Co-founder Stephanie Oppenheim will launch the award list on NBC's TODAY Show on December 11th



NEW YORK, NY, November 13, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Notable Trends in Toyland:

AI in Toyland. This year we have the first AI toy on our award list. Stickerbox prints stickers with any image you ask it to print. A seminal moment in toyland.

Wooden Toys. At the same time there are classic wooden toys that are capturing the imagination of our testers. Jasey's Toy Chest is a welcome new addition with many outstanding products.

Expensive. We saw a continued uptick in pricing. Our suggestion is call in the grandparents, favorite aunts and uncles to pool resources this year.

Parent Child Projects. You'll find many toys, puzzles, games and building sets that lend themselves to parent-child time together. Sets from Connetix and Air Toobz Evo were major hits with kids and their parents.

Screen-free time. Our parent testers asked for more activities, games and puzzles that they could do that would be screen-free. Puzzles from eeBoo and activity kits from Creativity for Kids got high marks from our testers.

Cooking. Our list is full of props for pretend chefs including a Pizza Oven (Hape), Kitchen Aid appliances (Red Toolbox) as well as real child-size tools (weesprout).

New Twists. You'll find familiar names that are quite different from what you may remember. Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage now has a dinosaur in the action. Rubik's Rush (Spinmaster) has the name, but much more doable. And this year's Hess truck is pure fun.

Dolls. Great options in doll land – with the reintroduction of Groovy Girls (Manhattan Toy), as well as wonderful choices from Corolle, Cuddle + Kind and American Girl.

Building Sets. There are great builds this season: a classic Knights Castle (Playmobil) and LEGO Star Wars with a SMART brick that adds another dimension to this classic toy.

Family Games and Puzzles. Our award list has so many engaging games that can be enjoyed by multi-generational family members. Plunger Pop (Mindware) was a fun option for younger players. Smack n Cheese (Vango) was also a hit.

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Awards are given to the most outstanding and innovative products of the year. The independent consumer organization was co-founded in 1989 by child development experts Joanne and Stephanie Oppenheim. The Oppenheims are Contributors to NBC's TODAY Show. Other notable awards: the Gold Seal Award is given to highly recommended products; Blue Chip Award honors classic products. Complete reviews of all winners are online at www.toyportfolio.com.

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