Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
As the site’s resident toy writer (I’m the person responsible for putting together the Strategist’s “Toy Store” and gifts for every age), I get an early look at the latest and greatest new toys, often before they hit store shelves. There are dozens of new releases every month, so from time to time I’ll be doing a toy-centric edition of “Don’t Dillydally.” Here are the launches I’m particularly excited about, including a Gap x American Girl mini-me collaboration and Schleich’s first fully recyclable animal figurines.
A lot of collaborations feel contrived, but this one from artist and author Phoebe Wahl and the brand Sarah’s Silks just makes sense. I love how each silk scarf feels like a framable piece of artwork, and the dress-up clothes feel just as special.
LEGO releases brand-new, themed building sets on a regular basis. This replica of Bumblebee, the Transformer that turns into a VW Bug, is my pick of the brand’s July drops.
Gap and American Girl are launching a line of matching outfits for kids and their American Girl dolls. The capsule collection features Gap’s famous jeans and pink acid-wash denim pieces as well as some very cute star-speckled double-logo sweatshirts.
Schleich, known for its expansive assortment of realistic animal figurines, has released a handful of fully recyclable, “cradle-to-cradle” designs: a lion, bonobo, and a sea turtle that the brand can take back and remake into new toys once you are done playing with them.
This year’s the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty, and this plush keychain, featuring Ms. Kitty as she looked in 1974, is my favorite piece of celebratory merch so far.
Harry Potter Squishmallows first launched in 2023 and made our list of the year’s hottest holiday toys. The latest batch of Wizarding World Squish is now available for preorder and features Dobby the house-elf, a mandrake, Fawkes the phoenix, and the Sorting Hat.
This much smaller Harry Potter launch is a blind-box series that includes everything you need to mix up a mini replica potion from the franchise, like Skele-Gro or Polyjuice Potion.
Jelly Cat is constantly launching delightfully wacky stuffed animals and accessories, from a scuba-diving hard-boiled egg to cuddly capybaras. My pick for the brand’s best new release is this furry teddy-bear tote bag I would totally use for myself. The brand also launched totes featuring a bunny and a smoother, yellower bear named Smudge.
Nugget added the ottoman-like Chunk to its play-couch arsenal in May, and now the brand has added two summery new colors: limelight, a chartreuse green that calls to mind honeydew melon and limeade, and lolly, a bright candy-pink.
I have long been a fan of Super Smalls for the brand’s tasteful dress-up gear (jewelry, “pumps”). The Mom’s Makeup Kit feels similarly un-ick (for something that could feel ick very easily).
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
