Game that smacks people in the face set to be Christmas top seller

Toy store Hamleys has revealed its predicted top 10 sellers this festive season, and it would seem that Father Christmas is having an off year.

The £25 Pieface Showdown is already a hit on social media, with posts abounding of youngsters enjoying a face full of cream, while the fourth edition of the BeanBoozled spinner game, also £25, will have players risking eating jelly beans flavoured to taste like rotten fish and milk that has gone off.

Star Wars remains a likely top seller, with a £15 C-3PO-inspired virtual reality headset that works with the Star Wars website and the Works with Google Cardboard accreditation programme predicted to prove a hit with children aged eight and over.

The £80 Star Wars Krennic’s Imperial Shuttle is this season’s must-have offering from Lego, allowing the recreation of scenes from the forthcoming film Rogue One.

The £90 Nerf Mega Mastodon is the first motorised blaster in the range, and comes complete with a shoulder strap and 24 darts.

Children who enjoy gentler pastimes might find a £50 DreamWorks Trolls Hug Time Poppy under the tree, which can speak 25 phrases on a press of its tummy and plays songs from the film in which it starred.

The £70 Paw Patrol Zoomer talks, moves on its own and responds to touch and movement and the £50 Fisher-Price Think and Learn Code-A-Pillar gives children aged three and up the chance to spend their Christmas developing skills like problem solving, planning and sequencing and critical thinking.

The ever-popular V-Tech Kidizoom Smart Watch is also back in the top 10, and the £43 gadget for youngsters aged four and up allows them to monitor their activity with a pedometer.

Hamleys also believes its £20 Magic Showcase set, which includes an app allowing children to perform 3D interactive tricks with a phone or tablet, will be a top seller.