You don’t have to spend the big bucks to fill your kids with holiday joy! The Toy Insider Mom Laurie Schacht brought some of the year’s best toys under $50 to Good Day Chicago to show us how to avoid breaking the bank. Just because these toys aren’t expensive doesn’t mean they aren’t a whole lot of fun!
Disney Jr. Miles from Tomorrowland Stellosphere (TOMY)
- Based on the hit Disney Junior TV series Miles from Tomorrowland, this 3-ships-in-1 playset is the Callisto family’s home base.
- The stellophere spaceship transforms into a playset that includes a Mini StarJetter, a Zip Ship, and a Cross Vehicle Rocket System (XVR) that attaches to all 3 ships. The Cross Vehicle Rocket System (XVR) that comes with the Stellosphere attaches to all vehicles across the Miles from Tomorrowland toy line, adding lights and sounds to any vehicle!
- Age: 3+
- MSRP: $49.99
Cabbage Patch Kids Dancing Toddler (Wicked Cool Toys) 
- Boogie down and get into the groove with the first ever Dancing Cabbage Patch Kid Performer!
- These talented Cabbage Patch Kids are ready for adoption from BabyLand General Hospital with the dream of dancing with you!
- Simply squeeze their hand to hear everyone’s favorite dance song, “I Feel Good,” and watch them dance!
- Take the Oath of Adoption today and start dancing with your baby!
- Ages: 2+
- MSRP: $37.99
Crayola Creations Thread Wrapper (Crayola)
- What’s old is new again when you wrap your gear using the Crayola Thread Wrapper!
- Use the included thread or upcycle old thread to give your favorite things a custom color makeover!
- You can even color your own thread – the possibilities are endless!
- Comes with a motorized threading unit, a re-threading attachment, 6 Crayola color spools of thread, 2 empty spools, and 1 Fine Line Fabric Marker.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $24.99
LEGO Elves The Elves’ Treetop Hideaway (LEGO)
- Enter the magical world of LEGO Elves with Emily Jones. When wandering in her grandmother’s garden, she suddenly finds herself transported through a magic portal to a Treetop Hideaway in a while new universe.
- Explore the surroundings with Emily as she realizes that she’s no longer in the human world and meets Azari Firedancer and Farran Leafshade, the Fire and Earth Elves.
- Make Farran climb down the magic ladder and show her around his extraordinary home. Cook carrot soup over the fire for them to eat while Emily explains that she needs to get back home, and the Elves promise to help her. Send some food up to the treehouse in the magic bucket lift for Farran’s panther cub Enki before they all meet up with the Water and Wind Elves – Emily will need their help too!
- Includes 3 mini-doll figures and accessories.
- Ages: 8-12
- MSRP: $49.99
“Sands Alive! Glow” (Playvisions)
- Prevents bacterial growth and never dries out
- Non-Toxic and all natural mineral oil allows it to only stick to itself, not your clothes or the carpet!
- When exposed to air, the sand becomes fluffier and lighter for more play material.
- Play with it in a well-lit room, or take it into your bedroom and turn off the lights for the ultimate glow experience.
- The sand will charge with any light source. The sand underneath the surface will not charge and stay the same color, allowing the sand to change color once it is exposed to UV light. Play with it under our hands-free UV Glasses or UV Penlight to experience the color changing effects!
- Use the UV Penlight to Write with Light! Flatten the sand and play tic-tac-toe, write your name, or write a secret message.
- Ages 3+
- Retail pricing of $19.99-$79.99
- In this fast-paced, addictive, and easy-to-learn geometric puzzle game, players race against the timer and each other to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes.
- The faster players solve the puzzle, the more gems they get! The player with the most valuable gem treasure after nine rounds of solving puzzles wins!
- Each player receives a set of 12 polyominos—geometric shapes formed of equal-size squares joined edge in different arrangements.
- At the start of each round, each player gets a new puzzle panel. A roll of the die determines which polyominos you must use to perfectly fill in the puzzle panel. Any players who complete the puzzle within the time limit yell out, “Ubongo!” and grab a gem at random from the bag.
- The fastest player also gets a blue gem and the second fastest an amber gem. Each gem color is worth a different amount of points. After nine rounds, the player with the most valuable gem collection wins.
- The free companion app helps players learn how to play the game, and includes a game timer, a solo game timer, and solution keys.
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $39.95
Dino Hunterz Cross Bow (Zing Toys)
- Send these prehistoric creatures back to the Jurassic with Zing’s Dino Hunterz Crossbow.
- Place the arrow hooks through the Crossbow loops and latch onto the pin.
- Release the safety, pull the trigger and watch the Dino Dartz fly!
- With arrows shooting over 45 feet and a special Dino-scope for supreme accuracy, T-Rex doesn’t stand a chance!
- Each Dino Hunterz Crossbow comes with three Dino Dartz suction-cup arrows and one Dino Hunterz Crossbow!
- Ages: 8+
- MSRP: $28.99
Club Petz Animated Plush Cacamax (Just Play)
- The sweet little pooch Cacamax makes a great companion…even though he poops a lot!
- Feed him his bones and then take him for a walk by pushing the buttons on his tethered leash!
- He barks and makes other fun doggy sounds like panting and farting!
- He will follow commands to sit, and then relieve himself!
- Ages: 3+
- MSRP: $39.99
