December 8, 2025 • 6 mins
Chris Byrne "The Toy Guy" has a list of the best toys to put under the tree this year...and it's not just for kids!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let's talk toys.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I love checking in once a year to the Toy Guy,
Chris Byrne, Thetoy Guy dot com. I'm a Legacy Retirement
Group dot com phone line. Chris, how are you, my friend?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I am good.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
I was looking back. We've been doing this for quite
a few years. It's so great to be with you.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's always great to check in with you. Chris.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You're so good at what you do. This is your
super Bowl, Bud, this is your time of year. I mean,
I know you do this all year round. You've got
a blog, Thetoy Guy dot com, You've got a podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
But I mean we're a couple of weeks out from
go time.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
We are I you know, I'm about to turn it
over to Santa.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
But well, if Santa is listening, and you know, and
you know, moms and dads also and grandparents looking at toys.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
You know, my kids are a little older, Chris. They're
they're in their teens now, so you know it's for them.
It's all about gadgets and tech and you know, video games.
But sure, I and we're all trying to get our
kids to spend a little less time. I'm on screens
as well. But toys for the younger sets still very popular.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
What's trending right now?
Speaker 4 (01:06):
There are there are so many things trending. And one
of the things that makes me really happy is there's
no one big toy everybody's buzzing about. Maybe maybe La
Boo Boo, which is more of an adult collectible, and
certainly anything K Pop Demon Hunters, uh, you know, based
on the Netflix film. But you know what, it's a
real balance of stuff out there this year. There's been
there's games, there's there's there's RC cars. Actually, one of
(01:28):
my favorites is this Grave Digger. It's it's part of
the the Monster Jam series and Monster dam is getting
Huger and Huger and it's called the the Smash and
Bashed Grave Digger RC. It's from Skinmaster and you drive
it around but when you crash it, it crunches, but
it's not destroyed. You push a button and it heels
up again. It's just very fun.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's really cool. So let's take like a remote control.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Car exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
That's I got.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I you know, I begged for one of those as
a kid, never got one. I mean I got hot
wheels tracks for days, but never got the remote.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I might have to buy this for myself. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Well, you know, you bring up a great point because
you know, adults are people who are buying a lot
of stuff for themselves these days, and it's a big trend.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I always make sure to get the kids. Again, my
boys are seventeen and thirteen, but I'll always.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Buy one like toy toy.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
You know, they all they get their full set of
socks and sweaters and stuff that you know they need,
maybe don't want, but they need. But I like to
buy at least one toy for something to do over
at Christmas break.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Yeah. I think it's great because first of all, it
creates social engagement. It brings out that spirit, and our
toys stay with us throughout our lives. I mean, one
that I've been planning with a lot is called Stuntman Stew.
And Stuntman Stew is a YouTube personality. He's a you know,
a fictional stuntman and everything always goes wrong and he's
got this motorcycle that works on a gyroscope. So you
(02:52):
wind it up and you set it going, and of
course it makes a mess, but it's a controlled mess.
And what I like to call a loud naughtiness because
you're making a mess with just fun, but you're not
like destroying the house.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
I'm looking at that.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I've got I've got evil Knievel like stunt cycle vibes
on that one.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
That's that's like, that's like an updated version of that.
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
You are totally dating yourself. It was nineteen seventy. It
was and me too. It was nineteen seventy. It was
the top toy of the year for Ideal in nineteen seventy.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Hey, what is this the good Year Mega Car engine
repair set? This looks pretty slick.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
This is something I would have loved when I was
a kid. It looks like the front end of a truck,
and it's got all kinds of different pieces in it,
but screws, and it's got a you know, a drill screwdriver.
You take it apart, you put it together. It really
actually it's kind of realistic in terms of the pieces,
you know, an interpretation of the pieces in an engine.
(03:46):
And then you turn it around and it's a dashboard.
It's from a company called Red Toolbox that really emphasizes
realistic play. And this is what I would have loved
when I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
The same here. It looks really cool.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
It's called a good Year Mega Car Engine your Repair Set,
and it's about fifty bucks and it, Yeah, you can
actually pretend you're, you know, repairing the car.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
It's pretty neat.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Speaking with Chris Burne, the Toy Guy, you can find
him at the Toy Guy dot com. So you mentioned
like games and puzzles being hot this year.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
What a couple of those categories, Well, one that.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
We've had a blast with is called Marshmallow Madness, and
essentially it's a tiny hands challenge. You've got two tiny
hands that are kind of on up on triggers. They
fit through a sleeve and you put your face in
the in the cutout and you're trying to feed yourself
as many mini marshmallows as you can in one minute.
It is ridiculous. Everybody looks dumb as can be doing it,
(04:40):
but I lots of laughs. And then the other one
we've been playing a lot has been the new board
game from Exploding Kittens, and Exploding Kittens has been around
ten years. This is kind of a love letter to
their fans. They've done. They've got a board game and
it starts as a basic board game, but then at
a certain point it like a pop up book. You
flip the board and it opens up and it turns
(05:01):
into the chaos mode, and it's just it's just super
silly and very competitive. And the thing I like about
the Exploding Kittens games is they're competitive, they're edgy, but
there's still there's an inherent sweetness about them.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
That's that's really cool. I might need to kind of
earmark that one to look into as well. Are are
brands like Lego still very popular.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Lego is huge. Legos has been huge, and not just
for kids, for all ages. They're icons, they're botanicals, they're
they're large end sets of the high end sets like
Harry Potter and Star Wars are really huge. Even their Duplo.
We've been playing a lot with it with an interactive
train from from Duplo. That's that's just really sweet. It's
very easy for small hands to do, and it's it's
(05:42):
got a battery operated train that goes over these different
bricks on the on the track that bring things to life.
So it's really really inspiring creative play and imagination for
the little ones.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Chris Burnethtoy Guy Dot com he's got a podcast, he's
got a blog, and you know, you probably see so
many toys over the course of the year, Chris, what
makes a good toy? When you have your top ten
list of the year, what do all those toys have
in common?
Speaker 4 (06:11):
You know, the one number one criteria that we have
for a toy is it can't be complete without the child.
It needs it, you know, the piece of plastic ultimately,
and a good toy is a catalyst for the child's
imagination and the child's self expression and something that's fun.
And every child has a different play style, so so
they may have different ways of expressing themselves through that
(06:34):
play That's that's the number one one thing we look for.
Let's talk toys.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I love checking in once a year to the Toy Guy,
Chris Byrne, Thetoy Guy dot com. I'm a Legacy Retirement
Group dot com phone line. Chris, how are you, my friend?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I am good.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
I was looking back. We've been doing this for quite
a few years. It's so great to be with you.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's always great to check in with you. Chris.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You're so good at what you do. This is your
super Bowl, Bud, this is your time of year. I mean,
I know you do this all year round. You've got
a blog, Thetoy Guy dot com, You've got a podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
But I mean we're a couple of weeks out from
go time.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
We are I you know, I'm about to turn it
over to Santa.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
But well, if Santa is listening, and you know, and
you know, moms and dads also and grandparents looking at toys.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
You know, my kids are a little older, Chris. They're
they're in their teens now, so you know it's for them.
It's all about gadgets and tech and you know, video games.
But sure, I and we're all trying to get our
kids to spend a little less time. I'm on screens
as well. But toys for the younger sets still very popular.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
What's trending right now?
Speaker 4 (01:06):
There are there are so many things trending. And one
of the things that makes me really happy is there's
no one big toy everybody's buzzing about. Maybe maybe La
Boo Boo, which is more of an adult collectible, and
certainly anything K Pop Demon Hunters, uh, you know, based
on the Netflix film. But you know what, it's a
real balance of stuff out there this year. There's been
there's games, there's there's there's RC cars. Actually, one of
(01:28):
my favorites is this Grave Digger. It's it's part of
the the Monster Jam series and Monster dam is getting
Huger and Huger and it's called the the Smash and
Bashed Grave Digger RC. It's from Skinmaster and you drive
it around but when you crash it, it crunches, but
it's not destroyed. You push a button and it heels
up again. It's just very fun.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's really cool. So let's take like a remote control.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Car exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
That's I got.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I you know, I begged for one of those as
a kid, never got one. I mean I got hot
wheels tracks for days, but never got the remote.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
I might have to buy this for myself. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Well, you know, you bring up a great point because
you know, adults are people who are buying a lot
of stuff for themselves these days, and it's a big trend.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I always make sure to get the kids. Again, my
boys are seventeen and thirteen, but I'll always.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Buy one like toy toy.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
You know, they all they get their full set of
socks and sweaters and stuff that you know they need,
maybe don't want, but they need. But I like to
buy at least one toy for something to do over
at Christmas break.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Yeah. I think it's great because first of all, it
creates social engagement. It brings out that spirit, and our
toys stay with us throughout our lives. I mean, one
that I've been planning with a lot is called Stuntman Stew.
And Stuntman Stew is a YouTube personality. He's a you know,
a fictional stuntman and everything always goes wrong and he's
got this motorcycle that works on a gyroscope. So you
(02:52):
wind it up and you set it going, and of
course it makes a mess, but it's a controlled mess.
And what I like to call a loud naughtiness because
you're making a mess with just fun, but you're not
like destroying the house.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
I'm looking at that.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I've got I've got evil Knievel like stunt cycle vibes
on that one.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
That's that's like, that's like an updated version of that.
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
You are totally dating yourself. It was nineteen seventy. It
was and me too. It was nineteen seventy. It was
the top toy of the year for Ideal in nineteen seventy.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Hey, what is this the good Year Mega Car engine
repair set? This looks pretty slick.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
This is something I would have loved when I was
a kid. It looks like the front end of a truck,
and it's got all kinds of different pieces in it,
but screws, and it's got a you know, a drill screwdriver.
You take it apart, you put it together. It really
actually it's kind of realistic in terms of the pieces,
you know, an interpretation of the pieces in an engine.
(03:46):
And then you turn it around and it's a dashboard.
It's from a company called Red Toolbox that really emphasizes
realistic play. And this is what I would have loved
when I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
The same here. It looks really cool.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
It's called a good Year Mega Car Engine your Repair Set,
and it's about fifty bucks and it, Yeah, you can
actually pretend you're, you know, repairing the car.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
It's pretty neat.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Speaking with Chris Burne, the Toy Guy, you can find
him at the Toy Guy dot com. So you mentioned
like games and puzzles being hot this year.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
What a couple of those categories, Well, one that.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
We've had a blast with is called Marshmallow Madness, and
essentially it's a tiny hands challenge. You've got two tiny
hands that are kind of on up on triggers. They
fit through a sleeve and you put your face in
the in the cutout and you're trying to feed yourself
as many mini marshmallows as you can in one minute.
It is ridiculous. Everybody looks dumb as can be doing it,
(04:40):
but I lots of laughs. And then the other one
we've been playing a lot has been the new board
game from Exploding Kittens, and Exploding Kittens has been around
ten years. This is kind of a love letter to
their fans. They've done. They've got a board game and
it starts as a basic board game, but then at
a certain point it like a pop up book. You
flip the board and it opens up and it turns
(05:01):
into the chaos mode, and it's just it's just super
silly and very competitive. And the thing I like about
the Exploding Kittens games is they're competitive, they're edgy, but
there's still there's an inherent sweetness about them.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
That's that's really cool. I might need to kind of
earmark that one to look into as well. Are are
brands like Lego still very popular.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Lego is huge. Legos has been huge, and not just
for kids, for all ages. They're icons, they're botanicals, they're
they're large end sets of the high end sets like
Harry Potter and Star Wars are really huge. Even their Duplo.
We've been playing a lot with it with an interactive
train from from Duplo. That's that's just really sweet. It's
very easy for small hands to do, and it's it's
(05:42):
got a battery operated train that goes over these different
bricks on the on the track that bring things to life.
So it's really really inspiring creative play and imagination for
the little ones.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Chris Burnethtoy Guy Dot com he's got a podcast, he's
got a blog, and you know, you probably see so
many toys over the course of the year, Chris, what
makes a good toy? When you have your top ten
list of the year, what do all those toys have
in common?
Speaker 4 (06:11):
You know, the one number one criteria that we have
for a toy is it can't be complete without the child.
It needs it, you know, the piece of plastic ultimately,
and a good toy is a catalyst for the child's
imagination and the child's self expression and something that's fun.
And every child has a different play style, so so
they may have different ways of expressing themselves through that
(06:34):
play That's that's the number one one thing we look for.
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