Pick by the child: City and Friends for under six (fewest pieces, cheapest), Star Wars for the same formula as every year, Marvel for six minifigures and 317 pieces (the best figure count), Disney Princess for four princesses and a box that folds into a game board. Every page carries the piece count and the age mark; the kids page has the rest of the toy shelf.
Step 01
Decide what you will spend first
Set the number before you browse, because it decides the shelf more than anything else here. Of the 16 priced in dollars, 12 come in under $50 and 4 sit between $50 and $200 — the range runs $18 to $72, and half are above $45. Compare the price bands →
Step 02
Match the doors to the days
15 of the 16 here have 24 doors — a 24-door box opens one a day from 1 December to Christmas Eve. The other one has 25. Every start date →
Step 03
Know which season you are buying
5 of the 16 here are 2026 editions, and 6 are last season's — still sold, often discounted, and with the contents already on the page. The 5 older than that are listed for the record, not for buying. A brand's page keeps every edition together, so check whether the box you are looking at is this year's before you compare prices.
Step 04
Start from the ones we have opened
8 of the 16 here carry an editors' pick — the chip above the grid narrows the shelf to those — and 5 have a written score. Those are the boxes somebody on this site has actually judged. The rest are listed because they exist, not because we are recommending them; being on this page is not a verdict. How we review →