If you're wondering what I've been up to lately it's trekking to New York
where, on October 8th, the TIA (Toy Industry Association) and Toy
Wishes Magazine announced their picks for this years Holidays Hot
Toys. I had to go. I've been testing toys for months to pull
together Grandparents Magazine™'s Hot Toys (coming soon!), and I wanted to
see what I may be missing.
Here's what the experts are predicting
in alphabetical order:
Barbie Cook With Me Kitchen (KIDdesigns
$129.99, Ages 3 and up) Fully electronic kitchen makes make-believe
cooking realistic. Chef Barbie guides them through the cooking with
a kichen that recognizes more than 50 different kinds of food!
Barbie In Swan Lake (Mattel $19.99, Ages 3 and up) With Barbie Swan Lake Musical Fantasy
Castle (Mattel $130) Barbie is starring as Odette in Swan Lake on
DVD. She comes dressed in a beautiful gown with light up
wings. This is a doll that will be on every little girls wish list!
BTR Transformers (Hasbro $7.99-$29.99, Ages 6 and up) BTR (Built
To Rule) Transformers are sets that let kid build vehicles that convert to
robots. There's a large selection to chose from and kids seem to
love them!
Care Bears Bedtime Lullaby Bear (Play Along $24.99, Ages 3 and
up) Remember Care Bears -- they came on the scene 20 years
ago. Well there back! This care bear when hugged plays a
lullaby and his tummy even glows!
Hokey Pokey Elmo (Fisher-Price $29.99, Ages 18 months and up) Yep,
it's Elmo again! This time he does the Hokey Pokey and he turns
himself around... that's what it's all about! A fun song, a loveable
character - who can go wrong with this!
Formal
Funk Runway Disco (MGA Entertainment $99.99, Ages) Ask any
girl between the ages of say 5 and 12 what they want and I'll be shocked
if they don't say Bratz dolls. These dolls are hip, fun and most of
all the thing to have this holiday season! This playset is a disco
with real working lights, motorized runway and more!
Leappad Plus Writing Learning System (LeapFrog $59.99, Ages 4-8)
This system not only helps children learn to do reading, writing and arithmetic
-- it's also fun. There are more than 60 different titles and kids
love them. This is a fabulous learning tool that both kids and
parents love!
Leapster Educational Game System (LeapFrog $79.99, Ages 4-8)
This isn't even available yet and it's slated to be the hot toy. You
can pre-order it now though to have in time for the holidays. What
does it do? It's a hand held game system that teaches. The
screen is large, touch activated and remarkably clear. Children can
learn 60 essential skills. It has increasing levels of
difficulty. What's cool about this? It can go in the car - you
can purchase headphones to keep parents happy and there's a car charger -
which means you're not constantly buying batteries.
McDonald's McFlurry Maker (Spin Master $24.99, Ages 6 and
up) What's more fun than eating a McFlurry? Making on
yourself. Kids combine the ingredients and can add whatever they
want!
My Little Pony Celebration Castle (Hasbro $39.99, Ages 3 and up)
Here's a sparkly castle that inspires creative play. Girls love the
little ponies in pastel colors with lush manes.
Neopets Voice Activated Plush ($34.99, Ages 4 and up) More than 70
million kids have adopted their own Neopets - do you want to know
why? These pets interact with each other and recognize each other by
name. They are trained to respond to voices and talk back.
It's a pet without the mess!
Powertouch Learning System (Fisher-Price $49.99, Ages 3-8)
This interactive system teaches children through touch. There's a
whole library of titles that will engage little ones from preschool right
through the second grade.
And you thought that
Halloween was just around the corner!
So I've listed the hot dozen so you can get shopping
now if you want to miss the rush. The Grandparents Gift guide will
be out at the end of the month -- hopefully! My gift guide isn't 12
(or 13 as the case may be) it's a little bigger than that. I'll
break it down again by gifts under $10.00, pretend play, educational toys
etc. Also, for the record my toys are tested by children, parents,
grandparents and teachers - over 300 of them. So stay tuned!
