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I Tested 2026's Toy Advent Calendars With Kids – These Were The Big Hits

There’s been joy, excited squeals, squabbling (and that’s just me).

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

Advent calendars have really come on in leaps and bounds.

While they tended to be mainly chocolate-filled back in my day (big up the Cadbury Dairy Milk classic), nowadays you can get them stuffed with all manner of things – from toy cars to Lego sets to books, magnetic tiles, collectible characters and even fidget gifts. Whatever your child’s interest, chances are there’s an advent calendar out there for them.

Given that there are so many out there nowadays, I decided to road test some of the newest releases with the help of two children under the age of six.

We staggered it out over a period of three weeks to save my fingers from the ordeal of opening each cardboard door get an idea of which ones stood the test of time (aka, which ones my kids returned to again and again).

Here are some of the best we opened.

The best toy advent calendars

Lego Disney Princess Advent Calendar

Any Disney princess fan will be delighted with this calendar, which comes with various princess Lego figures – Cinderella, Mulan, Moana and Ariel – and sidekicks, accessories, mini buildings or Christmas-themed builds to go with them. The advent calendar itself also doubles up as a board game so once all the doors have been opened, you can use it to play with (provided it’s not been ripped to shreds in excitement).

The only gripe my five-year-old had was that she would’ve liked more princesses to be included (as she had to share the four princesses with her sister). We also realised there were fewer Lego characters in this one than the Marvel Lego calendar, which is the same price.

Recommended age: 5 HuffPost loves: You get a range of things to build to compliment the princess characters and you can turn it into a game at the end. HuffPost wishes: There should be more princesses included for the price.

Majorette Advent Calendar

This toy calendar went down a storm with both kids thanks to the customisable elements hidden behind some of the windows. Expect die-cast toy cars, trucks, emergency service vehicles, even a helicopter, as well as festive-themed accessories like clip-on skis, reindeer antlers, stickers and even a Santa hat.

The calendar also has a fold down flap which can be used as a snowy road so they can enter imaginative play mode straight away. If your kid loves cars, cars and more cars, this one’s undoubtedly for you.

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