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What’s the hottest kids’ toy this holiday season? So glad you asked—because I have thoughts.
After five years running PureWow’s Happy Kid Awards, I’ve seen all kinds of toys, and while certain mainstays will always be popular picks (Picasso Tiles and board games are perennial PureWow reader favorites), I’m predicting the rise of a less-expected, but equally enjoyable gift: Jelly Blox.
If you’ve never heard of them, you’re about to. Game company Goliath just expanded into selling toys, and its latest launch is similar to LEGO and other building blocks, but with a sensory-friendly twist: They’re squishy. The blocks can be smooshed, stretched and twisted, and they come in various translucent colors. Some are filled with colorful foam balls or sand, too, making them even more engaging. (Plus, at $20 for a 20-piece set, it’s pretty affordable.)
While the blocks are designed for toddlers and preschoolers—they’re closer to Duplo size than LEGO size—their tactile nature makes older kids gravitate toward them too, so don’t be surprised if older siblings want to get in on the building (and squishing) fun. And in Happy Kid Awards testing, we found parents adored them for a very different reason than their kids: You don’t stab your feet if you step on one in the middle of the night.
Since its fall launch, I’ve seen Jelly Blox quietly climb Amazon’s Movers and Shakers list (which seems fitting, given the top-seller at the time of posting is Elmer’s Squishies Kit, proving that the sensory trend is having a major moment). In addition to snagging a Happy Kid Award, it was also named a Toy Insider 2024 Top Holiday Toy and a Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards winner. It’s also a “breakout” search term over the past month on Google Trends, with searches for “jelly blocks” in general up 300 percent.
The 20-piece Creative Kit is a solid starter set, though for $10 more, you can score a 30-piece set complete with a storage case—which has a lid that doubles as a building surface. There’s also a $40 set that lets you build Jelly Blox trucks. Check them out here:
