# Top Christmas toys 2026 UK: what the lists say The UK top toy lists for Christmas 2026 from Argos, Hamleys, John Lewis and The Entertainer, the toys on more than one list, and how to buy at RRP. Four major UK retailers have published their Christmas 2026 toy lists: Argos (1 September), The Entertainer (9 September), John Lewis (20 August) and Hamleys (14 October), ahead of the Toy Retailers Association's official DreamToys 2026 announcement on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Primal Hatch Megalodon, Peppa Pig Ready, Pedal, Go, Mini Brands and the K-Pop Demon Hunters singing dolls each appear on at least two retailer lists. ## Which Christmas 2026 toy lists are out Argos published its Top Toys list on 1 September 2026, with 20 toys priced from £15 to £150. Argos lists LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade at £150 and Hot Wheels City Ultimate T-Rex Garage at £130. The Entertainer named 10 toys on 9 September 2026, with prices from £18 to £200. It calls them predictions, not sales results. John Lewis announced its top 10 around 19 and 20 August 2026. It leans towards family play, with the Le Toy Van Paddington Doll's House at £299.95 at the top of the price range. Hamleys published its Festive 15 on 14 October 2026. Time Out reports that it has no official number one. All four lists are retailer forecasts. They show what each shop expects to sell, not what has sold. ## Toys on more than one list Four toys appear on two or more of the 2026 lists. The table uses the prices the lists show. | Toy | Maker | RRP shown | On these lists | |---|---|---|---| | Primal Hatch Megalodon | Primal Hatch range (see note) | £55 | Argos, Hamleys, The Entertainer | | Peppa Pig Ready, Pedal, Go Peppa | Peppa Pig range | £30 | Argos, Hamleys, The Entertainer | | Mini Brands Really Works Vinyl Playset | ZURU | £20 | Argos, The Entertainer | | K-Pop Demon Hunters singing dolls | Mattel (named by John Lewis) | £35 each | Argos, John Lewis | The lists do not name the maker of the Megalodon. Spin Master supplied the Primal Hatch T. Rex on the 2025 DreamToys list, so check the box before you buy. The Peppa toy is a pedal-along figure on the Argos and Hamleys lists, and The Entertainer calls it a bike. Check the product page to confirm you are buying the same item. Pokémon is on two lists as different products. Argos lists LEGO Pokémon SMART Play: Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly Battle at £30. The Entertainer lists Pokémon Battle Action Pikachu. They are not the same toy. ## Lists still to come in November 2026 The [Toy Retailers Association unveils the official DreamToys 2026 list](https://www.toyretailersassociation.co.uk/) on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Selected by an independent panel of UK toy retailers and buyers, DreamToys is the UK industry's main annual Christmas forecast; in 2025, the trade event also took place on 11 November. Smyths has not published a standalone 2026 top toys press list that we could confirm at source, though Smyths released its 300-page Christmas catalogue in stores in late September 2026. Its 2025 list had 51 toys. Amazon UK typically publishes its Top Ten Toys list in November alongside its Black Friday Week announcement. ## Which toys sold out in past Christmases The toys that sell out are the ones with a fixed supply and a fast fan following. Three examples from the press show the pattern. In March 2025, the Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundle sold out quickly in UK shops. Videogames Chronicle reported queues outside Smyths before opening and a limit of one box per customer. Game stocked the bundle briefly before it sold out. In May 2025, Pop Mart paused Labubu plush sales at all 16 of its UK stores until June. The PA news agency reported fights and overnight queues. A regular Labubu cost £17.50 in shops, and resellers listed some at up to £30. Some limited editions were listed at £600 on Vinted and eBay. So the risk is highest for collectables, trading cards and licensed toys tied to a film or show. A pedal toy or a wooden kitchen carries less risk. ## How to buy at RRP, not at a mark-up Buy from the retailer that published the price. A toy on the Argos list at £55 is £55 on the Argos site. The same toy from a marketplace seller can cost more. Four checks help: - Check who sells and who dispatches the item. On a marketplace page, a third-party seller can list the same product at a higher price. - Compare the price with the RRP in the lists above. A price far above or far below it is a warning. - Check the seller is UK-based and gives a name and address. Trading Standards teams advise this. - Check the toy carries a UKCA or CE mark and an age warning. A resale price is not a sign of quality. For a gift, a mark-up buys you the same toy for more money. For football fans, [Match Attax 26/27](/blog/topps-match-attax-2026-27-uk) is a low-cost stocking filler. For Pop Mart fans, [where to buy Labubu in the UK](/blog/where-to-buy-labubu-uk) lists the official routes. ## Buy early and set alerts Retailer lists come out in August to October, and stock moves from then. Buying in October and November gives you the widest choice of shops and colours. For a sold-out item, stock alerts help. They tell you when a product returns to a retailer page at its RRP. Retailers can release new stock at any time, so an alert saves you from refreshing pages all day. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales also change prices, and our [Black Friday 2026 guide](/blog/black-friday-2026-uk) covers what happened in past years. ## Common questions ### What are the top Christmas toys of 2026 in the UK? The lists published so far point to Primal Hatch Megalodon, Peppa Pig Ready, Pedal, Go, Mini Brands and the K-Pop Demon Hunters singing dolls. Each appears on at least two retailer lists. These are forecasts, not sales results. ### When is the DreamToys 2026 list published? The Toy Retailers Association unveils the official DreamToys 2026 list on Wednesday 11 November 2026. In 2025, the trade event took place on 11 November 2025 with public coverage following on 12 November. ### Has Smyths published a top toys list for 2026? We could not confirm a standalone press list at source, though Smyths released its printed 300-page Christmas catalogue in late September 2026. Its 2025 list had 51 toys. ### Which toys sell out before Christmas? Collectables, trading cards and toys tied to a film or show have sold out in past years. Examples are the Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundle in March 2025 and Labubu plush in May 2025. ### How do I avoid paying a mark-up? Buy from the retailer that lists the toy and compare the price with its RRP. Check the seller on marketplaces and look for a UKCA or CE mark. ## Where this fits Gift buying for a child often includes trading cards. Our [Pokémon cards Christmas gifts guide](/blog/pokemon-cards-christmas-gifts-uk) covers what to buy and what to skip. For building sets, see the [LEGO Black Friday guide](/blog/lego-black-friday-uk) and our list of [LEGO sets retiring in 2026](/blog/lego-retiring-2026-uk). If you want to know how Christmas demand shapes stock and prices, read [Christmas reselling in the UK](/blog/christmas-reselling-uk). To track restocks at the shops on these lists, see our guides to [Smyths Pokémon restocks](/blog/smyths-pokemon-restock) and [Argos Pokémon restocks](/blog/argos-pokemon-restock). Paragn Network sends UK restock and drop alerts for products like these. For a LEGO calendar, the [LEGO advent calendar 2026 guide](/blog/lego-advent-calendar-2026-uk) compares all five.