Argos releases 2016 'top toys' predictions

Argos predicts what will be big this Chritsmas ... well ahead of time Credit: PA

A toy caterpillar that introduces infants to coding and a doll that has the "authentic" smell of a newborn baby have been tipped as must-haves children's presents this year.

The list of predicted top toys has been released by retailer Argos, which, with slightly more than six months to go, is attempting to gauge what will be heading this year's Christmas lists.

Argos chief toy buyer Linzi Walker said: "This year's list shows just how much toys are evolving - lots of our top toys have their roots in parents' Christmas past.

"Now they've truly moved on ... We've progressed from the toy caterpillar that toddlers could pull across the floor, to one that starts infants on the road to clever coding."

The Fisher Price motorised Codeapillar, priced at £49.99 and designed for three to six-year-olds, can be programmed by its youngest users to move through obstacles.

The codepillar (front) can be programmed to move through obstacles Credit: PA

Also on the list are a Lego City volcano, Star Wars favourite BB-8 and the£19.99 SelfieMic, which allows youngsters to make and share their own pop videos.

Meanwhile, the £39.99 18-inch baby doll from Tiny Treasures is weighted like a real newborn and even smells like one, according to the manufacturer Chad Valley.

It comes in a choice of boy or girl and features "sleepy eyes, silky new-born hair, super-soft skin and an authentic scent of baby aroma".

Other toys to make the top 10 are the Paw Patrol Air Patroller, the rescue dog that comes complete with his own jet, VTech's latest offering in the form of a £52.99 motorised train set designed for one to five-year-olds, and the £59.99 Nerf Modulus Tri-Strike that features "three ways to blast".