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Let the countdown begin: 51 shopping days until Christmas!
If you’ve got a child on your list this year, undoubtedly you are wondering two things: What are the hot new toys? Which ones can I afford? The good news, says Jonathan Samet, co-publisher of The Toy Insider, a 4-year-old consumer toy guide, is that this year there will be plenty of great new toys with lower prices. Samet, who was in Dallas recently for the Toy Industry Association Fall Toy Preview (which he says is Fashion Week for the toy business), says that last year at this time, toy companies were promoting $300 dinosaurs and the like, "and then the market crashed and burned and companies got stuck. . . . This year, companies are more prepared and have products at lower prices." Each year at this time, The Toy Insider comes up with a Hot 20 list of toys for the holiday season. This year, Samet and his team of experts rated the toys they saw according to the six trends they think are most important in the industry: Lower prices (under $30); Toys based on entertainment properties (for example, Transformers, Twilight, Elmo, Star Wars); Internet-based and digital toys (with links to Web sites where play can continue a la Webkinz); Animatronics (toys with light, sound and sensors); Hands-on creativity (toys tied to artistic, math or science skills); Exercise and activity (toys that make you move). "We took a hard look at the economy for our top 20 list," says Samet, who has been in the toy business for 25 years. "Thirteen of the 20 toys are under $30. We also did not pick a single toy that was over $100." He also notes that there’s a big trend toward games families can play together, so he and his team took that into consideration, too. And while the toy industry as a whole is down about 1 percent, he says, two categories are growing: activity and construction toys. Keeping all that information in mind — and doing the tough job of testing out the toys themselves — Toy Insider came up with the following list of Hot 20 toys (for more info, go to www.thetoyinsider.com). Ladies and gentlemen, start your listmaking: Ages: 0-2 Years1. Elmo Tickle HandsFisher-Price, $29.99The Elmo phenomenon continues. Kids put on these Elmo-like fuzzy red gloves. When they touch something, the gloves make sounds and talk. You can also put them in "dance mode," which gets kids moving. 2. MEGA Bloks Play 'N Go TableMEGA Brands, $39.99An all-in-one blocks kit: Unfold the portable table and it becomes a base for creating a mini-world with blocks, stickers, a little person and even a car. This would be great for a weekend at Grandma’s. 3. My Pal Scout & My Pal VioletLeapFrog, $19.99These little plush doggies sing, talk and interact with your preschooler. There’s an online component, too: Parents can customize the tunes for their toddlers. 4. Tonka Chuck My Talking TruckTonka, $29.99
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