The official toys and games Christmas Preview Come and discover the Christmas hotlists from boys, girls, pre-school, and hip’n’kool, creative, and games from the UK's leading toy manufacturers.
The Toy Retailers Association represents 75% of toy retailers and is uniquely placed to make predictions based on 50 years of consumer knowledge and tracking the latest trends in the market.
Last issue we show you “Pre-school”, “Boys” and “Girls”. The remaining three parts are available now.
Hip’n’kool
From the youngest pre-schoolers to tweens and teens, kids are hooked on technology and each year innovative electronic products continue to battle it out for the top spot.
True to form Bandai’s Tamagotchi is still the best selling toy in the UK. Dream Toys predicts it is likely to stay in pole position as a new version beckons!
New to the market are Mattel’s Amazing Lexie, and Barbie Girls – an electronic device that allows you to listen to music and play in a virtual world on the internet. Hasbro has also joined in the fun with McCaw Parrot that talks and remembers your name and birthday!
Tech-loving children will be able to interact with U.B. Funkeys (Radica) – plastic figures – and send them into a digital world to meet their virtual friends online, or have a virtual makeover on the computer – or explore the microscopic world with Eye Clops (Vivid).
Various flying radio-controlled toys continue to attract boys and their dads and the acclaimed Flytech Dragon Fly (Character) currently in top position is challenged by the PicooZ Helicopter from flying toy specialist Silverlit.
Flytech Dragonfly—Character
It has an ultra light body and “high-flex”crash resistant structure and is easy to fly, flutter and soar.
Digi Makeover--Radica
Create the ultimate makeover on your TV screen! Take a picture with the built in digital camera. Use the stylus to try the latest trends.
PicooZ R/C Helicopter--Silverlit
Super-wide and easy IR-control brings flying to the mass market. Extreme durability, long flying time and 2-channel DP control make this the ultimate indoor helicopter.
Girl Tech Video Journal--Radica
Use the Video Journal digital camera to record images or video clips and use the software provided to create an interactive journal on your computer.
Tamagotchi Connexion Jinsei Plus (V4)--Bandai
Live the Tama life! As well as nurturing your virtual pet, you can now help it through school and even into its dream career.
U.B.Funkeys--Radica
Unlock a world on your PC filled with games, shops, quests and surprises with U.B.Funkeys, the coolest cast of collectible characters around!
FurReal Squawkers McCaw--Hasbro
Taking interactivity to new levels through voice recognition and programmable features– it can repeat words, converse, respond to touch, make sassy sounds … even dance!
Nintendog Trick Trainers--TOmy
New breeds to collect! Make pretend your pup perform tricks using the bone and touching pup‘s magnetic points on nose, left paw and tail.
Amazing Lexie--Mattel
Cute puppy Amazing Lexie comes to life with over 150 phrases and realistic movements. She recognises over 70 commands, sings, tell jokes and plays games.
Eye Clops--Mattel
Eye Clops, gives you an eye on the world you never knew existed. View bugs and bits at 200 x magnification through your TV screen!
Pixel Chix Roomies House--Mattel
New Roomies console has six cool rooms to explore. Girls can add and play as different characters in the race to win the master bedroom.
Barbie Girls--Mattel
Barbie Girls consoles unlock cool stuff on virtual community www.barbiegirls.com where girls chat and play games. Consoles come with snap-on fashions and play MP3 songs.
Games
Games were worth over £224m in the last 12 months to June 2007, with sales concentrated in the last few weeks of the year. The success story of 2006 was the Deal or No Deal game (Drumond Park), with over £2m sales in the last two weeks before Christmas.
TV games will be at the top of the Christmas wish list once again. With products ranging from Golden Balls (Vivid) to Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old (Hasbro) and Family Fortunes (Drumond Park), families will be spoilt for choice.
Dream Toys predicts that fun new game SayWhat? (Radica) and an array of High School the Musical games and dance mats will grab the mood.
Seasoned favourites such as Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit and a new version of Operation, will also be topping the charts.
Family Fortunes—Drumond Park
Just like on TV, teams guess the most popular answers from lists of questions. Family Fortunes comes with game display and mini-screen for the ‘host’.
Ratatouille Kitchen Quake Game--Mattel
It's a thrilling daredevil race around a wacky contraption made from kitchen utensils. Be first to get your special ingredients into the soup and win!
Rubiks Revo—Drumond Park
The light-flashing, button-bashing colour-chasing REVO from Rubik’s features six individual and multi-player rapid-reaction games. It’s loads of fun and helps stimulate brain speed and memory.
20Q Handheld--Radica
20Q, the astounding mind-reading game! Just think of an object and challenge 20Q. Answer the questions as it tries to guess exactly what you’re thinking.
Splashy The Whale Game--Character
Electronic squirting skill and action game.Don’t tickle his tongue though because if you do… there’s a splash in store for you.
Eternity II--Tomy
Don’t rely on the Lottery to become a millionaire.... first to solve and submit a solution to the 256-piece Eternity II puzzle really wins US$2m!
Game of Life Twists & Turns--Hasbro
Find the best way to live your life! The electronic Lifepod keeps track of your progress as players compete to live the most successful life.
Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?--Hasbro
Play the game that pits the kids against the grownups for the ultimate bragging rights. Simply answer 11 school curriculum based questions to avoid humiliation!
High School Musical Mystery Date--Hasbro
Collect clothing and accessory cards and get ready to go on a pretend MYSTERY DATE with one of your favourite High School Musical characters!
Say What?--Radica
Think you know your phrases? Shuffle the balls to sort the saying! Over 300 pop culture phrases to unscramble including song titles and TV catchphrases.
Monopoly Here & Now UK Edition--Hasbro
For the first time ever, Monopoly Here & Now UK Edition features the 22 greatest places in the UK… as voted by the people!
Golden Balls--Vivid
Players must find and hang onto the balls containing huge sums of money, and avoid dreaded ‘killer balls’ which can turn pounds into pennies within seconds!
Creative
Creative play is important, particularly in a world where many children are more familiar with a console than a young artists set or a model to build.
Worth about £280m in the last 12 months, the Creative sector is bringing further innovation with the likes of Tomy‘s extended Aquadraw range.
New beading sets such as Bindeez (Character Options) and Aqua Beads (Flair) are also popular. Flair, who brought us Paper FX in 2006 comes back with another new concept – Cordz, and John Adams is betting on the Coin Maker. Younger ones will also be keen to get their hands dirty with the new dough range of Moon Sand (Spinmaster).
Crayola is also forecasting great sales with strong new concepts of mess-free, great fun products for very young artists and innovative concepts for the older ones, like Illumination Station (Vivid).
Boys will continue to enjoy letting their imagination run wild, building sets from Lego, the innovative Scrapheap Welder (Character) or rehearsing tricks with the weird world of Marvin’s Freaky Body Illusions.
GR8 Scrapheap Welder--Character
Weld it, break it, and make it! The power welder allows you to actually weld plastic to plastic! Includes four projects.
Li’l Luvables Fluffy Factory--Spinmaster
Make your very own teddy bears at home! The cute, hand cranked fluffy factory comes with 3 teddy bear skins, stuffing, birth certificates and accessories.
Aqua Beads--Flair
Original Aqua Beads, cool, colourful bead creations, easy to make - no glue or heat required - clean, safe play, with stunning results every time.
Moon Sand Castle--Spinmaster
Moon SandTM provides the fun of the beach without the mess and never dries out! Kit Includes inflatable sandbox, 4 moulds, tool, play mat and ‘sand’.
Cordz--Flair
Get creative with Cordz from Flair! The cords cling magically to reusable design boards to create stunning artistic results.
Cinderella Aquadraw--Tomy
Little princesses will love the magical roller drawing a starry pathway for Cinderella and Prince Charming to follow, dancing together as the music plays.
Golden Coin Maker—John Adams
Make your very own Golden Coins. Everything is included - the mini fun factory, 19 different messages, gold foil, net bags and 130g of chocolate!
Crayola Illumination Station--Vivid
An amazing 3-in-1 light desk, drawing desk and projector. Includes:- storage drawer, 4 colouring pens, 20 image discs and 10 background scenes.
Super Grafix—John Adams
Using the amazing optical viewer, copy any picture or simply remove the easel and draw landscapes, still life or even a friend.No power or batteries required.
GR8 Art Bindeez Super Deluxe Studio Centre--Character
No heat, no glue, no mess. Use the pen dispenser to place beads, spray with water and use the built in fan for quick drying.
Marvin’s Freaky Body Illusions—Marvin’s Magic
Marvin’s Magic conjures up the freakiest collection of body illusions ever! Secret body bits plus DVD. You won’t believe your eyes, ears, hands or feet!
Dora the Explorer Draw and Drive—Golden Bear
Draw a line around board and watch as Dora magically follows it in her car whilst saying some of her famous phrases! █ |