The most viral toys of 2025 include both the new and the nostalgic, with everything from Furby creatures (yes, that Furby) to Bluey playhouses.
And while we’re delighted imagining the joy and excitement on our kids’ faces when they open up new toys this holiday season, we also know that we’re all wondering the same thing:
Just how annoying are all these hot new toys of 2025?
To help you answer that, we ranked 2025’s viral toys by level of parental annoyance, ranked low to high. So really, you could consider this gift guide the gift that gives to all.
Dynacraft Plush Unicorn Ride-On Unisex Kids 6-Volt
Ride-on toys are always popular with the kid crowd, and in terms of parental annoyance factor, we give this one a low rating with one caveat: you’ll need enough space at home to allow your child to free-range on the electric unicorn.
Otherwise, if you gift this to a child with a smaller living space, the score will soon be: Parent Ankles: 0, Unicorn Jabs: 10.
The unicorn is powered by a 6-volt battery and can accommodate up to 40 pounds.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tales of The Pet Turtle Playset by Playmates Toys
As a child of the 90s, I was obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with my brother. So when I saw this micro playset featuring the TMNT, I was immediately intrigued. Think of it as Polly Pocket meets Ninja Turtles. Or in other words, the best of both worlds!
The micro playset folds down into a convenient and discreet turtle, but unfolded, reveals secret features like a rotating ooze pipe, trap doors, working zipline, flipping ladder, mutant holding cell, training dummy, and a weapons rack.
We rank the micro playset as low on the annoyance scale and high on the creativity scale!
Polly Pocket Holiday Connects Bundle Stackable Compact Playset with Micro Doll Accessories
Millennial moms will all recognize the joy of a Polly Pocket, and a holiday version is just extra-magical.
The new stackable Polly Pocket includes two compacts that attach to each other. One compact features an enchanting sleigh ride and a gingerbread man scene, while the other is a festive and cozy Christmas scene at home.
With minimal accessories and mess, we give this a low annoyance rating and high marks for fun for the kids.
Melissa & Doug Sort, Stock, Select Wooden Vending Machine Play Set
$87.99
from
Melissa & Doug
My six-year-old already has this circled in the holiday toy catalogs that have dutifully arrived at our house (in October). And I have to admit, this vending machine toy does look pretty fun. There’s just something so exciting and immensely satisfying about being able to insert the coins and retrieve your selected item after it swoops down from its resting spot.
As far as annoyance level goes, I’m giving this one a solid neutral rating.
On one hand, it’s pretty minimal in terms of lights or electricity, which would be annoying. However, it does come with a lot of little pieces to keep track of and score, and at almost $90, it’s a lot of money for excitement that could quickly fade.
Bitzee Hamster Ball Interactive Digital Pet
My kindergartner asked me what the Bitzee digital hamster toy was, and as best I can tell, it seems to be an upgraded version of the 90s Tamagotchi toy. (Which, for the record, is totally back again.)
Kids can feed their hero Bitzee hamster treats, pet them, exercise on the hamster wheel, or give them a bath to keep them happy.
While the price feels a little steep for a glorified Tamagotchi, we’re ranking this toy level on the annoying level because it’s self-contained and pretty out of sight for parents.
Bluey House Playset for Kids, XL Ultimate Interactive Lights and Sounds
Between the five of them, my kids have owned nearly every popular toy playhouse on the market. For the most part, I’m a fan of them.
A good playhouse can close with all the pieces neatly inside, inspire hours of creative and imaginative play, and “live” in one spot in the house so both the kids and I know where to expect. The Blue House playset fits all those markers, so it gets a 0/10 on the annoyance scale.
The only possible potential for annoyance I could see are the lights and sounds, and if your kids tend to take little pieces and fling them about the house (my kids are guilty of this).
3Doodler Start+ Essential 3D Pen Set
My 11-year-old has been eyeing up this 3D-printing pen, and in my professional parent opinion, this STEM toy has the capacity to be really cool…in the right hands.
For a child who is ready for the challenge, the 3D pen could be used independently and foster creativity and skills like visual conceptualization, math, and engineering.
But in the hands of a child who is perhaps not ready to use it independently, this toy has the potential to be really, really annoying. Think of the string plastic pieces half-used and strewn about, the whines to have you help with it, even if you have no idea what their vision was, and singed fingers from touching hot plastic. (Although the manufacturer does state there are no external hot parts to worry about.)
Furby Tie Dye Plush Toy, Voice Activated
I have my doubts if Furby is actually a hot-ticket toy this season or if some toy manufacturer just discovered a warehouse stuffed full of them and tried to push them out again, but nonetheless, Furby has landed on many toy lists for 2025.
My six-year-old was not impressed by Furby, and having lived through the 200s, I well remember the OG, which was solidly mid-range annoying. I have a distinct memory of coming out of my bathroom at 2 AM as a teen and finding a Furby without batteries talking, so I’m not a huge fan.
Melissa & Doug Simmer & Stir Stovetop Play Set with Water WOW!® Color Changing Play Food
$17.97
from
Melissa & Doug
I’m a sucker for all things Melissa & Doug, but this color-changing play food kid got the seal of approval from my kindergartner. “I want that!” she exclaimed with wide eyes and a gasp.
Kids can place the “frozen” white food into the pots and pans, turn on the stove, and activate the cooking process with “olive oil” aka water in the squeeze bottle.
With water activation, the food quickly cooks and turns into bright colors for a beautiful meal. Once dried off, the food turns back to white and is ready to cook again.
Overall, I give this one a mid-range annoying level because I can definitely see how it will quickly derail into younger kids especially dumping copious amounts of water into the pan to cook it, so watch out for that.
Jurassic World Primal Hatch T-Rex, Interactive Dinosaur Toy
Do I want this hatching T. rex egg and dinosaur toy more than anything I have ever wanted in my life? My inner child palentologist is screaming, “Yes!”
But, unfortunately, do I also see the annoyance factor in that it’s an expensive toy with a one-time excitement draw that will most likely fade very quickly? Also yes.
Balance & Build Set Balancing Beams
$44.99
from
Barnes & Nobles
This balance beam is everywhere as a hot-ticket toy item for 2025, but I’m going to go ahead and call it: it’s annoying.
First of all, it takes up a lot of space. Second of all, there’s not much surface area for kids to play with it on, since every corner is taken up with a sensory stone. And thirdly, there’s not a lot to keep kids’ interest for too long, so I really think this will be a toy you come to regret — and trip on in the middle of the night.
Skibidi Toilet Deluxe Toilet RC
The only thing worse than hearing a kid yell “Skibidi Toilet!” is owning this hideous toy that’s verging on the edge of the stuff of nightmares.
We’re going to have to go ahead and rank this the most annoying toy of 2025. My apologies to Skibidi and his toilet.
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, CafeMom.com may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
