Warning: the 17 most-wanted toys this Christmas
In some place - probably an idyllic village in Sweden - there are children who are thrilled to receive a sewing kit, or some biodegradable modelling clay, or anything knit-you-own, grow-your-own, or sustain-your-own. But here, in the real world, children are still drawn to three main areas of toy manufacture: noisy, shiny or messy, or, if you’re really lucky, all three. With that in mind, here is the top 17 toys to watch out for your children will be asking for this Christmas.
1) Spa Factory™
Every so often, a product comes along that is equally as thrilling for the child as it is horrifying for the parent. Giving girls the ingredients to make their own face masks, nail varnishes, and aromatherapy treatments, and then encouraging them to slather them on their own and their friends’ faces, is surely, if you’ll pardon the pun, a recipe for disaster. Sticky, messy, sparkly, and with a somewhat questionable message about female beauty – this one is sure to be a winner with little girls all over the country.
Spa Fantasy™ Aromatherapy Fountain (RRP £29.99)
Spa Sleepover Party for Three (RRP £24.99)
Spa Fantasy sets (from £7.99)
All available from leading online retailers
2) The Star Wars Force Trainer
This item is being heralded as the one to watch this Christmas. It has been long awaited by those in the Star Wars know, and its release this Christmas is set to cause a bit of frenzy. For those less up-to-date with Jedi happenings, the Force Trainer is a headset that uses the technology from hospital ECG machines to measure the aspiring Jedi’s beta-brain waves (emitted while concentrating) and powers the machine accordingly. While it is undoubtedly a bit unnerving that they would put such sophisticated technology in a toy, at £99.95, it is a steal for the hours of silence that it will buy, as children stare ferociously at an unmoving ping-pong ball.
The Star Wars Force Trainer (RRP £99.95)
3) Barbie
Barbie celebrates her 50th birthday this year, and to mark the occasion she has a new castle, some new friends, and probably a new Ken. With a whole range of DVDs, dolls, carriages and castles, Barbie is refusing to grow old gracefully. Let's hope she's using her powers for good with yet another generation of young girls. A Barbie spin-off toy, Barbie and the Three Musketeers Miette Cat, is the It toy for girls, according to Amazon.co.uk. A walking, meowing, interactive cat, Miette, as seen in the Christmas DVD "Barbie and the Three Musketeers". Miette responds to questions posed by Barbie on the accompanying CD, and dances along when you play the DVD.
Barbie 50th Anniversary Generation of Dreams doll (RRP £50)
Barbie and the Three Musketeers Miette Cat (RRP around £65)
4) New Monopoly City
After nearly seventy-five years, the rules of Monopoly have changed. You can now build skyscrapers, parks and stadiums on your properties, as well as being able to dump a sewage plant on your rival’s plot. What better way to spend Christmas than watching your little one become a heartless property tycoon, pouring sewage onto his neighbour’s parks and wildlife?
Monopoly City Edition (RRP £24.99)
5) Furreal Animals
After the success of Biscuit the Puppy last year, Furreal Friends are back with two more offerings, Lulu the Cat, and Zambi the Baby Elephant. These ‘pets’ respond to voice and touch, and come with interactive accessories. These are the cuddly toys of the 21stcentury - from now on, if it can’t walk, talk, and sit on command, it’s not worth having.
Biscuit the Puppy (£149.99)
Lulu the Cat (RRP £44.99)
Zambi the Baby Elephant (RRP £39.99 – for every Zambi sold, £20 goes to Project Zambi, a charity helping African children orphaned by AIDs)
6) Transformers Bumblebee Helmet and The Devastator
This slightly strange helmet, which will entirely encase the lucky recipient’s head, is just one of the many, many Transformers toys that will be on letters to Father Christmas this year. The Devastator, another Transformers release, combines six separate vehicles to create this villain.
Transformers Bumblebee Helmet (RRP £40)
Transformers Devastator (RRP £99.95)
7) Mrs Goodbee Interactive Dolls’ House
This interactive, foldout dolls’ house blinks and chats, and has all the modern features you would expect in a well-run household, including a flushing toilet, a working doorbell, and taps complete with water sound effects. The calm, grandmotherly voice of Mrs Goodbee supervises the house, with a firm, dictatorial reign; reminds children to wash hands and flush toilets; and congratulates them when they do well. £79.99 for a dolls’ house and constant encouragement of good behaviour? Bargain.
Learning Curve Caring Corners Mrs. Goodbee Interactive Dolls’ House (RRP £79.99)
8) Star Wars Lightsaber
John Lewis’ hot pick for boys this Christmas is their most authentic-feeling lightsaber yet, which comes in at an astonishing £99.95. For nearly a hundred pounds, your child can crash through the house waving a glowing, humming, metal stick - that’s if you let them remove it from its own specially designed case. Surely this is slightly missing the point though? Isn’t half the fun of Jedi fights perfecting your own painstakingly practiced lightsaber noises, with parents safe in the knowledge that it wouldn’t really matter if you preferred Doctor Who next week?
Star Wars Lightsaber (RRP £99.95 from John Lewis)
9) My Baby Sneezes
This product lives up to its name really, as the doll, complete with handkerchief, really sneezes. It then tells children how unwell it feels, before demanding medicine. It’s another one of those dolls that is just a little too corporeal, and despite the timing, does not come with its own little toy swine flu vaccine.
My Baby Sneezes (RRP £35)
10) Doctor Who
With the release of the much-anticipated Christmas special, and the sad exchange of the lovely David Tennant for the young Matt Smith, Doctor Who toys will once again be everywhere this Christmas. Mums, as it is probably the only way to get David Tennant into the house, stock up on action figures before the big switch.
11) Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, is not going away. And if you thought there was any hope of escaping her this Christmas, you were very misguided. With gems such as the Hannah Montana Electric Guitar (£30) and the Hannah Montana Colour and Streak Hair Styler (14.68), little girls can now belt along to their favourite tinny pop melodies, while painting strips of their hair alarming shades of purple. Whinging about the paparazzi and their lack of privacy is optional.
Hannah Montana Electric Guitar (RRP £30)
Hannah Montana Colour and Streak Styler (RRP £14.68)
12) High School Musical
With rumours of a fourth movie flying about (minus Zanessa… Hudgfron…well, them, anyway), High School Musical is another one that refuses to be move out of the house and find a real job. Expect more red and gold Wildcats merchandise, with their empowering slogans, as decreed by the 25-year old "high school kids".
13) Waybuloo
The latest offering from CBBC, Waybuloo, tells the story of a group of "piplings", living in "Nara", and practising "yogo" (something akin to yoga, inspired by their surroundings). So far, it sounds quite a nice alternative to Iggle Piggle, and his squeaky band of followers, but just wait until you have all four interactive Pipling dolls in your house, and you are being forced to do yoga on Christmas morning… bets on you start to miss the Night Garden.
14) IgglePiggle Bedtime
Not to be outdone by new CBBC and Channel Five characters, Iggle Piggle is back to terrorise bedtime. This soft toy closes his eyes when he lies down and needs the palm of his hand stroked to get to sleep…fairly standard Night Garden behaviour really.
Iggle Piggle Bedtime Plush (RRP £15)
15) New Bop It!
The impossibly addictive, crystal-meth substitute Bop It! returns in this updated form, with all the old features, and a new "shout" command, putting this high on the list of Most Likely to Get Chucked Out the Window by Boxing Day.
New Bop It! (RRP £19.99)
16) The Wot Wots
Channel Five’s new hit show The Wot Wots is competing with In The Night Garden and Waybuloo for children’s hearts all over the country, so rest assured there will probably be at least one Spotty or Dotty Wot-related item under the Christmas tree this year.
17) Rubik’s 360
A new puzzle from the maker of the timeless cube, this clear, spherical version is as hard to explain as it is to complete. There are three clear spheres, six coloured balls, and the goal is to… Well, that’s unclear, but you can be certain that it will have caused tears of frustration by Boxing Day.
Rubik’s 360 (RRP £18)
-- Noopy Jones