Kid tested, Santa approved: Top toys of 2018

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Santa’s job got a little tougher this year with the closure of Toys R Us, with other stores are trying to fill the gap.

Some retailers like Walmart filling 40 percent more shelves than last year with gifts for kids.

Consumer Reporter Sorboni Banerjee talked to a laser-focused panel of experts about which toys should be on Santa’s list this year.

Standing in the FOX 13 boardroom, they looked over a table stacked with items on Walmart’s list of this year’s top 25 toys.

LEGO are always on the list. No surprise there. Nerf guns are still popular, too.

The first thing our experts pointed out was this year’s toys are mostly revamped versions of last year’s top picks – most of which have an element of surprise.

The Hatchimal lives on in new sizes. The L.O.L. Surprise! doll gets new layers.

Pikmi Pops Surprise! Needed some explaining. Is it a lollipop? Turns out, it’s not.

“You open it and then there’s a little fuzzy thing and it smells delicious,” one of our experienced panelists explained.

The Fingerling monkey is also back and bigger than ever.

For a wider range of ages and interests, high tech toys score high with this bunch. There’s a skateboard that lights up, a mini stunt drone, and kits to make your own glitter slime.

Once our panel gave these top toys their seal of approval, Walmart donated them to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital - because these experts know the top toy is the one you give, not receive.