For Black Friday this year, I decided to try something different. Instead of wading solo through the sea of dubious toys, gadgets, and gizmos that go on sale, I called on Mallory Kennedy, a pediatric occupational therapist and owner of Portland, Oregon-based The Sensory Nest. Together, we looked at the list of the most popular Black Friday toy deals from major retailers.

I wanted to find toys that were not, in short, crap—ones that helped your children developmentally or wouldn't become blinky garbage in a few days. We tested these by playing with our own children. If our kids didn't like them, I'm not going to recommend them for yours. That's in addition to the years of ongoing testing that the WIRED Gear Team does. Our recommendations are also cross-referenced with our buying guides and gift guides and used a suite of price-tracking tools to pinpoint the best deals. Happy holiday shopping!

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