What toys would kids pick for themselves?

Take the guesswork out of shopping for the little ones on your list this season. Walmart, Canada’s largest toy retailer went straight to the real experts in its fifth annual Toy Testers event, asking kids what they really want to find under the tree for 2016.

“This year, toys that inspire imagination and more creative play dominate the list,” says Maria Garofalo, Walmart’s chief toy officer. “More than 600 families with kids aging from newborn to 12-years-old were invited to test 135 unreleased toys.

Some of the top kid approved toys are:

For infants to two-year-olds, the Fisher-Price Bright Beats Learnin’ Lights Dance Mat rewards movements with light, sounds, songs, music, and phrases. It also helps teach ABCs, numbers, colours, shapes, and dance moves.

Three to five-year-olds loved the classic Play-Doh Town ice cream truck, which enables kids to come up with their own ice cream cone designs featuring crazy toppings.

For the six to eight-year-old crowd, the clear winners were the exclusive My Life As doll and the Lego Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster.

For seven to nine-year-olds, construction sets are the way to go. Look for the Lego Spiderman: Doc Ock’s Tentacle Trap and Lego Marvel Super Hero Airport Battle, or Mega Bloks Kubros buildable pop culture figures.

For ages nine and up, Lego leads with the Star Wars: Assault on Hoth, X-Wing Resistance Fighter, and Classic TV Series Batcave. Rounding out the list is the fastest-firing Nerf N-Strike Elite Hyperfire Dart Blaster and the remote-controlled fun of the Tyco Terra Climber radio control vehicle, Air Hogs Razor Racer Helicopter, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles XPV Remote Control Skateboarding Mikey.

Find a complete list of the top toys online at walmart.ca/toytesters.

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