While Black Friday 2021 technically begins on November 26, we’re already seeing loads of discounts, with many toy deals from big manufacturers and retailers. So if you wanted a gift for someone, there’s no harm in looking around already – and we’ve got a curated list of sales below.
Loads of retailers begin their reductions weeks in advance of Black Friday, so that’s no surprise – for example, we’ve seen lots of early Black Friday Lego deals too – but it begins the question ‘is it worth waiting for Black Friday itself?’.
Honestly, if you find something in the current toy sales that you’re interested in, it’s probably worth going for it – Black Friday itself will probably bring a bigger range of discounts, but not improved reductions on specific products.
Whether you’re looking for a birthday or Christmas gift for a loved one, or just want something for yourself (no judgment here), the Black Friday toy deals below cover loads of bases. We’ve got offers on Playmobil, Lego, Barbie, Sylvanian Families, Hot Wheels, branded action figures and more, so there’s something for everyone across all age groups.
There are also explainers on what Cyber Monday could bring, as although it’s named after electronic gadgets, we often see run-on deals from Black Friday in other categories, particularly toys.
Toy deal quick-links
Best toy sellers in the US:
Best toy sellers in the UK:
Today’s best toy deals in the US
Nerf Fortnite B-AR Motorized Dart Blaster: $40 $30 at Walmart (save $10)
There’s $10 off this Fortnite-themed Nerf gun which shoots darts that come with the thing. It’s a good gift for someone who’s a fan of the game and likes shooting weapons, though expect some of those darts to hit you.
Paw Patrol Ultimate Paw Transport: $109 $95 at Walmart (save $14)
This is a decen Paw Patrol deals we’ve seen so far – the transport vehicle can hold smaller Paw Patrol vehicles, making it a good big present.
Lol Surprise OMG Movie Magic Studios: $136 $98 at Amazon (save $38)
If you’re looking to buy a really expensive, but expansive, Lol Surpise set, this 28% discount might make the Movie Magic Studios set a tempting idea. It includes 12 dolls and loads more.
eKids Star Wars Millennium Falcon Portal Speaker: $40 $34 at Best Buy (save $6)
This Bluetooth speaker could be a perfect gift for a Star Wars fan; it looks like the Millennium Falcon but plays music streamed from a phone or similar device.
Nerf Fortnite Pump SG Blaster: $29 $24 at Walmart (save $5)
Pick up the Nerf Fortnite Pump SG Blaster for $5 off with this early Black Friday deal, offering 17% off the list price for the dart gun made to look just like weapons found in the iconic video game.
Tytan Magnetic Learning Tiles Building Set: $40 $29 at Walmart (save $11)
If you like nice, easy-to-use building sets (that aren’t Lego or Duplo), then maybe this magnetic geometric version will be good – it has panels in a few different shapes and colors that you can clip together to make bigger constructs.
Star Wars remote control Baby Yoda: $65 $46 at Best Buy (save $19)
You see many Baby Yoda dolls on the web, including during Black Friday, but this one is different, in that it’s remote-controlled. Almost $20 off makes a good gift more affordable.
Thomas & Friends Trains & Cranes Super Tower: $100 $90 at Amazon (save $10)
This giant Thomas the Tank Engine set comes with loads of trains and is motorized with many moving parts. $10 off isn’t loads, but it makes the big toy slightly more affordable.
Today’s best toy deals in the UK
Playskool Mr Potato Head: £10 £7.50 at Amazon (save £2.50)
This toy will be popular for Toy Story fans – it’s the classic Mr Potato Head character, and it seems pretty accurate to the film. You can remove and re-arrange the facial features, and store them all in the potato body.
Winnie The Pooh Plush: £10 £7 at Amazon (save £3)
Get someone you care about this cuddly Winnie The Pooh – it’s 35cm so it’s a bit bigger than many you see on the market, and is made of fluff and magic.
Playmobil City Life Hospital Ambulance: £48 £35 at Amazon (save £13)
There’s £13 off this Playmobil ambulance, with a few paramedics and an injured cyclist. You can throw in either a helicopter and a police car and get an extra £5 off too.
Barbie and Ken Dolls Fashion Set: £50 £30 at Smyths (save £20)
This doll set comes with Barbie, Ken, and loads of different clothes for the two dolls.
Nerf Fortnite GL Rocket-Firing Blaster: £60 £30 at Argos (save £30)
This Nerf gun is based on the grenade launcher weapon from Fortnite, and it fires fist-sized nerf grenades around. Probably only buy it for someone if they’ll use it responsibly (read: not by firing it at you).
Pandemic: £33.32 £19.96 at Amazon
You maybe don’t want to play a game about a pandemic right now but this discount from Amazon sure is tempting, knocking 40% off the full price. We could see a bigger discount during Black Friday though.
Playmobil Action Dino Hovercraft: £22 £17 at Amazon (save £5)
This adventure-themed hovercraft comes with two rugged-looking figures as well as a little raptor. The boat has a motor so it actually floats and moves about in water.
Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Track Set: £50 £30 at Argos (save £20)
This is a pretty big Hot Wheels set which offers you the chance to defy gravity – well, to let the cars do so – and it loops round on itself like some kind of perpetual motion machine.
Sylvanian Families Grand Department Store: £80 £40 at Amazon (save £40)
There’s 50% off this giant Sylvanian Families doll set, based on a department store (as the name suggests). This is one of the most frequently-discounted SF sets, and although it’s actually been cheaper before, 50% off is still a steal.
Minecraft Figure Multipack: £50 £30 at Amazon (save £20)
Fans of Minecraft Dungeons will recognize the characters here – though if you’re only familiar with standard Minecraft you might be wondering who hammer-lady or key-blob are.
Best toy sellers right now
What you need to know about the Black Friday toy deals
Black Friday is the perfect time to start shopping for toys for your little one, or even for older collectors and enthusiasts – especially this year. Normally Black Friday presents a great opportunity to nab loads of toys at heavily discounted prices, often making Christmas shopping a breeze when done online, but this year may present special challenges as global supply chain shortages may make toys harder to come by. In the UK, this may be exacerbated by the Brexit-caused lorry difficulties, as the BBC reported.
This year, Black Friday is taking place on November 26. In the US, it’s already a busy time of year due in no small part to Thanksgiving celebrations, but both US and UK buyers should take note if they want an opportunity to make Christmas and holiday shopping as stress-free as possible.
According to statistics site SpendMeNot, toys are among the most purchased items during Black Friday. That’s somewhat understandable, considering the term covers a fairly broad range of items, but the site also noted that US retailer Walmart were popular with Disney’s Frozen and Ryan’s World toys and games.
Last year’s Black Friday in the UK was particularly big for Osmo and Lego toys, games and sets. The former is a relatively modern series of educational products for children, while the latter should need no introduction. We expect big discounts to continue for these brands and more during this year’s Black Friday sales period.
We’ve only seen a few deals yet, which we’ve listed below. Until the really outstanding deals start rolling in, we can point you to the top online retailers to look in both the US and UK to scope out the toys you’ll want to pick up when they’re discounted later. Here’s where to look:
Best Black Friday toy deals: Our predictions
When will the best Black Friday toy deals start in 2021?
Last year, we saw toy deals from many different retailers go live well ahead of the official Black Friday date. This isn’t uncommon, and we fully expect this to be the case in 2021, with deals potentially going live a week or two ahead. You may see toy deals go up especially early to help consumers get ahead of the curve when it comes to Christmas shopping.
Of course, we’ll be updating the site and our social channels as and when Black Friday toy deals go live, meaning you won’t miss out if you keep an eye on our coverage.
Where are the best places to find Black Friday toy deals in 2021?
There’s going to be a very wide range of retailers selling all kinds of toys, games and playsets this Black Friday. In the US, chief among them is likely to be Amazon and Walmart, as well as Best Buy, Target and brand outlets themselves such as Playmobil’s official website.
In the UK, retailers like Argos, Smyths Toys and The Entertainer routinely feature great Black Friday deals. Last year, Argos hosted huge half-price discounts on popular Nintendo, Minecraft and Disney toys, for example.
What Black Friday toy deals do we expect to see in 2021?
The Osmo brand really hit its stride last year, and we expect its success to continue as it finds its way into the hands of more young learners this year. Stalwarts such as Lego, Playmobil, Star Wars, Disney and more similarly aren’t going anywhere. Once again, Black Friday 2021 will be an opportune time to get your hands on toys from popular brands aimed at all ages.
Tips for buying toys online during Black Friday
What should I look for when buying a toy on Black Friday?
Toys can be tricky to research on Black Friday for the average consumer, if only for the abundance of retailers all selling the same products at varying prices. It can be hard to know which retailers are offering any given toy at the lowest price.
If you’re completely lost, Google Shopping is a great search engine for sifting through deals on any one toy. Here, you can compare prices and see which retailers offer the best deals, as well as availability, delivery costs and more.
But you may want to buy toys earlier than later this year – the shipping shortages affecting other markets may impact toy availability as well. The UK may have it even worse, as the Brexit-caused lorry difficulties could even make it harder to get toys from ports to shop shelves, according to the BBC.
Our advice: buy early, and hopefully you’ll be able to get all the items on your shopping list.
Last year’s best Black Friday toy deals in the US
We’ve put together a quick list of some of the best deals we found during last year’s Black Friday event. This should give you an idea of what to expect this year, and of course, the world of toys is so incredibly vast that we’ve limited the list below to just five from each region.
Playmobil Take Along Fire Station: $39.99 $29.99 at Playmobil.com (save $10)
While Playmobil US doesn’t seem to be doing the same online Black Friday sale its UK counterpart is, there are still savings to be had on a few different key sets. One example is this easily-totable fire station with two figures, accessories and vehicles. Ages 4 and up.
Fornite 10-pack Battle Royale: $79.99 $39.99 at Target (save $40)
If you know someone who loves Fornite – which is very likely, given how popular the game is – this set could be a great gift. It contains action figures of 10 of the game’s iconic characters, and at half off it’s much more affordable than before. Age 8 and up.
Barbie Dreamhouse Dollhouse: $199 $179 at Walmart (save $20)
This dollhouse is designed for Barbie fans, with a several rooms and an assortment of furniture. Sure the saving isn’t huge, but given how expensive Barbie-loving children can be, any discount is appreciated. Age 3 and up.
Lego Marvel Avengers Quinjet: $79.99 $49.99 at Walmart (save $29)
This vehicle from the popular Avengers films comes with superheroes like Thor and Black Widow, as well as various tools and gadgets. Earlier in the Black Friday sales it was at $55 but it’s seen another price cut. Age 8 and up.
Hot Wheels Colossal Crash Track Set: $99.99 $49.99 at Best Buy (save $50)
Right now you can get 50% off this Hot Wheels Colossal Crash racetrack set, which lets you build a loop-of-eight track, complete with a jump in the middle to (hopefully) avoid that titular colossal crash. Age 5 and up.
Last year’s best Black Friday toy deals in the UK
Marvel Titan Avengers 8 Figure Pack: £117.99 £58.99 at Smyths (save £59)
If you know an Avengers fan, this could be a great gift for them. The set of eight action figures is half-price at Smyths, and while it doesn’t have all the characters – Hawkeye and Black Widow are absent – it’s got all the cool ones. Age 4 and up.
Sylvanian Families Grand Department Store: £119.99 £95.99 at John Lewis (save £24)
This Grand Department Store is the perfect centrepiece for your child’s Sylvanian town, and comes with a character figure, plus assorted furniture and accessories. Age 3 and up.
Lego Star Wars Death Star: £409.99 £349.99 at Smyth’s (save £60)
This massive Death Star set from the original trilogy comes with over 4,000 pieces, plus figures, droids, vehicles and more. It’s a fantastic set that Lego no longer officially sells, so this deal is likely to sell out fast – so act quick if you want it. Age 14 and up.
50% off Nintendo, Minecraft and Disney toys at Argos
Argos is running an amazing pre-Black Friday toy sale, with up to 50% off a huge selection of toys from names including Nintendo, Minecraft, LOL Surprise, and Disney. Many of these deals are unlikely to be beaten on Black Friday, so move fast to grab them while they last.
Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor Robotics Kit: £329.99 £246.99 at Amazon (save £83)
This is a pricey Lego kit, but right now it’s available at a big discount. Lego Mindstorms kits are for technically-minded youngsters, and this set enables them to design a robot and program it to perform basic functions. It’s a great gift for young engineers and prospective coders. Age 10 and up.