1. Squeakee the Balloon Dog ($58)
"If your kids have been begging you to get a puppy, Squeakee the Balloon Dog might be the next best thing," per Time. This robotic pooch barks, sits, responds to voice commands, and goes limp when pricked with a toy pushpin. "He may not be an actual dog — or even a balloon dog — but he acts like both." Buy it at Amazon.
2. KidKraft Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen & Market ($300)
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A kitchen on one side and grocery store on the other, this wooden playset comes with dozens of prop ingredients that are embedded with radio transponders to enable an Amazon Echo speaker to enhance play — guiding the young chefs through simple recipes and adding sound effects as they cook. Buy it at Amazon.
3. Tonies Toniebox ($100)
New to the U.S. but already popular in Europe, this storytelling cube "promises to keep kids occupied for hours without a screen," writes Elizabeth Segran at Fast Company. They can listen to favorite stories and songs with or without headphones, and with no need for parental supervision to manage the controls. Detachable figurines that add stories to the library are sold separately. Buy it at Tonies.
4. Hey Clay Animals ($17)
With a Hey Clay modeling kit, kids can make "some truly adorable critters." Each kit includes 18 canisters of brightly colored clay that can be used for free-form sculpting or for following playful instructions from a phone app to create the cartoon characters on the package. Finished pieces dry solid in 24 hours. Buy it a Fat Brain Toys.
5. Hasbro's 'The Child' ($60)
This season, everyone wants Hasbro's animatronic version of Baby Yoda — the breakout star of The Mandalorian. Pat the 50-year-old toddler's head and it will coo, babble, wiggle its ears, or maybe close its eyes and raise an arm to draw upon the Force — "you know, like your very own pet Gremlin, except with Jedi powers," per CoolThings. Buy it at Amazon.
6. KidiZoom Creator Cam ($59)
"Perfect for creating movie magic," VTech's kid-friendly camera kit includes a high-definition digital camera, a tripod, and a green screen that makes it easy to swap in one of 20 animated backgrounds. Young filmmakers edit on the camera itself. Buy it at Amazon.
Editor's note: Every week The Week's editors survey product reviews and articles in websites, newspapers, and magazines, to find cool and useful new items we think you'll like. We're now making it easier to purchase these selections through affiliate partnerships with certain retailers. The Week may get a share of the revenue from these purchases.
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