The Top 6 Toys And Games From The NYC Toy Fair

Literally your one-stop-shop for toy-loving kids’ birthday and Christmas lists each year, the NYC Toy Fair is a veritable treasure trove of goodies. From STEM toys to ones that boast unrivalled levels of interactivity, there was something for everyone lining the stalls at the fair. Here are our top 6 picks.

Hot Wheels TechMods

Coming out mid-2019, TechMods are smart racing kits that you construct yourself. With the free app, you can either drive it around like a regular remote controlled car or use it as a motion-sensitive controller for a variety of video game experiences.

TechMod has an 8 mph max speed in real life, and inside the app, its virtual speed only grows as you play. You can choose from a variety of modes—survival, race, and treasure hunt—trying to collect points and dodge an increasing number of deadly obstacles. Sounds fun, right!

LEGO Hidden Side

Image: TechRadar

Due out in August, LEGO Hidden Side is an 8-set series that is meant to combine physical play with an augmented app experience, offering "holistic fun" for kids. Half of the sets are locations like a haunted school or a graveyard that they must essentially exorcise via their app; the other half are controllable vehicles that kids can drive around in the app.

Star Wars Lightsaber Academy

Hats off to Hasbro for making lightsabers that virtually dual with each other! Lightsaber Academy launches later this year. Each lightsaber has an accelerometer, gyro, barometer and Bluetooth tech built in, to track movement and send the data to the iOS/Android app. In the app, Jedi instructors like Yoda, Rey and Vader teach children various sword techniques, grading their accuracy. And of course, if they lose interest in the app, there’s always IRL light saber duals to fall back on…

Carpool Karaoke, the Mic

Image: Singing Machine

A great toy for budding performers, know that you’re signing yourself up for a lot of loud, boisterous car rides if you decide to purchase the mic! This Bluetooth-enabled microphone connects to your car's speakers, either via phone or tablet or via your car radio's Aux port, and then lets you hear your voice over the speakers as you belt out your favourite song a la James Corden and his celebrity guests. A whole lot of (ear-piercing) fun!

PaiBotz

A beginner style kit that’s perfect for the little ones aged 4+ that are too young to use coding and robotics toys, PaiBotz come with 150 physical blocks for constructing and customising, so young kids won't spend their entire playtime staring at a screen. 

Once the bot is built, your kid will use the free app for AR coding puzzles, designed to instruct them in coding languages and techniques like sequencing and looping.

The Lie Detector Game 

Set to hit shelves in August, board-game extraordinaire Hasbro’s latest game offering claims to know whether or not you’re telling the truth via your voice. The game comes with a kit which works via voice analysis, according to Hasbro. In the box is the lie detector, plus 64 cards with various questions to answer. Or, Hasbro suggests, "you can make up any yes or no question you want!” The opportunities are endless.

The premise is that if you tell the truth, you win a point. If you lie, you lose a point. This is different from The Original Lie Detector Board Game created back in 1960, which was a crime-solving mystery game involving cards but didn't include anything resembling an actual lie-detector. Oh, 21st-century living!

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