arms. The dancing robot will have five different modes to choose from, including a Dance Battle Mode to teach it pre-recorded routines. If you want to teach it your moves, though, you can put it in Program Mode -- it will save the dance you choreograph and use it later. Tomy says the robot has 900 possible dance moves to choose from and discover.
KidKraft's Alexa-powered toy kitchen sizzles and tells dad jokes
Kids love to cook — or at least to pretend to. They enjoy emulating their parents, especially when it comes to making delicious things to eat. However, our kitchen routines have changed a lot thanks to voice control technology, which isn't easily replicated in a basic wood or plastic playset. So KidKraft's new toy kitchen doesn't even try to emulate it. Instead, it integrates the real Alexa to create an incredibly realistic but also whimsical play cooking experience.
Spin Master's new NinjaBots are cute little killers (updated)
Do you remember the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon from the '80s? Shredder's minions were all featureless humanoid robots, which our heroes could could slice and dice without guilt. At this year's Toy Fair, Spin Master's new product answers the question: What if the ninjas were the robots?
'Minecraft Earth' gets a bit more physical thanks to new NFC-enabled minis
When the mobile-based Minecraft Earth was announced last year, it immediately drew comparisons to Pokémon Go because of its use of augmented reality and location-based activities. But it was very different (as senior editor Jess Conditt will attest), since it didn't require you to actually go outside to partake in its mining and building gameplay. Now, Mattel has added another play dimension to Minecraft Earth that Pokémon Go can't really boast of: NFC-enabled figurines.
Hot Wheels brings its NFC-enabled stat-tracker to even more toys this year
For stats-obsessed kids, last year's release of Hot Wheels ID was a godsend. The NFC-based system let you scan your cars into the app to keep tabs on how fast and how far the cars in your collection had traveled. And it definitely solved the problem of figuring out who won a race. But it wasn't cheap, and there was limited compatibility with Hot Wheels' existing orange track system. In 2020 the brand has a few expansions in the works for Hot Wheels ID that should place it in reach for a lot more toy car racing fans.
The Hot Wheels RC Cybertruck is a mini Tesla for $400
If you're feeling pretty hype about the Tesla Cybertruck but don't have $39,900 to spend on one, maybe Hot Wheels' newest RC vehicle is more your thing. Sure, it's only 1/10 the size and made out of plastic, but here it only takes $400 to live out your Tesla dreams.
Hasbro's flurry of 'The Mandalorian' toys includes an animatronic Baby Yoda (updated)
Disney's bid to cash in on The Mandalorian's success has come a long, long way from when the company was scrambling to release crudely-designed shirts. Hasbro is releasing a deluge of toys and games meant to capitalize on the streaming show, and it won't surprise you to hear that The Child (aka Baby Yoda to everyone outside of Disney) plays a starring role. Most notably, there's an honest-to-goodness animatronic figure. The little one wiggles his head and ears, makes squeaky baby sounds and even tries to use his Force powers in the most adorable way possible. It will cost you $60, and yes, it is already available for pre-order on Amazon.
For $300, you can get an Alexa-powered kitchen for your kids
Alexa and other smart speakers can be especially useful in the kitchen, and toymakers are taking note. Today, KidKraft revealed its Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen and Market. At first glance, it looks like your average play kitchen, but it comes with smart-chipped food, cookware and character cards that prompt a response from Alexa.
3Doodler's newest kit lets preschoolers 3D-print tiny toys
3Doodler makes pens that shoot out lines of hot plastic, allowing you to make freeform 3D-prints without the hassle of learning how to use a dedicated printer. It already has products for the school and education markets, but now it's targeting an even younger group: preschoolers. The 3Doodler 3D Build and Play is a chunky gun-shaped device with a nozzle and trigger, as well as a turning handle.
Hasbro is relaunching classic Tiger Electronics gaming handhelds (updated)
A few years ago, Bandai revived its line of Tamagotchi virtual pets. The new versions of the toy were smaller than the originals from the '90s and had fewer features. They must have sold pretty well, though, since the company followed those up with full-sized reissues of both first- and second-generation Tamagotchis. According to The Verge, Hasbro is banking on '90s nostalgia, too, and will reintroduce the then-ubiquitous Tiger Electronics LCD handhelds. The affordable games took cues from Nintendo's Game & Watch portables, featuring one title per device and a simple form of gameplay. The big reason for their success -- and what Hasbro is likely hoping to still be a selling point -- was that they were based on popular console and arcade games like Mega Man and Ninja Gaiden, as well as movies and TV shows like 101 Dalmations and Beavis and Butthead.
Mall Madness electronic board game gets an update for 2020 (updated)
Hasbro is bringing Mall Madness back for old fans and everyone else missing local malls that became a casualty of the retail apocalypse. The company has given the electronic shopping-themed board game a makeover for 2020, 16 years after the last version came out. According to Bustle, the 2020 version features a 3D gameboard and will allow players to choose a personality and play as a Gwen, a Sage, an Avery or a Dax -- feel free to imagine what personalities those characters have -- and will have updated storefronts.
Hasbro's Halo-themed Nerf gun lineup includes a Needler (updated)
Over the last year, we've seen Hasbro jump on the Fortnite bandwagon by releasing themed Nerf guns. It's now turning its attention to a more historic gaming franchise, with the company announcing three Halo-themed Nerf guns that will come out this fall.
