Whatever your kid came home obsessed with.
What it is, whether it's safe, and whether it's worth the pocket money. Checked by a dad, not a shop.
Squishies
T1
- Hype
- Fake risk
- Damage
- £4–£9 each
Real ones are fine. The fakes smell like a petrol station.
Six seven
S1
- Hype
- Meaning
- Damage
- Your sanity
Means nothing. Still the UK's top kids' slang of 2025, picked by 47%.
KPop Demon Hunters
T4
- Hype
- Scary bits
- Damage
- £35 a doll
Netflix's biggest film ever. Common Sense says 10+. Your 7-year-old will disagree.
On the radar this week
The deck
Every craze gets a card. Face-down ones are still being checked.
Toys
Squishies
T1- Hype
- Fake risk
- Damage
- £4–£9 each
Real ones are fine. The fakes smell like a petrol station.
NeeDoh advent calendar
T2
- Hype
- Fake risk
- Damage
- £35
24 teenie squishies for £35. Lookalikes are already on the marketplaces.
Pokémon cards
T3
- Hype
- Fake risk
- Damage
- £5+ a pack
Thirty years old and still selling out. Never pay over £49.99 for an Elite Trainer Box.
KPop Demon Hunters
T4- Hype
- Scary bits
- Damage
- £35 a doll
Netflix's biggest film ever. Common Sense says 10+. Your 7-year-old will disagree.
Labubu
T5
- Hype
- Fake risk
- Resale
- Down 80%
Gone cold. If your kid still wants one, count the teeth. Real ones have nine.
Slime
T6
- Hype
- Fake risk
- Damage
- £12-ish a pack
Gui Gui is the one they want. Cheap kits are where the boron problems turn up.
Mini Brands
T7
- Hype
- Blind-box pull
- Small parts
- Very
Tiny copies of real shopping. Brilliant for collectors, a choking risk for toddlers.
Match Attax
T8
- Hype
- Swapsies drama
- Damage
- £2 a packet
Twenty years of football cards in the playground. Got, got, need.
Beyblade X
T9
- Hype
- Fake risk
- Damage
- Adds up
Spinning tops are back. Fakes can contain lead, so buy the real thing.
Games
Steal an Egg
G1
- Hype
- Robux pressure
- Testing
- Damage
- Testing
Roblox pulled it for rewarding kids to scroll videos. It's back without that. Dad play-test coming.
Slang
Six seven
S1- Hype
- Meaning
- Damage
- Your sanity
Means nothing. Still the UK's top kids' slang of 2025, picked by 47%.
Aura
S2
- Hype
- Worry
- Damage
- None
Means cool factor. "Aura farming" is trying to look cool on purpose.
Trends
Energy drinks
TR1
- Hype
- Worry
- Legal age
- 16 from Apr 2027
About 100,000 kids in England drink them every day. The law's changing.
Italian brainrot
TR2
- Hype
- Worry
- Made by
- AI
Tung tung tung sahur. Nonsense AI creatures with fake Italian names.
Skibidi Toilet
TR3
- Hype
- Worry
- Rated
- 14+
Singing heads in toilets at war with camera-headed men. Common Sense rates it 14+.
Every card answers five questions
- What is it?In plain English, from someone who's seen it in real life.
- Is it safe?Checked against official UK recalls and Trading Standards warnings.
- Is it a fake?How to tell the real thing from the dodgy copy.
- What does it cost?Real prices from real shops, in pounds.
- Is it a phase?Whether it's taking off or already dying, from search data.
Latest guides
- Is your child's toy on the recall list?Search 759 official UK toy safety alerts.
- Button batteries in toysSwallowed? Straight to A&E. Here's why.
- New console or tablet for Christmas?Build your parental controls checklist in a minute.
- How much is 800 Robux in £?Converter, plus the trick that gets 25% more.
- Why is EA FC 27 rated 16?Loot boxes, and how to stop the spending.
- What age for TikTok and Snapchat?Today's rules, and the 2027 under-16 ban.
Is it safe?
Every square is one official UK safety alert about a squishy toy, coloured by the worst thing found in it. Many were cheap imports stopped at the border. Others were on sale in UK shops and online.