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Features, PiercingKen Says

The Toy Insider Experts Reveal the Hottest Toys & Games of 2025

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The Press Release:
The Toy Insider, the toy industry’s most influential organization and a trusted go-to resource for parents and gift-givers, unveiled today its expert picks for the best toys, games and gifts of 2025 in its 20th annual Holiday Gift Guide. The guide includes three featured lists that spotlight this year’s hottest toys: the Hot 20, the most sought-after toys of the year; the STEM 10, top educational toys that promote STEM learning; and the 12 Under $20, budget-friendly toys packed with all the fun. Altogether, the milestone holiday gift guide is its biggest one yet, with nearly 400 toys from 182 toymakers.

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Between the rising cost of living, supply chain disruptions amid tariff pressures, and a short shopping window between Thanksgiving and Christmas, shopping for toys with a game plan is crucial this holiday season. Despite these headwinds, toy manufacturers are laser-focused on keeping playtime accessible and affordable for families: more than 70% of the toys featured in this year’s gift guide are less than $50, with more than 175 toys less than $25.
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Scenes From Toy Insider’s “Spring Fling” 2024 @ Lavan Midtown (Part Three)

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Hello again my friends and kind readers of “The Chronicles of Piercing Ken”, I’m back once more to continue along with the findings from last weeks adventure at the Toy Insider “Spring Fling” Toy Preview for 2024. It was held at the Lavan Midtown event space and brought together the industry, the influencers and the media (queue dramatic music). I’m no stranger to posting about The Toy Insider events at this point and always try to deliver the content in an engaging fashion. With this being my last of the exploring posts, it will have a little bit of everything so let’s begin with products we saw while walking around. I’ll begin with these cool Alphablocks, and the staff at this booth were giving away this cool plushie block.

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These items were from “Toss In Tens” and it reminded me a little bit of skeeball and in some sense cornhole. Great stuff if you have a little backyard space or a very expansive family room with nothing breakable around you.

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Features, PiercingKen Says

The Toy Insider Unveils “The Pop Insider”; A New Geek and Pop Culture Outlet

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Hey there my friends, we recently received this news alert about a brand-new initiative that our friends over at The Toy Insider are spearheading. It’s called “The Pop Insider” and you can read all about it down below.

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The Press Release:
From the experts who publish The Toy Insider, one of the toy industry’s most influential media outlets and a trusted go-to resource on toys and games for parents and gift-givers, comes a brand new cross-platform media title created for adults and collectors who love to geek out – The Pop Insider.

A daily pop culture news and review site, The Pop Insider multimedia publication lets superfans fuel their fandoms 24/7–whether they’re obsessed with Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Marvel comics or The Bachelor. The site will be supported with a weekly e-newsletter, seasonal print magazine and ezine, and real-time updates and commentary across social media channels.

“Geek is chic and pop culture fanatics are incredibly loyal,” says Marissa DiBartolo, co-editor-in-chief. “They want to be the first to know and own every single thing that’s coming out—that’s where The Pop Insider comes in!”

Adds co-editor-in-chief Ali Mierzejewski, “For the past 13 years, The Toy Insider has helped grown-ups discover the hottest toys and games to buy for their kids. We thought, ‘Wait, what about us?!’ We want to offer the same expert reviews and news scoops for adults out there hunting for hot collectibles, limited edition toys, merch and fun party games for themselves – that’s what The Pop Insider is all about.”
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