If you’re planning to purchase one of the top 12 toys for Christmas this year, you’d better get a move on. Toy retailers and supermarkets are competing to lure in the first wave of Christmas shoppers to their stores and, toy experts say, will price this year’s must-have toys most keenly over the next fortnight. However, in some cases, stock is already running low.
According to the Toy Retailers’ Association, the top sellers this year will include an interactive bird that hatches itself from an egg, a selfie stick attached to a microphone and a wacky “mouthpiece challenge game” where players must try to say silly phrases wearing a mouthpiece that prevents them from closing their mouth.
The toys are not cheap: they are priced at £53.74 each on average, with four being sold for £90 or more. To help you find the best possible deal, we compared the lowest prices in-store and online (including delivery) of the 12 toys.
Hatchimals
RRP £59.99 (ages five and up)
An interactive bird that pecks its own way out of the egg it arrives in, as long as you cuddle and stroke the egg for about 20 minutes. Once it is hatched, if you continue to provide it with loving attention, it changes its behaviour from a baby to a toddler to a fully-grown Hatchimal that can walk, talk and play games.
Cheapest in-store price: £59.99, but it is sold out at all the major retailers in the UK, apart from a few branches of Argos – check Stockinformer.co.uk for up-to-date information. Limited stock is expected by late November.
Cheapest online price: £105, eBay; £118, Amazon
Speak Out
RRP £19.99 (ages 16+)
This game forces players to try to say phrases such as “He’s my stealthy pet ferret named Garrett” while wearing a transparent mouthpiece that makes it impossible to close your mouth. It’s perfect for drunken dinner parties, apparently.
Cheapest in-store price: Out of stock at Toys R Us, Argos, Smyths, The Entertainer, Tesco, John Lewis and Asda. Tesco has stock of a similar game called Mouth Trap for £19.99.
Cheapest online price: £9.68, eBay; £22.99, Amazon.
Lego Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster
RRP £89.99 (ages eight to 12)
It’s always summer in this battery-operated Lego amusement park. Walk best friends Naya, Andrea, Emma and Matthew through the turnstiles to take rides on the roller-coaster, ferris wheel and drop tower, or make them queue up for popcorn, hot dogs or a refreshing slice of watermelon.
Cheapest in-store price: £71.24, Tesco
Cheapest online price: £74.24, Tesco
Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage
RRP £89.99 (ages five and up)
With parking spaces for 36 cars, this is the biggest Hot Wheels garage you can buy (until they bring out an even bigger one). It features a light-up fire engine bell, a helicopter pad, two elevators and two ramps – but watch out for the chomping shark lurking at the bottom. Five vehicles and a helicopter are included.
Cheapest in-store price: £71.24, Tesco
Cheapest online price: £74.24, Tesco
Nerf N-Strike Elite Hyperfire
RRP £29.99 (ages eight and up)
This is the fastest motorised dart blaster on the market from Nerf. Take it into battle with you and you can fire five darts per second at targets up to 90 feet away. Comes with 25 darts for the 25-dart drum.
Cheapest in-store price: £28.49, Tesco
Cheapest online price: £28.49, Amazon
PAW Patrol Air Patroller
RRP £39.99 (ages three and up)
The PAW Patrol television series inspires a huge following among two- to five-year-olds and its Patroller vehicle toy flew off the shelves last Christmas, with some parents willing to pay triple the retail price after a worldwide sellout. This year’s spin-off is predicted to be another big hit with young children. It includes the character Robodog and transforms from a helicopter into a plane with real lights and sounds.
Cheapest in-store price: £32, Asda
Cheapest online price: £34.95, Asda
SelfieMic
RRP £19.99 (ages eight and over)
This adjustable selfie stick with a microphone allows you to record yourself singing (or lip syncing) to Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Little Mix and thousands of other hit songs, using the free StarMaker app.
Cheapest in-store price: £14.95, Smyths
Cheapest online price: £17.95, Smyths; £14.95 if you have Amazon Prime
Shopkins Chef Club Hot Spot Kitchen
RRP £24.99 (ages five and up)
The Shopkins range of collectible characters continues to be popular with children aged five to eight. This year’s must-have Shopkins toy features two exclusive characters and a cute pink kitchen playset.
Cheapest in-store price: £23.99, Toys R Us, but some branches have sold out; £24.95, Tesco
Cheapest online price: £23.15, Amazon
Silly Sausage
RRP £19.99 (ages seven and up)
Press a button and this plastic sausage will start randomly shouting at you to dip, poke, shake, stretch and twist it as quickly as you can. The faster you react, the more points you get. You can practise by yourself or take turns playing with family and friends.
Cheapest in-store price: £15.19, Tesco
Cheapest online price: £18.19, Tesco; £15.19 if you have Amazon Prime
Snuggles My Dream Puppy
RRP £49.99 (ages four and up)
Like a Hatchimal, this interactive toy responds to your love and attention. Feed it a bottle, rock it to sleep, stroke its fur or tickle its nose and it will react just like a live, breathing puppy. Comes with its own adoption certificate.
Cheapest in-store price: £43.99, Smyths
Cheapest online price: £53.49, John Lewis
Lego Star Wars Rebel U-Wing Fighter
RRP £69.99 (ages eight and up)
Star Wars: Rogue One, the latest instalment in the new trilogy, is set to be released in cinemas just before Christmas. Recreate scenes from the film with this Lego version of a rebel fighter plane (complete with four engines, spring-loaded shooters and opening side doors).
Cheapest in-store price: £45.99, Smyths
Cheapest online price: £45.99, Smyths
Thomas & Friends TrackMaster Sky-High Bridge Jump
RRP £99.99 (three and up)
Use this motorised ramp to send Thomas the Tank Engine soaring off the tracks and two feet into the air before he lands safely on the tracks to continue on his way. When he completes his journey round the rails, Harold the helicopter will lift him to the top of ramp again for another exciting bridge jump.
Cheapest in-store price: £65, Asda
Cheapest online price: £67.95, Asda
How to pay as little as possible for the top toys
- At this time of year, cashback websites compete heavily to reward you with the best rates of cashback at toy retailers. Quidco is offering the highest rate of cashback at Argos (up to 10%), The Entertainer (6%) and Toys R Us (5%), while its main rival Topcashback is offering the highest rate of cashback on toys at Tesco (2.62%) and giving £10 to new members who spend £10 on toys or anything else at Asda George.
- Gift vouchers for Argos, Toys R Us and The Entertainer are being resold on unwanted gift card marketplace Zeek.me for between 6% and 11% below their retail value. You can also get a £15 voucher when you spend £100 at Toys R Us before 17 November. Alternatively, get a free £5 Amazon gift voucher when you spend more than £50 at the Entertainer from Vouchercodes.co.uk.
- Patient Amazon shoppers can cut out its commission by requesting a better deal directly from the toy supplier, via an innovative shopping website called Flubit. Copy and paste the Amazon link of the toy you want to buy into Flubit.com to see if you can nab yourself a discount. Just bear in mind it can take a while for an offer to come through.
- If you prefer to buy from an independent toy retailer and you have an American Express card, check whether you can get £5 off a £10 spend using the Amex Shop Small scheme from 3-18 December.
- Prices and stock levels fluctuate dramatically at this time of year, so if you miss out on a toy at the price listed, consider checking a shopping price comparison site such as Idealo.co.uk or Megashopbot.com before you buy to make sure you are getting the cheapest possible deal available.
All prices correct at the time of writing
