Walmart (WMT), the world’s largest retailer, is doubling-down on toys this year by offering its largest assortment ever.
The big-box retailer is adding 30% new toys on store shelves and increasing its online toy offering by 40%, Annie Marie Kehoe, vice president of toys, told a group of reporters at an event in New York on Thursday.
A few months ago, Walmart enlisted hundreds of “every-day kids” to test and play with the products. The retailer also brought in 25 “toy influencers” to play alongside the children to see what would be popular. Through that process, the retailer published a list of the top 40 toys, up from 25 a year ago.
This season, Walmart will sell 1,000 toys that are exclusive, including 300 that are brand-new. Some of these exclusives will appear in store aisles, while others such as the DC Comics 6-Volt Justice League Batmobile and KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen with 30 Piece Play Food, will be online only.
The retailer will also hold a “play date” in September where kids can play with the toys in top stores.
Walmart’s ambition to be “America’s Best Toy Shop” comes amid a changing retail landscape where Toys “R” Us is no longer on the scene. Toymakers Mattel (MAT) and Hasbro (HAS) have described the liquidation of Toys “R” Us as a near-term headwind to their businesses.
“We expanded our assortment based on things selling,” Kehoe told reporters. “Mattel and Hasbro have lots to offer. They were in our consideration on everything we did.”
Below is Walmart’s toy list:
Power Brands: These brands have been household names for generations and continue to be popular with kids today. Whether it’s a twist on a classic, or a fresh new way to play with beloved icons, these toys are tops with kids:
Barbie Dreamhouse
Fisher-Price Little People Take Turns Skyway
Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage (Walmart exclusive)
LEGO Creator Pirate Roller Coaster
Nerf Laser Ops 2 Pack
Playmobil Hidden Temple with T-Rex
Power Wheels Barbie Dream Camper (Walmart exclusive)
Razor Ultra Spark Scooter
Sing & Spin Scooter Minnie
Entertainment Properties: Toys that enable kids to play with their favorite characters from movies and television are all the rage. Here are the characters – in toy form – that kids will be buddying-up with off-screen:
Disney Princess Rapunzel Tower Vanity (Walmart exclusive)
Harry Potter Wizard Training Wands
Imaginext Jurassic World Jurassic Rex
Incredibles 2 Jack Jack Doll
Paw Patrol Fire Truck Ride-On (Walmart exclusive)
Paw Patrol Fire Truck
Peppa Pig Fun Fair Playset (Walmart exclusive)
PJ Masks Romeo’s Lab Playset
Collectibles: Few things can replace the sheer joy of discovering a surprise toy inside a mystery box. Kids may not know what they’re going to find, but that’s the delight! And, be sure they’ll want to collect them all:
New product from Hatchimal, hatching Oct. 5
Little Live Pets Wrapples
LOL Surprise House
Lost Kitties
Moj Moj Claw Machine
Fingerlings Hugs
Num Nom Silly Shakers Maker
PikMi Pops Super Flip
Ryans World Giant Mystery Egg
Treasure X Single Pack
Innovative Items: The future is here! As kids embark on new adventures, these innovative toys offer uncharted areas of play:
Air Hogs Supernova
All Star Hover Board (Walmart exclusive)
Fisher Price Laugh & Learn 3-in-1 Smart Car
Kumi Kreator
Little Live Pets Rollie My Kissing Puppy
Polaris 1.5 RC (Walmart exclusive)
Really Rad Robots Mi-Bro
Rideamls Scout Interactive Pony (Walmart exclusive)
STEM Jr. Wonder Lab
Terra Sect RC
Trail Buster RC (Walmart exclusive)
VTech Explore & Write Activity Desk
Zoom Tubes Car Trax
Amazon (AMZN) also has plans to publish a catalog to fill the void left by the exit Toys “R” Us.
—
Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter. Send tips to [email protected].