Related topics: shopping, holiday spending, retail, raising children, spending
Wondering what the hot toys will be this holiday season?
Think cute and electronic, with maybe a hint of vampire, and you'll be on the right track. No, there is not a plush electronic vampire doll, but we don't rule it out for the future.
The editors of TimetoPlayMag.com released their list of the Most Wanted Toys 2010 at the magazine's Holiday Showcase, held in New York in September.
Value is key, toy mavens Jim Silver and Christopher Byrne said in a news release. Of their 16 top toys, only five cost more than $30.
"Overall price points have come down in the toy industry and companies recognize that families are looking for value," Silver wrote. "Parents -- and their kids -- can find value in a $10 toy and a $70 toy but what makes something a 'keeper' is whether or not kids will play with it for more than 30 minutes; true value is about providing longevity in the home."
This is their list, in alphabetical order:
- Air Hogs Moto Frenzy motorized motorcycle, $24.99.
- Disney Princess & Me Dolls, $49.99.
- Hot Wheels R/C Stealth Rides motorized toy cars, $24.99.
- Leapster Explorer, $69.99.
- Lego Games, including one with Harry Potter, $29.99.
- Loopz, a party game, $29.99.
- Monster High dolls, $16.99.
- Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS Blaster, $49.99.
- Paper Jamz air guitar, $24.99.
- Real Construction building set, $24.99.
- Scrabble Flash game, $29.99.
- Sing-a-ma-jigs, plush toys that play music, $12.99.
- Squinkies, plastic toys that come in capsules, $6.99
- Tonka Chuck & Friends Chuck's Stunt Park from Playskool, $39.99.
- V.Reader, essentially a Kindle for kids, $59.99.
- Zoobles plastic animals, $9.99.
Toys R Us also released its "Fabulous 15" list in September. It includes about half the toys on Time to Play's list. The toy retailer also released a longer list broken down by age group.
Wondering which playthings will be in short supply? It may be the two cheapest ones, Squinkies and Zoobles, reports Christina Cheddar Berk of CNBC's Consumer Nation.
And keep an eye on the Sing-a-ma-jigs, which may be this year's Zhu Zhu Pets.
"Love them or hate them, these quirky toys are quickly becoming Internet stars," Berk writes. "The toys, which croon like 'Alvin and the Chipmunks,' have already starred in a number of YouTube videos."
What do you think? Will you be buying any of these toys for your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews this season? Maybe you secretly want the Paper Jamz guitar yourself to play along with the kids' Sing-a-ma-jigs?
