Building and STEM toys are growing, and most of them are made in Asia, where the new U.S. tariffs are highest. A look at new kits from 4M and Artec, a classic ride-on from PlaSmart, and the tariff numbers to check before you reorder.
By Laura N. Larsson · November 2026 · Facts checked Nov. 1, 2026
Disclosure: This is free editorial. No company named here paid for this article, sent samples or was interviewed for it, and nothing here is a quote from any of them. We have not play-tested these products. Company facts come from each company’s own website or public filings; market and tariff facts come from the sources listed at the end. Everything was checked on Nov. 1, 2026. Some companies named here have advertised with ToyDirectory.com or TDmonthly in the past; that did not affect this coverage.
Kids who build things are having a good year. U.S. sales of building sets rose 22% from January through June 2026, and arts and crafts rose 20%, according to Circana. Circana says both gained in dollars, units and price, so shoppers bought more of them and paid a bit more for each one.
The catch for stores is where these toys come from. Many STEM kits are made in Asia, and the U.S. tariffs that started on July 24 are highest there. Here are three makers worth knowing, plus a short guide to the duties.
The numbers, January–June 2026
Building sets: +22%
Arts & crafts: +20%
All U.S. toys: +17%
Source: Circana, Aug. 12, 2026.
4M: a robot you build with a chunky screwdriver
Hong Kong-based 4M lists a new Q.Botz line on its website: Puppy, Kitten, Panda and Rabbit. Each one is a small robot that kids build themselves. According to the product page, the kit comes with a chunky screwdriver and screws sized for small hands, and the finished robot moves and bounces back when it hits an obstacle. 4M posts manuals in eight languages. A cute animal outside and a real build inside make it an easy sell at a modest price.
Artec: robots built from blocks, coded in Scratch
Japan’s Artec makes ArtecRobo 2.0, a robotics kit built from blocks that connect horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The motors and sensors snap on as blocks too, so no screwdriver or soldering iron is needed. Kids program their robots in drag-and-drop software based on Scratch 3.0, and Artec says those programs can be converted to Python as they get older. The software runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Chrome OS. Artec says ArtecRobo is already used in many schools and tutoring centers, and that the company won a special award at Japan’s 7th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Awards for robotics education. For a store, that school track record is a good thing to tell parents.
PlaSmart: the ride-on that runs on wiggles
Not every STEM toy comes in a box of parts. PlaSmart’s Original PlasmaCar has no batteries, gears or pedals. Kids wiggle the steering wheel, and the car moves using inertia, centrifugal force and friction. PlaSmart’s Canadian site lists it for ages 3 and up, rated to 220 lb on smooth, flat surfaces and 120 lb on uneven ones. It also warns that the standard wheels may mark some wooden floors, and it offers a separate model with polyurethane wheels. Among the awards on that page is a 2007 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. That’s our own award, so read it with that in mind.
One detail matters for tariffs. PlaSmart sells the car through a Canadian website, but its product page lists the car’s country of origin as China. That means the China rate applies, not the Canada rate.
Tariff check (as of Nov. 1, 2026)
On July 24, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative put new Section 301 tariffs on goods from 60 economies. There are three tiers:
10% for economies including Canada, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the U.K.
10% or 12.5%, net of the normal (MFN) duty for certain products of the European Union and Taiwan (topped up to 10% in total) and of Japan, South Korea and Switzerland (topped up to 12.5% in total).
12.5% for the other investigated economies, which include China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
The duty follows the country where a toy is made, not where the brand has its head office. Some products are exempt; the exemptions are listed in the annexes to the notice.
For the kits above, that means Hong Kong-made goods are in the 12.5% tier, and Japanese goods are topped up to 12.5% in total. Anything made in China is in the 12.5% tier, whichever country the brand comes from.
China relief is not a rate yet. On Sept. 27 the U.S.-China Board of Trade published lists of goods recommended for reduced tariffs, and USTR said the Chinese imports involved include household goods and toys. The White House text says the two sides will “consider” the lists consistent with their own laws and processes. A Covington & Burling trade alert (Oct. 5) notes that USTR must first run a notice-and-comment process, which could take several months. At our Nov. 1 check, USTR had not announced a new, lower rate for toys from China. Other duties can also apply to some products from China on top of the July tariffs.
Canada has a second tariff. Separate 50% duties on a list of Canadian products took effect Aug. 22, 2026, under Section 338. On Sept. 8 the President revised the scope of those duties, and USTR said certain non-sensitive Canadian goods were removed. Whether any one toy is on the current list depends on its tariff code. We did not confirm which toy codes, if any, are still covered.
What to do with this
Build a price ladder. A small build-it robot at the low end, a coding kit at the top, and an active-play classic for kids who would rather move than code.
Sell the screen-free angle. Both the screwdriver robots and the ride-on keep kids busy without a screen.
Price by where it’s made. Ask each supplier for the country of origin on every item. It decides the tariff, and it may not be the brand’s home country.
Watch for China relief, but don’t count on it yet. Until a new rate is published, price with the duties in force today.
Tariff information is general news, not legal or customs advice. Rates depend on each product’s classification and country of origin; check with a licensed customs broker before you price an order.
Free editorial: No company named here paid for this article.
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Writer's Bio: Driven by a fascination with how young people learn, grow, and connect, Laura N. Larsson has spent years researching the role of play and social media in child and adolescent development. Since 2012, she has combined her ecommerce background with in-depth interviews of children and teenagers, producing insightful articles that explore the evolving interplay between play, communication, and online interaction. Read more articles by this author
Writer's Bio: Driven by a fascination with how young people learn, grow, and connect, Laura N. Larsson has spent years researching the role of play and social media in child and adolescent development. Since 2012, she has combined her ecommerce background with in-depth interviews of children and teenagers, producing insightful articles that explore the evolving interplay between play, communication, and online interaction. 
