Barbie Fashion Fever Fashionista dolls, Zhu Zhu pets (no surprise there!), Moxie Girlz Jammaz dolls, Crayola Beginnings Color Me A Song, Hasbro Scatterpillar Scramble, LeapFrog Text and Learn, Tickle Me Elmo (yep, the original Tickle Me Elmo is still a favorite!), Little Mommy Baby Ah-Choo Doll,and Fisher Price Imaginext Dragon World Fortress.

See the Toys”R”Us Hot Holiday Toy List

We’re seeing plenty of Zhu Zhu pets in the top sellers this year. There’s a very interesting laser tag game that keeps appearing in toy merchants’ top selling toy lists this 2009 Christmas and holiday season. Laser tag, for the past decade at least, has been a popular activity for kids’ birthday parties and simply for weekend family fun. Now laser tag can be played at home. The 2009 Lazertag System 2PK by Hasbro is getting good reviews due to its realistic and pleasing sound effects and vibrations, responsiveness, and all-around good features.

Ucreate Music is a new system from Mattel, similar to the UDance, but it involves mixing music like a DJ or music producer. It looks great with a ton of features, including the ability to download new loops and share musical masterpieces. As easy as it is to use, it’s also quite sophisticated with its many options. Kids in the tween years will love this one.

Zhu Zhu Pets toys are hot, hot, hot, appearing on most major top toy lists this holiday season. However, they’re also selling out and many sellers have upped the prices. They’re sure to please little fans, but parents need to decide if they’re worth the extra dollars.

Scene It? Twilight Deluxe Edition by Scene It, featuring clips from the popular Twilight movie. Great fun for fans, and a good party game.

Printies Design Studio by Printies. Kids make soft stuffy toys with this kit. First, they design their stuffed toy online, print out the pattern onto included fabric sheets, and then create the cotton toy.

Princess and the Frog Just One Kiss Tiana is a new favorite doll based on the movie, The Princess and the Frog. The doll features lights and sounds…and the frog!

Bakugan 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid by SpinMaster. For fans of the super-hot collectible toy game series, this one is sure to delight. One Bakugan and six Bakugan Traps combine into a very impressive Maxus Dragonoid creature. Kids can play with the 7 Bakugan individually, and/or combine them. Crayon Town

Disney Netpal by ASUS is an 8.9 inch Netbook with a 5 hour battery life designed for kids. It also comes in a swirly pink design that little girls will love: Disney Netpal by ASUS – 8.9-Inch Netbook – 5 Hour Battery Life

Nanovor Nanoscope Digital Collectible Game

Candy Jewel Factory Oven by Girl Gourmet Sweets

LEGO Star Wars The Battle of Endor (8038)

Star Wars Clone Turbo Tank Vehicle

Crayon Town

Included on the list are:

Transformers Bumblebee Helmet – Role-playing at its buzziest!

Rubik’s Cube 360 – no cubes here–balls in this new brainteaser.

Battle Strikers Tournament

Bop It by Hasbro

Vtech – Kidizoom Digital Camera – Orange

Transformers Movie 2 Leader Optimus Prime

Barbie and The Three Musketeers Corinne Doll

The winners of these prestigious toy awards are…

Activity Toy of the Year – Crayola Color Wonder Magic Light Brush, Crayola LLC

Boy Toy of the Year – Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres, Spin Master

Educational Toy of the Year – LeapFrog TAG™ Reading System , LeapFrog

Girl Toy of the Year – Playmobil Horse Farm, Playmobil USA, Inc.

Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year – Fur Real Friends Biscuit My Lovin Pup, Hasbro

Game of the Year – Bananagrams®, Bananagrams LLC

Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year – Fisher-Price Elmo Live, Fisher-Price, Inc.

Most Innovative Toy of the Year – Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro, Spin Master

Property of the Year – Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Cartoon Network

Outdoor Toy of the Year – Crayola® 3D Sidewalk Chalk, Crayola LLC

Specialty Toy of the Year – Create Your Own Pop-Up Books, Creativity for Kids®/Faber-Castell USA

Top Toy of the Year – Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres, Spin Master

First it was the Power Rangers. Then it was Pokémon. Now, the latest television show that has children all over the world enthralled is Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a Japanese anime TV show that airs on the Cartoon Network in the United States. The show revolves around a specialized card game in which the characters play as Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

If you have a Bakugan Battle Brawlers fan in your household, then a great toy idea is Bakubelt™ Action Kit from Spin Master™. The Bakubelt™ Action Kit from Spin Master™ puts your child inside the show and lets them pretend that they are a Battle Brawler, just like on the TV show.
The Bakubelt Action Kit from Spin Master comes with everything your child needs to successfully simulate the action they see on the show.

The kit allows your child to pretend to be a signature Battle Brawler and comes with everything your child needs to recreate the action at home. With the Bakubelt Action Kit from Spin Master, children receive one belt, two special Bakugan balls, two paper cards, two metal cards, and one clip. It’s designed for children on the go with its special pack with the recognizable Bakugan insignia on it that shows others that your child is a serious Bakugan warrior and is ready for battle with their friends.

See more: Bakugan Battle Brawlers Game Exclusive BakuBelt Action Kit (Includes 2 Figures!)

Hasbro’s U-Dance turns your child’s feet into a game controller with the system’s innovative motion-sensing system. Setting it up is easy: simply plug the console into the TV, then attach the paddles to your feet..and dance! The U-Dance’s motion-sensing technology means kids are not confined to a dance mat or board–they can dance anywhere close to the TV.

Select from twelve current dance songs, all hits, and follow the steps that appear onscreen. Virtual footprints appear on the TV that match kids’ movements.

We love that the U-Dance is not overpriced like many high-tech toys. It’s relatively inexpensive.

Kids will most certainly receive a good workout with Hasbro’s U-Dance. The game also gives the option to workout on a treadmill, and to visit a virtual lounge area where kids can enjoy stepping games.

The best part? It’s great for all ages, from the young to the young at heart. If your kids (or you!) love to dance, the U-Dance is a great choice for fun that will extend well beyond the holidays. The whole family will learn new dance moves in the comfort of home, and U-Dance certainly keeps kids active and engaged.

U-Dance

With the holidays quickly approaching, there’s no doubt you’ll be indulging in holiday parties and meals. Once the holidays are finished there’s no doubt you’ll see some of the consequences, i.e. weight gain resulting from those holiday parties and meals!

No need to wait until New Year’s Day to make your resolutions to get fit. Consider investing in a Nintendo Wii Fit for your family this Christmas and stave off the negative effects of those holiday goodies. The Nintendo Wii Fit is a video game and peripheral package for the Nintendo Wii video game platform and is designed to make exercise an accessible and pleasant activity for the entire family, no matter what level of fitness they are currently at.

Players step on the balance board, which actually reads movement, weight distribution, and balance. The Wii Fit provides feedback on a person’s weight, BMI, and center of balance. After some preliminary tests and goal setting, players move on to the activities that include exercises to improve cardiovascular health, yoga poses to improve posture, aerobics for a more classic workout, balancing exercises, and strength training designed to increase muscle mass. All of this in the comfort of your own home. Those who are gym-shy will enjoy being able to work out in privacy.

Weight measures and BMI can be kept private. Players have the option to keep their personal information password-protected.

The Nintendo Wii Fit is also designed to help you set fitness goals for yourself and track your progress over time. You can measure your Body Mass Index and Nintendo Wii Fit age, and then reassess yourself over time. The Wii Fit keeps track of how many hours and minutes you put into the program. There are plenty of features to keep players coming back to the game.

Families are likely to enjoy countless hours of fun while keeping fit and generating a positive attitude towards fitness.
Top Selling Wii Fit Games

• Fur Real Friends Biscuit My Lovin Pup A large interactive puppy with a large price tag as well!
• Fisher-Price Elmo LiveSo cute! Elmo tells long stories, encourages, and interacts like no other Elmo plushie to date.
• RipStik G Caster Board A cross between a skateboard and a snowboard.
• Playskool Kota My Triceratops Dinosaur If you have the room for it, this ride-on interactive baby Triceratops is a blast for young kids.
• Radio Flyer Classic Rock and Bounce Pony with Sound For children ages 9 months and up. The pony neighs when it detects motion.
• EyeClops BioniCamThis electronic toy takes pictures and videos for close-up discoveries.
• LeapFrog® Tag Reading SystemWe love this interactive learn-to-read system.
• EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles This cool set uses real infra-red night vision technology so that kids can see in the dark. Great fun.
• Vtech – Wall.E Learning Laptop A QWERTY keyboard flips down on this learning laptop with LCD screen built into the Wall-E robot character. 15 learning activities keep kids busy.
• Oregon Scientific Interactive GlobeIt’s a great learning experience, although we like the LeapFrog Explorer Smart Globe a little better. Learn geography through truly fun and addictive games.

GOAL IS MORE IMAGINATIVE, MAKE-IT-UP-YOURSELF, BELLY-LAUGHING PLAY FOR KIDS AND EASIER SHOPPING FOR MOM AND DAD

Toys don’t get much better than these. If you’re a kid just wanting to have fun, or an overworked parent looking to keep holiday shopping simple, check out the one expert-selected holiday toy list that cuts through all the heavily-hyped electronic razzmatazz in favor of safe, creative toys with staying power.

The hot-off-the-presses 2008 Best Toys for Kids list released today by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) gets back to the basics. It features toys for make-it-up-yourself, belly-laughing play that’s safe, fun for kids and supports their physical, cognitive, and social development. These toys are a great reason to bypass the hordes of anxious, exhausted shoppers at the usual big box stores and try smaller toy stores with better selection, good service, and a priority on toy safety.

“Many toy shoppers are surprised to learn that there is a whole world of engaging, unique, well-made toys that they never see in huge, impersonal, one-size-fits-all stores. These are the toys you will find on the 2008 Best Toys for Kids list and in your local neighborhood toy store,” notes Kathleen McHugh, President of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.

“The people at your locally-owned toy store are from your community. They hand-select a wide range of safe, highly creative toys you don’t see advertised,” continues McHugh. “These toys may not be the ones your kids bug you to buy them, but they will be the ones they play with over and over.”

Toy store owners who are toy and play experts have selected the 2008 Best Toys for Kids (listed below). The list includes toys for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children, and guides parents to toy selections according to different types of play. Details about each toy can be found at www.astratoy.org.

INFANT (Ages Birth-12 Months)

1. Busy Bee Discovery Flower (ALEX) Ages 6 months+

2. Together Tunes Too Block (Neurosmith, manufacturer & Small World Toys, vendor) Ages 6 months+

TODDLER (Ages 1-3 Years)

3. Wheely Bug (Prince Lionheart) Ages 1.5+ (small size), and 3+ (large size)

4. Dexter the Digger (WOW Toys, manufacturer & Ravensburger, vendor) Ages 1.5+

PRESCHOOL LEARNING (Ages 3-6 Years)

5. Magna-Tiles: 3-D Magnetic Building Tiles (Valtech Co.) Ages 3+

6. Magnetic Mosaics – Kids (The Orb Factory) • Ages 4+

Preschool Pretend & Play (Ages 3-6 Years)

7. Road & Rail Play Set – Railway Station (Plan Toys, Inc.) Ages 3+

8. Stablemates(TM) Red Stable Set with Two Horses (Breyer Animal Creations, Div. of Reeves International, Inc.) Ages 4+

CONSTRUCTION

9. Circus Ring (Playmobil) Ages 5+

10. Excalibur Castle (Le Toy Van, manufacturer & Hotaling Imports Inc., vendor) Ages 3+

11. 24-foot BluTrack Challenge Pack (MJ Sports dba BluTrack(R)) Ages 3+

ARTS & CRAFTS

12. Sticky Mosaics Jewelry Box (The Orb Factory) Ages 6+

13. Wikki Stix Tons of Fun (Omnicor Inc. / The Wikki Stix Co.) Ages 3 – 11

MUSIC

14. Schoenhut 44-Key Baby Grand Piano (Schoenhut Piano Company, Inc.) Ages 5+

15. Learn to Play Piano (Melissa & Doug) Ages 3+

GAMES FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (Ages 3-7 Years)

16. Zingo! (ThinkFun, Inc.) Ages 4 – 8

17. Qwirkle (MindWare) Ages 6+

Games FOR OLDER KIDS (Ages 8 Years+)

18. SET Cubed, a Curious Game of Clever Connections (Set Enterprises, Inc.) Ages 8+

19. Bananagrams (Bananagrams) Ages 7+

SCIENCE

20. Wind Power — Renewable Energy Science Kit (Thames & Kosmos) Ages 8+

21. Geyser Tube (Be Amazing! Toys) Ages 8+

ACTIVE

22. The Original Flying Turtle (Mason Corporation) Ages 3 – 12

23. Mini Super Sports Disk (OgoSport, LLC) Ages 4+

TOYS TO WOW KIDS!

24. Multi-colored Ball of Whacks (Creative Whack Company/US Games Systems, Inc.) Ages 8+

25. Karito Kids World Collection (Karito Kids by KidsGive) Ages 3+

The 2008 Best Toys for Kids list, along with an easy-to-use Toy Store Finder for locating independently-owned toy stores, can be found at www.astratoy.org.