Customer favorites, year by year

Top Plus-Plus Toys of the Year

Every year, we look back at the Plus-Plus sets our builders loved most. Browse each year's top items, read the recap, and shop the favorites that keep coming back.

3 years of favoritesNew list every year
Top Plus-Plus items of 20262026
Top items of 2026Latest

The year of pocket pets, space tubes & mystery boxes

2026 was all about collecting. Pet Packets, the Astronaut and Moose tubes, and our 2000 pc Mystery Box led the way, while Make-a-Mix let builders pick every color themselves.

Pet Packet Bundle#1 of 2026Pet Packet Bundle
Shop all 25 top items of 2026 →Read the 2026 recap

Top 10 Plus-Plus items of 2026

  1. Pet Packets bundle: six pet packets with puppy, cat, turtle, bunny and axolotl builds Pet Packet Bundle $26.99$29.94
  2. Tube - Astronaut with white astronaut build Tube - Astronaut $9.99
  3. Plus-Plus Mystery Box: large blue 2000 pc mystery box Plus-Plus Mystery Box - 2000 pc $49.99
  4. Tube - Moose with moose build Tube - Moose $9.99
  5. Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Dinosaurs: pad with dinosaur and volcano builds Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Dinosaurs $14.99
  6. Scooops - Superhero: open tub of pieces with ice cream cone and popsicle builds Scooops - Superhero $9.99
  7. Plus-Plus Mystery Tube: a rainbow mystery tube with a question mark Plus-Plus Mystery Tube $5.99
  8. Scooops - Birthday Cake: open tub of pieces with ice cream cone and popsicle builds Scooops - Birthday Cake $9.99
  9. Mystery Box - Education Edition: yellow 1200 pc mystery box Mystery Box - Education Edition - Basic $39.99
  10. Creepy Critters builds: Nom, Bolt, Grim and Wib Creepy Critter Fun Pack $17.99$19.99
See all 25 from 2026
Top Plus-Plus items of 20252025
Top items of 2025

The year of puzzles, fidgets & classroom tubs

In 2025, Puzzle By Number®, the HEXEL® fidget and big classroom tubs took center stage, alongside Learn to Build sets and the Travel Case for building on the go.

Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Space#1 of 2025Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Space
Shop all 25 top items of 2025 →Read the 2025 recap

Top 10 Plus-Plus items of 2025

  1. Make-a-Mix - Custom Color Mix - 300 pc Tube with spilled pieces Make-a-Mix - Custom Color Mix - 300 pc Tube $24.99
  2. Plus-Plus activity set with ocean builds and Astra Star Play Award winner seal Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Ocean $14.99
  3. Travel Case: blue case with a baseplate, a figure build and colorful pieces Travel Case $24.99
  4. Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Transportation with vehicle builds Puzzle By Number® Activity Pad - Transportation $14.99
  5. Tube - Unicorn with rainbow mane unicorn build Tube - Unicorn $9.99
  6. Tube - Axolotl with axolotl build Tube - Axolotl $9.99
  7. Make-a-Mix - Custom Color Mix - 300 pc Travel Case with pieces Make-a-Mix - Custom Color Mix - 300 pc Travel Case $39.99
  8. Baseplate Duo - Green in its package Baseplate Duo - Green $14.99
  9. Sold outPuzzle By Number®- 800 pc Butterfly box with finished butterfly Puzzle By Number®- 800 pc Butterfly $34.99
  10. Puzzle By Number® - 250 pc Unicorn box with finished unicorn Puzzle By Number® - 250 pc Unicorn $17.99
See all 25 from 2025
Top Plus-Plus items of 2024

Top 10 Plus-Plus items of 2024

  1. Make-a-Mix - Custom Color Mix - 300 pc Tube with spilled pieces Make-a-Mix - Custom Color Mix - 300 pc Tube $24.99
  2. Rainbow HEXEL box and build held in a hand, with TOTY Winner seal HEXEL® - Spectrum $14.99
  3. Tube - Airplane with airplane build Tube - Airplane $9.99
  4. Tube - Flamingo with pink flamingo build Tube - Flamingo $9.99
  5. Blue HEXEL box and build held in a hand, with TOTY Winner seal HEXEL® - Waterfall $14.99
  6. Pink pastel HEXEL box and build held in a hand, with TOTY Winner seal HEXEL® - Bubblegum $14.99
  7. Tube - Axolotl with axolotl build Tube - Axolotl $9.99
  8. Tube - Glitter with glitter piece builds Tube - Glitter $9.99
  9. 4000 pc Educational Tub with baseplates, wheels and guide Ultimate Classroom Activity Tub $199.99
  10. Baseplate Duo - Green in its package Baseplate Duo - Green $14.99
See all 25 from 2024
Hall of fame

Back-to-back favorites

These made the top list more than once. If you're not sure where to start, start here.

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All-time bestsellers

The sets builders reach for again and again, updated all year long.

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Good to know

Top toys of the year: FAQ

What were the most popular Plus-Plus toys of 2026?

Our top items of 2026 were the Pet Packet Bundle, Tube - Astronaut, the Mystery Box (2000 pc and 1000 pc), the Make-a-Mix 300 pc Tube, Tube - Moose, the Creepy Critter Fun Pack, Scooops - Birthday Cake and Superhero, and Critters - Girt.

How do you pick the top items of the year?

Each list is based on what our customers bought most on plusplususa.com during the year.

What's a good Plus-Plus set for a first-time builder?

A tube or a Pet Packet is a great place to start: small, affordable and quick to build. For more open-ended play, try a Make-a-Mix tube and choose your own colors.

Do all Plus-Plus sets work together?

Yes. Every regular Plus-Plus piece is the same shape and size, so pieces from any tube, bag or box connect with each other. The one exception is Plus-Plus BIG: BIG pieces are larger and made for younger builders, so they are not compatible with regular Plus-Plus pieces.

When is the next top items list released?

We publish a new list at the end of every year. Check back here or follow our blog for the latest one.