2025 Holiday Toy Guide: Top Gifts for Kids from Toy Mania Charlotte

2025 Holiday Toy Guide: Top Gifts for Kids from Toy Mania Charlotte

Charlotte Mama’s second annual Holiday Toy Guide is powered by our friends at Toy Mania Cotswold Village. Toy Mania is the perfect place to find the latest and best toys for children of all ages. It’s locally-owned, which is important to us. And if you’ve walked through its doors, you know Toy Mania has the most knowledgeable sales staff in Charlotte. They can point you in the direction of the perfect gift, for whatever age child is on your list. 

Using their expertise, we’ve curated a list of the 10 hottest toys of 2025 to help make your holiday shopping a breeze. The toys are for children ranging in age from toddlers to teens, for both boys and girls, at price points from $13 up to $189. Check these out and drop in Toy Mania for more ideas. You’ll avoid both shipping costs and lag time and walk out with gifts beautifully wrapped by the staff, at no extra charge. 

              Virtual Reality ESPN

One of the hottest new toys of the year is this virtual reality set from ESPN that takes users behind the scenes at the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” and into the goal crease of an ice hockey game, onto the halfpipe on a skateboard, down a trail on a mountain bike and more. The set includes VR goggles, more than 20 VR experiences and a 128-page interactive book. Recommended for Ages 8 and up. $59.99

New Bounce Electric Bumper Car 

Bring a little amusement park fun home with this mini electric bumper car for toddlers ages 1.5 to 6 years. It comes with a safety buckle and reaches a maximum speed of 1.8 mph. Its wheels turn 360 degrees for controlled bumping fun. Up the ante by getting more than one for some good, clean sibling fun. $189.99

The Incredible B-Ball 

Give your children the joy of playing basketball while keeping sanity for the parents and caregivers. This ball bounces quietly! This foam ball with a nerf-like exterior and inflated core by Incredible Group can bounce either indoors or outdoors with just faint sounds. Recommended for ballers ages 8 and up. $14.99. 

MindWare Run the Runway

Give the gift of design for the young fashion plates in your life. This set looks like fun for moms too, complete with more than 450 pieces of fabric, trim, dress patterns, gems, sketchbook, mini mannequins and other tools. It comes with step-by-step instructions and sewing is not required. Recommended for ages 8 and up. $50.99.

Youkidoo Peek-A-Bee Tub Flower

Give yourself the gift of bath times made easier, fun and educational! Toddlers can work on their fine motor skills and cause-and-effect principles by watering the flower and seeing the worm rise and petals open to reveal a bumble bee inside. The flower pot attaches to a tub with a suction cup and includes a hanger for the watering can. Toy Mania has a full array of Youkidoo bath toys, which would make for a great gift basket. Recommended for ages 18 months and up. $19.99.

alilo Smarty Bunny Baby Rattle

This is not your grandmother’s baby rattle! Alilo has created a smart rattle that not only makes 66 natural sounds but plays 16 nursery rhymes, recites 13 stories, and either plays soothing music or white noise while in sleep mode. It also comes with cards that went touched helps teach babies their colors. The bunny ears are made of silicone, which infants can use for teething. The ears also light up into seven colors. The bunny recharges with a USB port. Available in pink or blue. This is that one toy to take on every venture out of the house! Age newborn to 24 months. $45.99

Souza dress up

Toy Mania is stocked with dress-up options this year and none is more be-dazzling than the line of dresses from Souza. They are so pretty they could pass for junior bridesmaids or flower girl dresses. Accessorize the perfect head-to-toe look with a braided headband adorned with pink roses, fairy wings or a cape, and a pair of sequined silver slippers. For ages toddler up to 10. $49.99 for dresses. $29.99 for shoes, $14.99 for headband. 

Bruder trucks

What’s more classic than a toy truck? When you give one with the 50-year history of Bruder, you’ll see why their craftmanship, attention to detail, and durability sets them apart. There’s a ROADMAX line for children ages 2 and up, featuring the dump truck (pictured), tractor or earth mover. For children 3 and up, trucks like a Cat Skid Steer Loader are more detailed. For ages 4 and up, Bruder has not only trucks but a line of figures, including a farmer, firefighter, ambulance driver and police officer. Many are sold out on the Bruder website but available at Toy Mania. RoadMax Bruder dump truck: $49.99.

Nimble Knitter

Toy Mania has kits for teaching children how to crochet bunnies, bead bracelets, weave potholders, accessorize hairpins and so much more. This particular kit tackles knitting, which can be intimidating to experienced adults much less children. But Bright Stripes has created a way to make knitting approachable to kids, with a set that includes an adjustable loom and other tools, as well as enough yarn to make a hat, bag and scrunchie. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. $29.99

Lifelines Flow Art

If you’re looking for a “toy” you can give someone at any age, not to mention yourself once the other shopping is done, this is the one! It’s like a dot marker from preschool, only with smaller dots creating elaborate scenes. Not only is it fun but it’s therapeutic too. The repetitive movements promote mindfulness and reduce stress, say founders Melissa & Doug, the duo who created the line of Montessori-style children’s toys. Sensory immersion activities like these “unlock creativity for tweens, teens and adults to find their path to calm and joy.” Ages 8 and up. $12.99