November 14, 2014 Dana

2014 Holiday/Christmas Toy Gift Guide: Toys for princesses!

Our holiday gift guides are pretty thorough, so we’ve decided to go through our top toys of the year category by category here at Spilling the Beans, so we can explain in detail why these toys are the best! Also, we’ve got a holiday catalog coming out soon, where you’ll see all of our top picks in one place – keep an eye out at our stores!

In the year 2014, princesses are everywhere, and the princess phase is near-universal among little girls (and a handful of little boys), who are enchanted by the songs, stories, and of course, the frilly dresses and sparkly tiaras. You might be alarmed by all that pink, but however you feel about princesses, the phase doesn’t last forever. And as with any much-loved present, seeing your kid freak out because she got EXACTLY what she wanted for Hanukkah or Christmas is one of the great joys of parenting.

So if she wants princess gear, we’ve got it! Here are some of our frilliest, most pink-tastic gifts to delight junior royalty.

Creative Education of Canada Ice Crystal Queen Costume , $49.99; ages 4 and up
Elsa, Elsa, Elsa, Elsa! Did you know that she was originally written as a villain? Her complex personality makes Elsa even more compelling than her earnest sister Anna, and every little girl wants to get her icy-cool look. In this beautifully detailed pretend-play outfit, kids will flounce, dance, and create imaginary ice castles galore!

Blue Orange Disney Frozen Spot It! Alphabet Game, $12.99; ages 3 and up
Every dedicated Disney Princess fan knows that alongside Elsa’s ice powers and Ariel’s singing, the more down-to-earth princess Belle found her powers by reading books. This game will snag your little princess’s attention with the Frozen theme and sharpen her reading skills while she’s having fun!

As with the classic Spot It! game, the object of this card game is to find the one (and only one) matching image between any two cards. The trick to this version, though, is that along with matching pictures of Elsa, Olaf, and the rest of the gang, there are multicolored letters to match. So while they play, kids practice identifying letters and colors, building early reading skills as they practice visual perception, focus, attention, and processing speed.

Creative Education of Canada Color Me Princess Cape, $24.99; ages 3 and up
Every little princess is unique, and this creative cape gives your child a fun opportunity to let that personality shine. She can color in all the fairy-tale images on the cape with the included permanent markers, customizing it exactly to suit her royal whims, and then it’s time for pretend-play!

We love how this cape offers kids multiple play patterns, extending the play value beyond playing pretend and into making art. And we love how this toy anticipates how real live girls will play with it: the markers are color-safe, so you can wash your child’s cape after she insists on eating dinner while wearing it (she will), and it’s reversible with pink satin on the other side, so if she gets bored with wearing her own art, she can switch up her look.

Klutz Make Your Own Disney Princess Tiaras, $16.99; ages 4 and up
Little princesses love sparkle. (And so do many grownup princesses!) This open-ended craft kit lets small princesses design their own sparkly toppers for princess pretend play, with jewels, stickers, sequins, and pom poms – and there’s bracelets, rings, and magic wands, too! Each crown closes with Velcro, so you can get a comfortable custom fit.

Crocodile Creek Princess Palace Floor Puzzle, $19.99; ages 3 and up
What do princesses do all day? According to this puzzle, they chill out with unicorns, chat up princes, play the harp for dragons, and more – sounds pretty fun to me! Putting together this puzzle lets your child enter their beautiful imaginary world while she sharpens her problem-solving and fine motor skills. And the shaped box looks so cool when the wrapping paper comes off!

Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Princess Play Set, $5.99; ages 4 and up
What delights await in the closet of these two fairy-tale princesses (and their princely poodle)? Kids can create hundreds of ensembles by sticking and layering the puffy stickers on the princesses, and then they can remove them and start over again. Along with creative dress-up play, this set encourages kids to exercise their storytelling skills. It’s also great for travel in a car or a plane – and will you look at that price point? That’s a ton of play value on the cheap!

Playmobil Unicorn Jewel Castle, $99.99; ages 4 and up
It’s a mega-present for a mega-princess: this super-deluxe palace is loaded with luxury for its two royal Playmobil occupants to enjoy. From elegant terraces to elaborate candelabras to delicate flowered trees, the Unicorn Jewel Castle provides the ultimate environment for immersive princess pretend play.

Orb Factory Sticky Mosaics Twinkle Tiaras, $19.99; ages 4 and up

More sparkle! Each box on each tiara uses a numbering system that tells kids where the sparkly stickers go, making it easy to get good results and a delighted “I did it myself!” when the project is done. With over 1300 sticky foam and jewel pieces, this kit gives your child hours of peel-and-stick fun, and when she’s done, it’s time for princess pretend play!

Kidoozie Royal Princess Playhouse, $34.99; ages 3 and up
When dressing up just isn’t enough, only a pretend castle will do! This easy-to-assemble princess play tent provides the ideal pretty-in-pink environment for little princesses to create endless imaginative scenarios, on their own or with some princessy pals. It even comes with its own sturdy carrying case, so you can set up your child’s castle on the back lawn, or take it to a picnic or the beach.