How to save on American Girl, LEGO, and more of Google's top 10 'most searched' toys
American Girl, LEGO, Ouija Boards, and more of the top 10 'most-Googled' toys of the holiday season don't have to break the bank. But if you didn't have time to score deals on these sought-after toys during the Black Friday bonanza sales, it's not too late to find these hot holiday toys at reasonable prices.
Lines at the Best Buy and Toys R Us stores at St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Fla., wrap around the sidewalk in anticipation of the stores' opening at 5 pm on Thanksgiving Day. The Black Friday shopping weekend featured some great bargains on some of the holiday season's 'most-Googled' toys, but there is still time to find sought-after toys like LEGOs, American Girl dolls, and Barbies
AP Photo/Bob Mack/File
Last week we stumbled upon this great info graphic from the folks over at Search Engine Journal, which depicts the top 10 most Googled toys of the holiday season.
Of course we at Brad's Deals have been hearing these names thrown around since the first holiday toy books dropped in September, and we saw a lot of amazing prices on some of these items during Black Friday (Black Thursday? Black Wednesday? Who can keep up anymore?) last week. But if you didn't have time to shop during the Black Friday bonanza sales, it's not too late to score these hot holiday toys at prices that won't break the bank.
We scoured the web looking for the best deals on each of these 10 toys, and made a list of our findings to make your holiday shopping experience as painless as possible. Of course, a lot of these search terms are just brand names, so we picked one or two of the season's most popular toys from each brand to showcase. If you are in hot pursuit of a toy we didn't mention, let us know in the comments and we'll do our best to help you find it for less!
1. American Girl Dolls
What little girl doesn't love American Girl? I know I was obsessed when I was a kid. These 18" dolls are gorgeous, and they each come with cool clothes, braid-able hair, and a book that's part history lesson, part inspirational girl-power ballad. American Girl is all about teaching girls to be brave, strong and unique, but these dolls don't come cheap. The lowest price I could find was $115 at the American Girl Store.
If that's too steep to consider, Walmart, Kmart and Target all have their own knock-off American Girl dolls for a LOT less. These dolls are just as cute, offer more skin tone/hair/eye color varieties than official American Girl dolls, can fit into American Girl clothing, accessories and furniture and a few of them even come with books of their own! While older AG fangirls might not be happy with anything but the real deal, younger kids likely won't notice a difference. Here's a side-by-side comparison for skeptics:
Let's play match the doll to the brand! Cant figure it out? Answers (and price tags) below:
Picture 1: What a Doll 18" Doll -- $29.99 at Kmart
Picture 2: American Girl Doll -- $115 at the American Girl Store
Picture 3: Our Generation Doll -- $21 at Target
Picture 4: My Life Doll -- $27.97 at Walmart
2. My Little Pony
Another throwback from my youth, My Little Pony toys are all the rage this season. We picked two of the brand's most popular dolls to focus on: the anthropomorphic My Little Pony Equestria Girls Collection Rainbow Dash Doll and the My Little Pony Pinkie Pie Pony figure, a more traditional plastic pony doll.
Here are the best prices we could find for these dolls:
My Little Pony Equestria Girls Collection Rainbow Dash Doll -- $9.74 at Amazon. While Toys "R" Us is selling this for the same price, there's a shipping fee of $5.99 if you buy it online. The Amazon version ships for free with an Amazon Prime membership, and if you don't already have one, you can sign up for a one-month free trial.
My Little Pony Pinkie Pie Pony figure -- $3.99 at Toys "R" Us. Even with the $5.98 shipping fee, this is the lowest price for this toy we could find anywhere. Opt for the free in-store pickup option to eliminate shipping costs.
3. Paw Patrol
We decided to focus on the Paw Patrol Lookout Play Set, as it was featured in more than one retailer's holiday toy book.
The lowest price we could find on this item was $39.99, which is what it's going for at most major department and big box stores. We recommend buying it at Target, where shipping is free throughout the holiday season and you'll get 5 percent off if you use your Target REDcard.
4. LEGO Friends
Way back in September, we polled our readers and came up with our own list of 25 hot holiday toys, and the LEGO Friends Olivia's House Play Set made the cut.
The lowest price we found on this set was $55.47 at Walmart, and this includes FREE shipping!
5. Ouija Board
This spooky party game is making a comeback thanks to the (reportedly terrible) new movie, Ouija, which is in theaters now. Although the film probably won't be winning any Oscars, it seems to have inspired kids and grownups alike to snatch up their own Ouija Boards. Whether you need to contact spirits from the netherworld or just want to freak out your friends, you should buy your board at Walmart for $15.99. Shipping is free with a $50 order, or you can opt for complimentary in-store pickup.
6. Peppa Pig
We decided to focus on the Peppa Pig Peek 'n Surprise Playhouse:
And we found it on sale for $32.99 at Toys "R" Us. Opt for in-store pickup to avoid shipping fees.
7. Shopkins
The Shopkins Supermarket Play Set is a good starter set for the young shopping enthusiast.
Once again Toys "R" Us is the winner when it comes to pricing: get this set at Toys "R" Us for $24.99 when you opt for in-store pickup.
8. NERF Guns
The two NERF toys that made our top 25 list were the NERF Combat Creatures TerraDrone and theNERF Rebelle Agent Bow Blaster.
The best prices we could find on these items are:
NERF Combat Creatures TerraDrone -- $47.99 at Target. Amazon is selling this for the same price, but with the REDcard discount and the free holiday shipping promotion, Target wins.
NERF Rebelle Agent Bow Blaster -- $19 at Walmart. Get free shipping with a $50 purchase.
9. Barbie Dream House
Barbie's a busy lady these days. When she and her friends aren't at one of their many high-powered jobs or running her popular Instagram account (yes, Barbie has Instagram, you're welcome), they need a place to kick back, relax and ride a blindingly bright pink elevator. That's where the Barbie Dream House comes in:
Get this 3-story mansion for $148.99 at Target.
10. Zoomer Dino
Walmart's got the the best price on this robot dinosaur by $0.11, and shipping is free! Pick it up at Walmart for $79.88.
Keep in mind that a lot of these low prices are due to Cyber Week sales, which will only last until Friday or Saturday! If you find one of these items somewhere else for less, or need help locating another toy from these brands, let us know in the comments.