BENTONVILLE, Ark., Aug. 30, 2018 – When it comes to toys, Walmart is not playing around! Today, Walmart unboxed its plans for America’s Best Toy Shop: its destination for kids’ favorite products – toys! – in its stores and on Walmart.com. Walmart’s toy aisles are set to offer the best toys at the best prices along with more fun for everyone than ever before. Starting today, America’s Best Toy Shop kicks off with:
- Expanded aisles and the best selection of toys, with thousands of new and exclusive items from top brands, creating Walmart’s broadest assortment of toys ever.
- The best experience for parents and kids to test, play and shop for toys – through in-store events and demos, and a new specialty toy experience online featuring exclusive content from toy influencers for the first time.
- The season’s 40 top rated toys from the real toy authorities – kids – to make it easy for parents to know what toys are on trend and tops for kids.
- Layaway…it’s back August 31.
"Walmart has always been a destination for toys. Parents shop us for our wide selection of top brands and because we bring fun to stores in ways that only Walmart can," said Anne Marie Kehoe, vice president of toys, Walmart U.S. "But today, we are making even bigger investments in the category to ensure we have the widest selection of toys at the best prices and an unmatched in-store and online experience to show customers the best place to shop for toys is Walmart."
BESTEST Assortment of Toys Ever
Bigger. Better. Bestest assortment! To ensure Walmart has all of the toys kids want, the retailer has expanded America’s Best Toy Shop aisles in select stores across the country. This expanded assortment includes 30 percent new toys in stores and 40 percent more toys online.
Walmart searched high and low for the biggest trends and the right toys to expand its assortment. New toy brands now available at Walmart include Pomsies, Fancy Nancy, Boxy Girls, Grumblies and Hairdorables. This year, the retailer has added hundreds of new exclusive toys in stores and online. Just one of the hundreds of new exclusives includes Ryan’s World, a line of 11 toys from first-grade internet toy sensation Ryan of Ryan ToysReview, available exclusively at Walmart until Sept. 30. The excitement continues on Walmart.com with new online-only exclusives such as the DC Comics 6-Volt Justice League Batmobile and KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen with 30 Piece Play Food.
Bringing the WHHHHOOOAAA to Stores and Online
America’s Best Toy Shop is putting the fun in toys, the Walmart way. Walmart will host more than 2,000 toy play dates over the next two months at Supercenters across the country so that kids can play with top toys as they start to build their holiday wish lists. Here’s a look at the fun happening in America’s Best Toy Shop now through November 1:
- America’s Best Toy Shop will host its first National Play Day on September 8 in more than 1,500 stores. Kids will leave seriousness and responsibility at the door and enjoy the opportunity to play with top toys, pose for pictures and take home toy booklets and other giveaways.
- In-store toy demos, including events highlighting toys from Ryan’s World, Barbie and Transformers will take place from August 30 to November 1.
- Toy roadshows for Nerf and Hot Wheels, will give kids the chance to play with the newest toys from these two classic brands with interactive activities at Supercenters from August 31 to November 1.
Walmart.com will also open America’s Best Toy Shop online as a specialty shopping destination for customers to discover the perfect toy. As a part of the experience, this year, for the first time ever, customers can hear directly from 25 toy influencers including Clara Lukasiak, Gavin Raygoza, Kenzie Mitchell, and Gabe & Garrett, who will develop exclusive toy content throughout the year, giving customers the scoop on all things toys with advice, reviews and recommendations. The online shop will also include curated toy collections to help customers find inspiration and shop for toys with ease, whether that be by trending item, age, character or brand, among other ways to shop.
"This year is all about an unmatched experience on Walmart.com," said Chris Sponiar, General Manager, Toys and Seasonal, Walmart eCommerce U.S. "Whether customers know exactly what they’re looking for or if they want to browse our digital shelves, we are the destination for parents to discover that perfect toy for their child. And, we make it easy. With options like free, two-day shipping or Pickup Today on millions of items, customers can get their toys however they like, either straight to their door or at a Walmart store."
Hear ye, Hear ye: The Kids Have Spoken!
America’s Best Toy Shop launches with a little help from the real toy authorities – kids! Walmart engaged hundreds of youngsters to test and play with dozens of toys. Their favorites resulted in Walmart’s Top Rated by Kids list. Up from 25 toys in previous years, this list of 40 toys will help guide parents on the "it" toys kids are wishing for. Straight from kids themselves, here is a look at the top 40:
- Power Brands: These brands have been household names for generations and continue to be popular with kids today. Whether it’s a twist on a classic, or a fresh new way to play with beloved icons, these toys are tops with kids:
Barbie Dreamhouse
Fisher-Price Little People Take Turns Skyway
Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage (Walmart exclusive)
LEGO Creator Pirate Roller Coaster
Nerf Laser Ops 2 Pack
Playmobil Hidden Temple with T-Rex
Power Wheels Barbie Dream Camper (Walmart exclusive)
Razor Ultra Spark Scooter
Sing & Spin Scooter Minnie
- Entertainment Properties: Toys that enable kids to play with their favorite characters from movies and television are all the rage. Here are the characters – in toy form – that kids will be buddying-up with off-screen:
Disney Princess Rapunzel Tower Vanity (Walmart exclusive)
Harry Potter Wizard Training Wands
Imaginext Jurassic World Jurassic Rex
Incredibles 2 Jack Jack Doll
Paw Patrol Fire Truck Ride-On (Walmart exclusive)
Paw Patrol Fire Truck
Peppa Pig Fun Fair Playset (Walmart exclusive)
PJ Masks Romeo’s Lab Playset
- Collectibles: Few things can replace the sheer joy of discovering a surprise toy inside a mystery box. Kids may not know what they’re going to find, but that’s the delight! And, be sure they’ll want to collect them all:
New product from Hatchimal, hatching Oct. 5
Little Live Pets Wrapples
LOL Surprise House
Lost Kitties
Moj Moj Claw Machine
Fingerlings Hugs
Num Nom Silly Shakers Maker
PikMi Pops Super Flip
Ryans World Giant Mystery Egg
Treasure X Single Pack
- Innovative Items: The future is here! As kids embark on new adventures, these innovative toys offer uncharted areas of play:
Air Hogs Supernova
All Star Hover Board (Walmart exclusive)
Fisher Price Laugh & Learn 3-in-1 Smart Car
Kumi Kreator
Little Live Pets Rollie My Kissing Puppy
Polaris 1.5 RC (Walmart exclusive)
Really Rad Robots Mi-Bro
Rideamals Scout Interactive Pony (Walmart exclusive)
STEM Jr. Wonder Lab
Terra Sect RC
Trail Buster RC (Walmart exclusive)
VTech Explore & Write Activity Desk (Walmart exclusive)
Zoom Tubes Car Trax
Customers can shop for Top Rated by Kids toys in stores and online by visiting Walmart’s brand new Top Rated by Kids shopping experience at Walmart.com/topratedbykids.
To ensure customers get the toys they want now through Christmas, Walmart’s layaway service will open on August 31, offering customers the opportunity to pay off items throughout the season. The Top Rated by Kids top 40 toys list, along with thousands of other items in Walmart stores are available to reserve on layaway accounts.
For more information on the Top Rated by Kids top toys list, visit Walmart.com/topratedbykids. For press materials, visit America’s Bestest Toy Shop.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 265 million customers and members visit our more than 11,200 stores under 55 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2018 revenue of $500.3 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
