Global toy innovator ZURU is celebrating a standout festive season, with five of its toys featured on South Africa’s most influential Top Toy lists from Makro, Game, and Toys R Us. The recognition reflects a national appetite for collectibles, outdoor play, and imaginative interaction, trends that continue to define how families are spending this festive season.
Featured ZURU toys include XSHOT Pro Series Fury Blaster (Makro), Pets Alive Mama Turtle Surprise Playset, Mini Brands Fill the Fridge Playset & Assorted Collectibles, and the Fuggler Fart Face Series 1 (Toys R Us).
“Being recognised by both Makro and Toys R Us this year is an incredible endorsement of how South African families are responding to ZURU’s mix of innovation, value, and playability,” says Glenn Ambrose, Country Manager at ZURU South Africa. “Our products are designed to encourage real connection, whether that’s kids running around outdoors with the XSHOT Pro Series or sharing a laugh over a quirky collectible like a Fuggler.”
Outdoor play and collectibles dominate 2025 toy trends
According to Ambrose, this year’s toy trends reveal a strong return to social and screen-free play, with parents favouring toys that inspire movement, imagination, and shared moments. “Families are choosing toys that get everyone involved and that’s where ZURU continues to shine. The popularity of the XSHOT range, for example, shows how active play is reclaiming its place in homes across the country.”
At the Makro Top Toys event, which also featured Game’s festive toy showcase, the XSHOT Pro Series Fury Blaster stood out as one of the most talked-about items of the season. “The XSHOT Pro range delivers competitive-level performance at an accessible price,” Ambrose explains. “That mix of power, precision, and affordability is what’s driving demand, not just among kids, but among parents and adults.”
Toys R Us’ Top Toys and trends reveal for 2025, spotlighted ZURU’s Mama Turtle Surprise, Mini Brands Fill the Fridge, and Fuggler Fart Face, tapping into the global trend of ‘ugly-cute’ collectibles and miniature nostalgia that dominate social media. “Mini Brands and Fugglers show how toys have evolved to span generations, they’re just as loved by adults as they are by kids,” says Ambrose.
The global momentum behind Mini Brands continues to accelerate. Just days after South Africa’s festive lists were announced, the Mini Brands “Fill the Fridge” playset was named one of the Top 15 toys of 2025 on the UK’s prestigious DreamToys list, the industry’s most authoritative prediction of the year’s most desirable toys, selected by a panel of independent retailers and experts.
Ambrose says the global recognition reinforces why the range resonates so strongly locally too. “Being featured on a list as competitive as DreamToys is a massive achievement for the team. It underscores how Mini Brands taps into a universal love of collecting, organising, and imaginative mini-world play. That joy translates everywhere.”
ZURU’s growth in South Africa
ZURU has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing toy brands in South Africa, with local sales growth tracking well above global averages. “The demand we’re seeing for ZURU’s products, from blasters to collectibles reflects how South Africans are embracing quality, affordability, and fun in equal measure,” Ambrose adds. “We’re thrilled to see our toys becoming part of so many family traditions.”
From outdoor excitement to collectible creativity, ZURU’s 2025 showing across Makro, Game, and Toys R Us cements its reputation as a global toy powerhouse and a firm favourite under South African trees this festive season.
For more information visit: www.zurutoys.com.