TTPM cites upcoming movie tie-ins in its annual 'Summer Most Wanted Toy List'

TTPM 2019 Summer Most Wanted Toys

Leading toy video reviewer TTPM (Toys, Tots, Pets & More) unveiled its annual Summer Most Wanted Toy List featuring the hottest new toys at the TTPM 2019 Spring Showcase at New York’s Metropolitan West yesterday, which TTPM CEO Jim Silver noted happened to be National Bring Your Kid to Work Day.

“Our 2019 Most Wanted Summer Toy List is dominated by movie toys as it’s yet another massive year of summer films that translate into popular toys for kids,” said Silver. “You might notice that there’s a lot of classic brands featured on our list. Both the stories and moments of play they generate are timeless. There’s something for everyone on our list.”

TTPM’s 2019 Summer Most Wanted Toys, in alphabetical order and with manufacturers in parentheses, are: Baby Shark Plush Toys (WowWee), Bakugan (Spin Master), Barbie 60th Anniversary Career Dolls (Mattel), Bunch O Balloons Self-Sealing Party Balloons (Zuru), Classic Aladdin Genie Figure (Playmates Toys), Fortnite Action Figures (Jazwares), L.O.L. Surprise! Supreme BFFs (MGA Entertainment), Marvel Avengers Compound Battle (LEGO), Nerf Fortnite Blasters (Hasbro), Pokémon Detective Pikachu Talking Plush (Wicked Cool Toys), Ryan's World Toys (Bonkers Toys and Orb), The Lion King Roaring Simba (Just Play), Toy Story 4 Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Armor (Mattel), UglyDolls Dance Moves Moxy (Hasbro), Wave-A-Bubbles and Big-A-Bubbles (Zing).

Besides the Most Wanted Toys list, the event featured toys and products associated with various highly anticipated movies including Disney’s The Lion King, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4 and Aladdin. Mattel's much-anticipated BTS dolls were introduced, while brands like Wham-O and Arcade1Up hosted giveaways.

Additionally, new products in the baby category were on hand, with brands such as Cybex, Nanobébé, Miffy, The World of Eric Carle, Mima, Gund and Skip Hop introducing their new offerings. TTPM is now set to announce its annual Best of Baby Awards on June 11.

Two vendors supplied arcade games. Arcade1Up, which debuted six miniature classic arcade games last year, yesterday added Space Invader, Final Fight, Mortal Kombat and Golden Tee to its collection. Super Impulse’s Tiny Arcade handheld line likewise showed new entries in Tetris, Q-bert, Pole Position and Rally-X, also including these titles in the company’s new Tilt handhelds and palm-sized Micro Arcade games.

While LEGO’s Marvel Avengers Compound Battle won a TTPM Summer Most Wanted Toys designation, its Steamboat Willie set also stood out. Part of LEGO’s Ideas collection whereby LEGO fans submit and vote for product ideas (including original concepts and sets inspired by films), the 751-piece Steamboat Willie brick building toy is the first Ideas entry in black-and-white, as it marks the 90th anniversary of the most famous cartoon character ever.

Indeed, Mickey Mouse made his screen debut in Steamboat Willie, a 1928 black-and-white animated short film that was also the first Disney film to have synchronized sound. LEGO’s version of the S.S. Willie steamboat operated by Mickey features steam pipes that move up and down and paddle wheels that rotate as the boat moves along. The bridge has space for new Mickey and Minnie Mouse minifigurines (also Mickey’s parrot and Minnie’s guitar and music sheet), the ship’s wheel, bell and life buoy--and the deck has a working crane to lift the “potato bin” cargo as well as the “S.S. Willie” boat name and “1928” year signs.

Also new from LEGO Ideas is a Flintstones set—in color, of course.

Another standout item at TTPM’s Spring Showcase was the app-driven JigPix jigsaw puzzle. Billed as “the world’s first smart puzzle,” the app enables any photo to be made into a JigPiz puzzle by way of converting the photo into “a unique DNA map” that is then translated to a puzzle via 884 numbered and reusable pieces that approximate the photo when assembled correctly.

Meanwhile, Doona showed its Liki Trike foldable tricycle, which can double as a stroller and can fit into most airplane overhead bins. And Wham-O had its new Smacircle S1, said to be the world’s most compact and lightweight e-Bike. Built in partnership with Smacircle LMT Ltd, it weighs approximately 17 pounds, cruises at 15 miles-per-hour on a 15-mile charge, and can easily be folded to fit a small backpack.

The Smacircle S1 also costs $1,339, though some of the kids present at the TTPM event misinterpreted the spoken price to be $13.39.