Toy Insider reveals 20 toys topping Christmas wish lists

Among the chosen are educational and developmental toys for babies, character plushies for preschoolers and smart cars for older children.

The Toy Insider came out recently with a holiday guide for 2016, enumerating 20 toys that are set to be the most sought-after by children from every age bracket.

Here are some of the recommendations:

For babies and toddlers, the Laugh & Learn Crawl-Around Learning Center from Fisher Price offers a different playing and learning experience as the child grows up. Its first stage is suitable for infants, and teaches the user about the cause and effect of their actions. One way is by showing how pushing a switch will turn the light on or off.

In the second stage, the Fisher Price toy also teaches children, particularly toddlers, about shapes and colors, and offers rewards as an encouragement tool to keep the user playing and learning. Finally, older players will appreciate the product's promotion of imaginative play in its third stage, featuring various sounds and songs.

Cartoon characters and licensed brands, meanwhile, are a hit among preschoolers up to five-year-olds. Currently, Pokémon characters, such as Tomy's Pikachu plushie, are very popular, owing to the overnight success of the mobile game Pokémon GO, which was downloaded six million times on the first day of its release. The Pikachu toy stands 8in and when hugged or squeezed, the ears will move and the cheeks will light up in its trademark red.

Grade-schoolers, on the other hand, will look forward to receiving the Hot Wheels AI set from Mattel, which comprises smart cars, tracks and controllers. Three playing modes are available.

The RC mode allows children to drive the cars off the tracks, and move the vehicle backward, forward, or sideways. Practice mode has the controller calling out the lap speeds, giving a sense of how the controls work. Championship mode lets users keep track of time, places and laps, even offering tune-ups mid-race.

Finally, the Nintendo MarioKart 8 Quadcopter is designed for older children, allowing players to fly their own quadcopter. The ability to tilt the toy in every direction as it flies adds a fun element, but a dose of challenge comes when maneuvering through tight spaces.