Prices checked October 29, 2026.
Stocking stuffers under $75
Small, inexpensive robots that fit in a stocking. Most work straight out of the box with no assembly. The last pick is a tiny programmable board for someone who likes to build.
HEXBUG nano
Price $5.99Ages 3+Ships From the US
A finger-sized bug that buzzes along on 12 rubber legs and flips itself upright when it lands on its back. It costs about as much as a candy bar, so a handful can fill a stocking. Kids build mazes for them out of books and blocks.
Good to know. It is a vibration toy with no sensors or programming. HEXBUG sells a single nano for $5.99 and a nano Christmas ornament for $9.99. The 5-pack was out of stock at HEXBUG and on Amazon.
Robo Alive Robo Fish
Price $15.99 for twoAges 3+Ships Prime, next day
A toy fish that starts swimming as soon as it touches water and stops when lifted out. Its scales change color in the water. It turns a bath or a fish bowl into an aquarium for young kids.
Good to know. Batteries come in the box. There are no controls, so it is a moving pet with no way to steer or program it. Amazon's two-pack costs about $8 per fish.
Furby
Price $41 – $65Ages 6+Ships Prime, next day
Hasbro's talking owl-like plush, relaunched in 2023 with light-up ears, five voice-activated modes and over 600 phrases. Two Furbies can sing and tell jokes to each other. It needs no app or Wi-Fi.
Good to know. It runs on 4 AA batteries, which are not included. On Amazon the standard Furby was $56 to $65 depending on the color. The Amazon-only Furby Vibes was $41.
Sphero Mini
Price $50Ages 8+Ships From the US
A robot ball the size of a ping-pong ball, driven from a phone. Kids can steer it through obstacle courses and play games in the app, then move on to coding it with blocks, JavaScript or Python. It is the lowest-cost programmable robot in this section.
Good to know. It needs a phone or tablet. It charges over micro-USB and runs about 45 minutes per charge. It is not waterproof. Sphero's store sells it in three colors.
Amagami Ham Ham
Price $64.99Ages 6+Ships 5–7 business days
A small plush animal that gently nibbles a finger placed in its mouth, like a teething puppy. It picks from about two dozen bite patterns so the nibbles never feel the same. It comes as a calico cat, Shiba Inu, otter or bear. It is a quirky gift for teens and adults as much as for kids.
Good to know. It does only this one thing. It takes 3 AA batteries, which are not included. Yukai's US store ships by USPS standard mail.
BBC micro:bit v2
For makersPrice $17.95 – $19.95Ages 8+ (unconfirmed)Ships From the US
A credit-card-sized computer with a 5 × 5 LED grid, buttons, a speaker, a microphone and motion sensors. It is programmed in a web browser with drag-and-drop blocks or Python. It also serves as the brain of small robot cars such as the ELECFREAKS Cutebot and Maqueen Plus V3.
Good to know. Adafruit sells the board alone for $17.95. The $19.95 Go bundle adds a battery pack and a USB cable, and is the better gift because it works right away.