Target is positioning itself as a full-fledged toy destination this holiday shopping season by hosting free in-store toy demonstrations to help families discover the best presents for their children. 

A fleet of new toy demo stations will roll out on November 8, running every weekend in Target’s 2,000 US storefronts until December 21. SVP of merchandising Cassandra Jones says the goal of the strategy is to showcase the retailer’s curated assortment of more than a thousand affordable toys, ranging between US$5 and US$20. 

Coinciding with this in-store initiative, Target has published its annual Bullseye’s Top Toys List, showcasing 40 must-have products of the year. Highlight items include the Nintendo Switch 2, a LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village, the Hot Wheels Mario Kart Rainbow Road Track Set, the Play-Doh x Barbie Designer Fashion Show playset and the Ms. Rachel Big Feelings Speak & Sing doll. 

To lure more families into its stores over the holiday season, Target is launching more than 20,000 new SKUs this year. This is double last year’s Q4 tally, and more than half of the products are exclusive items, including licensed merchandise for Bluey, Stranger Things and Wicked.