Top Toys for kids 2011-2012, holiday must-have
Last year the U.S toy industry grew at 2 percent to $21.87 billion according to NPD Group. Retailers are hoping to increase their toy sales even more this holiday season. From Ipad substitute to Lalaloopsy Suzette La Sweet and angry birds , this year’s Top Ten Toys for Kids are a mix of fun and less than $100. After scanning through top retailers list and blogs, the must-have top toys for 2011 holiday is here!
LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet
Manufacturer: LeapFrog
Ages: 4 years to 9 years old
If you’ve been sharing your iPad with your 4 year old, this holiday is a great time to get an iPad-like tablet without breaking the bank. Just like the iPad, kids can use their finger to operate the tablet and you can safely hand over the LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet loaded with age-approriate educational software. From phonics and math to geography and science, LeapPad makes learning much more fun.
The LeapPad also comes with a built-in camera/video recorder and a microphone with two gigabytes memory.
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Vtech Innotab Interactive Learning App Tablet
Vtech makes a similar product, the InnoTab, which is slightly less expensive. It has some the same capabilities, but it does not have a camera/video recorder. It does have a SD slot and a MP3 player, which are both nice features.
Sesame Street Let’s Rock Elmo
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Price: $60
Ages: 18 months to 3 years old
Why is this Elmo toy one of the hottest of the holiday season? Because Elmo Rocks.
Not only does this toy feature the much beloved Elmo from the “Sesame Street” TV show, but it is very interactive. Elmo can play a variety of instruments as children sing and play along with him. He sings six different songs. Young children will be amazed that Elmo can recognize when they are playing the Let’s Rock guitar, keyboard, or microphone.
Xia-Xia Hermit Crabs
Manufacturer: Cepia
Prices: $6 to $22
Ages: 4 years to 6 years old.
Looks like Cepia — the company that brought us the last truly smoking hot holiday toy, the Zhu Zhu pet — may have another hit on its hands. Xia-Xia (pronounced Sha-Sha) is a line of bright, colorful hermit crabs.
Xia-Xia has some of the characteristics that made Zhu Zhu so popular: It’s a collectible toy, and each is fun to watch as it walks around. But similarities may end there. Xia-Xia is a little more slick than its furry predecessor, even down to its packaging.
Kids also can have the Xia-Xia crabs share shells, and they will likely use the shells to store little things as well. The little critters are on store shelves now, but the playsets won’t arrive until early November, so you might want to move fast if you want to get your claws on them.
LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet
Manufacturer: LeapFrog
Price: $100
Ages: 4 years to 9 years old
If you’re uncomfortable handing your four-year-old your iPad, here’s a solution. The LeapPad Explorer is designed to look and work like an iPad or other tablet, but it has age-appropriate software that will help teach your children a variety of skills — from phonics and math to geography and science.
The LeapPad includes a built-in camera/video recorder and a microphone, and it has two gigabytes of memory for storing pictures. Kids can download apps or use Leapster cartridge games, which is especially handy if they already own those games. And, like a tablet, kids can operate it using their finger or tap the pad with a stylus. It also has an accelerometer, which is used in some of the games kids can play.
Vtech makes a similar product, the InnoTab, which is slightly less expensive. It has some the same capabilities, but it does not have a camera/video recorder. It does have a SD slot and a MP3 player, which are both nice features.
While both products will have their share of fans this holiday season, there is one drawback: Kids who are truly familiar with their parents’ devices will recognize the difference.
Hot Wheel Wall Tracks Starter Set
Manufacturer: Mattel
Price: $30
Ages: 4 years to 10 years old
How do you take a brand that’s more than 40 years old and make it new again? Mattel’s Hot Wheel Wall Tracks has tackled one of the age-old problems associated with track-and-car sets: It takes a long time to set up the track, and then kids have to listen to Mom telling them they have to clean it up, forcing them to start all over from scratch the next time they used it.
Now, the tracks can be hung on the wall, behind a room door, on a closet door. The combinations are numerous, and the tracks can even go around corners. But Mom shouldn’t be worried about the tracks leaving a mark. They are attached using 3M command strips and they come down without a trace.
Silly Hair Jewel Sparkles Doll
Manufacturer: MGA Entertainment
Price: $35
Ages: 4 years to 6 years old
The Lalaloopsy brand was a hot seller last holiday season, and this year should be no different.
Classic rag dolls inspired the brand’s look, but the dolls are made of molded plastic. Since girls love to play with their dolls’ hair, MGA Entertainment has put out Lalaloopsy dolls that allow kids to do just that. The doll has long strands of bendable, plastic hair that girls can style and decorate. Curl it, twist it, straighten it, or add beads to make it fancy.
There are two versions the doll Jewel Sparkles, which has pink hair and a pet cat, and the doll Crumbs Sugar Cookie, which has a pet mouse.
MGA also has introduced a line of Lalaloopsy plush dolls. Ed Crotty, of the Toy Spy Blog, said parents were asking for soft versions of the popular dolls so their kids could snuggle up with them in bed, and it looks like the company listened.
Nerf Vortex
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Price: $14 to $50
Ages: 8 years to 10 years old
Nerf is out with a new line of play guns that shoot greater distances and are more accurate, thanks to the round foam discs. There are four different guns in the line: the Vigilon, Nitron, Praxis, and Proton. They range in price and have different features, but all pack a lot of power.
The Nitron is the priciest of the bunch and has a 20-disc magazine, as well as onboard storage for additional rounds. It also has an electronic scope that helps to aim more precisely at a target.
The Praxis Blaster is half the price, however, and that might make it the most popular one of the bunch.
