The annual top 20 round up of toys predicted to be on children’s Christmas lists for 2023 have been revealed today.
The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in, the temperatures are dropping by the day, and the festive season is now right around the corner, and that means it’s time for children all across the UK to start thinking about writing those Christmas lists to send off to Santa ahead of the big day day.
But what toys are those lists likely to include? And which presents are predicted to be this year’s ‘must have’ gifts?
Well, for the little Mancs struggling to narrow down their top picks, and for the parents and families keen to get a heads-up on what gifts to buy for their kids this year, the annual top 20 ‘dream toys’ for Christmas 2023 were revealed by the Toy Retailers Association.
The DreamToys list is Selected by a panel of retailers and industry experts, and is widely-considered the UK’s “most authoritative predictive list” of what will be hot this Christmas.
Barbie dolls, a “Beast Lab”, and an interactive digital pet some of the new additions predicted to be among the top-selling toys for 2023, while old favourites like Harry Potter-themed merchandise, Lego Star Wars sets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and L.O.L Surprise! have continued to claim spots on the list this year.
According to industry experts, it’s believed that shoppers could be forking out around £1 billion on the little ones in their lives during this festive season.
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The toys that’ve made the cut on this year’s top 20 list range in prices from a fairly-affordable £8.99 for the Squishmallows plush toys, to a whopping £149.99 for the Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds.
Top 20 ‘dream toys’ for Christmas 2023
Barbie Pop Reveal – £26.99
Beast Lab – £89.99
Bitzee Interactive Pet – £32.99
Cookeez Makery Oven Playset – £39.99
Fingerlings Monkey – £17.99
Fluffie Stuffiez Large Plush – £34.99
Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle & Grounds – £149.99
Hot Wheels City Ultimate Hauler – £94.99
L.O.L. Surprise! Magic Flyers – £39.99
Little Live Pets My Puppy’s Home – £64.99
Miniverse – Make It Mini Kitchen – £44.99
MINTiD Dog-E – £89.99
PAW Patrol Mighty Movie – Skye Deluxe Vehicle – £49.99
Pictionary vs AI – £23.99
Pokémon 151 Elite Trainer – £52.99
Squishmallows 7.5″ – £8.99
Star Wars Ahsoka Starship – £64.99
Super Mario Movie 7″ Feature Bowser Figure – £34.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Pizza Fire Van – £39.99
Twister Air – £24.99
The top 20 ‘dream toys’ for 2023’s Christmas lists have been revealed / Credit: Disney | eBay
Paul Reader, who is the Chair of the DreamToys selection committee, expects the top 20 toys to be “highly sought after” this year.
“Christmas is a magical time of the year, particularly for children, and this list provides gift givers an authoritative and independent view on what we believe will be the most requested toys to help make that all important purchasing decision,” Mr Reader commented as the 2023 list was revealed.
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“From the year’s biggest blockbusters, tech inspired crossovers, and toys that promote sensory exploration, through to products that create curiosity and anticipation, this year’s list is a representation of what the UK toy industry has to offer.
“The top 20 will be highly-sought-after, so if families have a particular product in mind, my advice is to shop early to avoid disappointment.
“However, if you are simply looking for inspiration, I’d implore everyone to visit their local toy shop and speak to experts who can help suggest the perfect gift for under the tree.”
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
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Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Emily Sergeant -
8th November 2023 
