The air fryer has rapidly become a must-have kitchen appliance, so it was only a matter of time before the craze reached toy town, with a chic wooden version tipped as a Christmas bestseller.
If you are thinking it’s too soon to mention Christmas, it’s hard to disagree. But with the school summer holidays almost over (or already over for some) and the UK weather forecast signalling a “band of heavy rain”, retailers are starting festive campaigns.
With 120 days to go, John Lewis has entered the fray, offering a snapshot of the toys it expects to be bestsellers.
Sylvanian Families skytop fairy castle playset. Photograph: John Lewis
The £30 sage green John Lewis toy air fryer comes with (wooden) chips and chicken drumsticks and is the perfect addition to the culinary setup of mini-me. It joins an aspirational play kitchen range that even includes a toy Ooni pizza oven.
The list is a mix of established brands – from teddy bear-maker Steiff to Lego, Brio and Scalextric – along with a selection of new products, including a new iteration of the children’s audio system the Toniebox.
Notable entries include the £60 skytop fairy castle playset, which is perhaps best described as Sylvanian Families meets the Magic Roundabout. The sky- and flower-themed amusement park includes a chocolate rabbit baby in a fairy costume likely to appeal to fans of the anthropomorphic creatures that turn 40 this year.
The most expensive item on the list is the £125 Brio mega spiral set, which is an exclusive for the department store. The 63-piece “advanced” train set can be used to build intricate figure-eight loops and towering multi-level tracks.
For game players still reeling from the tearful fallout of Uno No Mercy there is Uno Spin, which comes with a wheel that players must spin and then follow actions.
Alan Wright, the department store’s toys and books buyer, said it had worked meticulously to pick toys that would provide hours of enjoyment and last the “test of time through key childhood stages”.
Uno Spin comes with a wheel players must spin. Photograph: John Lewis
After a difficult period, UK toy sales have bounced back this year in part because adults are buying them for themselves, snapping up everything from Pokémon trading cards and Lego to action figures based on movie and TV franchises.
After falling almost 4% in 2024, UK toy sales have risen 8% so far this year, in line with the “strong rebound” enjoyed by the global market, according to the market research company Circana. John Lewis said its toy sales were “soaring”, with demand for wooden toys up 16% and Lego 13%.
The forecast for the top 10 toys this Christmas
Uno Spin, £16.99
Gui-Gui Shimmer Deluxe Duo set, £19.99
John Lewis wooden air fryer, £30
Scalextric Police Chase, £34.99
Lego Minecraft the Creeper, £34.99
Steiff Jimmy Teddy Bear Christmas, £39.90
VTech Toot-Toot Drivers Bluey Road Trip playset, £44.99
Sylvanian Families skytop fairy castle, £59.99
Tonies Toniebox2, £99.99
Brio Mega Spiral set, £124.99