About the Licensed Designs
Alongside the elves' own inventions, the inventory includes 30 real toys that are popular this season. Here's how we picked them.
Why "licensed", not "real"
In the story, Santa's workshops build everything. Saying some toys are "real" would break the spell for children, so the portal uses the North Pole's own paperwork instead: a real product's production record says Design licensed from its maker, and an invented toy says North Pole original. Both are true, and grown-ups can tell at a glance.
How we chose them
Every real toy on this site appears on at least one public 2026 list of popular toys from a toy-industry source or a major retailer, is a winner or finalist in the 2026 Toy of the Year awards, or belongs to a product line reported as trending in 2026 (sources below). We also included the year's biggest trend, squishies, because so many children are asking for them. We picked toys across ages and interests, and we left out anything we couldn't confirm.
- No store links, no affiliate links. We don't earn anything if you buy these toys.
- No product photos or logos. Each toy is shown with a simple illustration that isn't the product itself.
- No ages from us. Please check the maker's age guidance on the box.
- Not affiliated. Toy names are trademarks of their owners. This site isn't sponsored or endorsed by any toy maker. The elves' jokes are affectionate, and are about the elves, not the products.
- No promises. "Production status" is fiction. It says nothing about whether a toy is in stock in real shops.
The list
| Toy | Made by | Workshop on this site |
|---|---|---|
| American Girl 18-inch Elsa Doll | American Girl | Dolls & Dollhouses |
| Anywhere Sports Silent Basketball | Anywhere Sports | Sports & Bouncy |
| Barbie DreamHouse | Barbie | Dolls & Dollhouses |
| Bluey Light and Surprise Heeler House | Bluey | Dolls & Dollhouses |
| Camp Snap Screen-Free Digital Camera | Camp Snap | Electronics & Blinky Things |
| CATAN On The Road Card Game | CATAN | Puzzles & Riddles |
| ChompSaw with Inventor's Workbook | Chompshop | Art Supplies & Glitter Containment |
| Kanoodle Fan Edition | Educational Insights | Puzzles & Riddles |
| Exploding Kittens: The Board Game | Exploding Kittens | Puzzles & Riddles |
| Furby KPop Demon Hunters Derpy Tiger (3-inch) | Furby | Plush & Stuffing |
| furReal Gabby the Grow & Roar Tiger | furReal | Stable Unicorns |
| GUI GUI Mega Slime Haul | GUI GUI | Art Supplies & Glitter Containment |
| Hot Wheels Set of 20 Toy Sports & Race Cars | Hot Wheels | Wooden Toys |
| Jellycat Amuseables Croissant | Jellycat | Plush & Stuffing |
| La Squish Slow Rise Squishy | La Squish | Plush & Stuffing |
| LEGO City Lava Land Roller Coaster Park (60501) | LEGO | Bricks & Building |
| LEGO Game Boy | LEGO | Bricks & Building |
| LEGO Star Wars SMART Play: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing | LEGO | Bricks & Building |
| LEGO DUPLO Classic Brick Box (10913) | LEGO DUPLO | Bricks & Building |
| Swift Clicks Heishi Bracelet Maker | Make It Real | Art Supplies & Glitter Containment |
| KPop Demon Hunters HUNTR/X Zoey "Golden" Singing Doll | Mattel | Electronics & Blinky Things |
| Play-Doh Super Sizzlin' Kitchen Playset | Play-Doh | Art Supplies & Glitter Containment |
| PlayMonster Hacky Sack Light Up | PlayMonster | Sports & Bouncy |
| Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box | Pokémon | Puzzles & Riddles |
| Polly Pocket x Peanuts Collector Compact | Polly Pocket | Dolls & Dollhouses |
| NeeDoh Teenie Color Change Sensory Squeeze Toy | Schylling | Plush & Stuffing |
| Sesame Street Tickle Me Elmo Giggle Max (18-inch) | Sesame Street | Plush & Stuffing |
| Primal Hatch Megalodon Hatching Shark Egg | Spin Master | Stable Unicorns |
| My Robotic Pet: Coding Chameleon | Thames & Kosmos | Electronics & Blinky Things |
| Wigglitz | ZB Designs | Puzzles & Riddles |
Sources
- The Toy Insider's hottest toys of 2026 (via ABC30, Sept 29, 2026)
- Top trending toys of 2026, according to Amazon, Walmart and social media (GMA, Sept 22, 2026)
- 2026 Toy of the Year (TOTY) winners (Mojo Nation)
- Target's Bullseye's Top Toys List 2026 (AZ Big Media)
- Amazon's 2026 Top 100+ Toys list (About Amazon)
- Hottest toys of 2026 (Shop TODAY)
- 2026 Toy of the Year finalists, including the Swift Clicks Heishi Bracelet Maker (WFTS)
- Jellycat's food-themed Amuseables named among trending pieces in 2026 (StockX)
List checked November 7, 2026. Found a mistake? Tell us.