F i ve T hings t o buy t he kids t his s eason

1

Super surprises

Unlocking the Super Surprise Safe is just the beginning. From there, kids access secret doors, use tiny sledgehammers and crack codes to reveal 30 unique, engaging surprises. No two safes are the same, but assortments include slime, stickers, temporary tattoos and figurines.

In the new XOXO Friends, kids follow the numbers on the boxes to uncover eight collectible surprises and cute accessories.

2

Fashion- forward dolls

O. M.G. Fashion dolls are older sisters to L.O. L. Surprise! dolls. Each of the four 11- inch collectibles comes with 20 surprises, including clothes, accessories and a biography. The package doubles as a reusable closet and dressing room, and the dolls’ hair can withstand hours of brushing and washing.

3

Fluffy, feathery friends

Hatchimals WOW has the Llamacorn — part llama, part unicorn — that hatches from a pink or purple egg and grows up to two- and- a- half feet tall. It sings Hatchy Birthday to itself, and has 10 moods and more than 250 sounds and expressions. It can be re- hatched. The groundbreaking Owleez can be taught to fly. Toss the baby owl into the air to help it learn to soar and comfort it when it doesn’t ( they’re made of lightweight, durable material that can withstand rough landings). Children nurture the owl, which learns and responds with more than 100 sounds and movements.

4

Squishy, sticky, slimy

Pop Pops Snotz bring together the surprise, slime and collectible trends into one. Use a hammer to pop sets of sticky, stretchy, slime bubbles and reveal a variety of characters. Packs come in multiple sizes and involve 60 collectible characters. A full 18- piece set includes the hammer for popping. Nickelodeon’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Slime is premade and scented. Kits come with two slices of slow- rising “bread” that returns to shape after being squished.

5

Franchise fun

Star Wars has multiple new Lego sets, including the Millennium Falcon and the Boost Droid Commander, which lets kids build, customize and practice coding with three droids. The remote- control D- O droid is from the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; it beeps, spins and balances on a single wheel. Build-a- Bear has Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven from Frozen II, with related costumes and accessories. Disney has a Frozen II Bluetooth karaoke machine, a Follow- Me Friend Olaf that sings and speaks and a metre- tall Sven that can support up to 30 kilograms and has 20 interactive sounds and phrases. He can even eat a ( toy) carrot.