Rekindle Your Inner Child with the Best Toys and Games of 2023
When it comes to guy gear, sometimes the best stuff is things that make us feel like little kids again.
Whether your childhood was one of running around trying to explore and break things, or staying in your room, slowly becoming the master of some arcane area of expertise or building a creation to rival the Sistine Chapel, there’s something deeply healing about re-encountering aspects of your childhood as a grown man.
To help you rekindle some of that magic, AskMen has collected what we think represent the best products set to appeal to your inner child, whether they’re for indoor play or outdoor shenanigans.
Welcome to the 2023 AskMen Guy Gear Awards, toys and games edition:
Best Toys
Best Building Toy
Lego Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System
Was there ever any doubt? Lego is to building toys what Apple is to smartphones — they’re in a league of their own, and everyone knows it.
The only real question is which set we’d pick.
While there are a lot of good options in Lego’s Star Wars and Architecture series, none feel as genuinely wild as their Super Mario NES set, which lets you build not just the console and a TV, but also a screen that scrolls, showing a little Mario figurine running through the game world.
Next-level stuff.
Best Action Figure
Square Enix Marvel Universe Spider-Man Variant
Step away from a certain domain for a few years (or a few decades) and when you come back, it can be jarring to contend with the newest offerings.
But we think any guy who grew up playing with action figures will be excited to see what today’s models look like.
Square Enix’s “Variant” series has an unbelievable cool factor, and strapping golden spider legs on Spider-Man’s back… phew.
Shivers down the spine.
Best Model Toy
Star Trek Origins Enterprise Ship
Grow up a Trekkie rather than a Star Wars nerd? Ditch Lego’s offerings for this model of the ever-iconic NCC-1701 from Playmates.
You don’t have to build it on your own (which could be a pro or a con depending on what type of kid you were) but unlike building toys, it does do sounds and lights (that’s a pro no matter what you were like as a kid).
Best Art Figure
Leblon Delienne x Highsnobiety Snoopy Heart
Want something that speaks to the aesthetic sophisticate you are now but also to the younger version of you who liked things like Charlie Brown cartoons? Highsnobiety’s pleasingly pastel 10.6-inch Snoopy model does just that.
It’s soothing just to look at.
Best Remote-Controlled Toy
Threeking RC Stunt Car
On the opposite end of the nostalgia spectrum from a Snoopy figurine, we have some controlled chaos in the form of Threeking’s twisting, flipping, crashing remote-controlled stunt car.
There is no better way to relive your childhood than with this exhilarating toy.
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