After a subdued winter holiday season in 2020, when many people chose small, quiet gatherings at home in order to avoid potential COVID-19 exposures, holiday shopping is back with a boom in 2021, and toys are on many shoppers' lists. Individuals in the United States are expected to spend an average of $998 on merrymaking in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Nine out of 10 people plan to celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa by shopping for gifts, decorations and food. However, few things can douse the holiday spirit faster than an illness or injury, which is why anyone shopping for toy gifts this year would be wise to heed the nonprofit World Against Toys Causing Harms, Inc., (W.A.T.C.H.) regarding the trinkets that are most likely to cause kids harm. The slideshow above reveals the nominees for the "10 Worst Toys of 2021," according to W.A.T.C.H. The organization said in a recent press release that this year's supply chain disruption means that fewer toys may be available for holiday gifts, spurring some shoppers to pick up more hazardous trinkets. Dangers such as small parts, strings, projectiles, toxic substances, rigid materials, and inaccurate warnings and labels are all prevalent among mainstream toys. It follows that one child is treated in a U.S. emergency room every three minutes for a toy-related injury, W.A.T.C.H. reports. See also:

• Top 10 dangerous toys of 2020
• When merrymaking goes awry
• Buyers, beware: Safety group names 10 worst toys of 2019