From smoke-breathing dragons to Toniebox 2, the must-have toys this Christmas, according to kids

Our parents liked the quality of this interactive 14-inch Stitch with expressive LCD-screen eyes. ‘My daughter (aged 7) ran to him straight away for a cuddle.

It held her attention all afternoon,’ said one. ‘I’m very glad it has an off switch, though, so my daughter could take it to bed without it going off.’ The kids deemed this one ‘very fun!’ and liked that you could make him go to sleep and then wake him up again. Unlike their parents…

‘It’s like a little robot friend,’ was how one young tester described this electronic box of tricks. Kids loved that you use the little ears on top to control the volume and it also talks to them and reads them stories.

Parents said it felt premium and was very intuitive. It combines fun with learning, helping with comprehension and reasoning as well as sparking their imagination through games, stories and songs. Thanks to the new night light and sunrise alarm features, it can even help create better bedtime habits.

‘Wow!’ was our five-year-old tester’s reaction to this pastel castle in the clouds. ‘She was fizzing with excitement while I was assembling it for her and pointing out all the cool bits about it – the waterfall, the swing…pure joy!’ her mum told us.

It took about 20 minutes to set up but was worth the wait, according to our junior panel, who spent hours playing with it and loved ‘all of it!’. No notes.

A thrill to open on Christmas Day, this scented, shimmering slime comes with decorations for a glam glow-up. ‘This looked very engaging – it was clear there would be messy play involved,’ a parent told us. ‘They do need to be supervised with it as it gets in their hair and their clothes.’

So, the adults weren’t quite sold, but the kids were big fans. ‘I love the smell, the accessories, being able to mix it myself. I just love slime!’ said Siena, 7.

Available in a choice of animal designs, from foxes to unicorns, these cute walkie talkies encourage creative play. They’re very simple and intuitive to set up according to our parents and caused a lot of excitement during testing.

‘They’re great for siblings to play together,’ one mum told us. As for the kids, they loved changing the settings and ‘having a phone’ like their parents. Perfect for role play.

The interactive Toothless puppet has over 50 combined sounds and actions, and he impressed straight out of the box. ‘I was wowed by how big he was and my eight year old thought he looked cool,’ said one parent who recommended using the QR to access the video for set-up.

‘Toothless is really fun with loads of noises and he breathes smoke through his nose and mouth,’ was one mini-tester’s verdict, who said they would definitely tell their friends about the puppet.

This Rainbow High doll’s hair and outfit can be customised with an airbrush tool, stencils and washable markers. ‘The airbrush is easy to use and distributes the paint in a gentle “dusting” – so no spillages over my kitchen table!’ said one relieved parent.

The grown-ups also liked that both the airbrush and the doll can be used for future play, while kids loved being able to create something unique, but would have liked more accessories that they could wipe off and paint over and over.

This colourful two-storey, fold-out yellow house comes with stickers for personalisation and a new character: Baby Evie with her own bouncer, cradle and high chair. Our parents thought it was a great recreation of the cartoon and liked that it encourages children to play together.

The kids particularly loved the big key in the door and the twistable mobile on the roof. They just wished it had more moveable parts.

This wooden theatre front, which has a ticket booth, chalkboard and draw-back curtains, is made for imaginative play. ‘This is beautifully designed and easy to set up – my daughters were immediately planning a show to put on,’ said one impressed parent.

‘They used their dolls and teddies and had so many laughs and giggles. My five year old said it was just like going to the theatre.’ The kids were equally impressed, describing it as ‘magical’.

BRIO doesn’t disappoint with this 21-piece, dinosaur-themed train set. ‘My child loves trains and has recently gotten into dinosaurs, so when I unboxed this for him it was like all his Christmases had come at once,’ said one parent.

Grown-ups also liked the included storage box and the sturdy build. The kids had to be pried away from this one at mealtimes, so it’s safe to say it was a roaring success.

This one is pricey but it’s made to grow with them from 12 months to around five years old, transforming from a rocker to a ride-on scooter with fun flashing wheels. It’s fair to say it was a hit with both parents and kids.

‘My son was so excited when he saw the box, we couldn’t build it fast enough,’ said one parent, adding: ‘He demanded we put his helmet on and made us push him up and down the living room approximately 700 times.’

A great stocking filler, this will take you right back to your own childhood. Our parents liked that it offers much more variety than a standard Tamagotchi, too.

This includes a unique zoom function so you can explore different levels of the Tamagotchi world, plus the ability to connect to friends and play games, a feature that was a particular highlight for our testers, who rated it ‘super fun’.

You can’t beat a classic puzzle over the festive season and this 3D one comes with ears! Plus, there’s a stand so they can display it in their room after building. ‘My son has ADHD and puzzles are great for keeping him calm and focused, so this was an absolute winner,’ said one parent.

‘This had the added challenge of being 3D, and he LOVED that it had ears!’ It took a while to figure out how to add the ears, but other than that, this got a big thumbs up. Note, AA batteries are required.

We had mixed reviews for the new Wicked dolls. While our mini testers enjoyed playing with them and liked that they could move all the joints, parents said they were probably better for older children who are into the films. ‘While my kids like playing with Barbie, I think they're too young to really be into the Wicked 2 film,’ said one.

The children liked the Nessarose doll best, especially because she's wearing her mother's shoes, but generally would have liked more outfits and wands to play with.

If you’re a fan of Jellycat, meet our latest obsession: Noodolls. But what did our panel think? Well, our parents weren't overwhelmed shall we say. They thought it was pricey for the size and said it didn't hold the kids' attention for very long.

‘I like him,’ said one young tester, but added that they would have loved him to make noises and they probably wouldn't recommend him to friends. Perhaps this is one for the older collectors among us...

Creative minds can get stuck into building this light-up star, made up of colourful squares and triangles, on Christmas Day. Our testers liked this one and enjoyed building rockets, but it didn't hold their attention for long – around 30 minutes and they were done. They also found it annoying that it had to be charged.

‘The magnets were a pleasure to connect, we loved the click sound when you put the pieces together, but it collapses easily and transporting it can be tricky as it breaks apart,’ was one parent's verdict. It would make a nice gift for younger kids, though. Ages 3+