Hottest Toys for Boys: 2013

Are you looking for the best toys for boys, as a great birthday gift or Christmas gift for a special boy? If you have a boy on your list between the ages of four and twelve, you'd better get busy! There are several hot items for this year that are sure to sell out on a regular basis. Some of the most popular toys are those related to movies and television, like Iron Man 2, Transformers, Harry Potter, and Angry Birds Toons. Also, in view of the popularity of the Star Wars Clone Wars television show, there's been a resurgence of Star Wars toys. In fact, Star Wars toys are becoming very collectable! Also, among the best toys for boys this year are Angry Birds, the Spy Gear toys, and Skylanders Giants. Beyblades still maintains a healthy following, also.

Below are some of the hottest toys for boys for this year. Order online and secure yours now, and you won't have to fight the crowds at the mall!

Kids have been enjoying playing with Transformers for years, and the newest additions will be hot this Christmas. The Transformers Arctic Assault Bot Shots includes five vehicles made to handle and navigate the frozen tundra of the frigid north. This product creates another dimension for playing with the vehicles and robots, by turning the activity into a competitive game. The bots are well made and sturdy. The game is recommended for ages five and over, but younger kids might have trouble converting their vehicles without some help from an adult or older child.

You can purchase the Arctic Assault team alone, which consists of five figures, or you can buy the Bot Shots Battle Game Set, which includes the Polar Assault Team and the Stunticons Set, which also includes five battle bots. Each figure is two inches tall and can be crashed and converted over and over again.

Angry Birds are mega-popular with boys, and girls often enjoy getting in on the action, too. My grandsons are totally addicted to Angry Birds. I know several adults who are hooked on the games! The kids even love wearing Angry Birds tee shirts. The game began life in 2009, as an Apple app, but it soon expanded to be played on other smart phones, computers, and video game consoles. The games are whimsical and fun, and some series include themes from holidays, space, and popular movies like Star Wars and Rio. Angry Birds is sure to remain popular for years to come, especially with the upcoming 3-D movie scheduled to be released in 2016.

There are all sorts of Angry Birds video games, toys, and figures. These include plush animals, soft dough character making sets, board games, Hot Wheels Angry Birds Track Sets, remote-control balloons, puzzles, card games, and indoor/outdoor 3-D action games. To see more options, click on either of the products below.

I have five grandsons, and four of them are totally into Spy Gear. The fifth grandson is a little too young to enjoy the Spy Gear toys. My boys already have some of the spy gear toys, and they're asking for more for this Christmas. My oldest grandson wants the trip wire so he'll know when his younger brother is snooping around. Other spy gear items include invisible ink, laser pens, night vision goggles, spy watches, audio bugs, safes, walkie talkies, bionic ears, motion alarms, stealth video glasses, and more. There's even a lie detector kit!

To see a wide range of spy gear, just click on the Amazon link below!

The Nerf n Strike Stampede is the hottest toy for boys in 2011! It automatically blasts Nerf darts - eighteen of them - automatically. These's also a blast shield that protects you from incoming darts, along with a bipod that pops out when you need it. The Nerf Stampede shoots darts at an amazing three darts per second that will travel up to thirty feet. This toy is durable and tough, made of thick plastic.This will be a hot ticket item this Christmas, so order yours now! Recommended for ages 8 and up. Notice how much you'll save on this toy by ordering from Amazon!

These action figures are from the July 2011 movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and they're still hot. Megatron, the ultimate villain, is pictured first below. The robot changes into a Mack truck, and the blaster changes into a fusion cannon. Changing back and forth between robot and truck is pretty quick and easy, and these figures are very durable. To see other Transformers figures, just click on Megatron or the amazing Ultimate Optimus Prime.

Ultimate Optimus Prime really is the ultimate hero! This electronic figure has glowing weapons lights and emits very realistic battle and missile sounds. Change him into a truck or extend his wings and use the super cannon to help Optimus Prime defeat evil doers. Megatron and the Decepticons don't stand a chance with this ultimate warrior battling to save Earth! This action figure is the best Optimus Prime yet, with its MEchtech weapons.

Other figures include Optimus Prime, Shockwave, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Sentinel Prime. Recommended for ages five and up.

These are awesome toys! Iron Man 2 toys were among the hottest toys for boys last Christmas, and they're still very popular. Two of my grandsons have Iron Man toys, and they play with them all the time. To see more Iron Man 2 toys, just click on the Iron Man 2 helmet or the Iron Man 2 action figure below. These are sure to sell out long before Christmas!

If the boy on your Christmas list doesn’t have one of these yet, ya just gotta get one! The games and virtual reality are amazing. You can find games to go with the system for all ages and interests. You don't use controllers with this game system. Instead, you use your voice and your body movements. With the built-in Wi-Fi, you can watch television shows and movies in sharp high-def, listen to music, connect to Twitter, and interact on Facebook. Download games or add new and more challenging levels easily. You can even play online with other players from around the globe!

Get a $25 Amazon credit when you order online!

Every boy's dream – his own dinosaur! This fourteen-inch-tall tynannosaurus rex is the most realistic and fun interactive dinosaur on the market. He comes with reptilian skin, a spiked collar, and a bone-shaped remote control. He moves, he growls, he roars, and he responds to his master's voice and touch. He's the perfect pet! Recommended for ages 8-12.

This plugs right into your TV. It’s an arcade game, a bicycle, and an educational toy all combined into. A great way for kids to get exercise while playing video games! The bike seat is adjustable for different ages. Different levels also address different ages and skill levels. Recommended for ages 3-6.

This castle comes with two figures, helmets, and other accessories. Exciting sound effects like thunder, the cannon blast, and the growls of the dragon make this castle especially fun. It’s also interactive – kids have to solve the secrets of the fortress, which makes this an educational toy. Kids have to use some critical thinking skills to solve the mysteries of the castle. Recommended for ages 3-5.

Toy Story is back! This figure has a wingspan of twelve inches, and it’s also twelve inches tall. It features electronic lights and laser sounds. With the popularity of the movie released last year still looming large, Toy Story 3 figures are sure to sell out soon! Toy Story 3 toys will be some of the hottest toys for boys. Recommended for ages 4-8.

 I just bought Stinky the Garbage Truck for my grandson's 5th birthday. It's all he's talked about for the past couple of months! Stinky the Garbage Truck is interactive. It tells jokes, sings, talks to his buddy, Rocky the Robot Truck, and he gobbles garbage.

Stinky the Garbage Truck is made by Matchbox and is recommended for ages three and up.

This is a sizzlin' toy this year! In fact, my daughter has driven all over the state looking for a Hogwart's Castle. I just discovered that Amazon has some left, so I called her and told her. I think the Harry Potter toys have become classics and will always enjoy wide popularity. This is probably kept alive by all the movies and by the new Harry Potter attraction in Florida.

Any boy (or girl) who enjoys the Harry Potter toys and movies will love Hogwart's Castle. Hogwart's Castle is filled with magic, mystery, a vanishing cabinet, a fireplace, an astronomy tower, and secret stairs. In the large set, nine Harry Potter character figures are included.

If you've ever stepped on Hot Wheels cars that were strewn all over the floor, you'll completely understand the reasoning behind these wall-mounted tracks. Kids AND parents will love them! The tracks are attached to the wall with 3M command strips, which come with the toy. The strips remove easily and don't harm your walls, by the way. Each set of tracks comes with one car. One of the neat things about these tracks is you can expand them by connecting other sets to them, so you can constantly change things up and add new stunts and new turns.

The Hot Wheels wall track is a great idea. Kids can leave their tracks set up instead of constantly having to take them down after play. Hot Wheels wall tracks are recommended for ages 4-8.

Since the first Star Wars movie came out in 1977, it's been a huge part of Americana. With the popularity of the original film and its sequels, manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, with Star Wars toys, underwear, clothing, games, lunch boxes, and more. Star Wars toys are classics, and many of the older ones have become expensive collectibles. I sure wish I still had my kids' Star Wars toys from the 1970s and 1980s!

My grandsons love everything that has to do with Star Wars, and they have all sorts of Star Wars toys, ranging from simple to elaborate. Two of them, brothers, can spend a whole day playing with the figures and spacecraft, inventing different scenarios and battle scenes. They also have some Star Wars models that they had to put together, and they love those, too. These two grandkids ALWAYS ask for Star Wars toys for Christmas and for their birthdays. I don't mind at all - I always know what to get them! I feel that I can't go wrong buying Star Wars toys for Jonathan and Tristan. I guess they feel it's their duty to help protect earth and mankind from galactic evil!

You can spend as much or as little as you want on these toys, ranging from just a few bucks to hundreds of dollars. In fact, some cost more than $2,000! Just for kicks, click over and look at some of the super expensive Star Wars collectibles! To see lots more Star Wars toys, click on the images below.

I've been so impressed with my grandsons' Beyblades that I wrote an entire article about them, with my daughter's help. To read more about Beyblades, click the embedded link in the first paragraph of this article. Four of my grandsons love getting together and having marathon battles with their Beyblades. When they're spending the night with each other, their moms say the boys will stay up all night playing, if they can get away with it!

Something I really like about this toy is that it has such a simple premise - battling, spinning tops. The tops are becoming very collectable, too.

Skylanders has taken the world by storm! The first game, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures, was released in 2011. The original game could be played on computer, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, WiiU, PlayStation, or Xbox 360. Skylanders Giants were released in late 2012 and are sure to be big hits this Christmas. The starter kit is comprised of the video game and the portal, along with three figures, trading cards, a poster, and sticker sheets that include secret codes. The Skylanders Giants Starter Pack is recommended for ages six and up. For a review of Skylanders, click the link.