Toys for the Times Learning Toys and Outdoor Toys at Children’s Museum Shops

From Squishables plush to bubble poppers, sensory toys are tops this year at children’s museum stores.

“Anything tactile and engaging does really well,” noted Connor McGraw, associate store manager at the Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh; fidget toys, poppers, and squishy bouncy balls are all best-sellers.

Learning games themed around dinosaurs, world maps, or the multiplication tables are also popular. And an insect collecting kit, complete with magnifying glasses, is a hit with outdoor explorers. But nothing beats the appeal of simple toys with a satisfying squeeze, said McGraw: “They’re good at keeping kids occupied.”

The Squishables line of plush is number one at the Children’s Museum of Houston. Conchetta Lewis , director of retail, said kids can’t get enough of the round, huggable toys in whimsical shapes like corgis and avocados. “They’re cute and unique, and the texture is very comfortable,” Lewis noted. Fidget and popper toys have also done extremely well.

Most of the store’s wares, however, are educational in nature. Lewis said task-oriented logic games from ThinkFun are hits with both kids and their parents. Air-Walker, a buildable suction cup robot from Thames & Kosmos, is another favorite, along with a variety of science kits themed around engineering and the solar system, or microscopes packaged with activity journals.

“The goal of everything we have is to tie into the exhibitions,” noted Lewis, who has worked at the store since 2007 but took over as director this January. “We also want to carry the fun and trendy items that everyone’s looking for — the cool learning kits and little trinkets.” Attendance is strong at the museum shop, which expanded its space during the pandemic in order to increase airflow and improve ventilation.

“Anything slimey, or anything gooey” is a gift shop winner for the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, according to Patti Reiss , director of Museum Experiences. Fidget and popper toys are best-sellers, joined this year by the “infinity” cubes that are modern update on last century’s hit Rubik’s Cube.

This year, Reiss has sold a lot of kits that require digging through sand, rocks or “volcanoes” to discover something inside — which could be anything from rocks or seashells to crystals, semiprecious stones or plastic “dinosaur” eggs. Multiple brands make this type of toy, but most of the museum’s come from the Schylling, Mindware and Discovery brands. Reiss said they appeal to children “who like to get a little messy and discover something.” Meanwhile, adults like that these toys don’t require batteries and are ultimately disposable. “You use it, you have fun with it, and then

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